“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.” –Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
I eat, you eat, we all eat… but what do we know about the food that we so innocently ingest? I would venture to say that most of the people do not have the faintest idea (or don’t care) about what they put in their mouth.
They seldom think about preservatives, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and all the nasty chemicals that are now ubiquitous in the “civilized” world. The diners’ main concern is that whatever they chew on should give them (temporarily) pleasure.
Most of the people probably adhere to Mark Twain’s maxim:
“The secret of success is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” Mark Twain
It is said that ignorance is bliss, but I doubt it.
I would bet without any hesitation that the food consumed by the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert is much healthier than any dishes served in any fast food restaurant.
To be truthful, I really never spent much time thinking about what I eat. Generally speaking, I broadly follow accepted rules; but those directives are frequently misleading… and often driven by partisan lobbyists.
What prompted me to reflect on food was a KQED presentation named “What the heck should I eat?” hosted by Doctor Mark Hyman, founder and medical director of the UltraWellness Center.
Doctor Hyman said: “You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet.” I believe it. It is the fuel that powers the machine that corrodes the engine, not the exercise.
The poisoning of the body is insidious but steady, and over time it will take its toll.
Have you ever closely scrutinized a food label? It can be mind-boggling.
Every morning I drink a Maxwell House concoction called Suisse Moka cafe.
Listed under the ingredients: nondairy creamer [partially hydrogenated coconut oil, corn syrup solids, sodium caseinate (from milk), dipotassium phosphate, mono-and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, artificial flavor], maltodextrin, decaffeinated instant coffee, sodium citrate, contains less than 2% of natural and artificial flavor, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, silicon dioxide.
Could all this weird stuff be good for me? Hmm…
And I just noticed: “Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering.”
What the heck does that mean? Are they Frankensteining my food?
One of our problems is identifying where the product comes from, and secondly, what it is really made of. Never forget that profit drives everything and that little “white lies” are inconsequential throughout the food industry.
So, what the hell should we eat? Fruits? OK, but what about those darn pesticides? Organic? But how do we know that it is really “organic”?Vegetables? All right, but where do they come from? What about pesticides?Meat? but what about those darn hormones?
So?
I really don’t have an answer, but try at least to decipher the label before buying a product, and keep in mind that anything that you don’t understand is not kosher.
“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” –Ernestine Ulmerow
Alain
PS: I know of a hot spot in the Kalahari Desert