Food Politics

[Lynda (Fl)]

Did he run out of topics?  I thought we knew how to do glutin.  Did he give a reason we need to eat more glutin or is he pushing wheat? 

[Rita]

Did his return to gluten mention glyphosate a by any chance?  I wonder what Oz's current situation is with Monsanto.

[Greentree]

I had to go dig up the video.....it was a Dr. Susan Blum, who says that once you heal your gut, you can , in moderation, (if you are not celiac or have auto immune diseases) add gluten back to your diet.


My ipad would not let me watch the entire segment, sorry.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Greentree,


The biggest problem with adding gluten back into your diet is the inflammation( especially in your intestines) it causes among all the other nasties.  It also adds too many carbs so you start gaining weight as well.  The longer you are wheat free, the stronger the reaction because your body doesn't like gluten.  There really isn't any way around this.  Seeds of grasses are not good for humans to eat.

[Jan in Key West]

That's also the definition of insanity.....to do the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result!

[Greentree]

I posted this because it seemed politically motivated to me....I apologize if you feel I am defending him, as I am not.


I will resume lurking.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Greentree,

It is Dr. Susan Blum you quoted as saying  "you can add gluten back into your diet after your gut is healed " causing the objections here.   Your gut doesn't "heal" very quickly in adults.  Most adults today have some sort of auto-immune problem brewing, even if it is not actually diagnosed. It is the properties of grains that cause these problems and re-introducing gluten into your diet will just bring them to the forefront.  Headaches, nausea, constipation, diarrhea  and brain fog are all common reactions to re-introducing gluten.  Why would you want to damage your intestinal lining again and damage your brain functioning by re-introducing something clearly very bad for your health?

Those of us who have been grain and sugar free for a few years would not even think of re-introducing gluten.  It makes us sick in some manner and then re-triggers all the conditions which is why we stopped eating grains in the first place.  This is why Jan in Key West called it "insanity".  This Dr. Blum can't be all that astute nor really understand the issues.  Perhaps she is paid by someone who will benefit from gluten sales. 

[Rita]

Have you been reading the unfolding story on how Coca Cola has been funding an obesity researcher at the University of Colorado?

Here are the details:
1) Coca Cola Funds Scientists Who Shift Blame for Obesity - http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/coca-cola-funds-scientists-who-shift-blame-for-obesity-away-from-bad-diets/
2) University of Colorado Returns Coca Cola Funding for Global Energy Balance Network - http://www.foodpolitics.com/?s=global+energy+balance
3) Excerpts from Emails between Coke, Anti-Obesity Group - http://bigstory.ap.org/article/eac573c073b6429bb302d94acc787c2b/excerpts-emails-between-coke-anti-obesity-group-0

[BarbinNC]

Rita, thanks for keeping the good info flowing … I couldn't open the Ny Times links for some reason, might be my computer.  But it's sickening what goes on behind our backs, the emails are so telling.  It is disheartening, knowing that my grandson will grow up in a world that is full of double talk and all about money and greed.  Is there hope?  I really don't know right now, we can try to teach by example, and I think that will go a long way while children are small, but once released into the world of public education, how knows what will steer, them … peer pressure is real and strong with little ones, and even more so with middle and high schoolers.  It takes a lot of strength, even for adults to follow a path or good health, in the midst of toxic food production and sneaky double talk.  Sometimes I wish we could become hermits on a lonely farm, producing our own food … but how much fun would that be?  I am guessing that somehow it's going to be another stage of evolution and survival of the fittest, that win this contest.

[Rita]

I fixed the link to the NY Times article.  Thanks Barb.


I know what you mean about how disheartening it is.  I figure the best way to make change is through education and our pocket books.   

[BarbinNC]

Thanks for that link, Rita  - very interesting and surprisingly honest article on the situation.  That Dr. Blair from USC should indeed be fired, for one thing, he's fat.  Not judging, just saying that if he makes statements indicating that weight loss is all about exercise, where is his evidence.  I'm glad the article was honest enough to counter the statements made by this group.


Most outrageous statement.  “Most of the focus in the popular media and in the scientific press is, ‘Oh they’re eating too much, eating too much, eating too much’ — blaming fast food, blaming sugary drinks and so on,” the group’s vice president, Steven N. Blair, an exercise scientist, says in a recent video announcing the new organization. “And there’s really virtually no compelling evidence that that, in fact, is the cause.”

[Greentree]

Thanks for that link, Rita  - very interesting and surprisingly honest article on the situation.  That Dr. Blair from USC should indeed be fired, for one thing, he's fat.  Not judging, just saying that if he makes statements indicating that weight loss is all about exercise, where is his evidence.  I'm glad the article was honest enough to counter the statements made by this group.


Most outrageous statement.  “Most of the focus in the popular media and in the scientific press is, ‘Oh they’re eating too much, eating too much, eating too much’ — blaming fast food, blaming sugary drinks and so on,” the group’s vice president, Steven N. Blair, an exercise scientist, says in a recent video announcing the new organization. “And there’s really virtually no compelling evidence that that, in fact, is the cause.”

I always tell people that I am the poster for this proof....43 lbs over weight, eating 900 calories per day, burning 4000 calories per day (verified, FWIW, by a BodyBugg, later by FitBIt), eating "healthy , Whole grains", drinking water, with the scale still going UP.


Take away the healthy whole grains....the scale starts dropping. Pretty simple cause and effect in my (simple) mind!!

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Greentree,

The "cause and effect" you experienced is just like we all did, some more than others.  It really is very simple:  do not eat the grains and sugars.  You will lose excess weight.  Your body is able to recuperate from the inflammation the grains cause so you start to feel better. 

There is too much money involved for these people to acknowledge the obvious.  Your mind isn't "simple", you just use common sense.

[Greentree]

Barbara in NJ, thanks!


I heard today that the diabetes new cases are finally down...and of course they are saying that people are drinking fewer cokes, and that is the reason. One girl was down to seven per week, from fifty....
Imagine how healthy she would be at NONE??

[Greentree]

I heard a mention of Rachel Carson and her "mission" on the radio today....and then global warming....and I thought:
HOLY you know what!!!! Rachel had it pegged way back! The global warming is the smoke screen being used so we will not notice that we are being POISONED!!


Sorry if this is a bit of a stretch.....but that is how my brain works.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Greentree,

Right on the money!  Our soil is so damaged by "modern" methods and chemicals that it doesn't really retain water very well.  The "miracle" of irrigation has caused the underground rivers of water to be pumped beyond their capacity to replenish.  All the harsh chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and anti-biotics used for human and animal foods and the factory farming methods don't allow for soil recovery.  To keep crop yields increasing, the GMO crops
are developed.  Foods are irradiated and pasteurized to increase shelf life with little thought about how the nutrients are diminished by these processes.

It isn't just us humans being poisoned, the birds and bees, dolphins and other sea life are all endangered.  Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" is a real possibility.  Call it global warming and you can avoid the confronting issues causing the problem.   

[Greentree]

Oh, thank you , Barbara!  Is it possible to get anyone else to see this? Rachel is gone, or she would have written a book.....


Are we all TOO poisoned to do anything about it?

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Greentree,


You can contribute to organizations like Farm Forward.  You can contact your Congressmen.  Most important is that you can feed your family the grass fed, pastured, nonGMO, wild caught and organically raised foods. This is the normal, natural way used for thousands of years. 


Big Ag and Big Pharma has noticed that their sales are down.  National food manufacturers have noticed that their sales are down substantially. Companies like Nabisco has gotten the hint and show sales growth only because they are buying up the small health conscious brands, not because there is a sales increase in their products like Coke or Oreos.


When you realize that the chemical and pesticide laden CAFO produced foods have become the norm only since the end of WWII, you begin to understand that this way of food production is unnatural and actually quite toxic to ourselves, our animals and our planet.  MAny people have commented that they can eat pasta in Italy or bread in Germany and not have the health issues they have when they eat these products in this country.
Duh!!!  Thats because many of the European products are actually produced organically and few, if any, chemicals or pesticides are used in the final product.  The food tastes so good because it actually IS from healthy animals raised properly. 

[Rita]

On the Big Pharma front, keeping US cancer drug prices high now affects a peace plan with Columbia.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/colombia-gleevec_us_5733d4ece4b077d4d6f224ee?utm_hp_ref=politics

[Jan in Key West]

Interesting article Rita.....Eight and a half years ago, my stepdaughter was diagnosed with the blood cancer,  myeloenous leukemia, and has been on Gleevac ever since. So far, luckily, it has held the disease at bay but the cost has skyrocketed over the years. Surely, by now, the patent has run out but no one is coming forth with a generic version.....the drug has been in existence since the late 90's.

[Rita]

Too much incentive to keep the price high I guess.   Your stepdaughter has done well to be 8 1/2 years since diagnosis.   Is she on a whole food diet as well?

[Jan in Key West]

Without being overly pushy, I've shared books (including WB & GB), articles on ketogenic strategies, LCHF blogs etc., but while she says she's eating healthy, she still includes grains, etc in her diet and seems not to understand the 'sugar/carb' issue with cancer. We only see her four or five times per year due to logistics.....so I don't come on real strong with the diet stuff. I'm sure we all share similar situations where our newfound knowledge might make a tremendous difference in someone's life but they're not receptive....but, yes, I have shared.

[RogerHockett]

Hi guys I thought I'd weigh in on this even though I'm in Australia.  I got really, really angtry for about 24 hours when I realised that my quaility of life had been sabotaged by my acceptance of the low fat/high carb mantra that has been fed to us.  How many years have we failed to have the quality Enfin Mince of life we are entitled to because of politics of food .  Big agribusiness and big pharma have ripped us off royally.
Rita if you are considering updating your qualifications please allow me to suggest Nora Gedgaudas book "Pimal Body, Primal Mind", Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life. http://www.primalbody-primalmind.com/

How can we be instrumental in our communities to get the word out