Is Anything Safe to Eat???

[Atom]

There are so many reports out there on the dangers of specific ingredients and foods.
Canola oil
Soy
MSG
etc.

Rather than taking the "focus on what you don't want, and try to eliminate it" approach, I thought it might be best to focus on those things for which there are no known reports of any dangers.

Does anyone know of such a listing, or would anyone care to share their list of safe foods? I hate to give in to fear, but when it comes to my health, I don't want to take any unnecessary risks.

[WanderingOak]

I tend to take a balanced 'natural' aproach. In other words, fresh veggies, whole grains, and lean meats, buying the highest quality I can afford. In most cases, 'highest quality' means Organic. I try to use only Maple syrup and honey as sweeteners, for example.

The 'net can be both a blessing and a curse. There is a lot of good information out there, but there is also a lot of agenda-based propaganda. For example, for somebody with Celiac Disease a gluten-free diet would definitely be a good idea. However, I have heard some people suggest that every case of fatigue or failure to thrive is a result of Celiac disease, and that nobody should ever eat wheat gluten for any reason. Likewise, somebody who is Lactose Intolerant probably shouldn't drink milk, but that doesn't mean that everybody is Lactose Intolerant.

Nutrition is a popular topic on the web, so as a result, it can be difficult to find unbiased information. Oft-times people go out looking for the answer they want for a specific question (such as soy, dairy, gluten, etc) and use what they find as 'proof' even though there may be just as many opposing viewpoints

[TheColonel]

I think organically grown, green leafy vegetable are pretty safe. But they sure are boring.

I've seen people attack tap water. I've seen them attack bottled water, spring water, and most recently, I saw someone say distilled water is terrible for you. Apparently the theory goes, that distilled water does some kind of reverse osmosis with the minerals being stored in your body.

Good lord.

I just try to eat in moderation and not worry about what all the Chicken Littles are saying.

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by TheColonel

I think organically grown, green leafy vegetable are pretty safe. But they sure are boring.

My mother was on kidney dialasis for a few months, and her doctor told her that green leafy veggies would kill her. Something about the dialisis equipment not filtering out all of the Potasium and the Vitamin K causing clots in her system...

[dor]

Nina Planck: Food Writer & Expert on Farmers' Markets & Local Food
Why do I defend real food? Because it's under attack.

Don't you find it odd that the experts blame butter and beef for heart disease, even though heart disease as we know it has only been around since 1912, and we've been eating butter for 30,000 years and beef for 3 million?

Don't you find it funny that the foods in all traditional diets - starting with breast milk - are loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol, yet people who eat these traditional foods liberally don't get heart disease? Nor are they fat or diabetic.

The experts are mistaken. The so-called diseases of civilization - obesity, diabetes, and heart disease - are not caused by real food. The diseases of industrialization - as I call them - are caused by the foods of industrialization.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Atom

There are so many reports out there on the dangers of specific ingredients and foods.
Canola oil
Soy
MSG
etc.

AFAIK (with a few possible exceptions - maybe including MSG) the reports are on the dangers of eating excessive amounts of specific foods.

With soy, for example, AFAIK, you should be fine eating soy beans (esp. fermented ones). OTOH, when people extract and concentrate the protein component by itself (to make soysages, say) that can be a problem.

All things in moderation...

[Conan Stevens]

Originally Posted by dor

The experts are mistaken. The so-called diseases of civilization - obesity, diabetes, and heart disease - are not caused by real food. The diseases of industrialization - as I call them - are caused by the foods of industrialization.

YES. Correct here is an out take from a article I posted - this is lifted from the World Health Organisation website. It is good to see the real experts (not hte noise making goons we often hear) do know what is happening;

Increased consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats, combined with reduced physical activity, have led to obesity rates that have risen three-fold or more since 1980 in some areas of North America, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and China.The obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized societies; this increase is often faster in developing countries than in the developed world.

More here:Worldwide Obesity. How and the cure.

[ahimel]

I don't believe that there's actually any food that hasn't been found to cause problems for some people somewhere. Or, if there are, it's because no one's studied it yet. Everything, if taken under the right (or wrong) circumstances, causes cancer in rats. (Except poinsettas. Oddly enough.)

The question is finding the things that are right for you. I'm moderately lactose intolerant. Although I can eat cheese and ice cream without causing huge problems -- unlike my husband, who just gets sick -- it does slow me down and drain my energy. On the other hand, if you want to be vegetarian but don't like beans, dairy might be really good for you -- you need to get protein somehow. So in different cirumstances, I'd give the exact opposite approach to drinking milk.

Spinach, as we all know, is delicious and nutritious. But it contains oxalic acid, which tends to bind with calcium before your body can absorb it, which means that pregnant women and old people should avoid it, or be careful to eat enough calcium to counter that effect. Does that mean you should eliminate spinach from your diet? Probably not. Because the next thing you find will cause problems in young boys. The next thing causes heart problems in sheep. The thing after that increases depressive tendencies. You'll never find something perfect. All you can do is find something perfect for you.

[Andrew Brunelle]

The best approach is non-processed, whole foods that are preferably organic, not genetically modified by the government, clean, and fresh, not to mention has loads of vitamins. Focus on eating colorful vegetables and tasty fruits, rather than focusing on what you can't eat or do not want to eat for fear of soy-estrogen protein or whatever else holds you back from eating them.

However, I would never recommend spreading MSG on toast. Not because it's bad for you, it just tastes awful.

[openeyes]

To me the ideal diet would include steamed veggies with butter and sea salt; berries; rare grass-fed beef, bison, ostrich, or game meat; fresh raw, low mercury fish such as wild salmon or sardines; raw milk/cheese; raw yolks from locally produced free range eggs; soaked raw seeds (to neutralize their anti-nutrients), and a handful of walnuts. Of course, the less pesticides the better. Biodynamic would be nice. Plus green/white tea.

I'm not particularly up tight about diet anymore, and thus my eating habits can vary quite a bit from the above list. Moderation is more my ideal now, and there are very few things that I would never eat at this point. For a simple, generally healthy approach, stick to the outside isles of the grocery store.