Skeptical
I really liked the information in part one of chapter 3, about how twenty million tons of soy and vegetable protein are needed to produce 2 million tons of beef. I never though of what is considered nutritional based on values instead of science and I found this very interesting. This could be the reason why organic and all natural foods are becoming so popular for their health benefits. With the green movement people are trying to be more conscious of the environment, therefore not wanting to put pesticides and other chemicals into the environment. Companies such as 7 Up are advertising their foods as “all natural” to appeal to consumers. It appeals to customers because they think it is healthier, yet the term “all natural” in foods is meaningless. Scientists are not even sure if pesticides are harmful to people, yet organic food and co-ops continue to become more and more popular. This makes me very skeptical of other things that are promoted for their health benefits. Pomegranate and acai are also really popular right now because they are full of antioxidants. However do antioxidants even really have any health benefits, or is it just a good way to promote the fruits to make money?
Comments
All good points. We forget that the food industry is also a business and it's naive to think that they make all their business decisions for our health benefits. They want to make money too, and I'm sure some foods are presented as healthier than they actually are. The human body has never changed and what's good for it has never changed, so I'm always skeptical about the NEW thing that's proposed as healthy. Why do we never see advertisements about how we should eat more simple things like apples, spinach, or whole grains, but we're blasted with obscure foods like tea, weird fruit, and pills and told that this is REALLY how to lose weight.
Posted by: Luis C | April 5, 2009 7:31 AM
I think it's interesting how you can read a study one day, but then weeks or months later it's contradicted by another study. I hear these things on the news all too often and it makes me wonder which one is right? Antioxidants and omega-3's are promoted today, but I wonder what study will come out next that will void it. Studies are conducted and people jump to conclusions before anything is actually proven.
Posted by: Ashley L | April 7, 2009 8:32 PM