NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/sci/med/nutritio/1747

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-03 | 3.2 KB

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From: [e-mail] (Elizabeth Schwartz)
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition
Subject: How do we know natural foods have more good stuff than bad?
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Date: 3 Jan 93 18:09:14 GMT
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I've lost the post I am following up to, but someone asked how we know
that substances in food that haven't been thoroughly researched are
more likely to be good for us rather than bad for us.
  There are of course some "bad for us" compounds in foods. There are
soem foods which eaten in large quantities can make you ill. Some
fruit seeds contain poisons, and I have heard claims that alfalfa
sprouts can be toxic to some individuals in very large doses.
   Other "natural" diets may be out of balance.
  However, overall, the evidence is that we are evolved to fit our
diets. I find it highly unlikely that our bodies would need substances
not in food (although I find it likely that in the transition from the
4,000-plus calorie diet of our ancestor's to today's 2,000 calorie
diets, some requirements might not be met)
  The evidence that we DO need the trace substances in our diets is
circumstantial but highly probable, IMHO. The more we learn about the
body, the more we have discovered about the complexities of our
chemical processes, the more roles we have foudn for trace vitamins
and minerals. It seems highly unlikely to me that we will have found
out exactly what our vitamin needs are until our understanding of our
biochemistry is complete.
  A few hundred years ago, people were figuring out the dietary
requirements that prevented gross damage: Vitamin C against scurvy,
Iodine against goiter, Vitamin A against some types of blindness, etc.
Today's science is linking other vitamins with other disorders. We've
certainly reached the point where we've identified most of the
vitamins necessary for life. A person who only eats processed,
"enriched" foods with a fiber supplement will live...but may get any
number of digestive and cardiac problems. People who eat "whole" foods
(who admittedly also usually couple them with exercise) seem to have
fewer health problems. I doubt that we'll make startling new
discoveries about trace vitamins that make a life-or-death difference,
(except possibly for individuals with rare sensitivities or
deficiencies) but there does seem to be an overall difference.
  Eat veggies and brown rice and tofu and fruit and whole wheat bread
and just a little oil for two months. Report back! Then eat white
bread and canned foods and frozen veggies and bran-fortified cereal
and meat for another two months. I *have* tried this , eating the
latter for two years then the veggies for two years (ah, roommates who
cook!) Big differences!

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