Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: food fads

[TR Ruddick (truddick]

> From: Racheli Gai <racheli [at] sonoracohousing.com>
> Subject: Re: [C-L]_ RE: food fads
> Hi TR,
> I was attempting to write, in my previous post, in a way which didn't 
> say:
> Wanting organic is "right", and not wanting organic is "wrong"

Indeed, and I didn't want to seem as if I was contradicting you personally;
I meant to use your comments as a point of departure.
 
> To reiterate, my point 
> was that in
> close proximity pursuing certain way of life has consequences for those 
> who
> want to do/live/be different - and that not all styles can coexist 
> happily.

Agreed.

> On the matter of science, and what's been shown to be healthy or not 
> scientifically speaking - I very much disagree with your assessment that 
> organic food has not been shown to be healthier.  There is quite a lot of 
> material out there which establishes this
> point, but of course it's up to every one of us to decide when they're 
> "convinced", if
> ever...  Since science isn't about a proof, but about corroborating 
> evidence (and
> refutation), it's never the fact that *anything* is established beyond 
> a shadow of a
> doubt, and the decision one makes is *not a scientific one*.  It is 
> based on values
> regarding what kind of risks one wishes to take and why.

Feh! :-)

Look, there are some scientific conclusions about nutrition that no sane
person would argue against.  Science has PROVEN (pardon my enthusiasm) that
vitamin C and other nutrients are essential, and we know what foods provide
them.  Science has PROVEN that trans-fats clog the arteries much quicker
than natural fats and oils.

But "there is quite a lot of material out there that establishes" that
organic is healthier--well, there was quite a bit of material out there
that suggested that margarine (dripping with trans-fat) was better for
heart patients than butter.  Wrong, but it was out there.  Shucks, there
was quite a bit of material out there that showed that smoking tobacco
causes no adverse health effects and in fact might be good for you.

Making decisions based on inconclusive evidence is not wrong, but we should
be clear about the nature of science.  Sometimes it gets a cold, hard
answer, other times it's still in progress.

Moreover, I have no doubt that organic food are healthier--no pesticides,
no chemical fertilizers (I can't stand going through the gardening sections
of most retail stores due to the stench from the lawn chemicals!).  How
much healthier--that's up for further study.

My point is that people should be clear about when a dietary regimen is
followed based on sound scientific laws (vitamins, trans-fats, etc.) and
when we're basing it on a personal belief that's not strictly supported by
science (vegetarianism, kosher practices, etc.).  The first ought to be
accommodated; the second is social and political and open to negotiation.

T
R