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Home>Get Involved>Journal>V8N3 Fall 2007

Volume 8, Number 3, Fall 2007

President's Message: Food Puritanism

In this issue, we look once again at the subject of heart disease and the continued insistence on the part of the medical establishment—now reaching the point of shrillness—that consumers can only protect themselves against the disease by adopting a diet low in saturated fat, cholesterol and animal food, this in spite of mountains of evidence—staring us in the face—that this prescription isn't working. In fact, the "Prudent Diet," which health officials proposed during the mid 1950s for middle aged men at risk of heart disease, is now forced on growing children with all the finger wagging and moral outrage we associate with the spinster school marm, armored in righteousness.

This dietary dogma actually originated in the early 1800s with Sylvester Graham, who advocated a vegetarian diet as a cure for sexual urges. Graham believed that excessive carnal exercise would cause indigestion, headache, feebleness of circulation, pulmonary consumption, spinal diseases, epilepsy, insanity and early death of offspring, among other dire consequences. His views were furthered by John Harvey Kellogg, who warned against sexual activity even in marriage and advocated an abstemious meat-free diet as a way of curbing lust.

Today we recognize the process whereby demonization and harsh suppression of natural urges often lead to unhappy outcomes—during the strict Victorian era, for example, one woman in eight was a prostitute—and even pathologies. Yet our liberated dietary "experts" fail to recognize the fact that restriction of our natural desire to eat rich animal foods also leads to pathologies. When children are denied the high-fat and cholesterol-rich foods they need to develop normally, the result is behavior problems ranging from autistic withdrawal to uncontrolled consumption of processed food. Food Puritanism inflicted on innocent children—such as skim milk and harsh whole-grain cereal—results in Food Pornography—bingeing on candy, pastries, doughnuts, chips and sodas—along with indigestion, headache, feebleness of circulation, pulmonary consumption, spinal diseases, epilepsy, insanity, and even early death of offspring—not to mention infertility. Neither dietary extreme results in good health, normal behavior and a happy outlook on life.

We hope to provide a more rational dietary policy and further the Food Liberation Movement at our upcoming conference, dedicated to Radiant Health for Children and Their Parents. We have a wonderful cast of speakers lined up—including Drs. Tom Cowan and Natasha Campbell-McBride—to present principles and strategies for nourishing the next generation.

Features

What Causes Heart Attacks?
Dr. Tom Cowan discusses a surprising new theory

Cholesterol, Friend or Foe?
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride on the folly of demonizing cholesterol

Cholesterol and Stroke
Chris Masterjohn unravels the connection

CoEnzyme Q10
John Williamson Cameron looks at CoQ10 for heart disease and related ailments

The Pacific Northwest
Katherine Czapp explores the Native American grease trail

Departments

Letters

Caustic Commentary
Sally Fallon and Mary Enig take on the Diet Dictocrats

Know Your Fats
Mary Enig exposes the tragedy of cholesterol lowering and lowfat diets for children

All Thumbs Book Reviews

• Thumbs Up: The Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD
• Thumbs Up: What to Eat by Marion Nestle

Growing Wise Kids
Jen Allbritton tells how to get the goods

Food Feature
Rami Nagel takes a new look at crab, a sacred food from the sea

Soy Alert
Kaayla Daniel on soy and heart disease

NAIS Update
Judith McGeary keeps us informed

A Campaign for Real Milk (at www.realmilk.com)
Rose Marie Belforti and her kefir cheese venture

Healthy Baby Gallery

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