By Grant Davies
The idea that I would normally spend much time reading from a site like "Tree Hugger" dot com seems far fetched.
I love the earth we live on as much as any of the "huggers" do. But much of the environmental "science" among that group in general can only be classified as political science.
So I go where
the actual science leads me and in this case it led me to Canada and their tree-huggers. The title of this post is a "hook" to see if I can interest anyone in the actual topic I want to address.
That topic is my quest for information regarding diabetes, obesity, and the associated diseases that plague modern society and are killing us and our children. (It's for the children, dontcha know) This is not to mention bankrupting the healthcare system in the US as well as other countries.
It seems there is a large number of primary care physicians in Canada, (well over 700 and counting) who are urging the government there to trash the old nutrition guidelines in favor of actual science. In my opinion, it is not hyperbole to say it's a matter of life and death.
People in general, and people in government in particular, are loathe to admit being in error. Long held beliefs are the hardest ones to admit we were wrong about. But when the beliefs are causing disease, the stakes are higher.
Even then, it seems that governments are more interested in saving face than saving your life. Their credibility takes precedence over your well being.
The "science" that has led us to being a population of waddlers and roly-poly customers of the drug companies was wrong, spectacularly so. And a look around you as you go through the supermarket checkout line is all the evidence you need to confirm that conclusion. Obese children by the millions are especially heartbreaking.
It ain't the handheld devices and video games that made them fat folks, it's the poison in the shopping cart. (Don't get me started on the devices, that's a different topic) And I'm not blaming the parents (not yet anyway) because they have been misled by the media, the government, and yes, even their doctors. And as I opined in a previous post, sugar is addictive, and we are all addicts.
Perhaps the government has kept us focused on drug dealers getting our kids hooked on heroin so we wouldn't notice that General Mills and Archer Daniels have been hooking them on sugar for generations. They sure got me hooked. You can decide for yourself whether that was purposeful or not. I won't go there in this essay.
So back to the point. Doctors in Canada have finally figured out that they need to stop the madness and get the government there to admit the mistake and begin the healing. Maybe if they admit it first it will encourage other governments to come clean. Like for instance, the US.
It will have to happen eventually when the system of treating illnesses with insanely expensive drugs (instead of preventing them and curing them in the first place with education), collapses under the costs.
It's well to remember, pharmaceutical companies aren't in the business of curing disease, they are in the business of treating it. You can't blame them for that. There is no money to be made in changing what people eat. It's our job to take ownership of ourselves and our health.
The links below will take you to the story.
"The updated Canada Food Guide, slated for 2018, should reflect the latest dietary science, even if it goes against what people have been taught for decades."
"A significant number of Canadian physicians are frustrated with the Ministry of Health. Canada's government is in the process of revising its national dietary guidelines for the first time in a decade, and a group of more than 715 physicians and allied health professionals worry that the new guidelines will not reflect the latest dietary science. Previously, the guidelines were based on the low-fat, high-carbohydrate model that has dominated nutritional advice for the past 50 years but has since been shown to be deeply flawed; however, it appears the government believes otherwise," read the rest here.
3 comments:
Thanks for you blog post. I too believe all of what you said. Of course, the government is in a no win situation. If they agree that diabetes and a whole host of other maladies are likely caused by high insulin and high glucose level for too long, then the demand for such foods as grains and grain oils will fall. You can imagine what the economic outcomes might be if folks stopped buying bread and flour and pasta and cereals and cakes, etc. and started buying more meat. This is akin to political suicide. On the other hand, just like the NHS in the UK, our medical care system will also go bankrupt - in fact is almost is right now, and there is more to come even if we all stop eating so many carbs today.
So I do wonder what the government's response will be. The science is clear on this issue, but I suspect that waffling for a few years will buy them some time to make some changes more slowly. Of course such waffling just prolongs all the needless suffering of those who are ill with diabetes and heart disease, but the government can get away such action because the vast majority of the population is fairly ignorant when it comes to science. Most folks just defer to their doctor's advice because they are ignorant and scared to do otherwise. Even when 700+ doctors (very impressive and congratulations to them all)express their dissatisfaction with the dept. of Health, most folks just shrug and continue doing what they usually do, eat their carbs and write off all their ills to genetics and old age. Sad.
Thanks for the comments.
As you know, I am a sceptic about much of the "established science" that floats around today. What is particularly disquieting about it is the rabid support that often accompanies it. "It's been said for decades, so it must be true" is used to drown out anyone who disbelieves or asks for proof. In the case of nutrition, it is even more alarming. Not stated in this is the possibility that the lowering of fats in the diet may be implicated in the increase in senility, dementia, and alzheimer's! Scary!!!
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