phil@osiris.UUCP (Philip Kos) (01/23/86)
Several months ago there was a long discussion about the lack of dairy products in Chinese cuisine, with lots of speculation about lactose intolerance, etc. Well, it put a bee in my bonnet, and I'm just now getting around to posting the questions raised in my mind. I was always told as a child that if you did not eat a combination of foods from the "four groups" (meats, grains, veggies, and dairy products) that you just wouldn't be healthy. Well, if the oriental races don't eat any dairy products to speak of, how can they stay healthy? They must be getting the calcium and other nutrients from somewhere; where is it? Along the same lines, is the (apparently) bogus importance of dairy products just a bunch of simplistic propaganda promulgated by the dairy industry? "Oh, drat these computers, Phil Kos they're so naughty and so The Johns Hopkins Hospital complex! I could pinch Baltimore, MD them." - A. Martian
colonel@sunybcs.UUCP (Col. G. L. Sicherman) (01/28/86)
> I was always told as a child that if you did not eat a combination > of foods from the "four groups" (meats, grains, veggies, and dairy > products) that you just wouldn't be healthy. Well, if the oriental > races don't eat any dairy products to speak of, how can they stay > healthy? ... > Along the same lines, is the (apparently) bogus importance of dairy > products just a bunch of simplistic propaganda promulgated by the > dairy industry? The concept of the "four groups" is indeed simplistic propaganda. It's promoted by the "legitimate" food companies (and some of the snack companies, notably Hershey's) and administered by schoolteachers who find it easy to teach. I remember when the schools taught not 4 but 7 "basic food groups." The old classification was more accurate, but it probably proved too great a strain on the public memory. The most reliable rule is still to eat what appeals to you. The easiest rule is still to eat what's at hand. "You saved my life, Captain Buffalo! Have a CIGAR!" -- Col. G. L. Sicherman UU: ...{rocksvax|decvax}!sunybcs!colonel CS: colonel@buffalo-cs BI: csdsicher@sunyabva
tjsmedley@watmum.UUCP (Trevor J. Smedley) (02/03/86)
In article <2790@sunybcs.UUCP> colonel@sunybcs.UUCP (Col. G. L. Sicherman) writes: > >The most reliable rule is still to eat what appeals to you. > I don't agree with this. I know of some chemists who could (and do) whip up some absolutely delicious things with almost zero nutritional value. When people lived in caves this worked, but not any more. Trevor J. Smedley University of Waterloo {decvax,allegra,ihnp4,clyde,utzoo}!watmum!tjsmedley
jao@valid.UUCP (John Oswalt) (02/04/86)
> The concept of the "four groups" is indeed simplistic propaganda. > It's promoted by the "legitimate" food companies (and some of the > snack companies, notably Hershey's) and administered by schoolteachers > who find it easy to teach. I remember when the schools taught not 4 > but 7 "basic food groups." The old classification was more accurate, > but it probably proved too great a strain on the public memory. > > The most reliable rule is still to eat what appeals to you. The > easiest rule is still to eat what's at hand. > Here at Valid, we have what is known as the "four Engineering food groups". We try to eat some of each every day: 1) Caffeine 2) Sugar 3) Salt 4) Grease Note that by simply eating pizza and drinking Dr. Peppper you have satisfied all four groups! -- John Oswalt (..!{hplabs,amd,pyramid,ihnp4}!pesnta!valid!jao)
alan@mtxinu.UUCP (Alan Tobey) (02/05/86)
> Here at Valid, we have what is known as the "four Engineering food > groups". We try to eat some of each every day: > > 1) Caffeine > 2) Sugar > 3) Salt > 4) Grease > > Note that by simply eating pizza and drinking Dr. Peppper you have > satisfied all four groups! > Here in the Bay Area, there's a slight variant: Nature's most nearly perfect food is Irish Coffee, which supplies THESE four essential food groups -- alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. EVERYBODY knows that salt is bad for you :-)!
larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) (02/09/86)
> >The most reliable rule is still to eat what appeals to you. > > I don't agree with this. I know of some chemists who could (and do) whip > up some absolutely delicious things with almost zero nutritional value. > When people lived in caves this worked, but not any more. One of my favorite party tricks is to make a parody of a fast food restaurant chocholate milk shake using a little Hershey's syrup, a LOT of water, and some carrageenan or methyl cellulose. It looks like a McShake, flows like a McShake, just about tastes like a McShake, and has virtually no food value... ==> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York <== ==> UUCP {decvax|dual|rocksanne|rocksvax|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <== ==> VOICE 716/741-9185 {rice|shell}!baylor!/ <== ==> FAX 716/741-9635 {G1, G2, G3 modes} duke!ethos!/ <== ==> seismo!/ <== ==> "Have you hugged your cat today?" ihnp4!/ <==
chai@utflis.UUCP (02/17/86)
[Hello again, world!]
I just picked up a book from a public library: _Everything_You_Wanted
_to_Know_about_Nutrition_, by David Reuben, M.D. (author of _The_
Save-Your-Life_Diet). He pooh-poohed just about EVERYTHING in the food
industry. Regarding milk, he gave it a very low opinion. His claims:
calcium (and Vit. D) you can get from dozens of other foods, e.g.
turnip greens, whole wheat bread, peanuts, beans, olives etc. The
human body rejects 80% of all the calcium you eat to keep the blood
concentration low. Also, in the States milk makes a lot of money:
it's the only basic food which has a reverse price control, ie "there
is a minimum price for milk and it cannot be legally sold for less."
So, it's the dairy people who did all the pushing that made us believe
that milk is necessary for EVERYBODY.
Of course, I don't believe everything I read, but last Saturday there
was this supplement which came with the newspaper: a glossy, four-page,
full-colored ad on milk. The big letters which ran across two pages
read CALCIUM. Then it goes on to tell you just how good milk is in
supplying you with CALCIUM and VIT D. Finally, in small print at the
end, it sez "brought to you by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario". Hmm, I'm
beginning to have my doubts and I no longer feel guilty about not
having milk at least once every day....
ps I believe tofu is rather rich in calcium and eggs are rich in Vit. D,
so these nutrients are indeed present in the Chinese diet.
--
Henry Chai ( guest on suran@utcsri )
{watmath,ihnp4,allegra}!utcsri!utflis!chai chai%utflis@TORONTOhollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) (02/20/86)
In article <2145@utcsri.UUCP> utflis!chai@utcsri.UUCP (Henry Chai) writes: > >I just picked up a book from a public library: _Everything_You_Wanted >_to_Know_about_Nutrition_, by David Reuben, M.D. (author of _The_ >Save-Your-Life_Diet). Reuben is also the author of _Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex (but were afraid to ask)_. I read it and several reviews of it by medical experts. The book is crammed with misinformation, old wives' tales, and general apocrypha, some of it outright dangerous, and all presented as fact. I haven't read his nutrition book, but, given his track record, I wouldn't take his word as authoritative on _any_ subject. -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe) Citicorp(+)TTI 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. Geniuses are people so lazy they Santa Monica, CA 90405 do everything right the first time. (213) 450-9111, ext. 2483 {philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe