The other day I mentioned something about a particular food being poison, my friend “pishawed” me saying it really WASN’T poison. So I started thinking that maybe I had been a bit harsh so I looked up the definition of poison. What came up was wiki and it states, “In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms”. So now I don’t think I was being harsh.
In the context of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)*, Canola Oil, partially hydrogenated oil, and so many of the CHEMICALS that make up our food, I think it is pretty accurate calling them poisons —- if you are of the belief they disturb our natural healthy body functions. If you believe that HFCS actually does interfere with the production/the release of leptin which is the agent that helps notify the body it is full; if you believe genetically modifying a rape seed so is has “less” than the normal of the bad acid AND includes a pesticide so the insects won’t eat it; if you believe partially hydrogenated oil aka trans fat increase the LDL** levels and LOWERS the HDL*** levels; then I believe it is perfectly reasonable to say it causes disturbances to organisms or in short is poison. But that is only IF you believe any of that stuff.
There are a lot of things that we COULD call poison if we want and be accurate; alcohol, antibiotics, medicines, etc. These things also interfere with our bodies systems, but they are not consumed ALL the time. If they are . . . there are issues, as you can agree in the case of an alcoholic. An alcoholic’s body does not function properly and a lot of health issues generally arise. Too much antibiotics without the proper counter measures can lead to OTHER types of infections or issues. So it is, we ingest these types of “poisons” with care, caution, and infrequency. But it is difficult to do that with our food.
There are so many chemicals, our food is sooooo over processed, so much of our food is genetically altered a lot of it can be considered poison . . . in my opinion. So, was a I being harsh? No, I don’t think so. Could be that if we start looking at what our food is doing to us we might see the need to change things. Food is supposed to be NUTRITION, but ours is not so much any longer.
As I always say, I don’t eat perfect. I am working hard to reduce my consumption of overly processed foods, things with HFCS, Canola Oil, and partially hydrogenated oils in them. I believe by reducing my intake of these things cause disturbances to organisms, I am allowing my body to get more out of the food I eat.
What do YOU think? Was I being harsh by calling something that has HFCS, Canola Oil, AND partially hydrogenated oil in it poison?
*HFCS or the new name “corn sugar”
**LDL = Low-density lipoprotein, commonly thought of as “bad” cholesterol
***HDL = High-density lipoprotein, commonly thought of as “good” cholesterol
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