Friday, February 20, 2015

demon ... OUT!!!

[evil grin]

Oh, that accusation -- one is DEMONIZING certain foods!  In this give-everybody-a-chance-to-screw-you-over-or-else-you're-being-UNFAIR culture, one can't even point out that certain foods are in fact BAD FOR US without some junk-food apologist protesting (too much)....

Face it, there's a lot of edible items that do horrible things to our bodies.  Pointing them out is not demonizing them.  The D-word is an emotion-charged appeal designed to get us to BACK OFF.

Too much lettuce in my diet makes me feel bad, as do a number of other vegetables.  Gluten-grains are problematic for me too, as well as some dairy products and megadoses of nightshades.  Ditto for certain man-made additives.  I report my observations as a heads-up to others.  Does this mean i'm DEMONIZING them?  Some people would say yes -- probably some of the same ones who go around "demonizing" red meat.  ;-)  I scoff.

Next time you read that word, take a mental step back and dispassionately consider what this appeal to your emotions is trying to achieve.  I suspect you'll find that it's an industry-promoting attempt to defend an indefensible product.

16 comments:

  1. I call it the "don't be judgmental" demand, but the "give everyone a chance to screw you over" demand is more descriptive.

    Certainly, we need to have standards (to look and feel good, for instance) and ways of judging what will move will us toward them or away from them if we want to avoid weight gain or diseases of old or middle age. In general, judging things (and people) on their merits and faults, objectively, is what rational people do.

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    1. :-) i heartily agree! ...doesn't it seem like there's a lot of childish mentality in adults these days?

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    2. Agreed, but the anti-judgmental people who want to make doormats out of everyone else have been at it for decades.

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  2. " I report my observations as a heads-up to others." ........and we appreciate this Tess.

    I am fine with lettuce but have to restrict the amount of cucumber I eat - whereas one of the grandchildren could eat a whole one if allowed to ......

    Have a good weekend

    All the best Jan

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    1. thank you! :-) i'm with Galina -- i don't think i've ever heard of anyone who has trouble with cucumbers before.... does it make a difference how mature the fruit is?

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  3. Jan, you are the only person I know about who has any problem with cucumbers. The list of foods I view as possible suspects in magnifying allergies or causing them is long enough for suspecting me in a food paranoia by some individuals (I only report my own observations and experiences), but cucumber is not there. It doesn't mean I don't trust your observations, of course.

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    1. Hi Galina - I love eating cucumbers and can manage a few slices in a salad .......... but if I have too many the indigestion I suffer is just not worth it. This almost 'allergy' to cucumbers has been with me since childhood. I am fine with all other foods.

      Take Care

      All the best Jan

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    2. My dad used to grow a special breed called "Burpless Cucumbers" so I guess a significant enough part of the population has some problems with them. I've never seen them in stores, though.

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    3. Jan, according to my observations, what is called an indigestion is most of the time just one of manifestations of the allergic reaction. My son reacts in a such way on a fish, and it is one of allergens for him according to the tests he went through previously.

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    4. yes, i wonder what the difference is, with the "burpless" kind.... me, i got more enthusiastic about cucumbers when we began seeing the "English" kind in the shops -- having tiny, tender seeds makes them much more palatable to me than the mature, tough-seeded ones i grew up with.

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    5. Thanks to all for your comments regarding my reaction to cucumbers.

      That is interesting to read about 'the burpless cucumber' - I didn't know there was such a thing !

      I'm with Tess when she comments about the 'English' cucumbers they do have a lovely taste.

      Once again thanks all

      All the best Jan

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  4. Okay, I am all but standing up to APPLAUD you for this post!!!! I am UP TO HERE with that 'demonizing' bull shit song and dance. Why YES, YES I AM DEMONIZING GRAINS. Ignore me now, but sooner or later one's body will react to grains and wheat. FACT. Whether people want to believe it or not. Why is it still socially okay for them to put down facts, but not okay for them to mention them? Bullshit double standard, if you ask me.

    Re cucumbers, I love them. Mushrooms too. Sometimes I can get away with either, sometimes not. Both, as I get older, I react more to. Inflammed gut for sure at least 50% of the time. Wish it was different.

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    1. :-) i chuckled out loud at that first paragraph -- thanks, Gwen! there IS so much BS and double-standarding (?) in the nutrition world -- we're gonna die for eliminating our least favorite "food group" but vegetarians do it with impunity.

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  5. for me/anyone to mention them. (correctly faux pas above.) :)

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  6. I am up for "DEMONIZING" most food sold in the average Supermarket, why? because it is not food, it is complete and utter crap. At least 90% of so called food sold in the Supermarket never makes it back to our larder.

    And I will bet the same applies to most of your readers Tess. If it don't come from a farm or the sea don't eat it.

    Kind regards Eddie

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    1. yes, most supermarket foods are ghastly! i suspect most of us entertain ourselves while standing in the checkout queue, looking at people and what they have in their baskets.... :-D

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