What's in your diet? by Warren Green

Health & Nutrition Strategies for Cancer Survivors & Everybody Else

What's in your diet?

In last months article I went into detail about what U.S Certified Organic means and I cited the Federal Register and the CFR (Code of Federal Relations) where you can locate substances and additives that find there way into the food chain without being identified on the label. I also shared how meat and poultry labeling have to be pre-approved before they are permitted into commerce. That pre-approval includes: formulation, method of manufacturing, substantiation of claims, packaging, etc.etc.

In the old days most foods were organic, grown locally and reached local markets within days of harvest. There were no pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, or added hormones. How these substances got into our food chain is what this article is all about.

The agricultural concept is “farm to table” so let's use that model, and go from “idea to consumer”.

A manufacturer creates a dish and attempts to get it from concept to market. The manufacturer will submit the concept to a laboratory to develop the formula and determine the nutrition facts. From there it's submitted to USDA Food Labeling for approval. The submital will be reviewed for compliance with the agency's standard of identity for the product. If the product meets the requirements, its approved and permitted into commerce.

So, how does bad stuff like, rBGH(synthetic growth hormone) get into the food chain? Let's look at dairy. In the '70's researchers found that bovine growth hormones increased milk production by up to 30%. The justification for its use, was of, course economic. The manufacturer petitions the FDA for approval. The FDA publishes it for public comment. Depending upon the results, it's entered into the Federal Register, and into the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The caveat for the dairy scenario is that increased milk production comes with increased antibiotics. It's believed that increased antibiotics promotes weight gain. An economic win win for the dairy/beef industry.

Just completed my annual diet optimization. That's when I go to a modified “Mediterranean Diet” for a month or two, to repair some of my year long dietary damage. Last year I eliminated all dairy products and some of the inflammation responses that were assumed arthritis went away. This year was even more ambitious, I decided to eliminate products made with enriched white flour. I substituted whole grain flour in my baking, and made sure that the only commercial products I consumed had at least 10 grams of dietary fiber. Physically I feel pretty good for a 78yr old cancer survivor, but the proof will be in my next annual blood panel when I look at my numbers and compare them to my baseline. Either way eliminating enriched flour and products made with enriched flour are permanent.

Finally, last month was a month of highs and lows. The lows were the demise of my 98yr old mother and 73yr old brother, both within three weeks. Hard to maintain a diet under those circumstances, but I did. The high, was of course the College Of The Albemarle,(COA) adding agriculture to its curriculum beginning in 2019. Now if we can acquire accredited organic soil certification laboratory services, we will be well on our way to developing organic produce enterprises for our region.

My promotion of the “Organic Capital of the World” is coming together and will provide high paying jobs for our young folks and superior clean food options. I'll crunch numbers and connect dots in next months column.

Remember,let food be your medicine.