Limelight: The food we eat By Lubna Abdel-Aziz What to eat, what to eat? A problem that becomes more complex and more confusing day after day. With every medically scientific or nutritional discovery, we change our diet in order to meet with the recent requirements. Meat is in, meat is on, meat is off; eggs are good, eggs are bad; out with fat, in with fat. It is enough to drive one positively obese! That is exactly what has been happening to the world population in the last three decades. In the US, 27% of the population is considered obese (that is more than 20% of their ideal body weight). Europe and Asia are not far behind, hovering between 20% and 25%. Even in India, the country with the highest number of malnourished children, obesity is rising 9% among men and 13% among women. We all know the correct formula for good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, but stats show that we largely ignore it. The reason perhaps lies in too much information, rather than too much food. Once upon a time life was simple for the simple man. He lived off the land, planted his crops, raised his chicken, ate from the earth's bounty, and all was well with the world. With processed food flooding our markets, we have eaten ourselves to an obese, sedentary, disease-ridden lifestyle. Food fashionistas today are advocating a back to nature diet. Scientists advise us to eat organic food that still retains most of their nutritional value and all will be well again. But in our largely urban societies, organically developed food is hard to get and harder yet to pay for. What are organic foods? They are foods grown without the synthetic fertilizers, without pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and a whole host of other toxic artificial, additives and chemicals, such as flvouring, colourings, preservatives, etc. One of the causes of resistant antibiotic strains of bacteria, which we have experienced of late, may very well be caused by the antibiotics added to our food as in meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. Organic food advocates also claim that more nutrition is provided in such products. They contain a higher quality of protein, more vitamins, minerals, enzymes, not to mention better taste. This results in a healthier body when freed of the additive artificial elements. Consider the milk that is the main staple of infants. Would it not be healthier if freed of artificial hormones that are likely to harm the delicate constitution of a healthy newborn? No food seems to escape the chemical invasion. Crops like coffee, cotton and tobacco, are among the most heavily sprayed. This leaves us with fruits, veggies and grains. They should cause no problems; they are not the offspring of the heavily dosed cattle, with antibiotics and growth hormones. However, with a global population that is busting at the seams, food is becoming scarce the world over. In order to increase food production, we are compelled to use pesticide and fertilizers, all of which will leave residues on fruits and vegetables. We spend time washing, soaking, scrubbing and pealing in order to avoid consuming the contaminants. Even organic farmers use their own form of pesticides "bio- pesticides." They may be less dangerous but not altogether harmless. How much will that apple or banana cost, if it is organically grown, sometimes a little more, often a lot more. Only 2% of all farming is organic and as usual, only the rich can afford the better foods, better housing, better medical care, et, etc. The recession has slowed down the massive rush by the consumer to the organic food shelves, as was the experience during the last decade. Despite the bad economy, organic sales are still growing although the pace has slowed considerably. . We have more food worries to contend with. In case you have not heard, we are now consuming, or soon will be, food that is injected with genetically modified organisms. The claim is greater benefits at lower costs. Genetically modified (GM) food is a method of genetic engineering by which individual genes are transferred from one organism into another? This is often called "modern biotechnology"' or "gene technology." Is not the supply of available conventional and organic foods enough to feed the expanding world population, you may ask? No, say the GM engineers. The crisis is Southern Africa and other parts of the world, has made GM foods necessary in emergency situations, according to the WHO. The increased crop, as well as the level of crop protection through the introduction of resistance against plant diseases, makes GM food an irresistible method of expanding the food industry. Growing plants or animals with genetic organism that are resistant to viruses, bacteria, etc, will result in less use of insecticides as well as higher yield of crops. There are many issues of concerns over engineered genes, which include allergies, intolerance, and other adverse effects on human health. There are also environmental risks, but this is not preventing the industry from proceeding full steam ahead. Like it or not, GM food may soon be on your table. What beautiful red tomatoes? What perfectly orangey oranges? How much redder can those apples get? What about the taste? Does anyone care? We can take comfort that we are not yet eating beef that is genetically modified, simply because it is not available. The Chinese alone have created the first GM cows with milk 10 times richer in onega-3 fatty acids than normal cows. This leaves us, the consumer, thoroughly confused and at the mercy of the food industry, genetic engineers, environmentalists, organic farmers, green grocers, etc, etc. What we eat is almost totally off our hands. We may have already consumed genetically engineered products in many of our meals. Are we improving our health by opting for organics? There is currently no strong evidence that organically produced foods contain more nutritional value than conventional foods. Among the many studies conducted, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health failed to find difference between both, even in degree of anti-oxidant activity. Multiple researches continue in this field, and better designed future studies may show more beneficial results. What is a poor confuse consumer to do? If only we had the time and the wherewithal, we would raise our own food, as we used to, long ago. The more we progress, the more we seem to long for 'long ago.' Despite all the overwhelming technology, we are once again left to our own common sense. We are to make the best choices we can, eat less, eat healthy, keep moving, and keep our fingers crossed. A cauliflower is only a cabbage with a college education -- Mark Twain (1835 -- 1910)
