I read this article in Mother Jones this morning - Buying Local and Organic? You’re Still Eating Plastic Chemicals
Now I knew that Mother Jones could be a touch sensationalist… but I’m not hating. The information is generally sound, the publication tends to touch on issues the mass media misses, and I respect it for being well-informed. But this article was questionable.
It talks about a small sample study in which one group was provided catered organic meals 5 days a week and the other given reading material on food chemicals. After a period, their respective chemical levels were measured. The results were the complete opposite of the hypothesis, although the expected results were achieved in a similar study. The only difference seems to have been the dairy they sourced and possibly the spices used. Again, it was a small sample – small enough I wonder at even calling the project a “study” – it sounds more like a grad school project by the size… but I digress.
The way I read it, I came to conclusion that as long as I avoid certain dairy and dried spices, cook from scratch, and choose organic foods I can avoid the nasty chemicals… Even with a small sample size, this is an anomaly that exists and take it with a grain of salt. Granted, I don’t consume dairy, but Mother Jones didn’t sum up the article that way or anyway close to that… Instead, it ended the piece up by saying: “I asked Sathyanarayana how she is advising families to minimize exposure to BPA and phthalates. “I’m advising that they not use plastic in cooking storage, and preparation, and to focus on fresh foods and low-fat foods,” she said. ”If only that were enough.”
Okay.. small sample size and all that… but if you would refrain from drawing the conclusion that dairy and spices COULD contain high levels of chemicals so be careful where you buy your goods, how could you attach a sensationalist ending?
Doesn’t the study just highlight common sense… fresh food is best… the less a food is processed, the better…. and too many cooks spoil the proverbial soup, even in food handling. I mean I guarantee if I asked my great great grandmother what I should eat to be healthy, she probably would have pointed to the garden and told me to have at it or directed me to a local farmer who made a habit of picking the produce the day of market.. and advised me to make everything from scratch…
Food may be science but the art of eating has been around longer than humans.
