Forks Over Knives: Challenging the Status Quo
So it's date night and I've had this documentary on my list for some time, so I surprise my wife taking her to a fringy movie theater in the next town to view a MIchael Moore rendition of what's gone wrong 
If you're interested in a well thought out presentation of some disturbing scientific facts and stats about the nutritional status of our current American diet , this documentary dishes it out in spades If you haven't seen it I'd highly recommend it only for the reason that it lays out the significant blindness that currently is manifested in the matter science nutritional information these days
A Matter Science Nutritional Blind Spot
Fast forward about half way into the movie and revealed is an interview with a matter(molecular or measurement) science RD(registered dietitcian) who chairs a nutritional sciences program at a prestigious Midwestern university
As is typical she gave the party line defending the current matter science nutritional position on food choices Unfortunately the film to the point of her interview had laid out nuttritional statistics and information that showed how the increased consumption of animal protein appears to be related to the rise in heart disease( coronary vessel disease or arteriosclerosis) and other diseases such as cancer due to the inflammatory nature of the meat laden diet
In a classic Michael Moore blindside her position and as a voice for the ADA(American Dietetic Association) made her look like not much of a educated and informed authority As a matter of fact it made her position statements look foolish
A Plea for Vegetarianism
T Colin Campbell(primary author of the controversial China Study) and Esselstyn team up through the film with great statistics and data to make a case for becoming vegetarian
The argument is a demographic one That is, if a poplulation of people increase their meat consumption and chronic diseases rise at the same time then there the correlation seems to be clear
With the staggering and escalating rise in coronary vessel disease, stroke, all forms of cancer, diabetes with its attendent metabolic syndrome, chronic disease has to be in some way related to excess meat consumption
Light Shed Using Energy Science Nutrition
But I have heard many people who relate that they just feel better using some amount of concentrated protein support ie meat
From an energy science take, PK(Pitta Kapha) should avoid beef, duck, lamb, pork, dark meat of turkey and chicken, and seafood This leaves white chicken and turkey, egg whites, lean meats such as buffalo, venison, moose, elk and rabbit, and egg whites all the time with egg yolks in moderation(1-2 times per week) Dairy in moderation
PV(Pitta Vata) on the other hand should avoid pork and lamb and use beef, duck, white and dark meat of turkey and chicken, eggs with yolk, and seafood in moderation Buffalo, egg whites, and freshwater fish and shrimp all the time
Who's Doing the Eating?
The problem with demographic or population studies, while they show glaring problems, is that they lump everyone into the same basket and then make conclusions for the entire population
So from the above we can see that PK will use animal foods differently than PV but the energy science nutritional informational formats would also espouse to not consuming large quantities as currently being done
Oh by the way my wife was entertained by date night so it was a double score! Saw the movie and she liked it Yea!!
Ciao til next time To health as a Skill Love DrBill
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Shrimp: Buyer Beware
A few days ago I had some shrimp from a large local retailer and about 6 hours later developed GI symptoms of bloating and diarrhea
Seemed consistent with toxicity and food poisoning and then by chance, even though not looking for it, the next day encountered some interesting information about the shrimp industry
Buyer Beware
Shrimp from an energy science view is a great animal food can be used for all energy patterns, in moderation for Pitta Kapha and all the time for Pitta Vata and Vata Kapha
But in my chance encounter with an article from the Nutrition Research Center it's estimated that possibly 90% of shrimp in the market come from polluted waters and in order to reduce the toxicity, antibiotics and pesticides are used in the shrimp farms The source of shrimp for the US may be from farms in eastern Asia, particularly China
In other words the quality control of these shrimp farms is highly suspect and deserves our attention
Consumer Protection
Fortuanately individual companies in the shrimp industry are publicizing their farming methods and letting the consumers know that their open water techniques of farming are caring for the animal product they send to market
But even better companies such as Whole Foods are taking an active role in ensuring not only that the products they carry in their stores are quality, go a step further in delivering that information to the consumer who's interested, and investigate if the farming techniques are in compliance with green standards
Freshwater Shrimp
There is even a US association to support the growth of the freshwater shrimp industry and support quality control measures
From an energy science nutritional perspective freshwater fish are balancing for all energy patterns so they are an excellent animal food source On top of this freshwater fish are as good a source of the important omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids as seafood and certainly would be easier to farm and harvest
What To Do
So from my food poisoning experience there has come for me some real value It might have not been the shrimp that caused my transient upset but the probability is fairly high
But this serendipitous journey has led me to understand the vagaries of food production and the potential health hazards particularly around industries that are not responsible
A few suggestions for shrimp purchases
Question the source of where the shrimp come from
Buy when you can from reputable market places
Consider freshwater shrimp or fish
Ciao until next time To health as a Skill Love DrBill
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