Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site dartvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!dartvax!betsy
From: betsy@dartvax.UUCP (Betsy Hanes Perry)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: 'Eating to Live Longer' - ptooey!
Message-ID: <3401@dartvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 16:16:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: dartvax.3401
Posted: Mon Jul 29 16:16:34 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 04:37:50 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 40

A recent posting sneered at those who didn't choose to follow
the most ascetic food rules in order to avoid cancer, heart
disease, et cetera.  Let me give a demonstration of why so many
of us are frustrated by the 'rules for better eating'.
 
Suppose that (trying to eat sensibly) I decide on chicken breast
for supper.  Let's try to decide how to cook it.
 
How about a Szechuan chicken?  One of my favorites.
    -- Nope.  Too salty (soy sauce), too fatty (peanut oil for cooking,
       sesame oil for flavor).
 
Okay.  How about Chicken a'l Anything?  I love classic French food.
    -- No dice.  Too much butter;  French foods may even involve
       (horrors!) eggs in the sauce.  Cholesterol city, man!
 
Back to basics, then.  Let's grill the sucker.  No oil, no salt;
       just virgin fowl.
    -- Wrong again.  If I grill it on my Weber , I'll just cover
       the poor innocent fowl with carcinogens.
 
Yes, I'm exaggerating; there are quite a few good recipes for chicken 
which are 'legit'.  (Especially since they decided olive oil 
was acceptable last week!).  But the point is, there are so many
eating rules that most of the world's classic dishes are verboten
for one reason or another.  And the rules are constantly changing!
One year they tell us to eschew dairy products to keep cholesterol
levels low;  another, women are implored to drink more milk in order
to avoid osteoporosis.  I consider myself fortunate that nobody's
outlawed garlic yet.
 
For the first time in my life, I sympathize with addicted smokers;
I cannot face cutting lamb, pork, and butter out of my life, even
if it would make me live longer.  
-- 
Elizabeth Hanes Perry                        
UUCP: {decvax |ihnp4 | linus| cornell}!dartvax!betsy
CSNET: betsy@dartmouth
ARPA:  betsy%dartmouth@csnet-relay
"Ooh, ick!" -- Penfold