2008 Woodie Awards
Is food really destroying our health?
Katrina Hartwood
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Life
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On Nov. 7, Dr. Linda Babbitt, an internist who practices in Pocatello, presented a portion of the material that appears in the book by Randall Fitzgerald, "The Hundred-Year Lie." The book focuses on the things we are currently doing to contaminate our bodies and the things that we've done in the past that still have an effect on our health today, and will continue to affect our children and grandchildren.
Before attending the lecture, I read the book. I began thinking about all the ways in which contaminants enter our bodies as stated in the book. It seems that there is nothing that can be done to avoid some of the contamination. From the book, it is evident that everyone has some level of harmful chemicals in their blood but there are lifestyle changes that can be made to decrease the level of these chemicals in the body.
One key point brought out in the book was that what a mother consumes, and her overall health, has an enormous effect on the health of her child and also her grandchild. If a mother is malnourished, the likelihood of her giving birth to a healthy baby is decreased.
There are many nutrients that a mother must consume pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy that have a direct impact on the health of her child. Folate is one example. If the woman does not get enough folate in her diet before she becomes pregnant, the chances of her baby being born with spina bifida increases. Along with nutrients that are passed from mother to child are chemicals that the mother has been exposed to such as pesticides. Another similar situation of nutrients being passed along is the mineral level of the soil and its impact on the health and growth of the plant.
Another topic of the book and the lecture, was the effect of food additives on the overall health of people including mood, depression, violence and ADHD in children.
Foods that are generally considered to be natural like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are not nearly as enhanced with food additives as processed and convenience foods.
Before attending the lecture, I read the book. I began thinking about all the ways in which contaminants enter our bodies as stated in the book. It seems that there is nothing that can be done to avoid some of the contamination. From the book, it is evident that everyone has some level of harmful chemicals in their blood but there are lifestyle changes that can be made to decrease the level of these chemicals in the body.
One key point brought out in the book was that what a mother consumes, and her overall health, has an enormous effect on the health of her child and also her grandchild. If a mother is malnourished, the likelihood of her giving birth to a healthy baby is decreased.
There are many nutrients that a mother must consume pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy that have a direct impact on the health of her child. Folate is one example. If the woman does not get enough folate in her diet before she becomes pregnant, the chances of her baby being born with spina bifida increases. Along with nutrients that are passed from mother to child are chemicals that the mother has been exposed to such as pesticides. Another similar situation of nutrients being passed along is the mineral level of the soil and its impact on the health and growth of the plant.
Another topic of the book and the lecture, was the effect of food additives on the overall health of people including mood, depression, violence and ADHD in children.
Foods that are generally considered to be natural like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are not nearly as enhanced with food additives as processed and convenience foods.
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