2 ms·

If the food has what we need how is it necessarily low quality? This just sounds like the naturalistic fallacy.

by cbd1984 12y ago

dalke 12y ago
Quoting from the article: > The problem with this approach to nutrition is not that there’s anything inherently wrong with synthetic vitamins — it’s the shortsighted nutritional philosophy that our obsession with vitamins encourages. ... > Indeed, natural foods contain potentially protective substances such as phytochemicals and polyunsaturated fat that also are affected by processing, but that are not usually replaced. If these turn out to be as important as many researchers suspect, then our exclusive focus on vitamins could mean we’re protecting ourselves against the wrong dangers. ... > .. extra vitamins do not protect us from the long-term “diseases of civilization” that are currently ravaging our country, including obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes — many of which are strongly associated with diet. This is not a naturalistic fallacy. As my example, which I think is more direct than phytochemicals, consider that alcoholism can lead to B1 deficiency. In the 1970s people proposed vitamin fortified alcohols, which would prevent the institutionalization of 1,200 alcoholics yearly (in the 1970s) due to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. (See http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=19780812&id=JtxJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xx0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1531,5747063 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=19780812&id=J... for a newspaper article from the time. The PubMed reference is http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/96343 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/96343 .) This wasn't done because, as I recall, the labeling of "vitamin fortified" would likely influence some people to consume more alcohol, on the idea that it was healthier because it contains vitamins. Unfortunately I can find no reference to this decision, and I'm not sure my memory is correct, since http://www.newsweek.com/are-vitamin-enhanced-alcohols-heathier-choice-75801 http://www.newsweek.com/are-vitamin-enhanced-alcohols-heathi... says "Stampede Light Plus beer, fortified with B vitamins, is soon planning a relaunch. The beer first got its start with Jessica Simpson, who touted it in ads urging beer guzzlers to "Be Smart, Drink Smart."" Beer is low quality nutrition. Adding vitamins to beer does not make it high quality nutrition.

If the food has what we need how is it necessarily low quality? This just sounds like the naturalistic fallacy.

by cbd1984 12y ago

If the food has what we need how is it necessarily low quality? This just sounds like the naturalistic fallacy.

dalke 12y ago

Quoting from the article: > The problem with this approach to nutrition is not that there’s anything inherently wrong with synthetic vitamins — it’s the shortsighted nutritional philosophy that our obsession with vitamins encourages. ... > Indeed, natural foods contain potentially protective substances such as phytochemicals and polyunsaturated fat that also are affected by processing, but that are not usually replaced. If these turn out to be as important as many researchers suspect, then our exclusive focus on vitamins could mean we’re protecting ourselves against the wrong dangers. ... > .. extra vitamins do not protect us from the long-term “diseases of civilization” that are currently ravaging our country, including obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes — many of which are strongly associated with diet. This is not a naturalistic fallacy. As my example, which I think is more direct than phytochemicals, consider that alcoholism can lead to B1 deficiency. In the 1970s people proposed vitamin fortified alcohols, which would prevent the institutionalization of 1,200 alcoholics yearly (in the 1970s) due to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. (See http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=19780812&id=JtxJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xx0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1531,5747063 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2706&dat=19780812&id=J... for a newspaper article from the time. The PubMed reference is http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/96343 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/96343 .) This wasn't done because, as I recall, the labeling of "vitamin fortified" would likely influence some people to consume more alcohol, on the idea that it was healthier because it contains vitamins. Unfortunately I can find no reference to this decision, and I'm not sure my memory is correct, since http://www.newsweek.com/are-vitamin-enhanced-alcohols-heathier-choice-75801 http://www.newsweek.com/are-vitamin-enhanced-alcohols-heathi... says "Stampede Light Plus beer, fortified with B vitamins, is soon planning a relaunch. The beer first got its start with Jessica Simpson, who touted it in ads urging beer guzzlers to "Be Smart, Drink Smart."" Beer is low quality nutrition. Adding vitamins to beer does not make it high quality nutrition.