This post should actually be called “The Politics of Nutrients.”

The reason for that is that food isn’t considered food anymore, so far as the media or governments or nutritionists are considered. At least that is what In Defense of Food states. Food has been deconstructed down to the point that oranges aren’t oranges anymore. Rather they are a source of Vitamin C. And tomatoes are a source of lycopene.

This technical terminology is used for a very important reason. The reason being that food, especially meat, can never been accused of hurting someone.

For example, cookies and crackers don’t cause cancer and heart disease. Oh no, it’s the trans fat in them. It’s a way of diffusing the blame.  Like, “that murderous thief isn’t bad, they just have a hard heart.”

In Defense of Foodstates that this all started in 1977 when a Senate Select Committe on Nutrition put out a report on health and diet. The research team had recommended that meat consumption be reduced since they had found that meat was the cause (at least a significant cause) of heart disease and other chronic diseases and cancers.

Senator George McGovern decided that this recommendation could not be released (he was, of course, highly influenced by the many meat farmers in his constituency) and formed his own reviewing committee that consisted of lawyers and journalists.

The report was retooled and released with the recommendation to reduce meat intake replaced with a recommendation to limit Saturated Fats.

Frankly, as well read as I am, I can never keep the fats straight. Polyunsaturated, trans, mono saturated, hydrogenated… it’s enough to make the head spin. So now consumers hear that saturated fats are bad for you but where do you find those? How do you keep them straight?

Wouldn’t it be easier to just say ‘meat causes heart disease” or “tomatoes help iron absorption”?

But that’s what those invested in meat or margarine, or Kraft Diner or whatever want you to think. If you are confused then you keep buying what you used to buy. Plus they use that ploy in another way. Have you ever seen eggs enriched with omega fatty acids? Or cheese with probiotics? Enrich something and the public will think it’s good for them. You could enrich cola and see “health conscious” people start drinking cola.

The benefit is never the same from eating an enriched product than from eating the real deal. If you want real vitamins etc. then eat your damn veggies. And, remember that there is nothing that our bodies need in meat. It is a nutritionally void food that raises the pH of your body and makes you more likely to get cancers or diseases. If you think that protein is an important enough reason to keep eating meat than keep eating yourself into a coronary! Cultures and countries that do not eat meat are much healthier and do not not suffer from heart disease and other diseases of affluence.

Another interesting factoid from the book was that in the last world war there was a ration on meat. When that happened the rate of heart disease and stroke etc. went down. Then when the war was over and meat consumption returned to normal the rates went back to their usual trend.

Food for thought…and only that! I certainly wouldn’t consider meat to be food for the body!

So far I have always kept my political views seperate from my Vegetarian views (which is what this blog is about).

But, I have nothing health related to talk about today so I thought I would give you my take on the upcoming Canadian Federal Election.

Reasons to vote against Harper:

Let us remember the pillars of Harper’s last election campaign: Accountable and transparent government! Now let’s look at the record of the last four years!

 

 

1. Media relations: He has monitored who can attend news conferences and what topics they can breach. The Prime Minister’s Office would have to register the reporters and then approve which ones could ask which questions. There was an incident where the reporters all stood up and walked out. This is not transparent!

 

2. Gagging his MPs:Everyone knows that he keeps his MPs on a tight leash. This is so that they don’t say anything that would be controversial or embarrassing to him. Don’t we vote for these wankers to represent us, the people? Why are they being gagged?

 

3. Secret media centre: This was a violation of our freedom of the press. This Conservative operated media centre was meant to be used to film and cover events and then ship that information to the media mediums. This was not accomplished because the media found out about it before hand and made a big stink. Can you imagine what this would mean if it had came to fruition?

 

4. Liberal defect:This one is minor but it still pisses me off. I don’t remember the fella’s name but he won a seat in BC as a Liberal MP. Within days of the election he was sweet-talked (personally by Harper) to defect to the Blue side. If I was a constituent in that riding I would be sooooo peeved! You vote red and get a blue instead. What the hell? I had even voted Conservative in the last election and still thought that this was sooooo low.

 

5. The Security and Prosperity Partnership:The SPP is a trade deal that causes deep integration between Mexico, the US, and Canada. There is also something in there about a NAFTA super hi-way but I am trying to keep this simplified. It puts Canadian sovereignty at risk by risking our control of our own military, our natural resources and our trade. Now to be fair, the Liberals where the ones in power when this deal was initiated but it’s still awfully sketchy. Whenever Harper is asked about this he pokes fun at the “conspiracy theorists” that talk about massive water diversions (Ha ha ha) and claims there is nothing to worry about. But, he refuses to even hint about what they actually talk about. They won’t release statements, they won’t release minutes or anything. It is held in total secrecy! I have friends who have requested (through FOIP) information related to the SPP. All they receive are censored pieces of paper with nothing more than titles. All the actual info is covered.

 

6. Military deal: On Feb. 18/08 there was a deal made between the US and Canada that allows US troops to come into Canada(and vice versa) in an “emergency” (like civil revolt). Welcome to the police state!

 

7. Gas prices cap: The National Post ran a feature about how, when Harper was leader of the opposition, Harper demanded that the Liberals cap gas prices. Well, I am not that old but I am pretty sure they have never been as expensive as they were this year and he has not capped them. “I would’ve, could’ve but didn’t.”

 

8. Relations with the US: I think that most Canadians are hesitant to adopt American policies as their own, even if some respect the US. I think Canadians are proud of Canada’s uniqueness and are uncomfortable with the idea of Harper being Bush’s little lap doggie. Bush is done soon but McCain is cut from the same cloth as Bush and if McCain wins we are in for a lengthy war and more trouble.

 

9. War in Afghanistan: This conflict is problematic because it is a) of questionable motive (profit driven (oil)), b) not accomplishing anything and never-ending (McCain suspects this war to last a hundred years!) and c) none of our friggin’ business. GET OUR TROOPS OUT NOW! This isn’t about “terrorism.”

 

10. War in Iraq: If Harper wins a majority we can expect to see our troops there. Did you know that the US put Saddam Hussein in power? Did you know that they sold the helicopters to Saddam that were used to gas his own people? Did you know that there was never a single weapon of mass destruction found? Did you know that that is because the CIA used intel that was 15 years old (which they knew was no longer pertinent) to justify going to war there? Did you know that the war on Iraq is actually illegal (as in it isn’t approved by Congress and isn’t the result of an act of aggression? Did you know that there is still NO evidence that Saddam funded terrorism? Why are troops there? Oil?

 

11. Environment “Plan:” This is an ongoing joke. Environment plan? Yeah, right. Okay. Well, there isn’t much of a plan. They haven’t achieved any groundbreaking policies and haven’t given corporations ultimatums or incentives to stop pouring their pollution down our throats. I don’t give a hoot about global warming (I think it’s not real) but I do live here damn it, and I care about the pollution in my water, soil and air. It’s time to stop treating our planet like a dumping ground and finding new ways to make cleaner stuff!

 

12. Bill C-51: This bill could have been disastrous to the natural health industry but thank goodness for the numerous Canadians and opposition MPs which stood up to this poorly written bill and demanded changes in the writing of it to protect Canadians from harassment for things like growing parsley or taking vitamins. I believe that this bill is now OK but in its first couple of reading it was far from it. Granted there are always revisions on any bill but this bill required major rewriting. I see it as a sign of immaturity on the part of the government.

 

13. Lies about the income trust: I don’t know a lot about this but apparently he is taxing senior income trusts and he is video taped as promising he would never do that. Another election promise broken.

 

14. Fixed election dates: Of course, I had to mention this one! He sets them, he breaks them. I have noticed that the Blue signs were out the next day after the announcement of the election and it took a while for the other parties to catch up. Let’s be frank. He doesn’t leave much time before the election and leaves all the unsuspecting suckers to finish off their party platforms while he’s already up and running. UNETHICAL!!!

 

There are as many reasons to not vote Tory as there are people. Think about what a second Conservative win could mean for the issues that are important to you. In Alberta, voting Liberal may be the best way to prevent a Conservative majority government. Think about what you want your Canada to look like please!