In defense of food thoughts...

I'm reading my first Michael Pollan book and wondering why he isn't running for president. He is so factual, so knowledable, and has such a gift for being able to communicate things in such a down to earth way.

I'm reading "In Defense of Food" and I'm blown away by how much I'm learning and a little convicted about food in America in general.

Anyways, what I would like to rant about today is the danger of artificial isolated nutrients. 

How often do we see people taking vitamins, supplements, and health shakes? People who make these things take the hypothosized beneficial nutrients isolated and replicates them into a vitamin or powder. Then we drink it in the name of good health. 

The problem with this is that isolated nutrient benefits are a hypothesis. If it were proven, cancer and so many diseases would be a thing of the past because we would all be taking this pill or shake or whatever. 

So what about what science HAS found?  Well, when a nutrient is studied in a food, you also have to take into consideration the food as a whole. They way the other nutrients work together so that food as a whole goes into the body and fuels or doesn't fuel it.

What am I getting it?

We need real foods my friends. Nutrients taken out of context without the other nutrients in food can be a bad thing. 

Consider fruit juice. Fruit has many many benefits. When you juice it, you leave out the fiber and some of the other things within the fruit needed for your boy to metabolize the fruit's sugar. So now your body has gotten some nutrients, no fiber, and sugar your body can't process.

So if you're out there and taking a vitamin or drinking a shake- find out where it came from. If it's dehydrated real fruits and veggies- like shakeology- drink on in peace. If it's nutrients isolated outside of food- pass.