THROUGHOUT HISTORY, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SUCKERS FOR ANY NEW THING THAT is billed as a cure-all for the maladies that plague us. Everyone wants to live longer and have better health. It’s worth everything. And people-have always been willing to pay anything.
We all have heard the crazy stories of old times, when hucksters and swindlers roamed the land, making fools of people by selling them strange potions and outlandish contraptions in exchange for exorbitant amounts of money. We shake our heads when we hear such anecdotes of long ago. How gullible those poor people must have been! What a shame, we think.
But you know what’s even sadder?
It’s much worse now.
There are still armies of magic-formula and miracle-machine sellers, but they have much more power now, and much more sway over people’s minds and money than ever before.
In the old days, con artists were itinerants, moving from town to town in creaky mule-drawn wagons, attracting small crowds at a time. Today’s grifters use the internet, they use television, and they use many other forms of multimedia communication, which means they have worldwide outreach that enables them to rob millions of people at once, simultaneously, in mere seconds of time.
Today’s version of the old snake-oil merchants do not come to our towns and set up tents in a field. No, they reach right into our homes, embracing us individually and collectively on our electronic devices, and they cast their spells, just like their counterparts of centuries past. But today’s spells are more dangerous because they have today’s state-of-the-art production values. There are pop-up ads all over the internet that link us to flashy websites full of bells and whistles. There are legions of telemarketers who ring us up wherever we happen to be. There are Hollywood-style infomercials on TV with celebrity guests, studio audiences, and applause signs. And operators standing by to take our calls! And special offers if we call right away!
It’s harder than ever to separate fact from fiction in this new world of hyper-hucksterism.
I had to laugh the other day when I happened to catch the last part of one TV show where a doctor was discussing the potential risks of taking probiotics (live bacteria used as a dietary supplement), immediately followed by another show in which probiotics were extolled with much fervor as the key to eternal life!
In the old days, misinformation thrived because news traveled so slowly. Today, it flourishes because news travels so quickly, and there is such a constant overload of it, loud and unfiltered, beating us down, battering our defenses, seemingly every waking second of our lives.
One thing hasn’t changed. The nutrition and fitness myths of today are exactly like the nutrition and fitness myths of yesterday in that they are obstacles that must be overcome by anyone who chooses to seek the truth about better health.
Tomatoes were considered to be poisonous when they first arrived in Europe in the 1500s on the ships of explorers returning from South America. The Europeans admired their appearance, and used them as decorative objects, much as we use holly berries today, but they wouldn’t dare eat them. In a 1597 botanical reference work titled Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes, author John Gerard warned that the tomato is a toxic plant of “ranke and stinking savour.”
It literally took centuries for word to spread, first from southern Europe to northern Europe in the 1600s, and then from northern Europe to North America in the late 1700s and early 1800s, that, hey, people are eating these things and they don’t kill you! In fact, they taste good!
Today, of course, in our modern world of instant mass communication, the big tomato controversy would be solved right away, right?
Well, maybe not.
Yes, it’s now easy for all of us to talk together, all at once, but for some reason that doesn’t seem to translate into making our arguments easier to resolve.
If anything, we get more conflicting messages than ever.
Eggs are good for us. No, eggs are bad.
Chocolate is a vice. No, it’s a virtue.
Margarine is better than butter. No, butter is better than margarine.
Coconut oil is evil. No, it’s righteous.
Don’t drink wine. Wait, drink wine.
Running is better than walking. Wait, walking is better.
(Where do I stand on these important questions? I don’t eat eggs, butter, or margarine. I love dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate. I always choose coconut oil that is labeled both “virgin” and “organic.” I love wine. Walking makes me feel good. Running hurts.)
I am alternately annoyed and amused by the flip-flopping that takes place in the health and fitness marketplace. How to account for it? First, there’s plenty of shady research. To use a farcical example, a nutrition study funded by the Dirt Sandwich Council is sure to render a report that dirt sandwiches are very, very healthful to eat.
Even the squeaky-clean research takes place under extreme pressure because there is competition for funding and attention and, thus, clear motive to report possibly newsworthy findings as they occur, no matter how preliminary or even premature those findings might prove to be.
And the news media, of course, exists in a competitive environment, too, so there is no “sitting on the story,” waiting patiently for years, even decades, before a study’s final conclusions are presented. No, each development is rushed into print as it is announced, never minding the fact that the final results, years away, may be quite contrary to the early indications that were first reported.
We call this the Information Age, but unfortunately there seems to be as much Bad Information as Good Information. The kind of old-fashioned fact-checked news that used to appear in reliable newspapers and news magazines seems to be going out of fashion as people now look for their news on the internet, where liars and idiots outnumber experts a million to one.
Crooks and crackpots, scammers and scoundrels have been with us always, of course, but they possess a much longer reach now, so it’s more difficult than ever to sort out the sense from the nonsense. Who knows? We may start hearing any day from some blogger or another that tomatoes are deadly poisonous!
I swear, I could write a whole book about nutrition and fitness myths, and there would be plenty of swearing in it, I guarantee. Misconceptions about food and fitness represent a real threat, I feel, and the warnings against them should be strong enough to get people’s attention.
Maybe I’ll write that book next. For now, I’ll just mention a few of the real doozies that bug me the most. Every time I hear them, I wonder whether to laugh or cry. Sometimes I do both.
Myth: Exercise Should Hurt
The adage “No Pain, No Gain” is not only wrong but also dangerous. Don’t listen to the gym rats. Take your advice from sensible fitness experts. Here’s a statement from Loma Linda University Health, the umbrella organization that manages all of LLU’s programs and services (more info: lomalindauniversityhealth.org): “You don’t need to feel pain to have a good workout. In fact, pushing yourself too hard during exercise can lead to injury, including sprains and fractures.”
The idea is to improve your body, not damage it. Steer clear of routines that punish. Avoid workout equipment that traumatizes. Remember that some of the most effective exercises are the simplest—including, of course, what I call the world’s best exercise: walking!
Myth: Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever
Proper nutrition and hydration are essential when you are healthy, and urgently essential when you are ill. You must replenish the nutrients and fluids that illness depletes from your body. Eat food and drink plenty of fluids whenever you are sick—with or without fever.
Myth: Artificial Sweeteners Are an Ideal Alternative to Sugar
Chemical sweeteners became widely used starting in the 1950s, which means we’ve been drinking diet sodas and eating sugar-free foods for about sixty years. So, why aren’t we skinny yet? In fact, why have we gotten fatter with each decade since then? There are many studies that raise serious questions about artificial sweeteners. Do they actually boost our craving for sweets, because they don’t naturally fulfill that craving the way sugar does? Do they confuse the brain’s natural ability to measure food intake, causing the brain to signal the body that it needs more to eat? A 2004 study at Purdue University found that laboratory animals that swigged an artificially sweetened liquid were more likely to gain weight than those who drank a naturally sweetened liquid. That’s because the first group did a lot of binge eating of high-calorie foods while the second group ate more moderately.
And, honestly, we don’t need to rely on laboratory animal studies to reach this conclusion, do we? We all see this identical behavior with our own eyes in the human population, right? Visit any fast food restaurant and watch people ordering double bacon cheeseburgers and greasy french fries . . . and a diet drink! Poor confused people. As for myself, I avoid artificial sweeteners and take it easy with sugar, too. That way, I don’t have to worry about either one of them.
Myth: Canned or Frozen Fruits and Vegetables Are a Poor Alternative to Fresh Produce
Who started this lie? I’ll bet it was someone who didn’t like fruits and vegetables and looked for any excuse to avoid eating them. The fact is, fruits and vegetables that are harvested and then immediately flash frozen or sealed in cans or bottles may have more of their vital nutrients intact than “fresh” produce that has spent days or even weeks of travel time in trucks and railroad cars. To be sure, there’s nothing better than fresh produce that is truly fresh—straight from the farm to your table. But if you didn’t make it to the farmers’ market last weekend, and the produce at your market is looking a little ragged, there is nothing wrong with channeling your inner Green Giant and mixing a fine succotash of canned or frozen lima beans, corn, peppers, onions, and stewed tomatoes. There are no excuses. Eat your fruits and veggies!
Myth: Chile Peppers Are Hard on Your Stomach
Nonsense. Have I already told you the story of how I used to buy antacids in the jumbo-size bottles? How I used to carry antacids around in my shirt pockets? How I used to scarf antacids all the time? Then, in the 1980s, I became a chile head after a glorious week of restaurant dining in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where every dish on every plate is loaded with jalapeños, pasillas, poblanos, serranos, habaneros, guajillos, and other peppers. The food not only tasted awesome, but it also made me feel awesome, all day long and all night long. I’ve loved spicy food ever since and, what’s more, I rarely need to use antacids anymore.
So, friends, it is with all the enthusiasm of a true believer that I report to you that clinical study after clinical study has demonstrated that hot peppers are good for you, not bad for you. Capsaicin, the chemical compound that gives hot peppers their heat, actually soothes and protects your stomach and digestive system, because it inhibits the secretion of stomach acid. As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine (March 2002), researchers in one study were so impressed by the palliative effect of hot peppers on indigestion that they suggested that capsaicin might be considered a primary medical therapy for the condition. Let’s put that a different way: Hot chile peppers don’t cause heartburn, they cure it!
Capsaicin has already been used for years as the active ingredient in many pain-relief ointments applied to the skin. Turns out, capsaicin is also good for what ails us when applied internally, via chile peppers! In fact, ongoing research indicates that capsaicin may hold promise as a natural wonder drug that helps combat even the most serious diseases, including arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, even cancer. An international longevity study reported in the August 2015 edition of the British Medical Journal found that eating spicy hot foods several times a week may add years to our lives because of capsaicin’s remarkable anti-inflammatory properties.
Another study, at Nottingham University in England, found that capsaicin actually kills cancer cells without harming surrounding healthy cells. Lead researcher Dr. Timothy Bates told the BBC, “We believe that we have in effect discovered a fundamental ‘Achilles heel’ for all cancer.”
Moral of the story: Don’t hesitate to turn up the heat in what you eat!
Myth: A Meat Diet Is Necessary for Complete Nutrition
What a crock. The complete opposite is true. In fact, it is necessary to limit or ideally remove meat from your diet in order to optimize your nutrition, your health, and your life expectancy. The “meat is necessary” myth is the biggest, worst health lie of all, because it harms the most people. It dooms countless millions of them to disease, disability, and early death. It stands in the way of countless millions of them who could make better choices if they knew the truth.
Here’s the truth:
You don’t need meat for protein. A healthy diet that includes lots of vegetables, beans, grains, and nuts will deliver all the protein your body needs.
You don’t need red meat for iron. In fact, green vegetables and beans are better than red meat because they deliver iron in a form that is more efficiently absorbed by the human body.
You don’t need fish for omega-3 fatty acids. Soybeans, walnuts, flax-seeds, dark leafy greens, and other plants offer a better source. Unlike fish, which contains unhealthy saturated fats as well as healthy omega-3 fats, plants deliver only the good fat. Why take the good with the bad, when you can have the good without the bad?
You don’t need dairy products for calcium. In fact, vegetables build better bones than milk and eggs do. Dark leafy greens are not only rich in calcium, but they also deliver bone-fortifying vitamins K and D, which dairy products don’t. Vitamin D often is inserted into dairy milk, as an additive, but it comes naturally in collard greens, kale, bok choy, and other greens. Nuts, oats, and potatoes deliver calcium plus bone-building magnesium, which dairy products don’t. Nut, soy, and rice milks are excellent alternatives to cow milk, plus they are lactose-free, which solves the allergy problem for people who are lactose-intolerant.
Health myths like these won’t go away. That’s why we need to remain on our guard against them. At best, they are a distraction. At worst, they are a deadly threat.
In all cases, they complicate our quest for a better life. Once we move around them, and beyond them, we find that the truth is not far in the distance.
In fact, the truth is right in front of us.
Ellen G. White was telling the truth 150 years ago, and modern science is proving it today. The meaty diet favored in much of the Western world is toxic to humans. It promotes obesity and disease. Most meat eaters will die poisoned by the food that they eat.
There is a solution. Food can be the hero instead of the villain in our lives. A plant-based whole foods diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes keeps our bodies clean and lean, and protects us from disease. We can live better, live stronger, live longer.
Ready to try it yourself?
It won’t cost you an extra penny. In fact, you’ll start saving all that money you used to spend on crazy diets and bogus miracle drugs and scary exercise machines.
Your grocery bill will go down. So will your cholesterol, your blood sugar, your blood pressure, your body fat, your weight, and your stress level.
It’s the best deal there is, and you can take advantage of it any time you like.
You can start right now.