Comments on Fear and Loathing in the Kitchen: Weight of the Evidence: The Solar Powered Plate

Julie: oxalic acid binds nutrients, such as calciu...

2008-04-29T08:39:00.000-04:00

Julie: oxalic acid binds nutrients, such as calcium, in the food it contains. On the other hand, "calcium supplements taken along with foods high in oxalic acid can cause calcium oxalate to precipitate out in the gut and drastically reduce the levels of oxalate absorbed by the body (by 97% in some cases.)" (Wiki/PubMed)

I agree, there's no simple solution. I just wish ppl would focus more on the root causes - so, industrial farming practices, for instance - than on the meat-eating aspect. Blaming the consumer is short sighted, IMO. I suspect the demand for cheap meat is much higher from food manufacturers, seeking to make large profits on their hot dogs, deli meats and frozen entrees (or, say, fast food chains on their burgers).

Uh, why would calcium block the absorption of oxal...

2008-04-29T02:27:00.000-04:00

Uh, why would calcium block the absorption of oxalic acid?

BTW, very little meat in this country is raised on grass/pasture. Most of it grows on soy/corn/etc., and it's not completely efficient, so yes, it is more environmentally destructive. I would love it if everybody ate humanely raised grass fed meat, but then all would have to eat much less of it.

I know. According to FitDay, spinach is 32% protei...

2008-04-27T12:48:00.000-04:00

I know. According to FitDay, spinach is 32% protein, 13% fat, and 57% carbohydrate, with a whopping 10g protein in an entire bunch. Never mind that the oxalic acid in it can cause kidney stones, unless you eat a source of calcium with it to avoid absorption. Sigh.

Some of those comments are so ignorant it boggled ...

2008-04-26T12:06:00.000-04:00

Some of those comments are so ignorant it boggled my mind. Spinach is 50% protein?

My local supermarket offers organic meats that are getting to be reasonably priced, and I've heard rumors that Costco may start offering organic meats. We do have a farmer's market here as well, but ... well, dammit, sometimes it's just easier to go to Food Lion.

Right - so it is the consumers who are the problem...

2008-04-25T11:56:00.000-04:00

Right - so it is the consumers who are the problem, or the industry itself? Does it come down to economics in the end? Availability? Industrialization in general? It's not easy for a lot of people to buy from farmers, especially in lower income urban areas (and there are movements to change this, cross fingers they succeed).

Organic produce is becoming more widely available, ie at Walmart. However, there's concern that Walmart is lowering the standards used to define an item as organic. What's available in the mainstream tends to depend on cost/profit - how much will the seller have to pay the provider, and what profit will they then make from the consumer?

Replacing meat consumption with vegetable/grain consumption, using the same economic model and distribution channels, won't address the issue. My opinion. I think "meat" is being used as a straw man here - co-opted for the cause, if you will. And that never helps.

Jessica, thanks for the link!

And yeah - crazy wingnuttedness knows no boundaries ;)

Man, that post proved that both vegan and meat-eat...

2008-04-25T10:36:00.000-04:00

Man, that post proved that both vegan and meat-eaters can be crazy wingnuts.

I won't agree with or refute the points Regina makes except to point out that only a very teeny tiny percentage of meat-eaters go to the trouble of tracking down pastured meat. The majority of meat eaten in North America does come from factory farms, and as Regina points out, is contributing to environmental destruction. We can't even get organic or free-range meat in supermarkets, let alone environmentally-friendly pastured meat.

It's not you few folks who are knowledgeable and concerned and are making the effort to track down pastured meat that are cause for concern. It's the millions, maybe billions of folks who buy industrial meat from the supermarket who are the problem.

I found an interesting article on this subject tha...

2008-04-24T17:12:00.000-04:00

I found an interesting article on this subject that you might enjoy.

http://chetday.com/vegmyths.htm

It's called "The Myths of Vegetarianism".

Jessica
www.practicalnourishment.com