# Food Fadists - STFU **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037 "2012-06-23T05:33:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/21 "2012-06-23T15:43:18Z")
> [@fumster](#): > > Oh God, locavores. It’s one thing to eat food from local suppliers because they are fresher and better quality, it’s another when you think that there is some magic way local foods are more nutritionally approprate. > > But go ahead and live your life without coffee, chocolate, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a host of other foods that make life with living. just STFU about it. You know, I’m about as locavore as you can get-I raise and process pastured poultry for sale at the local farmers market and restaurants and although most of my clients are are really great, there are a few food fadist that I want to hit over the head with a 4 pound fresh chicken. 1. The folks that ask me if I ‘harvest’ the chicken myself. You ‘harvest’ grain, you kill livestock. I will use the word ‘process’ to protect American sensibilities but that’s as far as I’m willing to go. Can’t deal with the concept taht a pig or a cow must actually die for you to eat it? Eat beans and rice. 2. The belief that feeding soy is evil. Here’s the deal. Chickens need protein to grow-lots of it. Some proteins are more digestible for them than others. I can either use soy meal or fish meal. Fish meal comes out of the Gulf of Mexico and a leading poultry nutritionist and veterinarian has advised me that it is loaded with mercury and PCB’s right now. I’ll take me chances eating the soy fed chickens. Plus you morons, it’s the highly refined soy in processed foods you should really be concerned about. 3. The folks that want me to seriously assure them that the chickens are happy. How the hell do I know? I can tell you that they’re raised compassionately and that they have as natural a life and as painless a death as possible. Where a chicken is on the Maslow chart of self-actualization is beyond my ability to deduce. 4. The folks that want me to spend hours listening to stories about their 3 backyard hens. Having a few egg layers running around is not the equivalent of raising, processing and distributing 1200 pounds of at week. I think it’s great that you’re doing this but it is in no way comparable to what I do. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/22 "2012-06-23T15:44:51Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Thats probably because most people are sensitive to them No, they aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/23 "2012-06-23T15:54:23Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Thats probably because most people are sensitive to them, cut animal milk cheese etc out of your diet and you will probably notice a difference whether you are allergic or not(for me it is mucus production). I find a nice glass of cows milk really puts me to sleep at night and improves my mood. Also the [Mayo Clinic](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/phlegm/AN01455) says you’re wrong about your claim. I suspect confirmation bias, or more likely, as indicated in the article, misattribution. Also, fuck spell check, misattribution is a word. Anyway mucus production myth busted! ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/24 "2012-06-23T15:55:53Z")
What kills me is that these people will be so earnest about something, trying to spread the word, tsk, tsking anyone who does something they don’t approve of (all the while talking about the importance of tolerance) and then a few months later will abandon the current fad and latch on to something else: WITH NO TRACE OF IRONY! Just once I’d like to hear “I guess it was silly to thing that eating bread would make my candida infection worse. It’s not like the yeast was alive, or the same variety, and I ate it rather than sticking it up my hooha”. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/25 "2012-06-23T15:59:54Z")
> [@](#): > > The folks that want me to seriously assure them that the chickens are happy. How the hell do I know? I can tell you that they’re raised compassionately and that they have as natural a life and as painless a death as possible. Where a chicken is on the Maslow chart of self-actualization is beyond my ability to deduce. Hell, I’ve only taken care of a neighbors chickens for a while, and my impression is that chickens are about the second dumbest things on earth, and wouldn’t even know if they’re happy or not. I think that they can understand “distressed” and “not distressed”, and that’s about it. First dumbest thing is, of course, domestic turkeys (same neighbor). Damn, you hear about “dumb as a box of rocks”, well, domestic turkeys are DUMBER than that. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/26 "2012-06-23T16:03:55Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > Also the [Mayo Clinic](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/phlegm/AN01455) says you’re wrong about your claim. I suspect confirmation bias, or more likely, as indicated in the article, misattribution… > Anyway mucus production myth busted! The Mayo Clinic is in Minnesota, one of the big dairy producing states, what do you think they are going to say? I’m going to trust my neighbor, Dr. Oz, and any medical professional who has a pony tail or wears Birkenstocks. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/27 "2012-06-23T16:07:00Z")
> [@fumster](#): > > The Mayo Clinic is in Minnesota, one of the big dairy producing states, what do you think they are going to say? I’m going to trust my neighbor, Dr. Oz, and any medical professional who has a pony tail or wears Birkenstocks. I think they’ll tell the truth, which is that humans have been drinking milk for (at least) tens of thousands of years without any problems, and it hasn’t suddenly become a problem in the last 50. ---
**Author:** ![Jennmonkye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/278dde/32.png) [@Jennmonkye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennmonkye)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/28 "2012-06-23T16:12:53Z")
I’m on the fence about the whole “gluten” thing, but I will say this: I help cater and plan over 100 events per year–mostly weddings. At almost every single one of them now, we get multiple requests for gluten free meals…so in addition to the food that everyone at the event is eating, we get to prepare extra meals for those who are gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc… In almost every single case, (and I promise you, I’ve paid attention and am not exaggerating–I’m looking at you vegans, too), the guest who inconvenienced their host with special meal requests, EATS THE WEDDING CAKE :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/29 "2012-06-23T16:16:30Z")
> [@fumster](#): > > And seriously, does anyone ever go to a Naturopath/Witch Doctor and not be told they are “sensitive” to wheat and dairy? Whatever the incidence of naturopathic\* misdiagnosis of allergies (given naturopathy’s embrace of homeopathy and other forms of quackery, it would not surprise me if misdiagnosis was a widespread problem), [unreliable allergy testing is a plague](http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/allergytests.html) in the alt health movement, along with tests that allegedly reveal dietary deficiencies or “toxins” in your blood. Beyond that, even M.D.s frequently utilize [testing that is inaccurate](http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/20/health/he-allergies20) a high percentage of the time and wrongly convinces them and their patients of nonexistent food allergies. This leads to a lot of unnecessary fuss, bother, and [elimination of nutritious foods from people’s diets](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1249475/The-great-food-allergy-myth-Many-just-fantasies-wreck-way-eat-end-giving-REAL-illness.html). \*[“Naturopathy is at least 99% woo.”](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/06/15/more-on-integrating-pseudoscience-with-science) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/30 "2012-06-23T16:21:19Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > I think they’ll tell the truth, which is that humans have been drinking milk for (at least) tens of thousands of years without any problems, and it hasn’t suddenly become a problem in the last 50. I suspect you were the victim of a whoosh so powerful it almost knocked the ISS out of orbit. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/31 "2012-06-23T16:26:46Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Whatever the incidence of naturopathic\* misdiagnosis of allergies (given naturopathy’s embrace of homeopathy and other forms of quackery, it would not surprise me if misdiagnosis was a widespread problem), [unreliable allergy testing is a plague](http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/allergytests.html) in the alt health movement, along with tests that allegedly reveal dietary deficiencies or “toxins” in your blood. I just heard of someone who was given chelating agents, _and then_ tested for heavy metals. Having forced mercury into the bloodstream of course they found it elevated. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/32 "2012-06-23T16:32:01Z")
> [@Jennmonkye](#): > > I’m on the fence about the whole “gluten” thing, but I will say this: I help cater and plan over 100 events per year–mostly weddings. At almost every single one of them now, we get multiple requests for gluten free meals…so in addition to the food that everyone at the event is eating, we get to prepare extra meals for those who are gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc… > In almost every single case, (and I promise you, I’ve paid attention and am not exaggerating–I’m looking at you vegans, too), the guest who inconvenienced their host with special meal requests, EATS THE WEDDING CAKE :rolleyes: That is the funniest thing ever. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/33 "2012-06-23T16:34:15Z")
> [@Jennmonkye](#): > > In almost every single case, (and I promise you, I’ve paid attention and am not exaggerating–I’m looking at you vegans, too), the guest who inconvenienced their host with special meal requests, EATS THE WEDDING CAKE :rolleyes: :eek: Did they survive? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/34 "2012-06-23T16:44:50Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > I think they’ll tell the truth, which is that humans have been drinking milk for (at least) tens of thousands of years without any problems, and it hasn’t suddenly become a problem in the last 50. Are you shitting me? Lactose intolerance? I LIKE cows milk and goat milk and human milk(er don’t ask) but it is hard to even source fresh milk here in Trinidad aside from the big supermarkets in expat areas. Most of what is available is boxed UHT crap that tastes like coffee creamer. Because no one above small children drinks milk, it is used sparingly in cooking or to wet cereal, almost everyone doesn’t drink it by the liter because they will have digestive problems. > **[Lactose intolerance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance)** > > Lactose intolerance is caused by a lessened ability or a complete inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Humans vary in the amount of lactose they can tolerate before symptoms develop. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, and nausea. These symptoms typically start thirty minutes to two hours after eating or drinking something containing lactose, with the severity typically depending on the amount consumed. Lactose intolerance d Lactose into... > [@](#): > > Lactose intolerant individuals have insufficient levels of lactase, the enzyme that metabolizes lactose into glucose and galactose, in their digestive system. In most cases this causes symptoms such as abdominal bloating and cramps, flatulence, diarrhea, nausea, borborygmi (rumbling stomach) and/or vomiting[1] after consuming significant amounts of lactose. Some studies in the U.S. and elsewhere suggest that milk consumption by lactose intolerant individuals may be a significant cause of irritable bowel syndrome.[2] And anyway I did not get advice from Dr.Oz or any other new age quack, I was going through my diet and noticed hey drink a lot of milk and this happens. ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/35 "2012-06-23T16:47:16Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > Also the [Mayo Clinic](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/phlegm/AN01455) says you’re wrong about your claim. I suspect confirmation bias, or more likely, as indicated in the article, misattribution. I dunno, that clinic doesn’t sound too good for my health. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/36 "2012-06-23T17:12:30Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > I find a nice glass of cows milk really puts me to sleep at night and improves my mood. > > Also the [Mayo Clinic](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/phlegm/AN01455) says you’re wrong about your claim. C’mon, you’re just getting paid to post by Big Mucus. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/37 "2012-06-23T17:21:34Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > C’mon, you’re just getting paid to post by Big Mucus. S’not true. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/38 "2012-06-23T17:26:49Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > S’not true. Its actually the Kleenex people paying the dairy consortium to add mucus enhancing drugs to the milk supply. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/39 "2012-06-23T17:33:07Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Whatever the incidence of naturopathic\* misdiagnosis of allergies (given naturopathy’s embrace of homeopathy and other forms of quackery, it would not surprise me if misdiagnosis was a widespread problem),… Of course it’s a widespread [del]problem[/del] feature. Peddlers of woo don’t have actual cures, so what better way to convince the marks that they’re for real than to take advantage of the fact that hypochondria and the placebo effect are two sides of the same coin? Diagnose a fake illness, which then produces real symptoms thru the power of suggestion, then prescribe a placebo, which eliminates the symptom the same way it was produced. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037/40 "2012-06-23T17:36:46Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > I do sympathize with your OP, though. Peanut allergies cause about 10 - 20 deaths a year in the US. The response seems far out of proportion to the threat. More people die of lightning strikes than that. Almost no one gets HIV infections from blood transfusions anymore. Obviously the precautions we take to screen blood units for HIV are far out of proportion to the actual problem and we should stop wasting money doing it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-fadists-stfu/626037.md?page=3)