# Yahoo! Article: "The 7 Foods Experts Won't Eat" Thoughts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 10, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750 "2009-12-10T18:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/41 "2009-12-11T09:07:19Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > “How did we get to the point where we’re paying for bottled water? That must have been some weird marketing meeting over in France. Some French guy’s sitting there, like, 'How dumb do I think the Americans are? I bet you we could sell those idiots water.” > > -Jim Gaffigan I have to say the Chinese people must be dumber than Americans; while I was there, I never saw a Chinese person drink anything BUT bottled water. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/42 "2009-12-11T09:09:51Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > I have to say the Chinese people must be dumber than Americans; while I was there, I never saw a Chinese person drink anything BUT bottled water. As opposed to drinking water direct from the tap? Uh, yeah, that would be reeeeeal smart . . . ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/43 "2009-12-11T10:36:48Z")
> [@3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](#): > > I don’t touch microwave popcorn - just the smell of the stuff is enough to tell you it’s far from healthy. When I want popcorn, I go “old school” and throw some oil and popcorn in a big pot. It takes about two minutes longer than microwave 'corn and actually tastes fresh and natural. > > Want butter on it? OK, that can go in the microwave. Melt a few pats and drizzle it on top. Add salt to taste. > > Yum. olive oil, garlic salt, done in a wok =) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/44 "2009-12-11T10:44:22Z")
Given the circus my mother organizes in order to keep her store-bought potatoes from sprouting, I think whatever that guy has been smoking may be illegal. Me, I don’t buy potatoes, but that’s because I don’t like them. Do my credentials as, say, a SAP QM expert mean that nobody should eat potatoes? Because some of those guys seem to have equally-solid credentials in the field of food science. ---
**Author:** ![Peg\_Leg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/90db22/32.png) [@Peg\_Leg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg_Leg)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/45 "2009-12-11T12:15:12Z")
[On Farmed Salmon](http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/8133/title/Food_for_Thought__Salmon_Safety) The linked article takes into account a few studies done on the subject, including David Carpenter’s 2004 study in an effort to determine what exactly is the dilly-o. It weighs his against a study done by Dariush Mozaffarian of the Harvard School of Public Health. Relevant quote below: > [@](#): > > Mozaffarian says that the _Science_ report doesn’t take the positive effects of fish consumption into account. The cardiac benefits of farmed salmon, he says, prevent 100 to 400 times as many deaths as the organic pollutants cause. Furthermore, he argues that the studies showing heart benefits are stronger than the studies showing negative effects of organic pollutants. At high doses, the chemicals are known to make people sick, and animal studies suggest that lower doses can have an impact, but few large-scale human studies have been done. Mozaffarian also says that the researchers analyzed the pollutant levels of the entire fish, including the skin, which people don’t ordinarily eat, thus getting artificially high values for the pollutants Furthermore, the article points to farming practices, like the fish’s diets as the cause of high concentrations of PCBs and posits that reforming farming practices can have a significant impact on the healthfulness of the fish, citing farmed Chinook salmon as having less PCBs than even wild alaskan salmon. So maybe wild salmon is, indeed, healthier than farmed salmon, but farmed atlantic salmon, but this, to me, indicates that farmed salmon is still better for you than no salmon. _edit: fixed spelling_ ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/46 "2009-12-11T13:29:30Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > What I don’t get is why they even told this lie. I mean, do they seriously think that people will just forget about their store bought potatoes sprouting, and believe the lie that they just told? “Well gee, I always thought my older potatoes were sprouting, but maybe those are some funny kind of spider webs I never seen before anywhere else. Well, you learn something new everyday!” I think the article is addressed to people like me – in the sense that I don’t cook, and I don’t buy raw materials for cooking or preparing meals. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a potato in my life. I’ve lived in my home for 4 years now, and I have yet to use the stove or oven. But there’s so much other bullshit in the article that I would discount it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/47 "2009-12-11T14:26:11Z")
> [@Lama\_Pacos](#): > > I’m disturbed that many here consider organic food a “scam”. While I agree that it may not make a significant health difference for the _individual consumer_, the difference between the environmental impact of conventional and organic farming is notable. It’s fine if you don’t care about the effects your actions have-- many people don’t-- but that doesn’t make things scammy just because you don’t want to step up. Agreed. Organic farming generally has a much hgher carbon footprint. That’s why, as an environmentally conscious consumer, I refuse to buy “organic” products. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/48 "2009-12-11T14:36:00Z")
There are two main problems with organic food. First of all it’s not regulated, so you can be scammed. What makes a food organic? And more importantly how do you really know? What’s to stop someone from slapping a label on food and making a claim? And if they do how can you be sure it is what they claim? This is my big problem with organic food. Second is the fact that non-organic food in small normal quantities may be fine, but what if someone eats that particular food as a main source. Here’s an example, for effect. Suppose I eat a potato that has a toxin in it. Now this toxin is so mild, you can eat it and not get sick. Now before anyone gets upset, think about it. For example, peach pits and apple seed contain cyanide. Cyanide as anyone knows is bad, but it’s extremely unlikely you are going to get cyanide poisoning from eating an apple and all its seed. In fact my brother was known to do this to my disgust. He’d eat everything, he’d eat the apple, seeds and stem. He’d chew and eat apricot kernels (also cyanide containing) and he never got sick. See your body can handle SOME (but not all) toxins as long as they are in small doses and don’t accumulate in your body. So back to my example, so the government may deem a non-organic food to have toxin “XXX” in it and that’s OK. Because the average person only eats the food every so often there’s no issue. But what if someone practically lives on that potato containing “XXX” then he/she could get seriously ill. Another example is a certain amount of “fecal matter” is allowed in some meat stuff, because well, animals are just hard to keep away from their own mess. Because you are supposed to cook the meat, any germs will be killed with the cooking. And this is 100% true. But there is a strong argument to be made for, well why not just raise the cows (or whatever) right so they’re not wallowing in their own filth. As the argument goes, “Why should I have to cook my meat to kill the germs that shouldn’t even be there to being with?” So you can see the issue is not cut and dry. It’s not a matter of “oganic = scam” or not. I don’t see organic as a scam so much as something that may not be necessary. Like flying first class. It’s not necessary but it’s nice if you can afford it ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/49 "2009-12-11T16:41:00Z")
Can’t find a cite but I beleive it is actual offical UK government health advice that you should not eat the skin of non-organic carrots, due to the amount of pesticides that are concentrated there. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/50 "2009-12-11T16:53:20Z")
Anyone who thinks that conventional potatoes can’t sprout is welcome to take a look in the cupboard where we keep our potatoes. Oh, and while you’re down there, could you please throw out the ones that have sprouted? > [@LouisB](#): > > I have to say the Chinese people must be dumber than Americans; while I was there, I never saw a Chinese person drink anything BUT bottled water. I only drank bottled water when I was in China this summer. Their tap water isn’t safe for drinking. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/51 "2009-12-11T17:12:37Z")
> [@Dr.Love](#): > > Chipotle advertises that they only use rBGH-free milk in their sour cream. However, on these advertisements, they also state that the FDA has found no chemical difference in milk from rBGH-treated cows and untreated cows. Take from that what you will. I would take from that that they are required to include the “FDA has found no chemical difference” part in order to use the “rBGH-free milk” label. It is an [ongoing battle](http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-11-13-milk-labels_N.htm) over [whether](http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/hormone-free-milk-47011701) or [not](http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/hormone-free-milk-47040204) milk can be labeled rBGH-free (note the dates in those links). We’re able to find milk labeled rBGH-free here in Michigan, and my wife tells me that almost all the milk around here anymore is labeled rBGH-free now, so fuck you Ohio federal court. Your ability to find milk labeled rBGH-free may vary. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/52 "2009-12-11T17:39:57Z")
It’s amazing how with all of the poison in our food these days, life expectancy just keeps on going up and up and up… ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/53 "2009-12-11T18:05:58Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Organic food is the biggest consumer scam since bottled water. I drink bottled water. There I said it, and you have permission to hate me. So, what am I suppose to do when I am on the street, and I am thirsty? Why is buying a bottle of soda which is 90% water and 10% sugar-laden death permissible, but if you want to buy that same thing sans the sugar, the wood esters, the propylene glycol, and the artificial colors and flavors you are an earth destroying scum? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/54 "2009-12-11T18:12:07Z")
I don’t think anyone is _really_ complaining about buying a bottle of water once in awhile, particularly while traveling. I think it’s the \*habitual[/] purchasing of it that grates. For example, when making a road trip I might buy a bottle or two of water. But when working outside this summer in hot weather I used a refillable water jug instead of buying water every day. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/55 "2009-12-11T18:22:25Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > It’s amazing how with all of the poison in our food these days, life expectancy just keeps on going up and up and up… That’s because of the preservatives, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750/56 "2009-12-12T19:40:22Z")
Any thoughts on #1? Do I need to worry about bisphenol-A in my canned tomatoes or not? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-article-the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-thoughts/520750.md?page=2)