Written by
Gretchen,
We balance the diets of the livestock we feed better than we eat ourselves. In fact, I'd rather go to a vet for medical advise than many Medical Doctor's.
The two biggest issues facing the human diet are shelf life, and quick preparation. Much of the pre-packaged ready to eat after popping in the microwave to heat foods are loaded with perservatives. They also seem to be higher in carbs, and sodium for two big items.
Also, even though steak and spinich both contain iron, it isn't absorbed the same by the human body. ( not sure about which plant has the most iron, but absorbtion of certain vitamins from plants is not that good in humans )
The big problem is that we don't put a high value of nutrition education for all doctors, and we are moving away from General Practice Physicians to Specialists.
There are a lot of different vitamins and supplements on the market, but the quality of the ingrediants is hard for consumers to know, as much is presented in marketing. There are differences in types and sources of Fe, B1, C, D, etc, but most dieticians say they are a waste of money if you eat right. The problem is that plants contain different amounts of nutrients depending on soil it is grown on and weather conditions.
I think our biggest problem is that we've all gotten too busy to prepare fresh food; we're accustomed to grabbing something in a box or can and heating it in the microwave. All those processed foods are full of all kinds of things that aren't particularly healthy.
As for vitamins, I used to think that I didn't need vitamins when I was eating healthy food, but because of the diabetes, I've cut way back in the volume of food, and I think at least a multivitamin is prudent.
Whether or not the vitamins we buy are safe is another matter. Whether almost anything we eat is safe is not clear.
Gretchen,
I'm not too worried about food safety, proper handling in the kitchen is the most important. Lot's of stories about E-Coli in meat, but that has always been an issue. Proper cooking takes care of the problem, and making sure you don't use prep utensils and plates for the cooked food. In fact, I'd take meat the was recalled for E-coli and eat it.
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Gretchen, It is not just diets that physicians need to learn more about but also supplements and vitamins. My endo's ignorance about supplements and current research is apalling. My primary care physician and my endo both say well you need to take a multi-vitamin but I am a doctor I know nothing about supplements and vitamins. Yet we are expected to check with our doctor before taking a supplement. I believe in using supplements to assist my traditional medications and diet. I had to go to a naturopath to get advice about adding supplements to my regime.
clk
Well, at least your doctor admitted he knew nothing about supplements. That's better than giving advice when he knew nothing about it.
I told my PCP I wanted to try insulin and he said he didn't know much about insulin and I should see an endo. Again, I respected him for admitting he wasn't an expert on insulin.