Periodically, the importance of nutrition in maximizing health and performance arises as a topic here. Naturally, it’s impossible to perform and/or recover optimally without providing your body with the proper fuel. Likewise, diet plays a huge role in enzyme products, pH level, bone health, hormone levels and more. While I think most people (or at least most people reading this) are familiar with the basics of dietary choices (more vegetables better than none, eating grilled meats over friend meats, etc.), I’m not as confident people are familiar with the changes in food quality that have occurred over the last 20 years, and the impact these changes have had on the many disease processes we see rising so rapidly in the same time frame. At the end of last week, I came across a documentary that I think you’ll find interesting. It’s certainly a one-sided view on the issue, but it’s a view that I don’t think most people have heard and likely aren’t aware of or don’t fully understand. Take the time to watch this before you make your next grocery trip!
Genetic Roulette
Kevin Neeld
UltimateHockeyTraining.com
P.S. Hockey nutrition made simple >> Ultimate Hockey Nutrition
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Really interesting doc.
Hi Kevin, just to give your readers some background, I think it is only reasonable that they also see a measured, scientific response to this movie:
http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/
Honestly, I think these types of movies do a great disservice to the debate when they are so obviously biased. Something to think about before promoting them as “the truth”.
Fred-Thank you so much for sharing that link. I don’t disagree at all that documentaries like this are biased. As I mentioned in the short paragraph before the video, I think it’s worth sharing this information, though, because I still don’t think the average person is familiar with GMOs, pesticides/herbicides, etc. In my opinion, NOT mentioning these things at all is as one-sided as many of these conspiracy-esque videos. Every generation makes mistakes that changes regulations and future generations look back upon and think “I can’t believe they used to do that.” I can’t help but wonder if some of the things being done to improve crop yields fall in line with that thinking. It’ll be interesting to see how longer-term studies shed some light on this scenario in the future. Thanks again for sharing.
Hi Kevin, Good points, I guess my main concern is the truth which is why I always value good science over scaremongering and false claims. I don’t think we can have a proper public discussion/debate by promoting bad information (especially one laced with misconceptions and emotion as the GMO one). This same (intentional) muddying of the water can be with global warming, but lets got started on that chestnut!
Fred-I think we all want the truth. There was a great quote from a TEDTalk I heard that went something like “We can choose our own opinions, but we can’t choose our own facts.” I think there is a lot of “choosing our own facts” that go into some of these videos. That said, I also don’t think the research community is fool-proof. Improper methods, statistical analyses, and flat-out lies that directly conflict with the results in discussions/conclusions/abstracts frequent the literature. Not to mention, a lot of times researchers aren’t asking the right questions. It’s the old “it doesn’t matter how fast you climb the ladder if it’s leaning against the wrong house” analogy. This is an overused parallel, but at one time research proved the world was flat. I think a lot of improper conclusions are made based on inappropriate methods, insufficient study durations (which I understand are subjected to funding, rat lifespans, etc.), and suspect funding influences. All that said, the more I learn about the human body, the more I drift towards naturalism. Regardless of what the research says, I’m going to have a tough time believing that genetically modifying foods and ingesting pesticides is a completely benign process. It’s not fair to blame EVERY major disease on either or the combination of these factors based on the available evidence as these videos do, but you can’t help but wonder about the timing.
I see what you’re saying, and you do well to strike the necessary balance between belief and skepticism.
Remember too, that research didn’t lead to the conclusion that the Earth was flat — our intuitions based on what we see around us did. Simple tests done by Egyptian philosophers revealed that we were wrong about that. Since then, our knowledge has progressed exponentially by exposing the inadequacies in what we thought was the case.
At the end of the day our intuitions about what may or may not be true are irrelevant and science is the best tool we have for determining what’s real. As you point out, it’s an imperfect process but the scientific method has proven time and again to yield results over time (gathering knowledge and filling in the gaps in our ignorance takes time and is a self-correcting mechanism). I think our modern world with all its conveniences are testament to that fact. That means jumping to a belief and sticking with it dogmatically is a flawed approach to finding the truth (something we see in groups and individuals who deny proven science).
That is one of the reasons I was drawn to your blog. As a trainer of hockey players, I noticed a lot of bad/contradictory information on the web so it is refreshing to find guys like yourself, Peter Twist and Eric Cressey who actually advocate what has been proven.
That’s all from me, enjoy your holiday season!
Kevin,
It’s great to see people like yourself sharing info on such important issues. It’s as if we are currently a part of a huge experiment with our modern food production. I think it’s important to know where your food comes from and how it was raised or grown, which is why i chose to support local farmers where i can go and see their operation and ask questions. Science is important but i also believe it is easily corrupted. Look at cigarettes and aspartame. Despite all the science showing the negative health effects they were both allowed on the market and cigarettes at one point were even being promoted as healthy. I don’t trust big corporations and i think it’s important to ask questions and do your own research. Furthermore, i think tradition is very overlooked when it comes to food and nutrition. Man made GMO’s, chemicals, and pesticides go against Mother Nature and only benefit big corporations.
Jeff-It’s an interesting topic for sure. As I’ve noted above, I’m pretty far from “all-in” regarding my belief for all of the information conveyed in these documentaries, but I’m likewise skeptical of the existing research. To me, it seems very unnatural to consume genetically modified and heavily sprayed foods, and short-term studies using small sample sizes isn’t enough to convince me that they’re completely benign. I guess time will tell, but in the meantime I’ll stick to the non-gmo organic stuff!
Kevin – I highly recommend Chris Kresser’s blog/website if you are not already acquainted with him. He’s a great writer and he discusses a lot of myths and truths with food and nutrition in a very professional manner.
As uncomfortable as it may be some times i think we need to learn how to discuss such controversial subjects, which is why i was happy to see someone like yourself share some info and insight.
His 9 steps to perfect health series is full of a lot of great info!
http://chriskresser.com/are-gmos-safe
http://chriskresser.com/why-local-trumps-organic-for-nutrient-content
http://chriskresser.com/perfecthealth
That’s Jeff. I know the name, but haven’t followed Chris’ work. I’ll look into it!