Page 4 - Fall2012

Letters

support they get at local chapter meet- mission, from what I could tell when It means that I thought my balsamic
ings. Their well-marketed messages, in I originally joined, was especially to dressing all these years was olive oil
the interest of attracting hits, advertisers prevent the malnourishment of mothers and vinegar―when in fact, it was not.
and clients, are becoming louder than and children, and thus, I cannot under- It means I thought I was eating healthy
the organization's message. stand why so many "volunteers" would salads when I ate out―when in fact, I
While Price himself discovered advocate the use of a diet that promotes was not. This surely must have been
healthy individuals all over the world ketosis, specifically in this population. going on for several years. I am from
eating many different types of foods in I think if the organization is going Marin, and just got reminded that Marin
different combinations, chapter leaders, to support the use of the GAPS diet for has the highest breast cancer rate in the
bloggers and Paleo gurus are spreading "curing" all these health problems, at nation. Coincidence?
the message that "carboydrates feed the very least, its safety during preg- The problem is, I frequently go on
yeast, fructose causes fatty liver disease, nancy and breastfeeding needs to be work lunches and have to eat something.
and glucose spikes insulin!" This type of investigated before harm befalls unborn Ideally I want to carry my own dressing.
fear, coupled with the rapid weight loss children. But my business companions and col-
one experiences on a low-carb diet, is Amy Lewark, MS leagues might be embarrassed by this.
driving people to try extreme diets in the Ohio University Neurobiology '99 It's one thing to embarrass your own
name of improving their health, rather Loveland, Colorado children, and quite another to embarrass
than taking a balanced approach. your boss, colleague or important clients
GAPS, for a person who is still Your points are very well taken. The who pay your wages (although I admit,
struggling on a well-rounded WAPF GAPS diet is a difficult and temporary on many occasions I've managed to do
diet, looks like the perfect solution. The diet to use in situations where the WAPF both). Any salad solutions?
basic tenet that glucose fuels a healthy dietary guidelines are not working. Be- Sushama Gokhale
metabolism via mitochondria and opti- cause it is a detoxifying diet, it should Larkspur, California
mal thyroid function is now overlooked. never be used during pregnancy and
Somehow we've made this all about the lactation. The only solution is to carry a small
intestine, and for folks who are unfamil- bottle of olive oil in your purse and
iar with the context of a whole organism, OLIVE OIL SCAM discreetly request that the restaurant
these scientific arguments are difficult to I have checked in practically ev- make up the dressing for you. It may be
sort out. I got sucked into it, too. Scien- ery restaurant I have eaten at in San embarrassing, but it may also open up
tists are fallible. They make mistakes in Francisco in the last few months. These a constructive conversation with your
their research and in their conclusions. restaurants range from the very posh colleagues.
The idea that there is a perfect solution to the very inexpensive. Nearly all of
at all is a logical fallacy in itself. them use either soybean oil exclusively, CURING VITILIGO
I suspect that these low-carb ap- or soybean oil mixed with a smidgen of I found WAPF in March 2011 at
proaches do not support hormonal health olive oil (so they can claim it's olive oil) a conference in Pittsburgh supporting
in menstruating, pregnant, or nursing in their salad dressings. When asked, local farmers. I was encouraged to dis-
women. Furthermore, the safety of the the wait staff has always been the most cover that WAPF held the same values as
GAPS diet during pregnancy and breast- honest. The owners just lie (I know this I held: even in my teenage years I would
feeding has not been established. Preg- because they get shifty when asked, and look at modern society and ask myself,
nancy ketosis in animals is analogous because they are frequently also chefs “If these things (drugs, processed foods,
to toxemia in pregnancy, and can be who are well aware they are using an etc.) are as 'necessary' now as people
induced by simply reducing a pregnant inferior oil). claim, how did humans survive for thou-
animal's feed ration. This organization's This is distressing on many counts. sands of years? And why do you never
4 Wise Traditions FALL 2012 FALL 2012 Wise Traditions

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