Carrot & stick - Brief Article

Vegetarian Times, Oct, 1999 by Cristin Marandino

A carrot to our favorite Royal, Prince Charles, for his outspoken stand against genetically modified (GM) foods. Even following a request from British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Prince refused to shut down his web site (www.princeofwales.gov.uk), which addresses issues of safety regarding GM foods. Good show, old boy.

A stick to Second Opinion magazine for its recent article "Forbidden Foods That Are Actually Good for You!" According to this piece of "journalism," red meat and eggs are among the foods we've been denying ourselves due to "bad science." The article advises, "Several recent studies have shown that eating eggs does not increase cholesterol levels [so] forget all that nonsense about eggs being bad for you .... "Although there have been studies in which egg consumption did not appear to raise the cholesterol of participants with normal levels, even the authors of those studies drew more prudent conclusions. They warned people with high cholesterol to eat sources of dietary cholesterol--including eggs--sparingly. As for red meat, the article cites undocumented research implying that vegetarians have higher rates of leukemia and low-birth-weight babies. Their response: "Lay off the squirrel food and enjoy that juicy steak." Such statements are absolutely preposterous; even traditionally pro-meat organizations like the United States Department of Agriculture are suggesting that Americans move their diets in the veg direction based on decades of peer-reviewed clinical research. Perhaps the article was erroneously titled, and what they meant to call it was "Nutritional Advice That Can Actually Kill You."