I've been wondering...

[Guest guest]

....about why the past 15-20 years have seen such an increase in the

incidence of things like cancer, Alzheimer's, CHD, thyroid problems,

autoimmune problems, reproductive problems, and suchlike. I believe

there's even more serious illness among children, so it's not just

that the Baby Boomers are getting old enough to begin obsessing about

their health!

I understand that it was in the mid-1980s that American fast food

restaurants switched en masse to soybean oil. :-P I think I

remember getting turned off from fries back then because they tasted

nasty! (rancid!)

Hasn't Americans' consumption of junk food (especially chips and soda

pop and fast food) increased significantly in the past 15-20 years?

I keep wondering whether the junk food manufacturers actually use the

best quality grain ingredients in their chips and crackers. I mean,

the spoiled grains (fungus-infected, moldy, rancid, otherwise below

par in quality) are *supposed* to go into cattle feed. But does it?

If a manufacturer knew they were going to cover up the taste of poor

quality grain ingredients with MSG and other strong flavorings,

mightn't they be likely to use the lesser quality grain ingredients,

knowing that most people that eat their products won't be able to

tell how bad they are?

Does anyone have first-hand knowledge of the quality of ingredients

that go into your typical bag of, say, Doritos? Chikken-in-a-Biskit

crackers? things like that. Or even Roman Meal bread?

Speaking of bread, doesn't it seem unnaturally soft for an

unnaturally long time these days? Why is that?

Dh can't eat much national-brand bread without feeling bad

afterwards. (I think it's harder on his blood sugar.) But he can

eat store-bought (but locally-baked) dark Russian rye bread, even

with honey, without feeling bad. We keep wondering why. Is the the

quality of the ingredients? The amount and nature of the additives

and preservatives? Is there that much more sugar and/or high

fructose corn syrup in it? The amount of time that the product sits

until it's consumed? The locally-baked dark rye bread doesn't stay

good very long. It's likely to mold!

Just wondering. Anybody got a clue?