I learned a good lesson yesterday about people and their ignorance. I read an article posted about The 9 Foods......doesn't matter. It's a well written article, which is the most believable part of it. The topic of conversation was how the US government subsidies pay farmers to grow grains and make you fat by producing high fructose corn syrup to put in foods.
Although I can see where they're coming from on their VERY opinionated article, this is not exactly the case. The US government funds subsidies for farmers that grow cash grains. This is true. These are that are programs initiated by government to promote conservation and subsidize crops that are cash grains. Not only that, but the purposes of growing these cash grains is not to produce high fructose corn syrup, only a small fraction of these grains are actually used to produce high fructose corn syrup specifically.
Now, that being said, the US government has even more money available in the for of government grants to fund the growth of things like specialty crops to feed the people of the United States. These cash grain subsidies are focused on crop rotations on highly erodible land to promote conservation of our resources, not to feed the masses grain to "make us fat". And, what do we produce from these cash grains? Corn pasta, corn meal, ethanol, soy meal, soy milk, tofu, animal feed, .....the list is great, those are just a drop in the bucket on examples of what is produced by these cash grains. These cash grains aren't just feeding America, they're feeding people worldwide.
I was outraged by this article when I read it, so I thought I would use my blog to help educate the masses on the use of cash grains and to let you know that these grains are NOT what is making you fat. Your daily choices are what is making you fat.
My son is gluten-intolerant, awaiting testing for Celiac Disease and he can't have wheat, rye or barley, so we rely on other grains for him to eat. Think of everything you eat that is made from wheat flour (or just generally referred to as flour). Things like wheat pasta, wheat bread......he can't have those things. So, we buy corn noodles, tapioca bread and things like that to feed our son. Without the grain options, he would ONLY be able to eat fresh produce and meats. I know a girl who has a corn gluten allergy, she can't have corn products, so she relies more on products like rice and wheat. Every person is different and to say that cash grains are subsidized to make us fat is an ignorant comment made by someone who is greatly uneducated on the subject.
I'm not saying that eating strictly products made from grains is a good diet either. Nothing is more effective in life than eating a well-balanced diet full of fruits, veggies, meats, grains, fats.....think food pyramid. Eating strictly any of these things can be a recipe for a health disaster. Focus on your health, what you can do for yourself and educate yourself on what you're eating and where it comes from.
So, when you read something that is well-written, do you question the facts in an article or do you take them as truth because it's well-written?
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