On Fri, 29 Jun 2001 Charles Alban wrote
>He also subscribes to the non-microbial theory of disease, which I have to
>say is very far reaching if there is any truth in this. The idea that all
>this pasteurization and irradiation is basically just an obsession by the
>health authorities, and a way of increasing shelf life and thus profits of
>food manufacturers, is pretty revolutionary. And the possibility that it is
>weakening us and making us more susceptible to diseases is highly scary

   I have noticed that, since irradiation, avocadoes last hardly any time
at all, and they are picked too early to have any decent flavor. One very
definite bad thing about irradiation is that I can no longer start an
avocado plant from an avocado seed. Apparently, the irradiation process
sterilizes the seed. This goes against the National Health Federation motto
"If it doesn't rot, don't eat it: but eat it before it does" (basically,
the fruit rots before you get a chance to try to eat it). What else it
does, I'd hate to think; probably changes the chemical and genetic
composition, much in the way microwaves are supposed to.
   At least one refreshing thing is that I don't think pineapples are
irradiated. I have a 5-year-old pineapple plant I started from a crown from
one I bought in the grocery store (the leaves, when stretched out are about
6 feet long), and another one I started this past early Spring is trying
like the dickens to catch up with the first one.

Mary Anne Unger
Soon to be in Chatfield, TX, living with 3 emus, among other things