Thomas Bridgeland wrote:

<snipped>

>In general we try to avoid man-made foods like
>trans-fatty acids. But milk has plenty of trans-fats, and meat has a
>little too. So they must have some purpose in the body.

I agree completely with most of what you said in your post and I agree
about categories not being absolute, but I would question your assertion
above.

Many foodstuffs have complex cocktails of natural chemicals, not all of
which are nutrients, especially in plants where many were designed to
protect the plant from being eaten. I don't think it's safe to assume that
a substance must have some purpose in the body just because it's part of
something we can eat.

It is, as you say, a question of quantity, not quality. Any toxicologist
will confirm that it's the quantity that makes the poison, whether natural
or man-made.

I also agree that we should think about guidelines as opposed to rules,
and not be obsessive.

I think it's important to listen to our own bodies first, before any so-
called expert or guru.

Thanks for the good sense, Thomas :-)

Cheers,

Persephone

P.S. Have scientists any way of telling how hominid groups spread around
the world? How can we tell what we are adapted to except by testing the
foods on ourselves and seeing how it affects us? As you can see, I know
nothing at all about this area!