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I am tired of the word “toxic” when it comes to food. I am tired of reading about how sugar and gluten are toxic. And definitely all non-organic produce. Can we also stop describing certain foods and ingredients as poisonous, dangerous, and deadly?
These are scary words, especially for kids. They’re also not accurate or fair words to use when it comes to food, and they only serve to spread confusion and fear (oh, and to grab attention on the internet.)
Yes, some foods, especially in consistently large amounts, can be unhealthy. But, all nuance is gone from the conversation. Food is either good or it’s toxic. In my experience, that language leads people (especially parents) to give up. If you don’t have the budget for an all-organic, totally unprocessed diet, why bother? If your food is slowly killing you, what’s the use in even trying to eat healthy?
But when food is called toxic, it’s a good indication that nutrition misinformation lies ahead. I’ve read everything from “your body can’t digest white flour” (yes, it can) to “soda gives you diabetes” (no, it doesn’t). You only have to take a semester of biology to know that things are a lot more complicated than those statements imply.
The bottom line is that your overall diet is what’s important.
When you see words like “toxic” and “poisonous” in relation to food, take it with a grain of salt. And keep scary words like these out of conversations you have with your kids about food. It’s okay to communicate messages of health, but children shouldn’t live in fear that their classmate’s lunch is poisonous.
Read full, original post: Can We Please Stop Calling Food “Toxic”?
