The Fear of Artificial Foods

on Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Two hundred years ago we were afraid of nature; we wouldn't swim in the ocean fearing monsters or disease, we saw nature as something wild and dangerous -- something to be tamed. Today, insulated from the dangers of cold and with ridiculously easy access to food, we are generally only aware of nature's beauty.

We've forgotten that a carrot contains literally 10,000 times more poisons and carcinogens than pesticide residues... if an apple were manufactured from scratch it would never be approved because of it's poison laced seeds. The illusion of safety in nature is confusing -- the most poisonous substance known to man is a natural poison (Botulinum toxin). Why are we so afraid of carefully created artificial products? The building blocks of everything made in a lab are natural products; the only difference between "natural" and artificial is the amount of processing involved.