The Maligning of Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables, in their natural form, whether fresh or frozen, benefit our health.  They reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, several forms of cancer, and help maintain healthy weight.

And yet, they are getting a bad rap.

Is kale toxic?  One alternative medicine researcher published on his web site that he found high levels of thallium in the urine and tissue of patients who consume large amounts of kale.  He then suggested that their ailments were due to thallium accumulation.

As a result, you'll find sensational titles on the web, like "People are getting seriously sick from eating kale"  or, "Sorry Foodies: We're About to Ruin Kale."

Image taken from www.bentleyartist.com

But if you look closer, you'll see that for all practical purposes, this was a completely unscientific pursuit, not published in a peer-reviewed journal, and the findings spread by someone who profits from selling "chelation therapy".

Or what about carrots?  "Oh, I don't eat carrots -- they're too high in sugar".  I've head the same from patients about grapes.  I'm still looking to find someone who's obese from eating too many carrots or grapes.  With all the carrots that I eat, I'd be a very large woman.

I'm going to keep on drinking my morning green smoothie, with my handful of kale and a handful of carrots.