Re: Amen! and Articles
"I can not trust the FDA to be very truthful about anything. They spend more time finding some nut product in candy that is not on the label than they do actual testing of the drug industry products." I laughed at that one! Sad, but true.
Stevia isn't an artificial sweetener, it's an herb. Although in the concentrated form, it might be considered somewhat artificial by some. I agree that it is good to use although I have never bought any, personally. I use it when I'm at my aunt's house. I usually just eat fruit when I want something sweet, or use a little honey or sorghum molasses.
A lot of people have gotten on board the canola oil train, sadly. You mentioned that it looks good on paper - for starters, that depends on the assumptions about oil and fat that the person reading said paper has. Most of what people think about "good" and "bad" fat involves their assumptions on what a good fat would look like or do.
Anyway, to me a good fat is one that anyone could get their hands on or make - i.e. relatively natural. I have no way of making refined oils such as canola, soy, corn, etc. I can eat nuts, avocados and seeds easily. I believe that I could make coconut oil or olive oil if I had the raw ingredients and a little know-how (no chemicals, refineries or fancy equipment). And animal fat is in the meat, I could make butter, etc. - the issue there being the health of the animal.
So if someone has MANUFACTURE a fat, I don't think I want to eat it.
Another warning sign is how the traditional nutritionists (FDA variety) trumpet the praises of canola. Um, if they think it's great, it's probably terrible. They can keep their little "4 food groups" with their skim milk, enriched white bread and canola oil. (Oh, did I see a green bean? Whoops, false alarm). I'm gonna run the other direction.