Here's a quote that I found on a forum: "Uneducated people do what they are told... Educated people question what they are told."

This page contains topics that are controversial in regard to diet and health. It will cover food and drink only, not vitamins or herbs or other supplements.

We need to be fully informed so we can make the best choices for ourselves. Read both sides of every issue, and then make the choices that you think would work best for you.

If you know of any links that could be added here to present one or both sides of the issue, please let me know.

Also see the Tips About Foods page for more information on specific foods.

Butter vs. Margarine

Canola oil—Is it a healthy fat or an unhealthy fat?

Cholesterol—Is it really the cause of heart disease?

Coconut Oil—Healthy oil or not?

Milk—Is it okay for human consumption?

Eggs—Good for you or bad for you?

Fat and Oils

Genetically Engineered Foods

Grains vs. No Grains

Grass-fed Meats vs. Grain-fed Meats

Net carbs—Count net carbs or count total carbs?

Protein—Limited or Unlimited?

Saturated Fats—Are they really bad for you?

Sodas/Soft drinks

Soy—Is it healthful or harmful?

Sweeteners—Sugar

Sweeteners—Sugar substitutes/artificial sweeteners

Sweeteners—Natural

Vegetarian Diet vs. Meat Diet

Water—How much should we consume daily?

Water—Tap, Purified/Distilled, or Bottled?

Butter vs. Margarine

Also see sections Cholesterol, Coconut Oil, Eggs, and Saturated Fats.

Which is healthier? There are arguments for both sides of the issue. Butter and margarine differ mainly in the kinds of fat they contain. Butter, made from animal fats, is high saturated fats. But is that bad? Not necessarily. Margarine, made with vegetable oil, contains less saturated fat (mainly polyunsaturated fat) but often has high amounts of trans fats. Is that bad? Yes.

If you replace butter with margarine, avoid those types made with trans fats (hydrogenated oils). Look for those labeled "trans fat free" and with no hydrogenated oils listed in the ingredients. Some labels say "no trans fats per serving," which means that it contains trans fats but not enough to require that it be listed in a serving size. Avoid these products, as any amount of trans fats is too much.

Remember—Use butter and/or margarine in moderation, if at all, just for flavor.

Dr. Andrew Weil says, “I personally prefer olive oil for most of my cooking. If I had to choose between butter and margarine, I would choose butter, as I've said. Using small amounts of butter occasionally probably won't hurt you, but I wouldn't make a habit of it . . . When you crave a bit of butter, use the real thing.”

Dr. Mercola says, “Very simply, butter is better. More specifically, organic grass fed raw milk would be the best due to its fatty acid composition and increase in beneficial fats like conjugated linolenic acid.” In another Mercola article: “Use as much good quality butter as you like, with the happy assurance that it is a wholesome—indeed, an essential—food for you and your whole family.“

From the December 6, 2000, issue of JAMA

In a study of 56 families published in the December 6, 2000, issue of JAMA, the nation's premier medical journal, a low fat diet based on margarine resulted in an 11 percent greater reduction in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol than a similar diet based on butter. Some people have interpreted this study to mean that margarine is better for the heart than butter.

Not so fast. There is weighty evidence on the other side of the debate as well. A 1993 study of 85,095 women published in the equally prestigious journal The Lancet came to the opposite conclusion. This study found that the more margarine a woman consumed, the higher her risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Butter, meanwhile, was not significantly associated with CHD. (There was also no increased risk linked with the consumption of beef, pork, or lamb.)

A 1994 study issued a similar thumbs-down verdict on margarine: Compared with people who ate very little margarine, those with the greatest consumption were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack.

Web Pages about Butter vs. Margarine

http://www.medicinalfoodnews.com/vol04/issue3/butter.htm

When the total of trans and saturated fat is compared, traditional vegetable margarines come out ahead of butter. Even better are margarines that are not hydrogenated. These products should be trans fat free.

http://health.allrefer.com/health/margarine-vs-butter-info.html

Is margarine healthier than butter? Neither is ideal, because butter is loaded with saturated fat, and almost all margarines have some saturated fat and trans fatty acids. However, if you must use one or the other, margarine may be better than butter.

http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/pg/pg175.htm

Margarine is marginally better than butter - but it isn't great.

http://chetday.com/healthybutter.htm

Why Butter is Better by Stephen Byrnes, ND, RNCP

Why Butter is Better, by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD

http://practicalhippie.com/margarine.htm

Good News: Butter is Better for you than Margarine!

http://freedomyou.com/recipes/better%20than%20butter.htm

About butter and margarine, with a recipe for butter replacer.

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2004/11/24/butter_versus_margarine.htm

Butter Versus Margarine by Chris Gupta. Summary: “The argument for eating margarine and other products containing hydrogenated oils are their lack of cholesterol. Margarine is also less expensive than butter. However, margarine contains refined, artificially saturated vegetable oil. It also contains harmful trans-fatty acids, and often residues of the toxic metals nickel and cadmium. Butter is a natural food and a good source of important fat-soluble vitamins. You will pay more for butter, but nutritionally it is well worth it.”

Canola oil—Is it a healthy fat or an unhealthy fat?

How is the consumer to sort out the conflicting claims about canola oil? Is canola oil a dream come true or a deadly poison? And why has canola captured so large a share of the oils used in processed foods?

Pros

http://www.wholefoods.com/healthinfo/canola.html

Facts about canola oil in question and answer form, including all the controversial issues, and ending with their position: “Whole Foods Market believes canola oil is a safe and wholesome food and, therefore, will continue to sell it in our stores. In order to ensure the highest quality oil possible, we feature expeller-pressed, organic canola oil in our stores. Accordingly, each individual is free to choose whether or not to buy canola oil or to choose from one of the other many culinary oils we sell. Note that all of the stand-alone oils at WFM (except grapeseed oil) are expeller-pressed.

From http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp

Since 2001, an e-mail has been widely circulated over the Internet claiming that canola oil is a health hazard. Snopes.com explains how this came into being and exposes it as a hoax. It concludes with, “In other words, it's a healthy oil. One shouldn't feel afraid to use it because of some Internet scare loosely based on half-truths and outright lies.”

Dr. Agatston, of South Beach Diet fame, says. “Misleading information circulating on the Internet has caused confusion over the safety of canola oil. Some claim that the seeds used to make canola oil have poisonous qualities, since they are a hybrid of rapeseeds, which may have negative health effects in high concentrations. A study in China found that cooking at very high temperatures with unrefined rapeseed oil produced harmful emissions. In the United States, however, most vegetable oils are refined, contain antioxidants that help prevent these harmful emissions, and are generally used at lower cooking temperatures. So go ahead and cook with canola — it's perfectly safe for human consumption and a great addition to a balanced diet.”

Cons

Article The Real Story on Canola Oil (Can-ugly Oil) by Dr. Fred Pescatore:

From http://www.rense.com/politics6/canola.htm: “Canola—Canada's Oil Spill Onto The American Market” by Janet Allen.

Article about the dangers of canola oil from Breathing.com.

Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., Director Nutritional Sciences Division Enig Associates, Inc.

says, “Although canola oil is not a favorite oil with me for a number of reasons, the statement suggesting that because it is used as an industrial oil it is therefore not edible is not valid. Flax oil is also used as an industrial oil for paint and linoleum, etc. But when it is prepared as a food it is edible. Most oils have been used at one time or another as industrial products. One of the most edible of oils, coconut oil, is used for many industrial products, especially for soaps and cosmetics. Olive oil apparently has been used to make soap for as long as it has been used as a food oil. Read the entire article here.

Article "15 Reasons to Avoid Vegetable Oils"

This article says that all oils are unhealthy, and gives detailed reasons and sources.

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Pros and Cons from: http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/conola.html.

How is the consumer to sort out the conflicting claims about canola oil? Is canola oil a dream come true or a deadly poison? And why has canola captured so large a share of the oils used in processed foods? Covers History, Dangers Overstated, The Studies, Rapeseed Oil in Traditional Diets, and Processing.

Cholesterol—Is it really the cause of heart problems?

Also see entries about Butter vs. Margarine, Coconut Oil, Eggs, and Saturated Fats.

Here are 7 interesting articles about the real causes of heart disease: http://www.thincs.org/WAPF2003.htm

Michael Gurr, Ph.D., renowned expert on lipids and author of the authoritative textbook on lipid biochemistry, stated that “whatever causes coronary heart disease, it is not primarily a high intake of saturated fat.” So, if saturated fats and cholesterol are not the causes of heart disease, what is? There are a number of theories presented on this site:

http://www.coconut-info.com/diet_and_disease.htm

From www.medicinenet.com: Evidence now available indicates that inflammation and molecules such as C-reactive protein associated with inflammation may be as important as cholesterol in determining the development of atherosclerosis (“hardening of the arteries”) and heart disease.

Cholesterol Does Not Cause Coronary Heart Disease from newmediaexplorer.org.

Coconut Oil—Healthy oil or not?

Also see entries about Butter vs. Margarine, Cholesterol, Eggs, Saturated Fats.

Coconut oil is a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil—an oil made from coconuts that increases calorie and fat burning. Studies have shown that when people switched from other oils to MCT, they lost up to 36 pounds in a year—without cutting calories! (Researcher Marie-Pierre St-Onge, University of Alabama at Birmingham)

From http://www.primaldefense.net:

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is the healthiest, most versatile unprocessed dietary oil in the world. Coconut oil has been shown to reduce the symptoms of digestive disorders, support overall immune functions, and to help prevent bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. People who consistently use coconut oil report changes in their ability to go without eating for several hours without experiencing the effects of hypoglycemia.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is a stable, healthy saturated fat that does NOT elevate "bad" (LDL) cholesterol. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is an excellent cooking oil. Research done in the 1950s concluded that all fat was bad. And still today many people equate fat with weight gain, clogged arteries, high blood pressure, etc. However, certain fats actually help to prevent those conditions and are essential to good health. Early researchers failed to distinguish between saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. They assumed at the time that all fats (including coconut oil) were unhealthy because they raised serum cholesterol levels. But, in revisiting those studies, researchers found that hydrogenated (refined) coconut oil had been used, which is not the same as virgin coconut oil.

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From an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association: “Populations that consume coconut oil have low rates of heart disease. Coconut oil may also be one of the most useful oils to prevent heart disease because of its antiviral and antimicrobial characteristics.”

Coconut oil has been used as a cooking oil for thousands of years and is still a staple in the diets of many people living in tropical areas today. It was once popular here in the United States as well, until shortages of imported oils during WW II created the need to promote local oils like soybean and corn oil. Soon, polyunsaturated fats became the norm in this country, and with it came a rise in obesity, higher cholesterol levels, and degenerative diseases related to aging. This is after the decrease in using coconut oil.

A study conducted in Yucatan, where coconut oil is a staple, showed that metabolic rates of people living there were 25% higher than in comparable test subjects living in the United States. Increased metabolic rate is a key to healthy weight management and could account for the leanness of people living in areas where coconut oil is consumed on a daily basis. The study further observed that local women displayed none of the symptoms commonly associated with menopause.

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/virgincoconutoil.htm

Virgin coconut oil wins the war of oils.

Dr. Mercola says: “Of all the available oils, coconut oil is the oil of choice for cooking.” Click here http://www.mercola.com/2003/oct/15/cooking_oil.htm for full article.

From http://www.holistichealthtools.com/coconut.html: “The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil” by Bruce Fife, N.D.

The Benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil is the Healthiest Oil on Earth

What it does not do, and what it does do.

How to use virgin coconut oil

Many tips and ideas here.

From http://www.livecoconutoil.com/: Research has shown that the oil from coconuts acts differently than the saturated fats from animal sources. Coconut oil definitely is unique in nature and provides many health benefits not obtainable from any other source.

Eggs—Good for you or bad for you?

Also see entries about Butter vs. Margarine, Cholesterol, Coconut Oil, Saturated Fats.

From http://www.azcentral.com/home/food/cooking101/lesson12.html: Eggs are a good source of protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and D, and riboflavin. There are about 75 calories in the average egg. Although eggs have gotten a bad reputation in recent years as being unhealthful for people worried about their cholesterol levels, the pendulum seems to be swinging in the other direction yet again. Eggs seem to be bad for you, good for you, bad for you, good for you, in cycles. Let moderation be the key to your enjoyment of anything, and eggs are no exception.

From http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/article/2948/egg-health.html: You should be eating several eggs every day - seven days a week. Get yourself back to a normal, 21-egg-a-week, power-pack diet. But even if you can't get the Omegas where you live, don't forget that the regular kind are just as good! A three-egg omelette every morning with coffee (heavy cream) and three rashers of bacon will set you up for a great day.

http://www.chinovalleyranchers.com/eggfacts.htm

Lots of good information about eggs. All you ever wanted to know . . . Egg facts and egg Q&As.

More information about eggs:

http://www.eggs.ab.ca/about/eggnutrition.htm

http://www.drgrisanti.com/eggs.htm

Fats and Oils

There is much controversy about which fats and oils are healthy and which are harmful. For more information, see these entries on this page: Butter vs. Margarine, Cholesterol, Canola Oil, Coconut Oil, Eggs, Saturated Fats.

Know Your Fats from AmericanHeart.org.

Types of edible fats: butter and the various forms of butter, margarine, whey butter, cocoa butter, lard, suet, vegetable shortening.

Types of edible oils: almond, apricot kernel, argan, avocado, canola, chili, coconut, corn, cottonseed, flaxseed, grape seed, hazelnut, mustard, palm, palm-kernel, peanut, pine seed, poppy seed, pumpkin seed, rice bran, safflower, sesame seed, soybean, sunflower seed, tea, truffle, vegetable, walnut, and wheat germ.

However, although these are edible fats and oils, not everyone agrees that all of these are healthy fats and oils.

According to Dr. Mercola, corn oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil “should be strictly avoided because they all contain over 50% omega-6 and, except for soybean oil, only minimal amounts of omega-3. Safflower oil contains almost 80% omega-6. Researchers are just beginning to discover the dangers of excess omega-6 oils in the diet, whether rancid or not.”

Never eat hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil (trans fats) in any foods, including margarines, crackers, breads, etc. Do not eat lard or vegetable shortening.

All hydrogenated oils produce higher serum cholesterol levels and contribute to greater oxidation and free radicals in the body. In fact, further research has shown that excess amounts of trans-fatty acids (found in hydrogenated vegetable oils) increase the risk of degenerative diseases and other age-related maladies.

Genetically Engineered (GE) Foods

Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering

Grains vs. No Grains

Grass-fed products vs. grain-fed (corn-fed) products

From www.deliciousorganics.com: Cows were meant to eat grass, not grain. Grain is not the natural food of cows. But nearly all cattle and dairy cows, including those that sell under the label of Certified Organic, feed their cows grain. Many start on the pasture, but then they are shipped to feed lots to be stuffed full of grains. This is because it's cheaper and because it's easier to control. It's also because it will fatten them up faster and get them to market where the money can be made.

You are what you eat. The cows are what they eat. If they are not eating optimally, when we consume the dairy produced from these cows or the beef of these cows, we, in turn, are not eating optimally.

Health Benefits of Grass-Fed Products

http://www.eatwild.com/health.html Over 50 short articles that show how “switching to products from pastured animals will enrich your diet with a host of key nutrients, including beta-carotene; vitamins B12 and E; CLA; another newly discovered ‘good’ fat called ‘TVA;’ omega-3 fatty acids; and lutein. Meanwhile, it will reduce your intake of synthetic hormones, pesticides, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids . . . Products from pastured animals are ideal for your health . . . switching to grassfed products may reduce your risk of a number of diseases, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

Essays by Jo Robionson:

You Are What Your Animals Eat

Confused About Fat? Choose Grassfed!

What's in a Brand Name?

Super Healthy Milk

Beyond Organic

From an article by Y. Elchonon: Feedlot cattle, those most susceptible to contracting Mad Cow from contaminated feed, are generally less healthy than pasture-raised, grass-fed beef, which are never exposed to the Mad Cow threat. To read the article, click here.

Milk/Dairy—Is it okay for human consumption?

Whole milk, low fat milk, or skim milk? Or should we consume milk at all?

Pros:

A campaign for real milk: http://www.realmilk.com/

Click here earthtimes.org/articles/show/2754.html to read article called “Eat more dairy products and ward off diabetes.”

Cons:

Cow's milk is for baby cows, not for humans.

Click  here http://www.newstarget.com/A000023.html to download an audio file, described as: “In this passionate rant about the dangers of cows' milk, Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, counters the ridiculous position put forth by the U.S. dairy industry that claims cows' milk prevents diabetes in humans. Here, you'll learn how the so-called "scientific" studies have been easily gimmicked to produce positive results for milk by comparing the substance to soft drinks. If you've ever wanted to glimpse a behind-the-scenes look at the dirty marketing tactics of the dairy industry, give this a listen. You'll never look at milk the same way again.”

Does milk contain pus? There are some claims that it does.

From ProCon.org:

Article "Is there pus in milk?"

http://www.koepsellfh.com/html/obits/obituaries.asp?listing_id=156745

Dairy farmers don’t tell consumers that every glass of milk is contaminated with pus, bacteria, and perhaps with paratuberculosis. The only way to avoid drinking pus is to avoid cow’s milk. PETA is calling on the USDA to lower the legal limit of allowable pus cells in milk to the limit used by the rest of the industrialized world. Presently, our limit is nearly twice that. Seventeen states are producing milk that would be illegal to sell in Europe!

Bovine Growth Hormone: MIlk does nobody good...

http://www.notmilk.com/lawbreakers.html

http://www.notmilk.com/

http://www.rense.com/general26/truth.htm

Net carbs—Count net carbs or count total carbs?

Protein—Limited or Unlimited?

Saturated Fats—Are they really bad for you?

See additional entries on this page about Butter vs. Margarine, Cholesterol, Coconut Oil, Eggs, Fats and Oils.

For a good 3-page article by Mary Enig, PhD, and Sally Fallon: The Truth About Saturated Fat.

Soy—Is it healthful or harmful?

From http://www.drmirkin.com: All plants contain chemicals that are healthful and chemicals that can harm us. Fortunately for us, our ancestors learned which plants are edible and healthful, and taught us to avoid those that are poisonous. However, if you eat very large amounts of one food, you can poison yourself, even though reasonable amounts are harmless or beneficial.

For example, soybeans contain genistein, a weak estrogen that may help to prevent breast cancer. They contain omega-3 fatty acids that help prevent heart attacks, and are loaded with fiber that helps to prevent diabetes. But they also contain small amounts of trypsin inhibitors that increase risk for pancreatic damage and cancer in animals. Hemagglutinins in soybeans could cause clots to form and travel to the lungs. Goitrogens in soybeans block thyroid function to increase your need for that hormone. Estrogen-like genistein in soybeans could stimulate immature lobules in breast tissue of infants to increase risk for breast cancer many years later. Phytates in soybeans and many other plants can block the absorption of minerals.

However, you would need to eat very large amounts of soy products to get any of these negative effects. Enjoy a moderate amount of soy foods, but do not let health claims lead you to eat huge amounts of soy to the exclusion of other foods. A healthful diet is a varied diet.
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Article by Sean Carson, “The Shadow of Soy, or How I stopped loving and learned to worry about the bean.”

Weston A. Price Foundation Action Alert, March 30, 2004, “Possible Legal Action on Medical Problems Caused by Soy.”

Weston A. Price Foundation Myths and Truths About Soy

Soy Online Service—Uncovering the truth about soy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1173510/Why-soya-super-food-all.html

Why Soy may not be such a super food after all.

Sugar

The question as to whether or not sugar is harmful to your health is debated by advocates (usually from the sugar industry) and critics (those who have nothing to gain).

See this page about Sugar and Other Sweeteners.

Also see Page About Aging for sugar's effect on the aging process.

Sweeteners—sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners—safe or unsafe?

Pros—Aspartame

http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/fitness/aspartame.html

Aspartame poses no health risks to the general population.
 

http://www.aspartame.org/

Aspartame is safe. Read about the benefits and the myths.

http://ific.org/publications/brochures/aspartamebroch.cfm

Everything you need to know about aspartame. A favorable review by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation.

Cons—Aspartame

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/298627.shtml

An American Story: Aspartame & Donald Rumsfeld, everything you wanted to know. Many articles on this page, mostly about aspartame. Lawsuits. Time line history of aspartame from 1965. Many links to other Web sites.

http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/symptoms.htm

Aspartame—Avoid it.

http://www.rense.com/general49/asap.htm

Aspartame—Toxic Water Being Hustled On School Kids

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/nutraswt.htm

The Bitter Truth About NutraSweet (Aspartame) and Splenda ™ (Sucralose)
 

Pros—Splenda

http://www.aces.edu/department/extcomm/npa/newsline/archives/001078.php

Splenda is safe despite hype.

Cons—Splenda

http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_dangers.htm#

The dangers of Splenda.

http://suewidemark.com/splenda.htm

Splenda—Safer than aspartame, but is it really safe?

http://www.womentowomen.com/LIBsplenda.asp

Splenda — is it unsafe? Or truly the perfect artificial sweetener?

http://truthaboutsplenda.com/factvsfiction/

The truth about Splenda.

www.splendaexposed.com

www.holisticmed.com/splenda
 

Pros—Sweet 'N Low

http://ezinearticles.com/?Sugar-Lovers-Beware&id=9389

Article, “The Truth About Sweet-N-Low.” Excerpt: There have many reports that state Sweet-N-Low can be carcinogenic when used frequently. I remember when I was a child I heard that this can be a harmful compound to the body. The truth of the matter is that Sweet-N-Low is not harmful to your body. The chemical structure of this substance does not have any damaging effects to your cells as do the sugar substitutes mentioned earlier.I stated previously that the important thing of any compound is the chemical structure and its biological effects once in the body. Sweet-N-Low has no negative effects once in the body. It is actually a good substitute for sugar.

Sorting out the pros and cons of sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners

http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-sweeteners.html

Information on aspartame and other chemical sweeteners.

From http://doctors-oncall.com: “If you feel that you must use an artificial sweetener, use Saccharine—it has been around for over a hundred years and has not killed anyone or caused any hospitalizations and deaths like the new sweeteners. Of course for optimal health it is best to avoid all artificial sweeteners.”

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Nov/19/il/il04a.html

When it comes to safety, artificial sweeteners aren't equal. Article covers rumors, research, and the bottom line for each sweetener.

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/89/100381.htm

Artificial sweeteners may damage diet efforts.

http://www.mercola.com/2002/jan/5/fructose.htm

Fructose is no answer for a sweetener.

http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/fructose_dangers.html

Fructose—Maybe not so natural...and not so safe.

http://www.vegsource.com/davis/sweeteners.htm

A tale of two sweeteners: aspartame and stevia. The harmful effects of aspartame and the health benefits of stevia. For more on stevia, see the Sugar Page.

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Other links about the pros and cons of artificial sweeteners

http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=AN00348

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/89/100381.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/sugar-substitute

http://doityourself.com/food/sugarsubstitutes.htm

http://www.newstarget.com/004604.html

http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/fitness/sugar.html

http://www.metrohealth.org/HI/indexes/NUTR4838.htm

Sweeteners--Natural

Some, if not all, of the natural sweeteners are also controversial, for different reasons that the artificial sweeteners. See the Sugar Page for descriptions of these sweeteners.

● Some still say to drink eight 8-oz glasses (64 oz) per day, although most say that this is now an outdated recommendation.

Make water your beverage of choice. Dr. Andrew L. Rubman, ND, medical consultant for Daily Health News, says, “Water is the most healthful beverage” and advises that you “think of other beverages as occasional treats.” He is not an advocate of the overly simplistic "drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day."

Water—Tap, Purified, Distilled, or Bottled?

Other Web sites with information on these and other controversial issues

The Weston A. Price Foundation

Home Page and Site Index Page

This foundation is “a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity founded in 1999 to disseminate the research of nutrition pioneer Dr. Weston Price, whose studies of isolated nonindustrialized peoples established the parameters of human health and determined the optimum characteristics of human diets.” You can also find a list of “Thumbs Up” and “Thumbs Down” books with book reviews.

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