Fermentation is bad for you?

[capitanjan]

I am and will be a fan of fermentation. I found this anti fermentation site and would like to ask fellow forum members for their comments on these statements.
The site ishttp://www.rawfoodexplained.com/fermented-foods/the-myths-of-fermented-foods.html
Thanks for you collaboration.

[Tim Hall]

This website has actually been covered in another thread elsewhere. It's bunk. The author is simply single-mindedly rationalizing their dogmatic perspective. If you read the rhetoric more carefully you'll see all the claims are either A) unsubstantiated and unqualified, B) half truths made to look like the whole truth, or C) flat out false.

Anyone can talk loud on the internet.

The reality is fermentation happens, and humans ave been eating "rotted" (as the author calls it) food for a very long time as a matter of necessity. My personal perspective: Anyone who claims to have the "one true diet" has an agenda you should look at very carefully.

(BTW I'll be moving this thread in 48hrs. It really belongs in "Misc.")

[Christopher Weeks]

So, I read through most of the page you linked to. I mean, obviously I disagree with most of what was written there, except where the author is presenting straw men that are easy to knock down. But the thing that I really took away is what a smug asshole the author must be. The self-congratulatory and superficial writing style made it hard to continue and is eventually why I stopped.

Sally Fallon (who seems to be somewhat revered around here because she's pro-fermentation) and the other hacks at Price also write unsupported nonsense about food (in their case it's false pro-dairy BS) but they're skilled writers. The author you linked to could learn a thing about lying effectively from the Price people.

And I say all this from the perspective of someone who actually worries about evidence that a diet high in lacto-fermented vegetables is dangerous.

[Tim Hall]

What I really appreciate about Sandor's work is this: He doesn't champion any lofty health claims about fermented foods, while also not subscribing to the other extreme (that fermented food is bad for you), and suggests moderation and variety. Sounds very reasonable to me.

Sally Fallon (who seems to be somewhat revered around here because she's pro-fermentation) and the other hacks at Price...

I'm sure there are benefits to eating raw food, just as there are benefits to the Weston A. Price approach. The trick, in my opinion, is knowing where the useful information stops and the dogma begins. If we believed everyone's hyperbole about food, we'd only be left with a carafe of water on the dinner table.

I think Fallon goes a little overboard with the whole whey thing, but I agree with her assertions about soy foods (namely that they aren't meant to be eaten without some kind of fermentation).

[Christopher Weeks]

"Meant?" ;-)

My primary problems with Price are:

1) They are funded by big dairy to promote ancient science as if there were no more recent, much more nuanced evidence available on the healthfulness of dairy. (I make and eat cheese and yogurt -- I'm not on a crusade against dairy; but I'm grievously offended by their attempt to hide and malign evidence that runs counter to their masters' economic wellbeing.)

2) As part of their lapdog mission, they systematically assault books that come into being that present evidence counter the way they are paid to pretend the world is. I became aware of this during their campaign to smear The China Study by carpet-bombing absurdly negative reviews on places like Amazon.com.

[Tim Hall]

They are funded by big dairy...

That I wasn't aware of, but then again I'm not really "into" the Price thing either. I don't really keep up with anyone's propaganda. Yes, food is political, and everyone has an agenda.

[capitanjan]

Thank You very much guys! I appreciate it. Very interesting opinions and good to see that this forum is populated by open-minded people.

[Takelababy]

Man is the only animal that drinks the milk of foreign animals (not human). Small wonder people have trouble digesting it. Cross nourishing causes scours in many animals. As did the early people we should be fermenting these milks so our system can utilize it.

[GregR]

This website has actually been covered in another thread elsewhere. It's bunk. The author is simply single-mindedly rationalizing their dogmatic perspective. If you read the rhetoric more carefully you'll see all the claims are either A) unsubstantiated and unqualified, B) half truths made to look like the whole truth, or C) flat out false.

Anyone can talk loud on the internet.

The reality is fermentation happens, and humans ave been eating "rotted" (as the author calls it) food for a very long time as a matter of necessity. My personal perspective: Anyone who claims to have the "one true diet" has an agenda you should look at very carefully.

(BTW I'll be moving this thread in 48hrs. It really belongs in "Misc.")

I don't remember what site it was, but I was reading through the comments somewhere on a post about fermenting vegetables. One commenter cautioned that (paraphrasing) "The only vegetables fit for human consumption are green leafy vegetables" and advised everyone to read some goofball book - maybe he was the author.

The internet can be a double-edged sword - lots of good information, but lots of bad/biased info as well.

[capitanjan]

To all of you. Thank You very much for your helpfull and detailed opinions. If there is anything i can help you guys with, just ask. Thanks again