What we know and what we don't know

Tacitus (AD 55-117) had a really neat way with words. Quoth he: omne ignotum pro magnifico. Gets right to the heart of the matter, doesn't he? For those of you too young to have taken Latin this translates as "anything little known is assumed to be wonderful". Oh Tacitus, what change a couple of thousand years have wrought!. Now, anything little known is not assumed to be magnifico, it's assumed to be stinko. Or, as you might have put it: omne ignotum pro malo. Another literary figure, Erica Jong, could have added some much needed insight had she tackled instead of "Fear of Flying", Fear of Food Stores, or Fear of a Lot of Food that's Found in Food Stores.

One of the most common questions put to a dietitian or nutritionist concerns not the potential that food has for mold or rancidity, but rather the "unknown" chemicals contained therein. "Unknown", of course, means not known to the general public; somebody knows what these chemicals are, but Joe Q. Public doesn't know who these somebodies are and likely wouldn't trust them if he did. Probably some government bureaucrat.

And the buzz word, or red flag for those concerned with politically correct or virtuous eating is the shibboleth "processed". Tacitus probably didn't have a word for processed, or if he did it didn't make it into my Latin book. If he was familiar with the "processing" concept, given the huge streak of common sense he no doubt possessed, he probably would have encouraged his countrymen thusly: "Yo, Romans, this processing is a pretty good trick, saves us more time for writing poetry, playing the fiddle and peeling grapes. But let's not get carried away with it. Remember that good, wholesome "real" foods are our best sources of nutrients, but a little approved and regulated chemical never hurt anybody." "in fact", he would continue, "your chances of being struck by lightening are a hundred times greater than harm from preservatives. And while we're at it, ease up on the wine; I suspect it's leaching lead out of our earthen goblets."

Of course, not having all the facts (being a great philosopher doesn't necessarily make one a great dietitian) Tacitus might have over-simplified things a bit. Suffice it to say, there are a number of factors that make food valuable to us: first and absolutely foremost are the nutrients it contains; second is the necessary freedom from the aforementioned mold and rancidity and bacterial/viral contamination; third is the pleasure thing--if a food doesn't please, all but the dedicated masochist will refuse to eat it; fourth, and a somewhat recent entry, is the convenience factor. Despite our nostalgic longing for the good old days when mother (yes, I said mother) spent all morning over a wood fire preparing the midday meal and then started on supper as soon as noon scraps were cleared away, convenience is a necessity for most, not a luxury. And yes, grocery stores carry convenience foods. Some of them are pathetic imitations of what Webster would define as food, but the majority, if chosen knowledgeably and served with choices from the four food groups, can contribute significantly to everyone's nutritional status. If you want to worry about something, watch out for foods with added sugar.

Sure, you need to be a chemist to understand some of the stuff on the ingredient list--but that doesn't make it bad. People generally believe what they want to. Or, as Tacitus might have put it: Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt...go figure.