WEB POSTED 03-07-2001

You Still 'Are What You Eat'!!!

The phrase "history repeats itself" has many applications. We, therefore, must be careful not to commit the much-quoted error of "straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel". In our particular case, that could consist of avoiding the poison pig completely, but wind up dying of "Mad Cow Disease", known technically as "Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy". This deadly disease is spreading rapidly throughout the world, especially among the more "privileged" classes. The primary reason for this seeming oddity is that the source of the deadly ailment is usually foods that the poverty-stricken masses can ill afford. Our experience, until recent times, indicated that the overwhelming majority of people we knew who suffered very debilitating�and eventually fatal�illnesses were people who were known to be heavy eaters of the pig, "from his rooter to his tooter". But today�s onslaught by the cow and its by-products forces me to recall the opening statement made by The Honorable Elijah Muhammad in his newspaper columns and, eventually, his books. The statement was, "No meat is good for us, but we eat it". Then he went on to tell us the best path to take "...if you must eat meat...".

I, like most of my comrades-in-arms, fell into the ranks of the "must eat" bunch, instead of becoming one of the "no meat" minority. I was blessed to have that corner of my stupidity erased on Thanksgiving Day, 1984, when The Honorable Louis Farrakhan sat in an Arizona hotel suite with all his ministers and declared, "No Minister of mine will ever eat any more meat, ever in life!" Since I desired (and still do) to be HIS MINISTER, and nobody else�s � not even my own, I have not tasted an animal since, even fish, which he later denounced, but did not outright forbid (so far).

Scientists are loudly applauding recent studies which show that, "...For individuals who have already had a heart attack, a �Mediterranean� style diet � rich in olive oil, fruit, vegetables and fish � might be one of the best prescriptions for a longer life." Palos Community Hospital Health & Fitness Center, here, has issued an alert which its writers describe as "sobering." To wit: "A child born today has a 47 per cent chance of dying from a major cardiovascular event."

Just as we had (and perhaps still have) well-meaning Brothers and Sisters who would swear they don�t eat the pig, but unknowingly eat it hidden in various prepared substances, so it is with those who attempt to avoid animal flesh altogether. As writer Julie Deardorff points out in a recent issue of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, "Beef byproducts lurk in marshmallows, chewing gum, mayonnaise, cookies and candy."

She goes on to point out that, not only foodstuffs, but pharmaceuticals and medical products contain hidden animal waste.

"Gelatin," she writes, "a mixture of proteins extracted by boiling skin, bone and horns, is an ingredient in photographic film, skin creams, bath and shower products, hair and nail products, ice cream, instant soups and desserts.

"Beef tallow, the nearly colorless and tasteless solid fat extracted from animals such as cattle and sheep, makes candles and soaps and provides glycerin for lipstick and face and hand creams."

If the old saying, "You are what you eat" is still true (and it is), we should be careful, and make sure that, before we get angry because of what people call us, we must make sure they are not telling the truth!