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Macaroni and Cheese as *Medicine*?!?

in
Mac and Cheese as Medicine: Isn't food processed enough?

This blog post says that in nations where intestinal parasites are a problem, fortifying (I'm not certain if that is the correct word) the macaroni and cheese dish with plant oils that kill tapeworms and parasites is being considered.

This is considered 'cool', I suppose because it is easier to get people to eat oversalted, overprocessed crud than it is to get them to take medicine. :shakes head:

I haven't thought my feelings on this all the way through, but this sounds bad to me.

5 Comments

Anonymous says:
Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 5:16:00 PM EST

I'm in two minds. On one hand, I think it's great that these people are going to be able to treat intestinal worms. On the other, I wonder about the potential side effects of such "frankenfoods", and where the worms are coming from in the first place? If it's just bad hygiene, then surely it's better to wash one's hands, and not get the worm in the first place, than treat it when you have it?

Anonymous says:
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 4:34:00 PM EST

It doesn't sound all that bad to me. Getting people to wash their hands and otherwise practice good hygiene is more difficult in some parts of the world that it seems like it should be. Anything that works without having to change the whole culture is a good thing.

------- says:
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 7:14:00 PM EST

@solomon broad:
Water is a *real* problem in many parts of the world. Many times, if you have it, it isn't clean. It's full of bacteria, parasites, etc. So washing your hands frequently, like we do here, can make the problem worse.

I think that the focus on modifying some 'food' to treat a problem that we have conquered here is short-term thinking. How about getting clean water for everyone, not just medicine after the problem rears its ugly head? And don't think that the cost of this 'medfood' will be the same as the standard version... do I smell profit in the wind?

------- says:
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 7:18:00 PM EST

@lynn:

I agree with what you said, my cynicism and suspicion about corporate largesse is rearing its ugly head.

It is better if the medicine doesn't disrupt people's day-to-day lives; I'm concerned about long-term effects, and the greed of multinational corporations; look for the knife behind the smile, as it were. [/soapbox]

Off to do some more deep breathing, I still have a long way to go!

Anonymous says:
Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 8:34:00 AM EST

I agree with you about short term vs. long term solutions. Things like this "fortified' macaroni and cheese should be only a part of more long term efforts.

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