The defensive nature of people.

[Louise]

I actively encourage and welcome comments for my question....

I have felt very passionate for years about the demise of our food from ground up level, soil quality, poor nutritional quality and the toxic chemicals sprayed on them. The state of people's health and the chronic and degenerative diseases we are more frequently succumb to.

What is interesting is that when I suggest a diet based on whole foods and less processed foods, people become very defensive, almost angry. It is a reaction I fail to understand, can anyone shed light on why people react this way?

[Yogi001]

I think people don't want to face up to their health problems. Society seems to be about quick fix solutions. No one wants to admit responsibility for their own actions.

Basically, you are suggesting people eat a diet of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, reduce their overuse of chemicals and in return they may have a better quality of health. But who wants that, when you can eat cake!

The difficulty in the message is that people do eat junk food and are walking around without perceivable Ill health, so someone like you suggesting a basic diet doesn't seem to offer any benefit, as they are not Ill.

It is only when they start to get aches and pains in their 40's, 50's onwards does it resonate that something has caused it....old age creeping up? People do not make a connection between the food they eat and health. It is socially acceptable to eat junk food, it's everywhere, most of the healthy packaged foods offer little to no nutrition. But people don't want to be told to stop eating what they enjoy. We put a great connection between food and happiness.

Your suggestions are a threat to that, and subsequently their happiness. This is why people are defensive.

[guv-ner]

It seems that organic is just another healthy fad food, to make the consumer part with their hard earned cash. It's over priced and doesn't taste any better.

More people are 'sicker' because they live longer, multiple factors cause that, not just the food they eat.

[Gwen Jones]

Organic food isn't about the food tasting better, it is about not having pesticides sprayed all over it.

If I served you up a nice Sunday lunch, and then sprayed weedkiller on it, would you eat it? No! its the same thing with crop spraying.

Organic food is free from chemicals

[Tom32]

I think the cost of organic food is a barrier to choosing it.

[Kellyjames]

I'm sorry to hear about the reactions you have had Louise. It does seem sad that the plain old food that our ancestors have always eaten, is now labelled as a health food and seen as something special. It is the basic principles of eating, it should not have to be justified.

Sadly, people are defensive about their actions, and the food industry supports their idea that the way they choose to eat is correct, and normal. Your opinions fly in the face of that, and no one wants to here that their belief system is wrong, the damage they have done to themselves is their fault and that they have to change in order to get better.

[Louise]

A beautiful lady once gave me this quote,

"All truth passes through three stages.
First it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident"

Arthur Schopenhauer.

[Daisy82]

That is a great quote and so typical of many people we now class as visionary today.

I think Kellyjames is right, people don't want to believe that what they consider to be the norm, is actually the problem. It means having to make changes in their lives, people don't want to, can't be bothered, or just want a quick fix.