Milk and Sugar

Recent books examine the history and problems of two major foods.

Milk! by Mark Kurlansky is filled with arcane information that only a quiz show addict or dairy farmer could love. One of his topics is the difference between various mammalian milks. Human milk is very different than that of other species; it is the only really good food for infants. Children who are breast-fed are typically 2 to 3 inches taller, more confident and emotionally healthy, much less allergic. Their IQ is 15 to 20 points higher. In spite of this, our government recently attempted to block a United Nations plan encouraging breast-feeding world-wide. Our food manufacturers make big profits from infant formulas.

James Walton's Sugar- The World Corrupted From Slavery to Obesity is an historical, environmental and health triple header. Shortly after early European settlement in the Western hemisphere sugar production became the major business and drove most of the need for slaves. Sugar plantations created enormous wealth in Europe and the Americas, dominating policy decisions on slavery, trading and international relations. In the 21st century large amounts of land are wasted to produce high fructose corn syrup, cane and beet sugars for immense quantities of an addicting, unhealthy food used in most highly processed foods and beverages. It's a dismal story, again reflecting public policy benefitting business and harming citizens.