[Nancy]

Dear Johnny,

Thanks for your comments, you are a valued member of Cybermacro's online community. The moderator's guidelines I set down for Bruce asked him to refrain from suspicious and personal attacks on other members of Cybermacro. If any one member feels that another's viewpoint is false or misleading, remind yourself to address the points of discussion without attacking the person. Bruce has long experience posting in online macrobiotic forums, is articulate in words, and able to comply with guidelines for civil discussion.

As a macrobiotic person myself and moderator of this website, I do not agree with many of the points Jane B. raised, either. However, she has the right to put forth her opinion and others have the right to rebutt. This is a macrobiotic website, yet any public person may come here with questions, comments, differences of opinion, and voice them.

The comments in your follow up post are well taken and should be addressed to Jane, as she has the opinion you differ with. Yet, I thank you for detailing your points for the greater community to read.

The popularity of the Atkins Diet is due to the fact -it works- to achieve rapid weight loss, just as the Doctors Quick Weight Loss Diet of the past worked very effectively and quickly to shed pounds fast. This does not mean it is healthy. The problem with obesity today is that people eat too much, are too inactive, and have been gradually manipulated into extremely large portion sizes by the fast food and restaurant industries. Even children at the age of 12 are undergoing gastric by-pass surgery because they weigh 350 lbs. and their stomachs are stretched to the size of a watermelon. After surgery, which can be dangerous, their stomachs are the size of a golf ball, yet they are resigned to a future of mandatory, doctor guided, nutritional supplementation.

Macrobiotics promotes organic, whole, healthy foods, with whole grains and vegetables as the staples. Anyone who begins a macrobiotic practice soon learns how good they feel, how much energy they gain, while losing aches and pains, and ending the encroachment of degenerative diseases. In addition, there is a gradual, safe, healthy, decline in weight. Macrobiotics teaches how important it is to exercise moderately at least 30 minutes per day. While learning this new way of life, people learn to cook for themselves and appreciate nature's God given foods, including all the people who worked to provide them to our tables. It teaches gratitude to the creator, to others in our lives, and enhances individual concern for the preservation of the planet, natural resources and world peace. On the other hand, animal food products are increasingly contaminated with bacteria, fecal matter, e coli, salmonella, rapid growth hormones, and antibiotics which cripple the human immune system. Cattle farms are wasting, eroding, and contaminating valuable land that could be better utilized for agriculture, especially organic farming which enhances soil values.

Jonnyzen:
Bruce should not be vindicated here. He is merely defending his position against somebody who obviously opposes Macrobiotics totally. Why is she in here? Has she had any experience with Macrobiotics? I agree that Bruce should not accuse her of being somebody else, but other than that, I find his remarks appropriate.

As moderator of the forum, I reserve the right to set the discussion back on the right track addressing only the issues, and steering it away from personal attack. I agree, Bruce should not be vindicated (absolved), as he knows full well how to maintain his side in a civil discussion. I maintain, Jane B. may bring up her viewpoint. It is the responsiblity of others in the discussion to counterpoint intelligently.

Johnnyzen:
Ecological considerations of a heavy meat diet are not being discussed here, as well as the inhumane conditions of factory farming. We need to consider what Atkins and others are doing to our planet by advocating such an unbalanced diet. Just when people like John Robbins and others convinced Americans to cut down on beef and other products, Atkins boosts it up to its old levels.

Good points...discuss away...no one is stopping you...

May I remind everyone to calm down, and think twice before sending flaming e mail to a forum, as it arrives just that way in everyone's inbox. If ever a member needs to delete a previously ill thought out post or edit one already in existence, please use the editing tools provided to every member as a feature of Cybermacro forums.

Nancy
Moderator