It’s a fad that has crossed the Atlantic much more slowly than usual. I’m talking about the endless shelves of nutritional supplements that can be found in the United States, both in drugstores – the equivalent of our drugstores – and, henceforth, in all supermarkets. Americans believe that medicine is lying to them and that the modern diet is totally out of balance. It’s not always the case. The varied diet of industrialized countries perfectly balanced avoids all the deficiencies of the past. However, abundance is managed more or less well depending on the country and it is clear that the “fast-food” generation eats poorly. Hence the success of the “nutritional supplementation” messages, which clearly means that we are going to look in a pill for everything we have more courage to put on our plate. For example, we stop fruits and vegetables to take vitamin supplements. What made health officials smile a few years ago turns into a nightmare when we learn that the majority of Americans believe that vitamins or supplements like fish oil and garlic are more effective than a diet. suitable for fighting cancerous diseases. This is proof that the message is not getting across and that most Americans, and now the French, believe that diets are fads that have nothing to do with scientific truth. It should be noted that the French market will have doubled in size by 2012 to reach 2 billion euros while the fruit and vegetable trade is one of the least profitable. And even if we found a rather weak association between the consumption of fruits and vegetables and a reduction in the risk of cancer, let us recall some very simple concepts. A single tomato contains anti-oxidants which reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Spinach also contains these anti-oxidants but also vitamin C. Finally, and this will be the prescription for this autumn column, to please the famous gastronomic columnist, Jean-Luc Petirenaud, the grape is rich in flavonoids which would have a protective effect against heart disease. A good reason to treat yourself this weekend to some roasted chestnuts with a good glass of barnacle as we call this grape juice which begins to ferment.
.
