Tuesday, March 24, 1998
'Hallelujah Diet' not way to good health
This letter concerns a previous article, "Dietary changes can yield health benefits ," more specifically, the erroneous nutritional facts, misleading health advice and fraudulent therapeutic claims made in its discussion of the "Hallelujah Diet."
This diet is a classic example of food faddism or "quackery,"
which involves unreasonable and exaggerated beliefs
that special attributes of a particular food may cure a disease,
that elimination of certain foods believed to be harmful, and
that certain foods convey unique health benefits.
The "Hallelujah Diet," which consists of only fruits
and vegetables and barely-green juice, is touted as a cure for
cancer. Promoter of this questionable food plan, Janis Betz, stated
that, "cancer growth has proven to be conquered" through
her diet, yet offered no research evidence or even a logical hypothesis
to support any such claims.
Although fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, which are
associated with a decreased risk of cancer in some people, diet
alone is not a curative measure in any form of cancer.
Secondly, due to the omission of many foods in her regimen, Bentz
may actually be compromising the health of her followers.
"Hallelujah dieters are told to 'stay away' from animal products,
fat, milk and other dairy products," all of which provide
essential nutrients for assisting the body in recovery from any
illness or chronic disease. "Hallelujah" is profoundly
low in dietary protein, which is required for the synthesis of
antibodies and strengthening the immune system. Strict, long-term
compliance with "Hallelujah" may result in malnutrition,
decreased immune function and increased morbidity.
A true qualified nutrition professional, such as a registered
dietitian, recommends a wide variety of foods as the most
healthful way to obtain the essential nutrients for optimal health
and a decreased risk of certain diseases.
Although diet plays a role in overall health, most diseases are
not due to a faulty diet and cannot be treated with "nutritional"
methods. Perhaps, Bentz is a victim of misinformation and may
securely believe she is promoting accurate information.
Nevertheless, "Hallelujah" relies solely on anecdotes
and testimonials to support its claims; and is completely devoid
of any scientific methodology. "Establishing medical truths
requires careful and repeated investigation -- with well-designed
experiments, not reports of coincidences misperceived as cause-and-effect,"
explains Stephen Barrett, M.D., an expert in fighting nutritional
quackery. Dr. Barrett will speak on "Nutrition vs. the Media
-- who's telling the whole story" at 7 p.m. today in 110
Wartik.
Healthworks Nutrition Educators
Nutrition Clinic staff
Goal of fasting ritual to love God
I am writing in response to the interesting article about Lent by CJ Engel in Friday's The Daily Collegian. I agree with much of what was said, especially Rev. Joseph Hlubik's comment about the sacrifice of luxuries being a "way to exercise spiritual discipline." However, I would like to emphasize some points that are important.
Fasting is not a rule which, when broken, causes God to disfavor
us. The Christian is not saved by whether or not he/she has kept
the fast.
Instead, fasting is a tool -- a means by which we can learn to
love God better and become closer to him. Think of it as practice;
one gets better as one persists. By fasting, one de-emphasizes
the material world in order to realize that our earthly life is
very temporary. The regular practice of ignoring the desire to
eat large quantities of food (especially meat) teaches us how
to subdue those desires which lead us to act on our feelings and
impulses.
When one learns to do this, it becomes easier to realize and do
what God wants us to do instead of what our selfishness wants
us to do. The goal is to increase this more and more during Lent,
and, more importantly, to do God's will and know him more and
more throughout our lives. This is called "theosis,"
a Greek word which means to become closer to and like God.
Jesus himself spoke of fasting. When the disciples could not cure
a child of epilepsy, Christ said, "This kind (of demon) does
not go out except by prayer and fasting" (Matt. 17:21).
It is essential to realize, though, that without prayer and humility,
fasting can easily become a thing of pride, like with the Pharisee
in Luke 18: 9-14. This defeats the purpose, which is to
love God.
Chris Kressner
secretary of Orthodox Christian Fellowship
Talk provides chance to learn 'truth'
Recently there has been a number of letters to the editor discussing what spiritual truth is; many of them relating to the Bible. As an aid to students who are seeking spiritual truth, a talk titled "Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?" will be held at 7:30 p.m. today in 111 Forum.
Anyone who would like to learn more about Jesus' resurrection
from the dead or is searching for truth is encouraged to attend.
Any questions can be directed to ajk144@psu.edu.
Andrew Koser
junior-civil engineering
