Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Sylvester Graham gave us the Graham cracker, you know, high fiber food. Kellogg regaled us with stories about the health benefits of yogurt. Today, of course, there's a whole collage of foods that are labeled in the popular press as superfoods, ranging from olive oil to blueberries. What I point out,

is that while certainly there are diets that are healthy and diets that are unhealthy, it is a mistake to label any single food as that.

is that while certainly there are diets that are healthy and diets that are unhealthy, it is a mistake to label any single food as that.

is that while certainly there are diets that are healthy and diets that are unhealthy, it is a mistake to label any single food as that.

And that's why, you know, whenever students or members of the public ask me to kind of have a look at their diet and evaluate it, I say the only way we can do that is if they keep a diary in which they write down everything that they eat, including amounts that they eat for several weeks, then we can have a look.

And that's why, you know, whenever students or members of the public ask me to kind of have a look at their diet and evaluate it, I say the only way we can do that is if they keep a diary in which they write down everything that they eat, including amounts that they eat for several weeks, then we can have a look.

And that's why, you know, whenever students or members of the public ask me to kind of have a look at their diet and evaluate it, I say the only way we can do that is if they keep a diary in which they write down everything that they eat, including amounts that they eat for several weeks, then we can have a look.

Because, you know, it's possible to eat blueberries every day, which actually I do try to do. It's possible to do that and still have a terrible diet. And it's possible to never eat blueberries and still have a good diet. So it's the overall components of the diet that will determine whether it is healthy or less than healthy. And that's why I don't like the idea of superfoods.

Because, you know, it's possible to eat blueberries every day, which actually I do try to do. It's possible to do that and still have a terrible diet. And it's possible to never eat blueberries and still have a good diet. So it's the overall components of the diet that will determine whether it is healthy or less than healthy. And that's why I don't like the idea of superfoods.

Because, you know, it's possible to eat blueberries every day, which actually I do try to do. It's possible to do that and still have a terrible diet. And it's possible to never eat blueberries and still have a good diet. So it's the overall components of the diet that will determine whether it is healthy or less than healthy. And that's why I don't like the idea of superfoods.

So I use it in the title so, you know, I can discuss all of these nuances.

So I use it in the title so, you know, I can discuss all of these nuances.

So I use it in the title so, you know, I can discuss all of these nuances.

Right. Well, we will run out of fossil fuels. That's a given because the earth is of a finite size and, you know, we only have so much in terms of raw materials. I don't think we have to worry about running out of fossil fuels within our lifetime, but eventually it is going to happen. So there is a search for alternatives. Bio, of course, comes from the Greek word meaning life.

Right. Well, we will run out of fossil fuels. That's a given because the earth is of a finite size and, you know, we only have so much in terms of raw materials. I don't think we have to worry about running out of fossil fuels within our lifetime, but eventually it is going to happen. So there is a search for alternatives. Bio, of course, comes from the Greek word meaning life.

Right. Well, we will run out of fossil fuels. That's a given because the earth is of a finite size and, you know, we only have so much in terms of raw materials. I don't think we have to worry about running out of fossil fuels within our lifetime, but eventually it is going to happen. So there is a search for alternatives. Bio, of course, comes from the Greek word meaning life.

So we're looking for substances that are replaceable, usually because they are isolated from crops that can be grown. We cannot manufacture any petroleum, right? I mean, that's a given amount that we have in the earth. which is really the end result of the degradation of vegetable matter and animal matter over millennia.

So we're looking for substances that are replaceable, usually because they are isolated from crops that can be grown. We cannot manufacture any petroleum, right? I mean, that's a given amount that we have in the earth. which is really the end result of the degradation of vegetable matter and animal matter over millennia.

So we're looking for substances that are replaceable, usually because they are isolated from crops that can be grown. We cannot manufacture any petroleum, right? I mean, that's a given amount that we have in the earth. which is really the end result of the degradation of vegetable matter and animal matter over millennia.

So we're not going to replenish petroleum, but we can grow crops from which we can isolate useful components. So we can grow corn, we can grow canola from where we can extract oils, and those oils can be used as fuel. Those would then be termed as bio-based. That is certainly a legitimate endeavor. For example, we are already doing that to some extent.