The Comment Spotlight 8/21/2011

I spend quite a bit of time answering comments on my blogs, both old and new. I love answering comments and no question is ever a “dumb” question in my book. The only dumb questions are the ones that never get asked!

That being said, there are always a few comments that really grab my attention for whatever reason.

Here are the ones in the spotlight recently ….

This comment from Beth regarding the post “Video: Spread the Word to Protect Our Farmers“:

The FTCLDF does such critically important work – bravo on the video!

I suggest FTCLDF add a link to watch the video on their membership page, linked above. Also, I didn’t get my usual notification about this blog post today. Maybe that’s why there are so few comments this late in the day? It’s definitely worth checking into and sending or resending to everyone – far and wide!!

This is a great suggestion, Beth.  I will pass along to Cat Raymond who is the producer of this video.  Thanks also for bringing to my attention that Feedburner was on the blink that day so I could repost this link for those who didn’t get a notification that it posted this past Thursday.

This interesting question from RawMilkLover concerning sheep’s milk versus cow’s milk in reference to Video: Homemade Baby Formula:

Hi Sarah! I really enjoy reading your posts and watching your videos. They have been SO helpful!! Thank you for doing this, and for taking the time to answer our questions!! I wanted to know if it is possible to use sheep’s milk to make baby formula. I have read that it is far more nutritious than cow’s milk. What do you think? Thanks again!!!

RawMilkLover, if you have access to locally produced raw sheep’s milk, that would be a wonderful choice for the homemade baby formula!  Sheep’s milk is high in fat, especially lauric acid, that extremely beneficial medium chain fatty acid produced by the human mammary gland that is plentiful in human breastmilk.  Lauric acid is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and even anti-fungal.

This sobering comment from WatchMom in response to the post “How Running a Marathon Can Seriously Harm Your Health”:

As a recovering anorexic/bulimic from my younger days, (15 years wasted!) I can attest to the validity of this article. It is HIGHLY addictive to continually over-exercise and live in the “endorphin moment!” It has taken me years to get back to normal, with lots of twists and turns. The real moment of truth came when my sweet little daughters began worrying about their weight. It absolutely repeats itself in the next generation if you aren’t totally honest about why you exercise. Taking care of our bodies is a very good thing, even commanded by God. (He really does want what is best for us!) Moderation is key. I knew there would be some flack about this subject. Many aren’t ready to stop and look at whether or not they are addicted to the highs ( deceptive feelings of power) from this type of behavior. Thanks again Sarah! It is so good to get it out there and talk about it! Helps all of us!

WatchMom, your comment very clearly describes the problem of exercise addiction.  One of my college roommates was an exercise addict and, like most addictions, the person suffering from it simply doesn’t see it in most cases.  While certainly not everyone who runs marathons suffers from this addiction, I would suspect many do.  Thanks for this enlightening comment.

This comment from Paul with respect to the same post “How Running a Marathon Can Seriously Harm Your Health”:

It seems many of the people here who are arguing against the “overtraining” idea are missing the point. The author is not saying running a marathon or training to run one is ALWAYS BAD. Those of you saying “hey I run marathons but” are actually supporting her point — you mention interval training, not being emaciated, etc. You are training in the way she is saying is the BETTER way. One of you said “I don’t carbo load” — well that’s great, you are already following the author’s advice and hey look…it’s working great for you!

Paul thank you for clearing up the misinterpretations from Paula’s fantastic article.  Your comment is a reminder that before jumping to conclusions and slamming the author, it is wise to read the entire article!

This spot on comment from Heather Connor regarding “Fresh GM Produce: Coming to a Supermarket Near You”:

Less than 10 yrs ago, this Bt corn was only allowed in animal feed here, but it was fed to 3rd world countries through various aid programs. I worked with a guy who initially signed one of the agreements with Monsanto, a huge compromise he was making to his values for the sake of feeding more people who might starve. I didn’t agree so I quit the job, after that. Now it’s being offered to us? How on Earth do these people think that ingesting pesticides (that cause the insides of insects to explode) are NOT going to affect us?

Heather, your comment succinctly summarizes the problem with GM foods – they are stealthily and steadily becoming part of the mainstream food supply.   The Bt toxin is part of the genetic structure of GM corn and cannot be washed off so eating it is ingesting pesticides just the same as insects would out in a GM cornfield.  The long term effects of this are sure to be disastrous for those who do not make the effort to avoid them.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of The Comment Spotlight!   Thanks to everyone for all their thought provoking and interesting comments!