Tuesday (Healthy) Food Pyramid Update

It's been a while since we've visited our own special IB Food Pyramid , and today brings us two interesting items:

■ First up, erstwhile political pundit (and baseball afficianado) George Will is of the opinion that not only is beer a desirable commodity, it is an essential one. He opines that "No beer, no civilization." I'm not sure I'd go that far (on the other hand, I'm not sure I wouldn't go that far, either), but Will makes a strong case:

It is Will's contention that, once we grew from the hunter/gatherer stage into an agrarian society, our living arranegments changed dramatically. Where once we had roamed the plains (or veldt, or wherever), we now had the ancient equivalent of "gated communities." This led, unsurprisingly, to urbanization, and a host of new challenges, water-borne diseases among them. And how better to guarantee the safety of that which we drink than by purifying it? And what better process than by fermentation, which leads to the anti-bacterial qualities of our favorite brew.

And I hear it tastes pretty good, too!

■ Quick: which is healthier for you, bacon or fish? Not so fast, pardner:

"Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, a potentially dangerous fatty acid combination...Tilapia has higher levels of potentially detrimental, long-chain, omega-6 fatty acids than...and even pork bacon."

Ouch!

(Of course, the article fails to mention how it compares to the turkey bacon that is regularly consumed in our household)

And it gets worse for folks with heart disease, arthritis, even asthma, who may be thinking "hey, I'll have the fish sandwich instead of the BLT." Unfortunately, that would be a poor choice. So while eating fish per se may be a healthy choice, it's important to select a healthy fish (such as salmon or tuna) to begin with.

■ And in a completely unrelated update:

Regular IB readers may recall the ongoing saga of the Sleazy Seniors, whose scheme to collect the insurance on homeless men they murdered was eventually cracked. Last we heard, they had pled "not guilty" and were awaiting trial.

Well, here's some good news on that front:

"Two elderly women were sentenced to life in prison without parole Tuesday for murdering two indigent men to collect insurance policies taken out on their lives."

Of course, given their advanced ages (75 and 77), one wonders just how long that sentence will actually be. Still, it is justice of sorts.