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I was out having dinner with a group of girlfriends last Friday night. It is so good for the soul to gather with friends to talk a little smack and also share the love.
Believe me, we did talk trash and we also laughed our butts off - even though mine is still attached. I thought for sure I was laughing so hard that I left it at the Mexican restaurant in Mankato. But alas, there it is, right underneath me.
During the course of the evening, our conversation somehow turned toward the difference in young girls of yesteryear to pubescent girls today.
My friends and I all agreed that puberty seems to be happening at a much younger age.
Because I wasn't in the mood for a debate, I chose to keep my mouth quiet. I also realized that no matter how many times I talk about a subject, I may not reach all readers.
Is puberty starting early because we use medications and hormonal treatments in our food-supply or are we, as a society, just eating healthier all the time? Maybe it's because we are not eating healthier? Can you say preservatives?
(I don't know about you, but I am trying to consume healthier food, but that delicious candy bar cake sitting on my kitchen counter keeps calling my name.)
Think back to when you were a kiddo.
We ate tons and tons of manufactured food. The one I can easily remember is macaroni and cheese. I had absolutely no concern with preparing a pan full of noodles and turning a powder into liquid cheese. That powdered cheese was prepared to last for years in our kitchen cupboard.
What about TV dinners? I loved the meal that contained Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and peas. Remember how those mashed potatoes came out of the dish in one big clump? We could use those potatoes for grout in the tile floors of today.
In fact, I bet those potatoes are sitting in my stomach, right next to the gum I swallowed seven years ago.
Naturally, the discussion of hormones being used on dairy cows came up. I wasn't in the mood to defend my industry on that particular night, so I just listened. I knew I would have this opportunity to explain how we use the synthetic hormone on our farm and how if we thought it was harmful to humans, we wouldn't use it. I mean, I consume our milk without any form of pasteurization, homogenization or fortification.
I don't know how many times I have to tell people the following information, but it appears to me that a dairy supporter's job is never done.
When we notice one thing changing in our society, we seem to grab on to the most obvious causative factor.
As soon as someone figured out that dairy farmers are using a synthetic hormone to manage milk production in cows, it seemed like the solution was right there.
At that point, investigation becomes clouded. A person, maybe it's a scientist, gets so caught up in proving that a hormone is causing early puberty that he or she forgets to look at everything objectively. He or she is like a horse with blinders on and only works on absolutely proving his or her theory.
I wonder if there is any research out there looking at how healthier diets affect human growth. How old were the girls that were part of the Western Movement when they started maturing into women. I bet it was later than their relatives that had already been living under the Statue of Liberty for many years.
How well do you think women trekking across the plains of the unclaimed territory were eating?
Some research also supports the idea that obesity may be attributing to the earlier onset of puberty.
I am sure you are all aware of the statistics regarding overweight children.
Did you know fat cells produce estrogen?
And one last note. How come it's not OK to use a growth hormone on my cows, but yet celebrities are using human growth hormones on themselves to preserve themselves?
Can you say preservatives?
For questions, or comments, e-mail me at [email protected].
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