Don't Believe Everything You Read

Read at your own risk. The article reprinted above is the lead story in the “Health” section of the July 2009 Pages magazine. But there’s no health information in it. It reads like a soft-sell ad for Spam or a Hormel press release. At best it belongs in the food section.

Foods containing salt and saturated fat increase the risk of heart disease. Spam might be suitable, in small amounts, for a Mediterranean diet - it has less salt and fat than pancetta. It might also fit in a low-carb diet.

But Spam, even Spam Lite, far exceeds the conventional limits of 30 percent of calories from fat and 10 percent from saturated fat. Both are high in salt. The “Spam-on croquets” in the recipe (three eggs?) have far more salt and saturated fat than the sound-alike salmon croquettes.

How did an article with no health value get into the Pages Health section? As the Romans used to say two thousand years ago, cui bono? Loosely translated, “who benefits?” Go figure.