Starch diets (was Celiac, etc)

[Jeremy Crowley]

It seems to me that if people are lucky enough to be healthy they can live
on almost anything or nothing. Some old people seem to think that a varied diet
is toasted white bread, cake and biscuits in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Some seem to have been eating this diet for years and are living a long and
relatively healthy life. Perhaps the answer is in the fifteen cups of tea
they drink per day and the total avoidance of plain water! It beats me.
Jeremy

I've had the same thought about the late 19th century Irish population
which, as far as I know, ate mostly potatoes, with, for the more fortunate,
occasional oats. Their state of health wasn't so great, but they survived, and
some lived long productive lives. I have indeed wondered about the hidden
protein content of potatoes (different species entirely than sweet potatoes and
yams, but same idea....). Rosemary

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Jeremy,
But how did they *get* to that healthy old age... I'm betting these
healthy old folks did *not* eat this sort of diet while they were
growing up, while their bodies were being formed. When *children* eat
this sort of junk food diet, it's an altogether different story, and
will lead to an altogether different sort of old age.
Best,
Shannon