Modern Diet & its consequences

Three - Way Comparison

From the above diagram you can notice that the modern diet relies heavily on processed and synthetic foods. It is much too high in saturated animal fats, cholesterol, and highly refined vegetable fats, and it is deficient in complex carbohydrates, fiber and natural vitamins and minerals. It is also excessively high in sugar and chemical additives (some 3,500 have found their way in our food supply).

The Dietary Goals recommendations from the U.S. do not exclude heavily processed food items containing additives and preservatives. This diet is still too high in saturated fats, cholesterol, and highly refined vegetable fats to be considered optimally healthful. There is no recommendation on cooking procedures or on balancing the diet. Yet, these recommendations are a tremendous improvement over the way most of us eat now.

The diet that we recommend is comprised of whole foods. Most of the food energy comes from complex carbohydrates. Proper cooking methods preserve nutrients and enhance flavour in foods. Highly processed foods containing additives, commercial salt, and cane or beet sugar are avoided as much as possible. Dairy products, red meat, poultry, and foods containing these ingredients are generally not recommended.

 

Geography of a cancer - The correlation between meat consumption and cancer in colon of women

This Figure shows the incidence of cancer of the large intestine among women in the countries listed above and that it is closely related to per capita meat consumption. Another factor which influences the development of this disease is a low consumption of whole cereal grains. A similar relationship has also been found between breast cancer and a large intake of saturated fat (eg. dairy products).

CHOLESTEROL CONTENT
OF COMMON FOODS
ANIMAL FOOD
PLANT FOOD
Cholesterol content (in milligrams per 100 gram portion)
Cholesterol content (in milligrams per 100 gram portion)
Eggs, whole 550    
Kidney, beef 375    
Liver, beef 300 All grains 0
Butter 250 All vegetables 0
Oysters 200 All nuts 0
Cream Cheese 120 All seeds 0
Lard 95 All fruits 0
Beefsteak 70 All legumes 0
Lamb 70 All vegetable oils 0
Pork 70 - -
Chicken 60 - -
Ice cream 45 -  

Your blood Cholesterol level is directly influenced by your cholesterol intake.

FIBER CONTENT
OF COMMON FOODS
FOOD ITEM
FIBER (g/kg)
FOOD ITEM
FIBER (g/kg)
Blueberries 12.2 Ground Beef 0
Brussel Sprouts 13.5 Sirloin Steak 0
Oat Flakes 13.5 Lamb Chops 0
Pumpkin 12.0 Pork Chops 0
Cooked Carrots 9.6 Chicken 0
Brown Rice 8.1 Ocean Perch 0
Swiss Chard 6.8 Salmon 0
Lettuce 6.3 Cheddar Cheese 0
Cucumber 5.7 Whole Milk 0
Applesauce 5.3 Eggs 0

 

Why are whole grains so good?

 

Put it this way - if grains were cars, whole grains would be a deluxe model Mercedes with all the bells and whistles while refined grains would be a basic model car. Both get you from A to B, but the Mercedes is just that cut above.

The “bells and whistles” in whole grains are the many nutrients, including phytochemicals and antioxidants, that are missing from refined grains. These nutrients help to fight a number of diseases including:

  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Cancer
  • High cholesterol
  • Obesity
  • Bowel disorders
Studies show that people who regularly eat whole grains reduce their risk for all of these diseases. Research also suggests that whole grains may be even better than fruits and vegetables as a source of key nutrients for fighting disease.

So next time you’re choosing between white rice and brown rice, remember – go for the Mercedes!

Whole and refined grains – what’s the difference?

Despite their “new” presence on supermarket shelves and restaurant menus, whole grains, such as brown rice and quinoa, predate refined grains, such as white rice and refined white flour, by thousands of years. The process of refining grain on a grand scale is a relatively recent one made possible only by technological advancements.

You can think of a whole grain as a three-part package:

Bran (outer layer) - This outer layer is packed with fiber, trace minerals, phytochemicals, and B vitamins. 50-80 percent of the grain’s minerals and other health-promoting plant substances called phytochemicals are contained in the bran.

Germ (inner layer) - This inner layer is rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals, B vitamins, vitamin E, and trace minerals, as well as containing healthy unsaturated fats.

Endosperm (middle layer) - This middle layer contains complex carbohydrates and protein. It also contains small amounts of B vitamins.

When a whole grain is processed in order to make a refined grain, two parts of the package - the bran and germ – are removed, leaving only the endosperm. In this process, 25 percent of the protein is removed along with at least 17 key nutrients. The refined grain also has five to seven times less fiber than the whole grain.

 

AVOID REFINED FLOUR PRODUCTS-TO KEEP YOUR IMMUNIY INTACT!

As an example;
Be aware of the nutrients lost in refining wheat flour.
When whole wheat flour is milled into white flour , much of the germ (embryo), bran, and surface endosperm are removed. As a result, the flour loses most of its energy and vitality as well as its natural oils and nutrients. Though a few of the vitamins and minerals are returned in enriching, the resulting quality is not the same.

This table below shows the typical loss of nutrients in producing white flour

Nutrient Loss% Nutrient Loss%
Thiamimine (B1) 77.1 Riboflavin (B2) 80.0
Niacin 80.8 Vitamin (B6) 71.8
Pantothenic acid 50.0 Vitamin E 86.3
Calcium 60.0 Phosphorous 70.9
Magnesium 84.7 Potasium 77.0
Sodium 78.3 Chromium 40.0
Manganese 85.8 Iron 75.6
Cobalt 88.5 Zinc 77.7
Copper 67.9 Selenium 15.9
Molybdenum 48.0

(Source: Henry A. Schroeder, "Losses of Vitamins and Trace Minerals Resulting from Processing and Preservation of Foods," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1971)

 

The above diagram shows the difference between the bowels of humans and carnivores. Note the smooth slovepipe shape of the carnivore bowel and the puckering and pouching shape of the human. The human bowel twines back and forth along a convulated pathway, with many twists and hairpin turns. Carnivores bowels, in contrast, take a relatively direct and straightforward route. As a result, their transition times are much shorter than ours. They can handle cholesterol and fat, and have much less need for fiber to move things along.

Data adapted from Journal of the National Cancer Institute Vol. 5 1, n.6 Dec 1973
and Foreign Agricultural Circular- livestock and meat U.S.D.A. Washington D.C. 1976

(From Diet for A New America by John Robbins)

Continues on Page 8