It has long been observed that our food choices affect our health. Ancient Greek doctor and physician Hippocrates was the first who formulated the thesis: You are what you eat but while this is perfectly true, that doesn’t mean we can’t change. Our cells are dying and being replaced every second of every day and eating healthily will inevitably improve the quality of the newly made cells.
Never has there been a time in history more than now when the world population has been plagued with chronic life diseases. Diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease are the world’s leading killers. Obesity has skyrocketed in the last few decades, especially among children and young adults, who are supposed to be the most active and productive members of society. What has brought about this avalanche of disease today? Research has shown that food is playing a very significant role in the ailing world of today.
At every corner, we are guaranteed to find a fast food shop that sells convenience junk food. Because of the busy lifestyles we lead, these places have been the preferred sources of food for many people, with little or no nutrient value. Supermarkets sell processed and packaged foods which are quick and easy to pop in the microwave. Most food on the shelves have an ingredient list we don’t even glance at, let alone recognise, and are packed full of preservatives and additives and yet we buy them without giving a second thought. After all, if they were that harmful, they wouldn’t be on the shelves right? So many children are on medication for ADHD and behavioural problems, which have suddenly emerged in abundance. Yet these children are eating toxins and chemicals that are actually causing this. So we then medicate them to deal with the symptoms without looking at the cause – food. We should be changing their eating habits.
We are told that all our health problems can be solved by throwing money at scientists so that they can discover yet another pill that will mask our symptoms. Another large profit for the billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies. The drug companies and cancer societies rely on our suffering to make a profit. We think we are running for a cure for cancer, but we are actually running away from the cause. Our body is a product of what we consume and the food we eat is designed purely for profit. We fill ourselves with toxic chemicals and the bodies of animals infested with antibiotics, growth hormones and diseases, which have suffered from the moment of their birth to the moment of their painful, undignified death. The vegetables that were once so healthy no longer have the nutrients they used to have because of intensive farming and depleted soil. Modern industrial crops are grown for a high yield and fast growth, rather than for nutrient content. As a result, nutrients have declined in our food supply. There have been decreases in protein, iron, potassium, calcium, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, zinc, selenium, and other essential nutrients in many conventionally grown fruits, vegetables, and grains. Pesticides used in the production and processing of conventionally grown fruit, vegetables, and grains (and are heavily sprayed on meat to ward away parasites) are a significant health concern. Pesticides have been linked to a number of health problems, including neurologic and psychological problems, cancer, and other diseases. Many GMO crops are grown now to address problems that arise from large-scale industrial crop production. There is much debate about GMO’s as the main body of proof that they are safe comes from the big corporations, such as Monsanto, that are responsible for them and raking in the profit. Some studies indicate that GMO feed may cause toxic effects, especially in the renal and hepatic systems. Some countries have chosen to apply the precautionary principle to GMOs - in the absence of scientific proof that GMOs are safe, they are assumed to be unsafe until proven otherwise. Those who want to become better educated on the food they eat have to search for information, as the small group of corporations that own the media do not want us to know and surround us with a fantasy we are told is reality. Food, water and land, the very elements we need to survive are owned by the big corporations, who are only interested in profit.
So we are consuming vast amounts of these toxic and unhealthy products, which settle into our bodies and cause irreversible damage to our cells, vital organs and our body systems fail us. Diseases emerge and instead of scrutinising what we are putting into our body, we then start on medication prescribed to us to mask our symptoms and put more toxicity in our bodies to fund yet more greedy corporations, without even considering the problem actually is. Did you ever stop to consider why, in a heavy milk consuming western society, why osteoporosis was so incredibly common?
If we pump our bodies with foods full of hormones, chemicals and unhealthy fats, we should then expect to have unhealthy lives that are full of exhaustion, obesity, chronic disease that eventually is cut short. As an ancient Ayurvedic quote says “When a diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct medicine is of no need”. Food acts as medicine, as it maintains health, prevents and treats disease, but only if we get it right. To be healthy in mind and spirit we must eat a healthy and balanced diet of nourishing foods.