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It is a well-known and tragic fact that in
the formulation of the great majority of today’s processed
foods, the primary considerations of the manufacturer are taste,
mouth-feel, appearance, shelf life and profit. Sadly, the
all-important considerations, these being the nutritional value
of the product, and the effect that the product will have upon
the health of the consumer, are not always given the attention
that they deserve.
This sad oversight has resulted in the
proliferation of very attractive, very tasty, very long-lasting
food products that have as their main ingredients,
refined sugar,
highly refined grains, and highly
refined, hydrogenated fats.
Whatever else is included will usually amount to little more
than a wonderful combination of chemicals that are used to
preserve the product, to
enhance the flavour, to improve the colour, and/or to modify the
texture.
If such foods were used only on rare
occasions, the situation would not be as serious as it is, but
the sad fact is that the majority of families are now using such
foods as their primary source of nourishment - with devastating
results. As the remainder of this book should convincingly prove
to you, this is one major reason why so many people complain of
a lack of energy, why so many are constipated, and why so many
are plagued by ever-recurring illnesses.
Diet and Disease
Figure 1. is a diagrammatic
representation of a cross-section of a grain of wheat. It shows
the many elements of this life-giving, energy-giving grain.
Notice carefully that most of the nutritive elements, as well as
the bran and the fibre, are situated in the outer layers of the
grain.
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Figure 1 |
What is most tragic,
however, is that when wheat, or any other grain, is refined, the
outer layers of the grain are removed - along with most of the
nutritive elements that are so essential to the maintenance of
life. This leaves a refined end-product that is, at best,
hopelessly deficient in nutritional value and sadly lacking in
essential fibre.
In the refining process,
the germ of the wheat is also removed. The following is a list
of the many vital elements that are found in this little
power-house of natural goodness. These include: vitamin A,
vitamin E, vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, inositol,
folic acid, folinic acid, biotin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12,
choline, para amino benzoic acid, pantothenic acid, alpha-lipoic
acid, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron,
copper, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, and zinc.
Obviously, therefore, when
we use refined foods, as in the case of refined white flour
products, we are using food that has been deprived of much that
is essential to the body’s energy needs and to the maintenance
of good health.
We certainly cannot deny
that the process of refining has distinct advantages for both
the manufacturer and the retailer in that, once refined, the
product will have a longer shelf life but, as far as the
consumer is concerned, he now has to make use of a food that is
seriously lacking in vitamins, minerals, trace elements, bran,
fibre, and natural oils - and he will surely suffer as a result.
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Refined foods now make up
the bulk of our Western diet, with white flour,
white sugar, white rice, processed oil and
margarine being the main culprits. Is it any
wonder, therefore, that our immune systems can
no longer counteract infection? Is it any wonder
that so many people suffer from nutritional
deficiencies?
Food refining is good for
the food business - but it is also good for the
vitamin business. There certainly is no mystery
as to why so many people are desperately turning
to nutritional supplements. Yet, surely, is it
not more beneficial, wiser, and far more
economical, first to do all in our power to
obtain our nutrition from organic, unrefined
foods rather than rely solely on expensive,
inorganic tablets and/or tonics? |
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`During World War
II Denmark stopped refining flour, an
action which was not accompanied by any
other marked changes in living habits.
Later it was found that the death rate
had dropped and that there had been a
marked decline in cancer, heart disease,
diabetes, kidney trouble, and high blood
pressure.' (Mental And Elemental
Nutrients, Carl C. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., M.D.
p.72) |
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In Scripture there is a passage that reads, `Why spend money
on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?’
(Isaiah 55:2). Thinking people the world over are asking this
very question and, on the evidence of science and simple logic,
they are turning their backs on refined foods. These people have
realised and accepted that life simply cannot be sustained on a
diet that is high in fat, high in sodium, high in sugar, high in
preservatives, highly acid-forming, highly refined, and low in
all of the vital nutrients that are so essential to the
functioning of the living organism.
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Nobody ever questions the
fact that we must feed our horses balanced
rations, that we must correctly fertilize our
plants, and that we must give the correct octane
fuel to our motor cars. Yet, strangely, so many
people seem to have extreme difficulty in
understanding that our bodies have the same
uncompromising energy requirements as do horses,
plants and motor vehicles. None of us would
dream of running our cars on 23-octane fuel,
yet, by using a diet that is high in refined
foods, we are attempting to run our lives on
what we might term `23-octane’ food - with
costly, painful and often tragic consequences
sure to follow. |
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`The three major
killers in modern society, Coronary
Heart Disease, Cancer and Strokes, can
all be linked to what people eat and
drink.' (Dr B. Hertzel, Chief of the
C.S.I.R.O. Division of Human Nutrition
and Foundation Professor of Social and
Preventive Medicine, Monash University) |
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Figure 2. demonstrates the incidence of certain
diseases in Western nations as compared to developing nations.
You will notice that in developing nations, where the basic diet
is still natural and unrefined, the scourges of the West have
hardly made any inroads. The evidence is clear that while the
refining of food has been a boon to industry, it has not been of
any physical benefit to the unsuspecting man in the street.
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Relationship Between Fiber Intake and Disease |
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Disease |
Incidence in Western Nations Where The Diet is Highly Refined |
Incidence in Developing Nations Where The Diet is Largely Unrefined |
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Ischemic Heart Disease, |
High |
Almost Non-Existent |
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Diverticular disease |
High |
Very Rare |
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Hiatus Hernia |
20% of Population |
Less Than 5% |
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Gallstones |
10% of Population |
Non-Existent |
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Polyps of the Colon |
20% of population |
Very Rare |
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Cancer of
Colon/Rectum |
2nd to Lung Cancer |
Very Rare |
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Varicose veins |
15% of population |
Less than 2% |
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Obesity |
20% of population |
Rare |
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Hemorrhoids |
50% (age 50 plus) |
Rare |
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With this introduction,
therefore, let us delve further into this matter
by considering a few of the major ailments that
scientific research has positively linked to the
use of refined foods - namely,
As we consider these ailments, our intention is
not to present an exhaustive study on any one
topic, but to demonstrate to the reader that
refined foods are a major causative factor in
many of the diseases that are sweeping our
civilized world - not only diseases of a
physical nature, but even some of a social and a
mental nature.
The technical director of a
local milling machine supply company once shared
with me his conviction that food refining `is
all one big hoax.'
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`The use of white
flour has become so common that a real
nutritional problem has arisen on a
national scale and medical and
governmental authorities have truly
viewed the situation with real alarm.
Not only does refined flour lack the
bulk producing bran, but about three
fourths of the mineral content of the
wheat berry is removed in the milling
process . . . In addition extremely
valuable protein and fat components are
lost in the milling. The remaining
protein is really a poor grade protein.'
(Dr. L. & D Rosenvold, Science and
Modern Manna, p.60) |
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The sad truth, however, is that this big hoax is causing havoc
in our systems, heartache in our homes, and intense suffering
throughout society.
When will man ever learn
that we cannot take apart what God saw fit to put together -
without causing suffering? When will `so-called science' ever
concede that there is no alternative to the superlative plan of
Nature?
Warning Re Deceptive Advertising
Manufactures of harmful
foods are turning to the deceitful practice of focusing their
advertising on a single natural component in their otherwise
harmful food product. Then they will blow the health benefits of
that isolated component out of all proportion - with no mention
whatsoever of the damaging properties of the other components in
the product.
This practice is currently
all the vogue amongst certain chocolate, tea, wine and coffee
producers. These manufactures will promote the "health" benefits
of isolated components in their product, or pay a "scientist" to
do so, but will make no mention of the fact that these products
also contain a high proportion of extremely harmful ingredients
such as caffeine and/or theophylline
and/or tannin and/or cocoa and/or
sugar and/or alcohol.
Please be warned - this
practice will become more and more common in future.
Proceed to Chapter 2: Read
how refined foods give rise to constipation, how constipation
poisons the entire body, and how these poisons give rise to a
multitude of illnesses.
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