Paying attention to what we eat is one of the most important and simple things we can do to improve our health. The people in most advanced civilizations have been exposed to highly processed foods for several generations.
During this processing of our food, many of the nutritional benefits of the food are processed out. Natural healthy food is alive. The living tissue begins to rot as soon as it is separated from its roots. During processing, manufactures take many of the nutrients out of the food to slow down this rotting process, so the food will last longer on store shelves.
The problem is those nutrients are essential components of a healthy diet.
Eating organic whole food, as much as possible, is a very basic component of living healthy. I’m not fanatical about this. I am just gradually eating more organic whole food and less processed food.
Fruit, nuts, vegetables and whole grain are the most natural ingredients of a healthy diet for human beings. Eating lean meat is ok, but it takes way more resources to produce meat and then our bodies use more energy to digest it.
I’ve always figured that human beings are omnivorous. Have been since we diverged from our nearest relatives in the animal kingdom 8 million years ago or so. Then some one pointed out that human teeth are not carnivore type teeth, and I have to admit that he has a good point.
There is also the well known fact that meat production is a very inefficient way to produce food. And I’ve witnessed with my own eyes some of the inhumane treatment of livestock in commercial agriculture.
I am not opposed to eating meat. I am opposed to allowing people to imprison animals in cages and corrals where they can’t move and they are forced to live in their own sewer.
I’m not opposed to genetic modification of food either, however, transforming our food into a pesticide by inserting pesticides into the DNA of the food seems retarded. Creating drought resistant breeds of crops by genetic modification seems reasonable.
The issue of organic food is a bit more complicated. I agree that eating organic food is probably most healthy, however, the benefits of the green revolution are undeniable. The use of fertilizer and pesticides has enabled us to increase our food production and decrease hunger worldwide.
The trend toward monoculture is also troubling. Raising only a few varieties of crops increases the possibility of famine, because that one species of grain can be wiped out by pests or other diseases. A diverse assortment of food crops is more sustainable than the monoculture practiced in modern commercial agriculture.
I am also in favor of organizing the agricultural foundation of our economy in favor of family farming. I admit that industrial scale agribusiness has some advantages, however, in my opinion, the costs are far greater than the benefits. Our civilization must be grounded on the earth from which we evolve, not the stores in which we shop.
We need a World Health Organization or some other agency that will regulate such issues in a way that benefits all the world’s people, not just the companies that are producing the food and drugs.
I encourage everyone to pay attention to what we eat. I do not recommend being fanatical about anything. I do recommend eating mostly fruit, nuts, vegetables and whole grain. I suggest we proceed with caution, take the middle way, organize our agriculture and food production in ways and means that are best for all human beings everywhere.
I also often take food supplements, like vitamins and minerals. Since many of the nutrients are processed out of our food, I figure adding supplements is helpful. Even though the supplements are artificially manufactured. Supplying our bodies with an abundance of resources is a good idea. Each person should be conscious and aware of the unique properties of our physical being, as well as our intellectual and spiritual being. Live holistically.