Health Issues, a Result of the Foods We Eat
Health Issues, a Result of the Foods We Eat
By Viola Woolcott
Well over 2 million years ago, our stone age ancestors only ate what they could hunt and harvest themselves. They only ate raw, fresh food full of vitamins and minerals. There was no refined sugar nor salt, processed or micro-waved foods.
As a species, our health and survival has become genetically dependent on how life has evolved. Genetically we are 99.995 % identical to that of our old stone age ancestors, but our diet has dramatically changed. The foods that weren’t available to our ancestors are to 70% part of our diet in these days. The result being that two-thirds of Americans (not only Americans) are considered overweight, if not obese. One-third has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, as much as 64 million suffer from cardiovascular disease and over 11 million are affected by diabetes mellitus (Type II diabetes). These health conditions are believed to be the direct result of the food that we eat. They are termed “The diseased of the Civilisation”. Sounds very ‘worrying’ to me.
Researchers claim that these dietary changes are responsible for the extremely large number of our health issues today. By eating an optimising diet, you can greatly improve your chances of living a disease free life. There are a number of crucial nutritional characteristics of the diet our stone age ancestors ate, which are missing in today’s modern diet.
One of the most important things you can do for your well being as well as maintaining your ideal weight is removing high-glycemic foods like refined grains and sugar from your diet and replacing them with low-glycemic foods, such as fish and natural raised meats, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and whole fruit, possibly organic. 39% of the calories in the typical U.S diet consists of sugars and refined grains. Consuming high-glycemic foods over a long period of time causes insulin resistance, being the main factor underlying most degenerative diseases. By changing your diet to low-glycemic foods you will enjoy greater health and more capacity for an active lifestyle later on in life.
Lose weight, reduce the risk of cancer, as well as fighting heart disease by eating the right fats. Eat monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, omega-3 polyunsaturated fats derived from fish or fish oil supplements. No doubt, but cut back on vegetable oils as well as conventionally raised meats. Our stone age ancestors evolved with a different amount of the fats that we are eating today. Most of their dietary fat came from wild game, being a much leaner meat, which is also a richer source of monounsaturated and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. It has been calculated that our stone age ancestors ate roughly two omega-6 fat molecules for each one omega-3 molecule, which is a ratio of 2:1. Would you believe that today a great number of people eat an unnaturally distorted ratio of 10 to 20 omega-6 fats and this is for each molecule of omega-3? An excess of trans-fats as well as saturated fats leads to a number of reactions. It increases LDL cholesterol (Bad Cholesterol), chronic inflammation as well as atherosclerosis. In proportion, a high intake of omega-6:omega-3 encourages chronic inflammation, which is a very common degenerative disease in these modern days.
By adding more protein to your diet, you can improve your blood-lipid profiles, support you in feeling fuller as well as burn more calories. Good sources of protein are organic, grass-fed beef, fish and eggs. The three main macronutrient groups are: carbohydrate, protein and fat. The above three are also out of harmony, if we consider how our bodies have evolved.
Without gaining weight, we have to make sure that our body is nourished and that our stomachs feel full as well as satisfied. Therefore we have to increase the nutrient-density of our diet. Try consuming one-third of your daily calories in the form of vegetables and fruits. To date, 36% of energy in the typical American diet are gained from vegetable oils and refined sugars, even though they contain very few vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
Your body’s acid-base balance can help to restore by getting 35% of your calories from consuming fruits and vegetables. All the foods that we eat release acidic or other basic substances into the system after they have been digested and metabolised. We rely to much on dairy produce as well as cereal grains for about 35% of our calorie intake at the expense of consuming fruit and vegetables, which are net-base-production. In our acquired modern diet that results in net-acid production. With a more balanced diet, you could reduce the risk of osteoporosis, kidney malfunction and kidney stones. Age-related muscle wasting, hypertension as well as exercise induced asthma.
Avoid packaged foods instead of fresh ones which in turn cuts a majority of excess sodium from you diet. The balance of electrolytes in your body is very critical for the normal functioning of your cells. Americans consume an unreasonable amount of sodium in processed foods, and by adding more to their already prepared foods, it by far outweighs the potassium we consume from natural fruit and vegetables sources. This option was not available to our stone age ancestors.
The very simple addition of more fibre in your diet can support you in avoiding conditions such as constipation, appendicitis, haemorrhoids, diverticulosis, varicose veins, hernia, and even gastro-oesophageal reflux, as all the above are connected to a diet low in fibre. We should be getting about 25-30 grams of fibre in our daily diet. Being ‘lucky’, we may get about 15 grams per day. If you eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, you should be getting 42 grams of fibre on a daily basis. By consuming fruits and vegetables (soluble fibres), you will reduce total as well as LDL cholesterol (Bad Cholesterol). You also slow down the emptying of your stomach, which in turn reduces the appetite and the total calories you consume.
The largest cause of morbidity and mortality in most western countries are represented by chronic diet-related illnesses, which have multi dietary causes. The solution remains the same. We should eat a balanced diet based on vegetables and fruits, naturally, organic raised wild meat as well as fish and we should avoid excess sugar, dairy, grains and processed vegetable oils.
The key to a healthy body and to a healthy life is eating a well balanced diet.
Filed under: Health and Diet on December 3rd, 2007
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