THE LOWDOWN ON NATURAL WHOLE FOODS
AND MAN-MADE PROCESSED FOODS
The effect of processed food on the human body is something we can’t help but talk about. “Processed” indicates that something has been done to the food, that life has been removed from it. The original intent of processed foods was to prevent spoilage, which led to monetary losses. When you eat processed food, you are eating the original food’s residue. Our bodies are not designed to eat processed foods; instead, we need the life and essence that we find in “real” food. The food’s life is what makes us grow from babies to adults.
Processed food isn’t “clean-burning fuel.” The difference between processed food and real, living food is like the difference between coal and natural gas. Coal leaves a residue on everything it touches. It emits smoke into the air and leaves ash where it was burned. This is exactly what happens with processed foods. The residue from processed foods is so bad it shows up right away, on the first body part it meets: your teeth.
Try this. Brush your teeth, then eat white bread. Run your tongue over your teeth. Can you feel a film? Now brush your teeth again and eat an apple. When you’re finished, run your tongue over your teeth. You’ll notice that your teeth are cleaner now than they were before you ate the apple. Why is that? An apple is called “nature’s toothbrush” because it cleans the teeth.
Did you know that it’s not natural to brush your teeth? Although the first mass-produced toothbrushes appeared in England in 1780, and in the United States toward the end of the 19th century, the practice of brushing one’s teeth didn’t become widespread until after the Second World War. Tooth brushing is actually a sign that the foods you’re eating are bad for you.
Cows and horses don’t brush their teeth, and they don’t need dentists. They live outdoors and eat natural food (note that I’m speaking here of animals in the wild, not farm-grown animals), so they don’t have the health problems we do. We strip all the life from our food, yet we expect that it will provide the same benefits for us that it does for the horses and cows. This is impossible because cows and horses eat grain in the form in which God provided it. As humans, we have essentially gone to the same field in which the cows and horses eat their meals; added chemicals, herbicides, and pesticides; cut down the grain; taken it to the mill; bleached it, dyed it, and altered its DNA; and added more chemicals to preserve its shelf life. We pasteurize and homogenize every fluid that goes into our bodies, and much, much more.
Over time, such processes make us ill. Mucus builds up at such alarming rates that we literally drown in it. Know that thin layer that shows up on your teeth every year? The one the dentist has to scrape off with a steel tool? Don’t forget that you swallowed the food that caused it, and that the same thing the food did to your teeth, it did to your esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Imagine that small layer growing over the course of 40 years, trapping your organs in mucus and getting harder the longer it remains. You get sick and decide that you need medication, even though the FDA says that medication doesn’t cure diseases, but merely treats symptoms. The drugs you take simply dry the mucus. Then, you eat more processed foods and deposit additional layers on top of the first layers. Processed foods are your worst enemy. Growing old does not make us sick; instead, getting sick makes us old.
You might be among the large percentage of Americans who are sensitive to certain types of food. Do you suffer bloat, constipation, diarrhea, migraines, or other reactions after eating foods containing things like dairy products, wheat, or soy? This is because humans were never meant to consume cow's milk. In addition, wheat and soy are things that man has manufactured for consumption that many people’s guts simply cannot handle. People were never meant to take in the large amounts of wheat that we eat on a daily basis. In many people, gluten sensitivities cause bloating and weight gain.
As an infant, did you drink baby formula? Some American babies are overweight and have severe dairy and soy intolerances because baby formula is made from ingredients similar to the processed foods we eat today. When a baby takes in too much sugar, his or her metabolism can suffer ill effects. The baby can also suffer from leaky gut syndrome as well as food intolerances and allergies. When a baby’s digestive tract and immune system are inflamed, his or her body is less able to absorb nutrients from food because it’s trying to avoid absorbing the substances to which it’s reacting. Avoiding these things in your diet can help your body digest food more efficiently, without harmful by- products, inflammation, or bloating.
Organic fruits and vegetables can also help you lose weight. Studies done by the University of Newcastle (May 2011) have shown that the higher levels of vitamins and minerals found in—and the intricate design of—organic fruits and vegetables help your body burn fat more efficiently. Fruits and vegetables that you grow in your own garden are best, as you can refrain from using harmful chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides. The act of gardening also gives you such benefits as exercise and stress reduction that can increase your lifespan.
Some people raise and process their own meat and poultry, hunt for wild game like duck or deer, or catch their own fish or seafood. Often, if you boil or bake meat that you buy from a store, you will notice thick, white by-products that you don’t see in meat from an animal you killed yourself. These by-products are the chemicals and hormones that companies pump into animals before killing them.
To get healthier meat, go with grass-fed animals, or raise animals yourself. In some areas, you can purchase wild game or meat that hasn’t been heavily processed. Farmer’s markets may also sell wild game or grass-fed animals. Some stores that carry organic foods have a grass-fed or organic meat section. If you eat organic products, you’ll keep unhealthy chemicals out of your system and consequently find the weight loss process easier. This is especially true if you look for leaner meats and foods with low fat concentrations.