Starving amidst plenty
Mass produced industrial foods are a main cause of the rapidly spreading global epidemic of degenerative lifestyle diseases like cancers, osteoporosis, diabetes and heart, vascular and autoimmune diseases. These diseases increase depression, anxiety and lower the capacity to deal with stress. The effects are more obvious as we age.
Anyone can test the effects of foods on themselves. Or at the supermarket check the physical and emotional condition of each shopper and then look in their trolley. Kids pick this up quickly.
A close look at the medical history of friends and family and their diet and lifestyle shows a similar picture. So does research that is independent of the food industries.
Junk foods are carefully designed to bypass the body's regulatory mechanisms. Most are habit forming. Giving them up helps reclaim our regulatory mechanisms so our tastes can guide what to eat and how much.
The industrial diet and its diseases support multi-billion dollar food and medical industries with plenty of money to lobby, advertise and fund politicians and universities.
Big Food like Big Pharma aggressively pursues and defends its profits. Research is selected, misinterpreted and spread through the media, government agencies and medical experts to promote addictive, low-nutrient foods. Captured government and semi-government agencies weakly promote compromised “healthy diets” which are at least a bit better.
Comfort eating is a temporary relief from distressed feelings but in the long run it perpetuates distress just like mood altering drugs.
The drugs pages have strategies to quit binge eating and addictive foods.
Stress and some drugs disrupt the body’s inbuilt regulatory mechanisms and can contribute towards junk food addiction.
Stress disrupts digestion which limits nutrient absorption. It can damage the digestive tract and block the vascular system and distribution of nutrients.
The plant food and raw food pages on the side menu describe their health benefits.
The intuitive eating page shows how to develop awareness of the nutritional value of food using taste to select what you need.