Modern Diet Problems

Contents

1 List of Modern Diet Problems & Solutions
- 1.1 A strict Unforced Law
2 Modern Diet Problems & Solutions (continued)
- - - 2.0.0.1 REFERENCES

Understanding modern diet problems helps to avoid them. The diet in the developed world has benefited from the general technical progress the food industry experienced. This affords:

Availability of all types of foods throughout the year.
Improved hygiene levels reduce the risk of disease caused by bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms.

The German physician Ernst Schneider, one of the most eminent proponents of natural medicine, has meticulously analyzed the problems of the contemporary diet in developed countries that are having the most damaging effects on the health of their citizens. The following issues are based on this investigation.

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Understanding the problems of the ordinary diet is crucial to improving the choices that can help solve them. Addressing these dietary problems is possibly the most effective measure for preventing the most common diseases in today’s industrialized world.

List of Modern Diet Problems & Solutions

Problem	Solution
Increase consumption of whole grains, cereal flours, bread, and pasta This contributes to preventing the chronic diseases typical of developed societies, the so-called diseases of civilization, such as arteriosclerosis, heart attack, cancer, and diabetes. Some nutritional specialists disapprove of whole-grain products because they contain phytic acid and phytates, which reduce mineral absorption. However, the higher amount of minerals found in whole-grain products compensates for any reduction in absorption.	Increase consumption of whole grains, cereals flours, bread, and pasta This contributes to preventing the chronic diseases typical of developed societies, the so-called diseases of civilization, such as arteriosclerosis, heart attack, cancer, and diabetes. Some nutritional specialists disapprove of whole-grain products because they contain phytic acid and phytates, which reduce mineral absorption. However, the higher amount of minerals found in whole-grain products compensates for any reduction in absorption.
The use of soft foods in place of hard or firm ones Eating soft foods weakens the dental structure and jaw support. This can lead to periodontitis, gingivitis, and dental cavities. Soft foods also require less chewing and salivation, which harms digestive processes.	Chew hard foods more Raw carrots are ideal for strengthening children’s teeth. Eating such foods also improves blood flow in the dental structure and provides the vitamin A necessary for their development. Radishes, lettuce, whole-grain bread or toast, and nuts strengthen the teeth.
Replacing raw, fresh foods with cooked foods Enjoying good health without eating fresh, raw foods or living foods is impossible. These provide all the active chemical substances involved in the vital processes of the cells, such as phytochemicals and enzymes. Cooking foods ends the activity of the cells forming foods. Cooking destroys and deactivates many chemical substances, reducing the food’s nutritional value and preventative and healing power. Nevertheless, cooking legumes is essential to eliminate the antinutritive substances they contain.	Eat at least five pieces of fruit and a salad of green leafy vegetables or other raw vegetables daily. Whenever possible, always eat plant-based foods raw or cooked as little as possible: – Fruits and vegetables: Practically all, except tubers such as potatoes, can be eaten raw. – Nuts: These can be eaten raw or lightly oven-roasted. – Grains: These can be eaten raw or slightly cooked in flakes, as with muesli.
The use of processed foods instead of natural ones Industrial processing of foods such as baked goods, cookies, oils, and canned foods tends to Eliminate part of the beneficial natural ingredients, almost always for commercial purposes, such as: – Prolonging shelf life, as is the case with the germ of grains when they are refined. – Improve their appearance by removing unsaponifiable (non-fat-soluble) substances from vegetable oils. Adding new ingredients such as additives, many of which are potentially dangerous. Altering some natural ingredients improves the product’s appearance, thus forming substances that are detrimental to health. For example, this occurs when unsaturated fatty acids are hydrogenated to make margarine. This process creates harmful trans fatty acids.	Increase the use of unprocessed foods. The fewer industrially prepared food products used, the healthier the diet. Minimally processed fresh fruits, grains, legumes, vegetables, and nuts are preferable to any industrial product. Humans often attempt to improve nature when processing or refining foods, believing they have the necessary scientific knowledge. But these “improvements” often create more health problems, as in today’s developed countries. These two maxims of traditional natural medicine become more pertinent with every passing day: – “The whole is more effective than its parts.” An apple, a grain of wheat, or any other plant-based food, just as it comes from nature, possesses a harmonically balanced combination of vital substances. There is no excess, contrary to what once was thought of as fiber and other non-nutritive substances. Thus, nothing should be removed to “extract” or “purify” them. – “Science has not discovered everything” about the composition of foods. Consequently, the food industry should be more respectful of natural ingredients. Current scientific research is discovering the chemical composition and functions of many substances previously believed to be useless or disposable in foods, such as phytochemicals.

A strict Unforced Law

woman sitting at table with blender and fruits along with a blender and smoothie in a jar — Modern diet problems

The famous United States legislation, the Delaney Clause of 1958, established a zero-tolerance policy for potential carcinogenic additives. It prohibited the use of any additive that, in any amount, might produce cancer in humans or animals. Saccharine, for example, must be removed from the market in the United States because of this law. Today, the Delaney Clause is in the process of being revised.

If strictly applied as written, many more food additives would have to be removed with the attendant economic impact. The European Union does not involve such strict criteria. The financial benefit to the food industry of greater tolerance of additive use outweighs the potential harm to consumers.

a plate with a healthy meal on a table — Modern diet problems

The criterion usually applied in developed countries is the so-called GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe), which leads to the belief that some uncertainty remains regarding the safety of additives, particularly long-term.

Although, theoretically, there are many hurdles and controls to be passed before health authorities approve the use of any food additive, doubts remain regarding its potential long-term carcinogenic effects for two fundamental reasons:

Toxicology and carcinogenic studies are conducted using laboratory animals, usually rats. The results are not transferable to humans. The long-term cumulative effect of many additives is unknown. Some chemical substances take twenty years or longer to produce cancer. It is reasonable to believe that accumulating chemical additives in the human body over the years may have unexpected harmful effects.