We have to be responsible for our own health and rely on vigilant avoidance of the underlying causes of disease. We need to adopt scientifically supported superior nutrition and rid ourselves of the idea that doctors and pharmaceutical companies are our saviors, capable of enabling us to live long and productive lives.
Western Diets and Western Diseases
Today, the American diet takes over 60% of its calories from processed foods. Processed foods are generally mixed with additives, coloring agents, and preservatives to extend shelf life, and they're placed in plastic bags and cardboard boxes. Americans consume less than 10% of their calories from unrefined plant foods such as fruits, beans, seeds, and vegetables. Even worse, half the vegetable consumption is from white potato products, including fries and chips. Many phytochemicals in freshly harvested plant foods are lost or destroyed by modern processing techniques, including cooking. Since neither processed foods nor animal products contain a significant load of antioxidant nutrients or any phytochemicals, the western diet is dramatically disease-promoting[2].
As processed foods and fast foods expanded into the underdeveloped world, we saw rural areas starting to develop higher rates of cancer and obesity. The study by CDC in 2006 also shows that recent immigrants to the United States are far healthier than their US-born counterparts. The reason? The diets and lifestyles in the US are far less healthy than those in many other countries. The result today is a nation with exploding numbers of people with immune system disorders, allergies, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers.
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