MODERN LIVING

Our bodies evolved over millions of years to eat small amounts of meat with larger amounts of fruit, nuts, seeds and roots. In the few thousand since man invented agriculture, domesticated animals and became industrialized, but especially in the last 50 to 100 years when man has drastically altered his diet and introduced thousands of chemical poisons into his food and environment, our bodies have not had time to evolve to cope with this new situation.

Even with improved hygiene and the ‘benefits’ of modern medicine we are sicker than mankind has ever been. Arthritis, heart disease, cancer, asthma, and many other degenerative diseases are on the increase.

At any one time there are millions of finely balanced chemical reactions going on in the body. It should not, therefore, be at all surprising that the introduction of foreign chemicals into our bodies, through our food and environment, will cause disruption to many of these reactions with far reaching consequences. We also need the full range of vitamins, enzymes, minerals and trace elements provided by ‘natural’ food for these chemical reactions to function correctly.

Natural food comes as a complete package. Natural uncooked food contains enzymes to help the digestion process and vitamins and minerals that take part in the reactions of the digestion process. (As well as providing the rest of the body with the nutrients it needs to function properly.)

Modern farming methods deplete the soil of it’s nutrients. Only certain one’s are replaced by fertilizer. But there are at least 70 trace minerals that the body needs to function, that are now not being provided by food grown in impoverished soil. It is no wonder that miraculous benefits are being reported by people taking trace mineral supplements.

Cooking kills enzymes. It also often leaches out most of the vitamins and minerals from the food, which are then thrown away in the cooking water. Over cooking or burning food produces chemicals that are harmful to the body, which it then has to detoxify and eliminate. This is on top of all the chemicals and additives we put into our food, our bodies and our environment that need to be eliminated.

Food that has been deliberately stripped of it’s vitamins and minerals such as sugar and white flour, has to draw vitamins and minerals from the rest of the body to help in it’s digestion process, pulling them from other body systems and bone. But what is being digested is empty of these nutrients, creating a downward spiral that deprives the body of essential nutrients for all body systems, including brain function which controls mental wellbeing and emotional control.

Only eating cooked food, devoid of it’s natural enzymes, means that the digestive system has to work overtime to provide all the required enzymes, and not, as nature and our evolution intended, just to supplement those provided by our food. How many people in the senior age group have problems with their digestion!

All bodily processes are controlled by enzymes, they are what make us alive, and we have a limited capacity to manufacture them, especially with our impoverished diet. This means that if our digestive system has to work overtime because of the type of food we eat, then other systems go short and malfunction, including the immune system which has to deal with invaders from outside the body and those within, such as cancer. (Supplementing with one or two enzyme tablets a day will help enormously if your diet is mainly cooked food.)

The stress in our modern lives also plays a part in our health. The adrenal glands which produce our ‘fight or flight’ hormones, which prepare our body for action and slow down other systems such as digestion, and which were very useful when a sabre toothed tiger was after us, are now kept permanently switched on by the level of unresolved stress we have to deal with in our modern lives.

The adrenal glands also play a part in our immune system. So when they are overworked dealing with stress, the immune system is under-supported and infections and cancer can get a hold. This is why it is so important to take time out to relax and de-stress and to nurture a positive and active enjoyment of life.

Considering all of the above our susceptibility to modern diseases is not surprising, but inevitable. Then we pump our bodies full of toxic drugs, which just burdens the body further.

The body is a wonder of evolution in all it’s intricacies. It has the ability to create and sustain life and health. It has natural healing mechanisms, which, if given the raw materials they need, and if not hampered or overwhelmed by external forces and toxins, will always work to recover and maintain health.

Give your body a chance. Give it good wholesome food, organic where possible, cut down on all refined and processed food, alcohol, smoking, drugs, food additives and sweeteners, and stimulants such as caffeine found in coffee, tea and colas. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables full of nutrients, preferably raw or lightly cooked or steamed.

If you are not convinced by these arguments try a week of healthy eating. No alcohol, plenty of plain bottled water, fruit or herb teas instead of tea and coffee (especially green tea), pure fruit juices instead of fizzy drinks, no processed or packaged food. Plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grain bread etc, nuts, seeds & legumes, white meat and fish. See how you feel at the end of the week. You may feel lousy for the first few days, due to the withdrawal of some foods and additives that act like addictive drugs, but after 5 days you may find you feel better than you have felt in your life, and it is a wonderful feeling.

Bear in mind that some people react in various ways to individual foods. Everybody is different and you may need to do some detective work to find what foods cause you problems before you can reach this state of physical and emotional wellbeing.

Obviously people suffering chronic problems will not be healed overnight, for some the damage may have been too extensive, but every little bit helps the body’s attempts to get better. Anyone taking prescription drugs should work with their doctor if they need to reduce their intake.

A parting thought. In this and many countries, because of legislation and the power of the drug companies, it is not allowable to advertise the benefit of vitamins and minerals for humans. Yet vitamins and minerals are now widely advertised for their beneficial effect on our pets. It’s amazing that the general public never put 2 and 2 together and realize that if they are good for animals they will be good for us too.