Do We Really Have To Take Nutritional Supplements?
Our food today simply no longer has the essential nutrients we need to live from day to day. Even if one is eating organically grown foods, it is still not enough. About 150 years ago it was possible to obtain enough from our food, but unfortunately everything has changed. Back in 1998 a scientist compared the amount of vitamins, minerals and other overall nutrients in a 1950's tomato to ones grown in 1998. It was found that the 1950's tomato had 30 times as many vitamins,minerals and nutrients as a 1998 tomato. More recently a 2010 clinical study showed that our complete nutrient needs could only be met if an individual consumed 27,575 calories worth of food each day!
Maybe you are wondering how did this happen? The answer is simple. Our planet has had a large population explosion during the last 50+ years. This means there are many more people to feed. We have had a huge increase in industry. This means more factories, more cars, planes, use of fossil fuels, and generally using up the planet's natural resources. Along with this, many chemicals and other toxic substances have been deposited into the oceans, rivers, lakes, and the soil. These cause an overall washing away of the topsoil, and de-mineralizing of the soil. 150 years ago there was an average of 18 inches of topsoil. Today we typically see between 1-3 inches at the most.
But regardless if we know it or not, this is affecting us every day. As I have said many times, if we even just use our plain horse sense we can see it easily. Anyone can see that each new generation of people becomes less healthy. During the 1950's about 9.4% of the population was considered obese. Today the CDC estimates that 34.9% of adults are obese. The reasons for this are not only because our food lacks the nutrients, but people are eating more processed fast food. This food provides empty calories which leaves the person feeling deprived of the proper nutrients and wanting to eat more. Because we have an ever increasing population and the average person eats more food, this has pressured many farmers to use unnatural means such as pesticides, growth hormones for livestock, and even genetically modified plants to increase the yields and keep up with the needed supply. It is because of this that people have a tendency to overeat and the chemicals, hormones, and genetically modified ingredients in the food will cause people to experience poor eventual poor health.
But regardless if we know it or not, this is affecting us every day. As I have said many times, if we even just use our plain horse sense we can see it easily. Anyone can see that each new generation of people becomes less healthy. During the 1950's about 9.4% of the population was considered obese. Today the CDC estimates that 34.9% of adults are obese. The reasons for this are not only because our food lacks the nutrients, but people are eating more processed fast food. This food provides empty calories which leaves the person feeling deprived of the proper nutrients and wanting to eat more. Because we have an ever increasing population and the average person eats more food, this has pressured many farmers to use unnatural means such as pesticides, growth hormones for livestock, and even genetically modified plants to increase the yields and keep up with the needed supply. It is because of this that people have a tendency to overeat and the chemicals, hormones, and genetically modified ingredients in the food will cause people to experience poor eventual poor health.
So it is plain to see that there is quite a difference in just the last 50 years. The further we go back into time, the more healthier our food and overall physical health of our body. We also were more physically active previously than now as well. But if we look at the images above, it is pretty easy to see. Many people have been conditioned to believe that people are more healthy today than 100 years ago due to modern medicine. Nothing could be further from the truth. Medical science has conditioned Americans to believe that because the average life expectancy in the U.S. has increased, that this is a great reason to feel that we are living better and experiencing a life of greater health than people did in the past. The true reasons for the increased average life expectancy is mostly due to the improvement in infant mortality rates and fewer deaths from illnesses after the discovery of penicillin.
Today if we look at the overall health of our youth, we see many conditions in young people which simply did not occur up until the last 10-15 years. There have been teenagers today being diagnosed with high blood pressure and heart conditions serious enough that medical doctors place them on drugs. We occasionally hear of teenagers collapsing in athletic events experiencing heart attacks. This simply did not happen before. 20 years ago heart conditions occurred in most people later in life. This is supportive that each subsequent generation is becoming less and less healthy. In fact, most people have no idea today that 120 years ago people did not experience heart attacks as a cause of death. The first heart attack recorded on the medical books did not occur until 1912. Does anyone wonder why?
There are three culprits we can blame on the cause of much of our health concerns today that we never experienced before. The first is sugar, the second is hydrogenated oils, and the third is the lack of nutrients in our foods.
In 1900 the average person consumed 30 pounds of sugar each year. Gradually from 1900 to 1920 the amount of sugar consumed doubled to 60 pounds per year. The catalyst for this was during the years 1900-1920 Coca-Cola became available widespread to all people throughout the United States. Today the average person now consumes 165 pounds of sugar each year. This is 5.5x as much as people consumed 115 years ago. Sugar is not only found in obvious places such as sugared beverages, but also hidden in most processed foods.
The other major contribution to American's poor health today is in 1911 Crisco Oil was first developed and quickly used widespread in most homes. This was the first hydrogenated oil product produced of many to become prominent in American's diets. These chemically altered oils cannot be digested fully or removed from the body as easily as other natural oils. Today these oils are found throughout the American food supply in many of the processed foods.
Today if we look at the overall health of our youth, we see many conditions in young people which simply did not occur up until the last 10-15 years. There have been teenagers today being diagnosed with high blood pressure and heart conditions serious enough that medical doctors place them on drugs. We occasionally hear of teenagers collapsing in athletic events experiencing heart attacks. This simply did not happen before. 20 years ago heart conditions occurred in most people later in life. This is supportive that each subsequent generation is becoming less and less healthy. In fact, most people have no idea today that 120 years ago people did not experience heart attacks as a cause of death. The first heart attack recorded on the medical books did not occur until 1912. Does anyone wonder why?
There are three culprits we can blame on the cause of much of our health concerns today that we never experienced before. The first is sugar, the second is hydrogenated oils, and the third is the lack of nutrients in our foods.
In 1900 the average person consumed 30 pounds of sugar each year. Gradually from 1900 to 1920 the amount of sugar consumed doubled to 60 pounds per year. The catalyst for this was during the years 1900-1920 Coca-Cola became available widespread to all people throughout the United States. Today the average person now consumes 165 pounds of sugar each year. This is 5.5x as much as people consumed 115 years ago. Sugar is not only found in obvious places such as sugared beverages, but also hidden in most processed foods.
The other major contribution to American's poor health today is in 1911 Crisco Oil was first developed and quickly used widespread in most homes. This was the first hydrogenated oil product produced of many to become prominent in American's diets. These chemically altered oils cannot be digested fully or removed from the body as easily as other natural oils. Today these oils are found throughout the American food supply in many of the processed foods.
Dr. Westin Price, a dentist, about 85 years ago did a full investigation on the effects of refined sugar and other food on the human body. His initial study was to determine the relationship between the increased consumption of sugar and other newer Western processed foods and the health of the teeth. However, he soon learned that not only the teeth were affected, but the overall health of the body. He traveled to as many remote areas of the world as possible and determined that his findings were the same no matter which part of the world he visited.
His findings were that if the people of a community continued to eat the same whole and unadulterated foods that their ancestors had eaten, their bodies remained strong and healthy. If any of the people started moving away from their traditional healthy foods and began to eat "Western foods" which had been processed such as refined sugar and flour or any other processed foods, the body would start to deteriorate. Not only did he measure the obvious increase in dental caries or cavities in the teeth, but also noted degenerative diseases such as arthritis, and emotional and learning disorders. He even documented the changes in bone structure of the face and jaw within a few years as a result of people consuming a nutrient deficient processed diet. He took many photographs documenting all of his findings. It is amazing that he learned so much in just a few short years in his travels. Yet much of it has been virtually ignored or unknown by many Doctors for decade
His findings were that if the people of a community continued to eat the same whole and unadulterated foods that their ancestors had eaten, their bodies remained strong and healthy. If any of the people started moving away from their traditional healthy foods and began to eat "Western foods" which had been processed such as refined sugar and flour or any other processed foods, the body would start to deteriorate. Not only did he measure the obvious increase in dental caries or cavities in the teeth, but also noted degenerative diseases such as arthritis, and emotional and learning disorders. He even documented the changes in bone structure of the face and jaw within a few years as a result of people consuming a nutrient deficient processed diet. He took many photographs documenting all of his findings. It is amazing that he learned so much in just a few short years in his travels. Yet much of it has been virtually ignored or unknown by many Doctors for decade