During the Second World War in the UK, the Ministry of Food believed good nutrition was a prerequisite for good health. Expectant mothers were provided with orange juice and cod-liver oil, along with a daily pint of milk to secure the health of the next generation.
This food and nutrition policy resulted in a rapid fall in the incidence of heart disease and other chronic illnesses, despite the severe stress of war.
After Fifty Years
So where did it all go so wrong? The latest statistics show that more than half of all school-aged children in Great Britain will be obese by 2020. Apart from the enormous psychological burden obesity has on a child, today’s overweight child faces an increased risk of premature death from heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Who Do We Blame?
It’s easy to blame the child, the parent, the schools, the grandparents … try blaming the changes in our lifestyle and in our eating habits.
THE major cause for obesity and epidemic disease today is the change in agriculture practices and the increase in processed foods.
More Quantity, Less Quality
After WWII, the food, nutrition and health policy in the UK and in the United States was sacrificed for the mass-production of food for profit, with the emphasis on cheap, plentiful, and convenient foods.
The result was more quantity but less quality. When the
nutrient quality of food becomes diluted and replaced with salt and “taste” chemicals (like MSG, high fructose corn syrup, and aspartame), the typical body response is to eat more.
An Explosion of Mental Illness
The rise in obesity as a result of over-eating has led to the popularity of low-fat diets, but the low-fat message is flawed. Long chain Omega-3 fats are critical to the growth of the brain, for the immune system, your blood vessels, and internal organs such as the kidneys, lungs and intestines.
The decline of healthy nutrients in our diet is contributing to heart disease and other degenerative conditions, as well as an explosion of mental health problems.
Omega-3
The main source of Omega-3 fats is from oily fish, cold-water fish, and non-GMO fish. Omega-3 can also be from organic meat from animals grazing on grass. Over the past two decades, however, the saturated fat content of both beef and chicken has risen more then 4-fold, while essential Omega-3 levels have declined 4-fold.
Today, many of the animals that we eat are, by design, clinically obese, hormone enriched, depressed and deficient in essential fats. Don’t be surprised that our children will suffer a similar fate as a result of what they eat everyday.
We are what we eat.
