Have you noticed how certain foods become popular as “magic
bullets”? Two that come to mind are olive oil and soy, which are
considered “health foods” by many people.
Some studies have pointed out that certain populations of the world
enjoyed better health and longevity. The conclusions reached by such
studies seem to apply to those who are/were less affluent and who do/did
not have access to the “foods” of more affluent western nations.
Generations seemed to thrive on a diet readily available in their areas,
as well as more physical activity.
Instead of analyzing which detrimental foods are not readily
available to these populations, the lack of which may be the reason for
their good health, oftentimes attention is centered on a “magic bullet”
product. For example: soy was often touted as the reason for superior
health in Asian countries when actually the restricted consumption of
animal products and processed foods, due to their lack of easy
accessibility, was probably the reason.
The answer to good health is not simply adding soy products to a
western diet full of disease-promoting animal products and highly
processed foods, but in avoiding animal-derived and highly processed
foods in the first place. There has been a dramatic increase in cancer,
heart disease, and other degenerative diseases of affluence in Japanese
who consume a western diet full of flesh and dairy products.
The “Mediterranean Diet” appears to have given rise to the popularity
of olive oil. Yet in those Mediterranean areas where beef and dairy have
become popular and the populace has become more sedentary (as they watch
more TV) diseases of affluence are skyrocketing. Obviously, adding olive
oil to a flesh and dairy laden, junk food diet will not benefit. It was
the available food that generations thrived on that kept these people
healthy, not one “magic bullet” component – olive oil.
Copying the eating habits of more affluent nations has promoted a
plethora of diseases in populations once looked upon as examples of good
health. These countries are paying a steep price for the perceived
glamour and status symbols afforded by sought-after, health-destroying
fast foods and other animal-derived products.
Here’s an afterthought: Isn’t it interesting how products from
physically and emotionally tortured animals have a deleterious effect on
the humans who consume them? It is almost as though the animals are
being avenged for their suffering.
