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Junk Food (Fast Food)

Fast food can be defined as any food that

contributes little or no nutrient value to the

diet, but instead provides excess calories and

fat. Nowadays, there are millions of fast

food restaurants in the world that offers their

costumers plenty of different meals with a

special price. Fast food can be a good way to

save time ,but it is not the proper way for

nutrition. Researchers found that eating fast

food meals more than twice a week was

associated with double the risk of abnormal

glucose metabolism. Also, those products

cause a great gain in weight and may cause many heart diseases. Burgers, French-fries, soft drinks are just

a few examples of junk food.

Fast food refer to any poor nutrition food that is easily prepared. Fast food may includes chips, hot

pies ,pasties, sandwiches, burgers, croissants, kebabs, pizzas, chicken, soups, and salads. It also includes

drinks, for instance, milkshakes, and soft drinks.

Junk food is a slang word for foods with limited nutritional value. Every person has their own list of

foods that they call junk foods. I would include foods that are high in salt, sugar, fat or calories and low

nutrient content.

Salted snack foods, candy, gum, most sweet desserts, fried fast food and carbonated beverages are some

of the major junk foods. Generally, they offer little in terms of protein, vitamins or minerals and lots of

calories from sugar or fat. The term "empty calories" reflects the lack of nutrients.

Rather than taking a radical approach and banning all but the simplest foods, judge each food based on

the list of ingredients and Nutrition Facts label found on packages. When reading the list of ingredients,

look for sugar, fat or salt as one of the first three ingredients. If any of these are listed that high in the

ingredients, you can probably consider that food to be too high in sugar, fat or salt.

A look at the nutritional information on the label will list the number of calories per serving, grams of fat,

sodium, cholesterol, fiber and sugar content. This nutritional information will make you more

knowledgeable in selecting foods to reduce your nutritional health risk.

Calorie content of 300 calories per serving or less is considered to be all right, except whole meals unless

you are following a weight loss diet. Be cautious though as to how large a serving size is. If 4 ounces of

yogurt is a serving size and you eat an eight-ounce container, you have doubled the calorie content.

Sometimes, the package serving size is not how little you serve yourself!

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Now look at the number of grams of fat. For every five grams of fat in a serving of a food, you are eating

the equivalent of one teaspoon of fat. So, if one serving of a food has 23 grams of fat in it, that serving has

the equivalent of four and one-half teaspoons of fat. You should limit the fat content in foods you eat

daily to 30% of your total calories. Don't try to lower your fat content to below 25%, since fat does play a

vital role in carrying fat soluble vitamins and keeping you satisfied between meals.

Sodium content per serving should be 2300 milligrams or less per day. Some foods, like ham and other

cured meats do have very high sodium content per serving. Limit these foods rather than eliminate them.

Cholesterol content should be 300 milligrams or less per day. It is easy to remember that 300 is the same

as the number of calories per serving.

Fiber content will be listed in grams of dietary fiber. This amount will vary from product to product, but

don't necessarily shop for only the highest numbers you can find. Any amount of dietary fiber above two

grams per serving is good. Foods with five grams of fiber or more are considered high fiber foods.

Sugar content is usually listed on cold cereal packages. A rule of thumb to follow is four grams of sugar

equals one teaspoon of sugar. Limit sugars amounts in cereals to four grams, but if the cereal has fruit in

it, relax the sugar content to eight grams per serving. Fruits usually contain about 60% fructose and 40%

sucrose. If you were to eliminate all sugar, you would be eliminating fruits, which are a valuable source

of nutrients and soluble fiber.

It's the 21st century and "junk food" has gone global. For better or for worse (mostly worse),

junk food is now available all over the world. We see it most everywhere we go -- in grocery and

convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, on television -- usually looking very appealing. But

just what are the facts about junk food?

"Junk food" generally refers to foods that contribute lots of calories but little nutritional value. Of

course, what's considered "junk food" depends on whom you ask. Some might say pizza is junk

food, for example. But I personally don't think so, since it contributes real food with nutrients,

like cheese and tomato sauce. Add whole-wheat or part whole-wheat crust, plus veggies as a

topping, and I'd say pizza completely exits the junk food category.

One problem with junk foods is that they're low in satiation value -- that is, people don't tend to

feel as full when they eat them -- which can lead to overeating. Another problem is that junk

food tends to replace other, more nutritious foods. When people drink lots of soda, for example,

they are usually not getting plenty of low-fat dairy or other healthful beverages like green tea or

orange juice. When they're snacking on chips and cookies, they're usually not loading up on

fruits and vegetables.

Most "junk food" falls into the categories of either "snack food" or "fast food." And then there

are things like breakfast cereals. They seem innocent enough, but some of them could definitely

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be considered "junk food," as they mostly contain sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and white

flour or milled corn.

Calories From Snack Foods

Popular snack foods are usually commercially prepared and packaged, like chips, cheese puffs,

candy bars, snack cakes, and cookies.

The contribution of snack food to the calories we eat should not be underestimated. Between

1977 and 1996, the contribution of snack calories to total calories for American children between

2 and 5 years old increased by 30%, according to an article published in the Chilean medical

journal, Revista Medica de Chile.

Fast Food and Overeating

Of course, junk food is also readily available at restaurant chains across the country in the form

of French fries, chicken nuggets, shakes, soda, etc. Not only are most fast foods not terribly

healthy, one study indicates that there may be something about fast food that actually encourages

gorging.

In the study, from the Children's Hospital in Boston, teens age 13-17 were given three types of

fast-food meals (all including chicken nuggets, French fries, and cola). In one meal, the teens

were served a lot of food at once. In another, a lot of food was served at the same time, but in

smaller portions. And in the third test meal, a lot of food was served, but in smaller portions over

15-minute intervals.

The researchers found that it didn't seem to matter how much food was served -- the teens still

took in about half of their daily calorie needs in that one meal. The researchers suggested that

certain factors inherent to fast food might promote overeating:

It's low in fiber.

It's high in palatability (that is, it tastes good).

It offers a high number of calories in a small volume.

It's high in fat.

It's high in sugar in liquid form.

Junk food is a derisive slang term for food that is of little nutritional value and often high in fat,

sugar, salt, and calories.[1][2][3]

It is widely believed that the term was coined by Michael

Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in 1972.[4]

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Junk foods typically contain high levels of calories from sugar or fat with little protein, vitamins

or minerals. Foods commonly considered junk foods include salted snack foods, gum, candy,

sweet desserts, fried fast food, and sugary carbonated beverages. [5]

Many foods such as

hamburgers, pizza, and tacos can be considered either healthy or junk food depending on their

ingredients and preparation methods.[citation needed]

The more highly processed items usually falling

under the junk food category. [6]

What is and is not junk food can also depend on the person's

class and social status, with wealthier people tending to have a broader definition while lower-

income consumers may see fewer foods as junk food, especially certain ethnic foods.

Despite being labeled as "junk" consuming such foods usually does not pose any immediate

health concerns and is generally safe when integrated into a well balanced diet.

Fast Food Risks and complications

Submitted by suburamanina on April 28th, 2013 – Flag this news as inappropriate

Category: Food

Eating a fast food may be so tempting and attractive to eat and there are so many complications

while you eat junk food and i came to know that after eating it for long time,it causes more

diabetics and gas trouble and also the body flow and blood control gets changed and also the

regular metabolism is affected and also while going out for most of the parties ,eating it atleast

once a week can affect your lungs a kidney.I came to realise that one of my friend who suffered a

heart attack very recently had junk food for most part of the time ,and it was the sole cause for

risk in health and body functionalities.Even a good youngster 22 year old,got kidney affected and

also he got kidney transplanted at a early age.The pain which he went through was horrible and

more over the lack of sleep factor so called insomnia ,and also the blood pressure shoots up.Even

though it is so attractive,people fall for the smell,odour and also the flavors attached to it,like for

example even the items like noodles has some salty substance which is quite bad and after eating

it we face so many complications ,like affecting brain cells and glaucoma.

These effects can only be realised in the long run,in the early age ,they are not well known and

we tend to keep running for this kind of lifestyle,but fast food is a sillent killer and it can harm

your body like anything and even junk food like pani poori, and other chat varieties in the

roadside is super to eat but has so much of fatty substance to cause obese and i can see many

youngsters unable to even stand up in a young age and the water used for its preparation is

unhygienic and even the pollution factor is also quite bad to hear about.Considering all this ,i

have decided to put an big end to eating junk food forever.

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An emerging body of research suggests that sleep-related hunger and food cravings, which may

contribute to weight gain, are fueled in part by certain gut hormones involved in appetite. But our

brain, and not just our belly, may play a role as well.

According to two small studies presented today at a meeting of sleep researchers in Boston, sleep

deprivation appears to increase activity in areas of the brain that seek out pleasure—including

that provided by junk food. To make matters worse, sleepiness also may dampen activity in other

brain regions that usually serve as a brake on this type of craving.

In one of the studies, researchers at Columbia University used functional magnetic resonance

imaging (fMRI), which tracks blood flow in the brain, to compare brain activity in 25 volunteers

following a normal night’s sleep (about eight hours) and a night in which they were limited to

just four hours.

In each case, the researchers performed the scans while showing the volunteers images of

unhealthy foods interspersed with healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and oatmeal. Brain

networks associated with craving and reward were more active when the participants were sleep-

deprived than when they were well-rested—especially when the participants viewed the images

of unhealthy foods.

―The pleasure-seeking parts of the brain were stimulated after an individual was sleep-deprived,‖

says lead researcher Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D., a research associate at the university’s New

York Obesity Research Center. ―People went for foods like pepperoni pizza, cheeseburgers, and

cake.‖

St-Onge and other researchers working in this field suspect that tired people gravitate to high-

calorie foods because their bodies and brains are seeking an extra energy boost to help them get

through the day. ―We hypothesize that the restricted-sleep brain reacts to food stimuli as though

it [were] food deprived,‖ St-Onge says.

Previous studies have established a link between sleep deprivation and obesity, although it

remains unclear how sleep might affect weight gain (or vice versa). In an effort to unravel the

relationship, researchers have begun exploring how insufficient sleep influences hormones and

appetite. Several recent studies—including one led by St-Onge—have found that people who are

sleep deprived tend to snack more and consume more calories.

Hunger and cravings may not be the only factors, however. A second study presented today

suggests that so-called higher-order brain functions—those that help up us weigh pros and cons

and make complex choices, including about what we eat—may be compromised by a lack of

sleep.

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The History of Fast Food

Restaurants have been around in some form for most of human civilization. But they usually

catered to travelers. As far back as ancient Greece and Rome, inns and taverns generally served

food to people who had a reason to be away from home. This trend continued until relatively

recently. Although taverns and coffee houses were popular places to gather and share beverages

in the 17th century, the idea of eating out for fun didn't take off in Western society until the late

18th century.

Although McDonald's was the first restaurant to use the assembly-line system, some people think

of White Castle as the first fast-food chain. White Castle was founded in 1921 in Wichita,

Kansas. At the time, most people considered the burgers sold at fairs, circuses, lunch counters

and carts to be low-quality. Many people thought hamburger came from slaughterhouse scraps

and spoiled meat.

White Castle's founders decided to change the public's perception of hamburgers. They built

their restaurants so that customers could see the food being prepared. They painted the buildings

white and even chose a name that suggested cleanliness. White Castle was most popular in the

American East and Midwest, but its success helped give hamburger meat a better reputation

nationwide. So, like cars, White Castle played an important part in the development of fast food.

The McDonald brothers opened their redesigned restaurant in 1948, and several fast-food chains

that exist today opened soon after. Burger King and Taco Bell got their start in the 1950s, and

Wendy's opened in 1969. Some chains, like Carl's Jr., KFC and Jack in the Box, existed before

the Speedee Service System, but modified their cooking techniques after its debut. McDonald's,

which started it all, is now the world's largest fast-food chain.

According to the National Restaurant Association, American sales of fast food totaled $163.5

billion in 2005 [ref]. The industry is growing globally as well. Total sales for McDonald's grew

5.6 percent in 2005, and the company now has 30,000 franchised stores in more than 120

countries [ref and ref].

However, McDonald's - and fast food in general - does not always get a welcoming reception

around the world. McDonald's restaurants have been attacked in several countries, including the

United States, China, Belgium, Holland, India, Russia, Sweden and the U.K. Protestors have

accused McDonald's and other chains of selling unhealthy food, marketing aggressively to

children and undermining local values and culture.

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Health effects

A study by Paul Johnson and Paul Kenny at the Scripps Research Institute in 2008 suggested that

junk food consumption alters brain activity in a manner similar to addictive drugs like cocaine or

heroin.[9]

After many weeks with unlimited access to junk food, the pleasure centers of rat brains

became desensitized, requiring more food for pleasure. After the junk food was taken away and

replaced with a healthy diet, the rats starved for two weeks instead of eating nutritious fare.[10]

A

2007 British Journal of Nutrition study found that female rats who eat junk food during

pregnancy increased the likelihood of unhealthy eating habits in their offspring.[11]

A report published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental

Biology suggests that babies of mothers with a high-sugar and high-fat diet while pregnant are

more prone to junk food themselves. The study was conducted on rats and suggests that pups

"whose mothers eat excessive amounts of high-fat, high-sugar junk foods when pregnant or

breastfeeding are likely to have a greater preference for these foods later in life

Fish oil fats protect brain against damage caused by a junk food diet (NaturalNews) Medical nutrition scientists have written volumes that show how the nutrients from the

foods we eat daily alter our genetic structure as well as the metabolism of every one of the trillions of

cells in our body. Neurons in the brain are particularly susceptible to an accurately-delivered array of

nutrients and critical omega-3 fats to help maintain memory, spatial learning and cognitive function.

A number of past studies clearly demonstrate that eating one high-fat junk food meal from the typical fast

food restaurant measurably changes the expression of genes that help control the development and spread

of cancer, and the retention of critical short term memories as well. In fact, the excessive sugar content

and hydrogenated fats from junk foods are known to disrupt insulin levels in the brain and displace

essential omega-3 fats needed to construct and maintain cell structure and assist electrical and chemical

messaging.

A research team from the University of Liverpool's Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease has published

the result of a study in the British Journal of Nutrition that shows how fish oils could minimize the effects

that junk food have on the brain. Over the past decade, researchers have demonstrated that high-fat and

high-sugar diets could disrupt neurogenesis, a process that generates new nerve cells. Diets rich in omega-

3 fats help prevent these negative effects by stimulating an area of the brain that controls feeding, learning

and memory.

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Consuming fish or fish oil supplements supports normal hormone release

after a junk food meal

In the largest study to date, scientists accumulated data from 185 studies showing that omega-3

fats from the diet play a significant role in stalling refined sugars and saturated fats' ability to

inhibit the brain's control on the body's intake of food. The lead study author, Dr. Lucy

Pickavance commented "Body weight is influenced by many factors, and some of the most

important of these are the nutrients we consume. Excessive intake of certain macronutrients, the

refined sugars and saturated fats found in junk food, can lead to weight gain, disrupt metabolism

and even affect mental processing."

Researchers were able to determine that excess fats and sugars alter the secretion of critical

hormones after eating that normally protect neurons and stimulate their growth. These hormones

are prevented from passing into the brain by increased circulation of inflammatory molecules

and a type of fat called triglycerides. The team found that omega-3 fats restore normal function

by interfering with the production of these inflammatory molecules, suppressing triglycerides,

and returning nerve growth factors to normal.

Dr. Pickavance concluded that fish oils "take the brakes off the detrimental effects of some of the

processes triggered in the brain by high-fat diets. They seem to mimic the effects of calorie

restrictive diets and including more oily fish or fish oil supplements in our diets could certainly

be a positive step forward for those wanting to improve their general health." Eating fish several

times per week or daily supplementation (1,200 to 2,400 mg) with a quality fish oil product will

help neutralize the damaging effects of over consuming sugar and fat laden foods to preserve

brain health.

People who eat processed junk food are angry, irritable, say scientists

The things you eat have a direct effect on your state of mind, and even have the power to

drastically alter your behavioral patterns. These are the findings of a new study out of Oxford

University in the U.K., which revealed that processed junk food consumption can lead to

aggression, irritability, and even violent tendencies.

According to Dr. Drew Ramsey, who led the study, nutrient deficiency is a major cause of

behavioral abnormalities. Without the proper nutrients, he says, the body cannot produce the

appropriate chemicals and hormones required for clear thinking and healthy mood, which in turn

can lead to irrational and even dangerous behaviors.

To back up these claims, Dr. Ramsey decided to study how diet affects mood and behavior in a

group of prison inmates. According to CBS Boston, Dr. Ramsey gave certain vitamin

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supplements to some of the prison inmates, and compared their behaviors and thinking patterns

to those of prison inmates eating typical junk foods.

Upon analysis, it was determined that those inmates who took the vitamin supplements were far

less aggressive and angry than those eating primarily processed junk food. According to Dr.

Ramsey, the findings indicate that nutrient deficiency, which is becoming increasingly common

in the modern world, is directly correlated with erratic and violent behavior.

"Deficiencies in nutrients, magnesium or manganese, vitamin C, or some B vitamins may make a

person hyperactive towards a stressor, a short fuse so to speak," says Nicolette Pace, a

nutritionist, concerning excess consumption of empty carbohydrate junk food. "[Carbohydrates]

don't give your body what you need to cope with day-to-day stresses."

Several locals interviewed as part of a CBS Boston report on the study agree, having told the

news station that specific foods identifiably alter their moods and thoughts. One woman

explained that her diet noticeably affects her moods, with junk foods bringing out the worst in

her thoughts and perceptions of the world around her.

A similar study recently put out by researchers at Penn State came to similar conclusions, having

found that individuals already prone to moodiness are even more likely to be in a bad state of

mind if they eat junk food. According to that study, negative moods are amplified considerably

following junk food consumption.

"Cutting back on high-sugar foods such as chocolate, sweets and sugary drinks can help prevent

the mood swings," says Amanda Ursell, a nutritionist, as quoted by The Sun back in 2009.

"Replace them with foods that have a low glycemic index (GI). These foods are digested slowly,

preventing big changes in blood sugar levels that accompany high-sugar food."

Junk food is engineered to addict you to chemical ingredients

Regular readers of Natural News, as well as scores of others in the U.S. and around the world,

have long since known of the health dangers of junk food - foods that can most generally be

described as those which contain empty calories and excessive amounts of substances known to

cause harm to the body.

But why does junk food remain so popular? What makes tens of millions of people consume it

daily, even if they are well aware of its health and dietary pitfalls? Well, part of the reason is by

design - that is, the way such foods were designed to appeal to our senses. Think of the old Lay's

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potato chip commercials; "No one can eat just one." In many respects, that's what junk food

does: It is designed to create a sort of can't resist mindset, which is a) why junk food makers

have thrived, even in a culture of health; and b) why so many Americans (and increasingly,

citizens of other countries) are seeing epidemics of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other

medical conditions.

Digest that for a moment and consider the following examples, as laid out by Michael Moss,

author of Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us:

Ever wonder why so many people can't put down a bag of Cheetos? The answer to that is

simple - Cheetos were designed to be consumed by the bag/pound, not eaten slowly, over days, a

few at a time. In fact, some food scientists believe the Cheeto is a modern miracle, of sorts, in

terms of pure junk food. Writes Moss:

"This," Witherly [a food scientist] said, "is one of the most marvelously constructed foods on the

planet, in terms of pure pleasure." He ticked off a dozen attributes of the Cheetos that make the

brain say more. But the one he focused on most was the puff's uncanny ability to melt in the

mouth. "It's called vanishing caloric density," Witherly said. "If something melts down quickly,

your brain thinks that there's no calories in it...you can just keep eating it forever."

The "cheese that goes crunch" now comes in no fewer than 17 flavors.

Junk food makers have perfected a process known as subverting "sensory-specific satiety."

According to the author, this is a key food industry concept that can create a "tendency for big,

distinct flavors to overwhelm the brain, which responds by depressing your desire to have more."

He writes that the key to avoid that natural tendency is to create junk food recipes that

circumvent it:

Sensory-specific satiety also became a guiding principle for the processed-food industry. The

biggest hits - be they Coca-Cola or Doritos - owe their success to complex formulas that pique

the taste buds enough to be alluring but don't have a distinct, overriding single flavor that tells

the brain to stop eating.

The junk food industry, by the way, knows its products are harming our society. Sadly, but

not so surprisingly, the junk food industry has known (at least since 1999, says Moss) that it is

contributing to the declining health of society.

"Moss' piece opens with a secret meeting that year of the industry's top executives wherein

evidence of severe harm from the industry's aggressive marketing of junk food - and a

comparison to the tobacco industry - was laid out by concerned mid-level execs," Mother Jones

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reported. "The CEOs explicitly decided to ignore the evidence and reject a plea for reform, Moss

reports. Instead, they focused their companies on more of the same."

Like other industries, junk food makers have become good at pitching questionable

"solutions" to self-created problems. Consider this example. The industry fills most all of its

products with salt, but one of the industry's chief demographics, baby boomers, are aged now

and trying to cut back on excessive salt. Is that a problem? No - an opportunity. Rather than

genuinely lower salt content, per se, junk food makers are seeking to develop a "designer

sodium" which they hope will reduce salt in their products by as much as 40 percent. If that

occurs, baby boomers will reason that, hey, salt content is much lower so we can eat more junk

food and feel better about it.

Other deceptive concepts include:

-- Finding a product that sells, then finding the cheapest ingredients you can to make it profitable

(think Lunchables, which were developed in the 1980s and initially lost money until Philip

Morris, which invented them, began filling them mainly with iterations of corn and soy).

-- Your brain, surprisingly, reacts to sugar and cocaine in much the same way, so when you say

things like, "This [fill in chocolate bar name here] is like my candy crack!" that is closer to truth

than most people realize.

-- The breakfast drink Tang was not developed for the U.S. space program but was used by

NASA nonetheless because it was the perfect low-fiber drink (General Foods developers only

perfected the taste of Tang after removing all the vitamins and minerals normally found in real

orange juice).

A single junk food meal damages arteries leading to increased risk for heart

disease

The knowledge that junk foods such as bacon cheeseburgers, fries, shakes, donuts and chips are

detrimental to your health is no new revelation. These foods are packed with hydrogenated trans-fats,

refined carbohydrates and sugars that boost blood pressure, increase blood glucose and flood cells with

dysfunctional advanced glycation end products (AGE's) that lead to suboptimal cellular function, genetic

mutations and metabolic havoc.

Many people may be surprised to find out just how detrimental eating highly processed foods developed

in a factory are to overall health, even when consumed infrequently. A research team from the University

of Montreal in Canada has published the result of a study in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology that

shows how eating a single junk food meal composed mainly of saturated fat is detrimental to the health of

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the arteries. They also found that no damage occurs after consuming a Mediterranean meal rich in good

fats such as mono-and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

One junk food meal decreases vessel elasticity by nearly one-quarter to

increase heart attack risk Medical researchers have been studying the effects of different foods on the endothelium, the critical

inner lining of the arteries that regulates the elasticity of vessels and rushes oxygenated blood to the

cardiac muscle. Elevated, oxidized LDL cholesterol and triglycerides from a junk food diet causes the

endothelium to become unstable, and elevated blood pressure results in micro cracks that can accumulate

foamy plaque that burst leading to a heart attack.

Researchers developed a cohort of 28 healthy, non-smoking men who initially ate a Mediterranean-type

meal and were then fed a junk food-type meal one week later. At the outset of the study, each participant

underwent an ultrasound to determine endothelial function. The men first ate healthy foods including

salmon, almonds, and vegetables cooked in olive oil. They were then subjected to a junk food meal

including a sandwich made of a sausage, an egg, and a slice of cheese, and three hash browns. Each had

an ultrasound at two and four hour intervals after eating to determine endothelial function.

The study team found that after eating the junk food meal, the arteries of the study participants dilated 24

percent less than they did when in the fasting state. In contrast, the arteries were found to dilate normally

and maintain good blood flow after the Mediterranean-type meal. Study leader, Dr. Anil Nigam

concluded "These results will positively alter how we eat on a daily basis. Poor endothelial function is

one of the most significant precursors of atherosclerosis. It is now something to think about at every

meal." This study represents just one of many research bodies demonstrating that even small dietary

indiscretions have potentially lethal consequences and can dramatically increase heart disease risk.

Mystery man attacks junk food with machete, then flees

Now that government agencies are branding animal rights and ecological activists as "eco-

terrorists," what should anyone who attacks junk food with a machete be called - a foodie

terrorist?

The Yuma Sun of Yuma, AZ recently reported an episode of an unidentified man barging into a

gas station with a convenience store wielding a machete. He was wearing dark clothing and had

a dark bandana wrapped around his face to conceal his identity.

But he was described as somewhat short with a dark complexion and weighing around 160

pounds. His demeanor was menacing, but he attacked no one. Instead he started yelling "your

momma" (or yo' momma) and began slashing open junk food items on display.

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Then he quickly ran off and disappeared without demanding or taking money and merchandise.

There seems to be no trace of him or anyone that could be him. There aren't even any suspects.

The article in the Yuma Sun newspaper's online edition attracted mostly light-hearted comments,

such as: "He may have taken Michelle Obama's campaign against junk food too seriously," or

"He was obviously upset that Natures Express closed..."

Indeed, a decent low priced natural fast food restaurant had closed just prior to the incident.

Nature's Express was founded by practicing oncologist Dr. Carl Meyers in 2008. The Berkley,

CA Nature's Express still thrives with the expectation of a new menu. There should be more of

the same throughout the country.

Yuma is located in the extreme Southwest corner of Arizona, bordering Baja, Mexico, and

California. Maybe the mysterious junk food machete attacker was not a foodie terrorist, but

merely a Mexican drug cartel wannabe. Or maybe he was a loony vandalizing illegal immigrant.

Many border residents aren't buying the Federal government press releases that claim there

shouldn't be any concern of violence from the flood of illegal immigrants or Mexican drug

cartels.

There have been current episodes of unusual theft and vandalism not attributable to locals in

Southern Arizona ranches, and local law enforcement officials have been threatened by Mexican

drug cartels. But illegal aliens and Mexican drug cartel violence can't be blamed for Yuma's

inability to support their only healthy fast food restaurant.

Even with a population of around 95,000 and double that number county wide plus winter

resident and tourist population spikes, it appears that Yuma is no country for healthy fast food

restaurants. Attacking junk food won't change that.

Junk food junkies: dying for a fix

unk food is over-processed and too easy to digest. Junk food requires very little processing by the body

because it is mostly sugar, over-processed grains and empty fillers like hydrolyzed starches, cellulose and

maltodextrin. The digestive system is like any other system in the body, if you don't use it, you lose it.

Your gut becomes lazy.

The more junk food a junky eats, the more flaccid the digestive system becomes. The intestines are a long

tube of muscles that contract in a rhythm that pushes food from beginning to end. On a junk food diet

there is no significant fiber to exercise the intestines to keep them toned up and they become weak and

distended. Digestion slows down, constipation happens and parasites flourish. Pouches of diverticula push

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through the wall of the weakened intestines causing pain and infection.

To avoid flaccid gut tone one needs a decent amount of unprocessed fiber in the diet. Plenty of raw

veggies usually do the trick and help with gut tone maintenance. To restore the gut tone it takes extra

exercise in the form of supplemental fiber like psyllium husk or flax seed. The bowels push against the

bulk which scrubs the intestinal walls and strengthens the peristaltic movement of the muscles.

Abdominal crunches, like sit-ups can also help prolapsed and sagging organs to return to better function

and positions.

Complex digestive juices When a junk food junkie lives off of devitalized and nutrient deficient foods, the digestive tract doesn't

require complex enzymes to process the empty nutrition so it eventually quits making them. The body

doesn't forget how to make them, it just makes less and less of them. When the repentant junkie changes

the diet, the body can't make the required amounts of enzymes to glean the nutrients good food provides.

Even on a new pristine diet, the junkie is effectively starving for nutrients. Never satisfied, the junkie

turns back to the comfort of the easy food.

It can take years to destroy a digestive system and it takes many months of faithful diet and

supplementing to restore it. To recover a junk food gut takes time and intervention. Critical digestive

enzymes are needed to extract vital nutrients and supplemental enzymes are necessary until the system

can make it on its own again.

Metal amalgam teeth fillings exude mercury vapor which suppresses our immune systems and destroys

our digestive enzymes by upstaging the normal micronutrients that make enzymes work. Amalgams also

suppress the thyroid, which further slows down gut function. Heavy metals from our everyday cookware

destroy food nutrients and leach into our digestive system to further complicate our digestion (Teflon is

the worst and titanium cookware is the best).

Complex junk food chemicals Lots of chemicals are required to make unhealthy and devitalized food tasty. As the junk food junkie

devours processed foods and their digestive tract becomes lazy, the detoxifying processes in the liver and

kidney become overburdened with the plethora of indigestible chemicals being thrown at it. The

overburdened liver has to store the excess toxins in fat to keep up with the toxic burden. This is especially

true with high fructose corn syrup that is processed 100 percent by the liver. Fat cells contain up to 200

times the toxins than reside in the blood.

A conundrum arises when the dedicated junkie changes their ways. The liver is now free to tackle the

stored toxins and the reformed junkie feels worse than ever, especially as the fat begins to dissolve and

releases all the stored toxins at once. You can eat right, lose weight and feel worse than ever, but this lasts

a short while. Activated charcoal can help ease the toxic burden on the digestive tract during acute weight

loss but should only be taken short-term.

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The fix Restoration of digestive health is not an overnight fix. It is a lifestyle change and a commitment to your

body for life. It's not easy, but it's easier than a slow death by junk food and disease!

Reduce childhood obesity by replacing junk food with organic alternatives

According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the rate

of childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. Junk food is one of the culprits for the

obesity epidemic. Kids are exposed to junk food in many ways, from unhealthy parental role

models to marketing geared towards kids and teens that encourages them to make unhealthy food

choices. Kids are also offered poor food choices at school. A clean environment is the first step

in helping kids make healthier choices. School lunches and vending machines are loaded with

extra fat and calories. Replacing these junk foods with organic alternatives gives kids better

options.

The problem with fast food items and junk food is they lack nutritional value, while also

delivering a high dose of fat, calories, sugar, salt and carbs. These foods are robbing kids of

essential vitamins and minerals. Eating excessive amounts of these foods leads to obesity and

malnutrition.

Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010 that lets the government set new

guidelines for nutrition standards in schools. This bill involves totally revamping the current

school lunch program. Healthy organic alternatives are to replace french fries, pizza, fried

chicken, nachos and corndogs.

School cafeterias are only part of the problem though. 74% of middle schools and 98% of high

schools have vending machines and snack bars that offer endless choices of junk food. Its

important to give kids healthy options. Some healthy alternatives to junk food include: organic

yogurt, gluten-free snacks, nuts, whole grain crackers and whole fruits.

Junk food and processed foods are cheap and easy to serve. That has made them easy choices for

school lunches until now. Cost has always been a factor in providing a healthier school lunch.

The higher cost of school lunches will be offset by an increase in government funding provided

by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Federal funds are to increase 6 cents per school lunch

thanks to this bill. It is expected to cover the higher cost of whole foods and may include the use

of healthy vending machines.

Replacing junk food with organic alternatives will ensure that kids get at least one nutritious

meal per day. Trimming calories and fat from school lunches alone won't cure childhood obesity.

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Healthy choices need to be made at home as well, but removing junk food from school lunches

and vending machines is a good start.

Junk food as addictive as street drugs

Scientists are increasingly becoming convinced that junk food can be just as physically addictive

as street drugs like heroin.

Researchers at Rockefeller University have found that foods high in fat and sugar cause the brain

to release many of the same pleasure chemicals that produce drug addiction, including cortisol,

dopamine, galanin and serotonin. Over time, regular consumption of junk food can create

imbalances in these chemicals, leading us to eat more and more in order to restore normal levels.

"They cause us to have more cravings," said Rosa Lopez, of the New York Department of

Health. "There are physiological changes."

A recent study by researchers from the Scripps Research Institute confirmed this long-term effect

by feeding rats either a healthy diet, a healthy diet plus limited amounts of junk food, or a

healthy diet plus unlimited amounts of junk food. While rats in the first two groups remained

healthy, rats in the third group binged on junk food and quickly became obese.

"You lose control. It's the hallmark of addiction," researcher Paul Kenny said.

When researchers then directly stimulated the pleasure centers in the rats' brains, they found that

the obese rats needed more stimulation than the other rats to achieve the same effect. This

suggests that their junk food diet had actually dulled their brain's pleasure centers, creating

dependency.

"This is the most complete evidence to date that suggests obesity and drug addiction have

common neuro-biological foundations," researcher Paul Johnson said.

Because ending a junk food addiction may be as difficult as quitting smoking, Lopez

recommends tackling just one bad habit at first. Cutting out soda can be a good place to start.

"In some ways, you may have to view junk foods the way alcoholics anonymous views alcohol:

one bite is too many, and a thousand is not enough," writes Jack Challem in his book The Food-

Mood Solution.

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Eating junk food during pregnancy raises newborn's risk of diabetes, obesity

Eating junk food during pregnancy may raise the chance of having obese children who are more

susceptible to diabetes, according to a Royal Veterinary College, London study.

Researchers at RVC fed female rats doughnuts, muffins, chocolate, potato chips, cheese, cookies

and candy during pregnancy, and noted that the offspring of these rats were fatter, had more

muscle waste, and showed signs of insulin resistance -- a precursor to type 2 diabetes -- when

compared to control groups.

"In Western society, the proportion of obese children is increasing," said researcher professor

Neil Stickland. "Childhood obesity is associated with a range of disorders, including heart

disease, arthritis and the increasingly earlier onset of type 2 diabetes, which have important

consequences on an individual's quality of life."

Stickland added that, while efforts to improve food in schools are positive steps, it is also

important to educate mothers on the consequences of indulging in sugary and fatty foods during

pregnancy. "Eating large quantities of junk food when pregnant and breastfeeding could be

causing irreversible damage to their unborn children and could send their offspring on the road to

obesity and early onset of diabetes," he said.

The study was published in The Journal of Physiology, and now Stickland and colleague Dr.

Stephanie Bayol are studying the long-term effects of poor diet during pregnancy on offspring,

as well as the possible effects on promoting hyperactive behavior.

"Eating junk food during pregnancy is extremely harmful to a developing fetus," said Mike

Adams, author of "Grocery Warning" and proponent of prenatal nutrition. "To optimize the

health of the child, all food adulterations and additives must be avoided, including hydrogenated

oils, refined sugars, chemical sweeteners and preservatives. Failure to avoid these ingredients

will greatly increase the child's future risk of diabetes, heart disease, learning disabilities, cancer

and even schizophrenia."

Junk food makes you unhappy

Eating poor food can put you in a low mood, new research has suggested.

Scientists have found a link between consuming harmful trans-fats and an increased risk of

depression.

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But olive oil and healthier polyunsaturated fats appear to have the opposite effect, helping to

keep people cheerful.

The research may provide a clue to why southern Europeans tend to be less depressed than

northerners, say the researchers.

Mediterranean diets are rich in healthy ingredients such as fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, as

well as olive oil.

People in the UK and other northern European countries, on the other hand, are more likely to

consume foods laden with saturated and trans-fats.

Trans-fats are modified vegetable fats used to improve shelf-life and often found in fast foods,

pastries, cakes and biscuits.

They are strongly linked to raised levels of "bad" cholesterol and heart disease.

The new research was carried out by Spanish scientists who studied more than 12,000 university

graduate volunteers over six years, recording details of their diets, lifestyles and illnesses.

The effects of junk food to health

1. Dishes were contaminated; Although the use of raw materials of vegetables, eat fast food tend to

use vegetables contaminated with pesticides. Most dishes are also fried in oil. Of course fried

foods reduces mineral and vitamin content. So think twice before eating a dish of fried foods

from the store or restaurant. Fried foods will only attack your body’s ability to fight disease, thus

weakening immune to the disease in the long run. So, if you are health conscious then fried food

is not good for consumption.

2. High sugar content; Refined sugar widely used fast food restaurants as a spice flavor. Sugar, bad

for health. Certain nutrients that are important for our bodies get absorbed and reduced with

refined sugar. Refined sugar lowers your immune system and make us susceptible to disease.

3. Contains hydrogenated fats; The restaurant usually using hydrogenated fats for frying food.

Hydrogenated fats are commonly used for frying food because it is cheap. When the fat is heated

to a high temperature for some time, he had a conversion chemical and a carcinogenic. This

means that you are actually eating unhealthy and carcinogenic when eating food fried.

4. Rich in saturated fat; Junk food a lot of fried and high in saturated fat. Eating fried food is bound

to increase the risk of heart disease and can lead to stroke. You can also suffer from obesity.

5. Extra calories; Most fast food is high in calories. Usually treated with additional chemicals. To

increase the shelf life of food, fast food often injected with chemical additives that can lower

nutritional quality.

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6. Artificial sweeteners; Artificial sweeteners can cause serious health problems because they can

stimulate brain cells. As such, they are classified as a neurotoxin by the researchers. Avoid adding

artificial sweetener in your coffee, or even in cooking.

Junk food more tempting for anyone, including children. Savory flavor and aroma that invites

more interesting than the healthy foods that tend to no aroma and taste more bland.

Most fast food is high in calories. Usually treated with additional chemicals. To increase the

shelf life of food, fast food seringpula injected with chemical additives that can lower nutritional

quality.

Fast food nutrition should make up a minimal part of a healthy diet. Fast foods and junk foods

are high in fat, sodium and sugar, which can lead to obesity and a range of attendant health

problems, including diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Here are the facts about how excessive

junk food consumption affects your body.

Junk Food Affects Your Energy Levels

Junk food doesn't contain the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. As a result, you may feel

chronically fatigued and lack the energy you need to complete daily tasks. The high levels of

sugar in junk food puts your metabolism under stress; when you eat refined sugar, your pancreas

secretes high amounts of insulin to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels.

Because fast food and junk food don't contain adequate amounts of protein and good

carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels will drop suddenly after eating, leaving you feeling

grumpy, fatigued and craving sugar.

Junk Food Contributes to Poor Performance and Obesity

Junk food contains large amounts of fat, and as fat accumulates in your body, you'll gain weight

and could become obese. The more weight you gain, the more you'll be at risk for serious

chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. You could even have a heart attack.

The high levels of fat and sodium in junk food can cause high blood pressure or hypertension.

Excessive dietary sodium can also have a negative effect on renal function, even leading to

kidney disease.

In the short term, high levels of dietary fat lead to poor cognitive performance. You'll feel tired

and have trouble concentrating because your body might not be getting enough oxygen.

Junk Food Can Damage Your Liver and Your Heart

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The high levels of fat and sodium in junk food and fast food can contribute to heart disease by

raising blood cholesterol levels and contributing to arterial plaque build up. The high levels of

trans fatty acids found in many junk foods and fast foods can lead to fatty liver deposits, which,

over time, can cause liver dysfunction and disease.

Junk Food Can Lead to Diabetes

Over time, the high levels of sugar and simple carbohydrates in junk food can lead to type 2

diabetes. This occurs because eating too much sugar puts your metabolism under stress; when

you eat a lot of refined white sugar and simple carbohydrates, your body has to pump up insulin

production to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels.

Because junk food doesn't contain the protein or complex carbohydrates that your body needs to

maintain consistent blood sugar levels, your blood sugar levels will drop suddenly soon after

eating. You'll crave sugar and likely end up eating more junk food.

Over time, this stress damages your body's ability to use the insulin secreted by your pancrease.

A healthy diet can help maintain your body's insulin sensitivity.

Even in the short term, eating too much junk food can make you feel really uncomfortable. It can

lead to mood swings and constipation, and lower your energy levels so that you lack interest in

the exercise you need to burn off those extra calories.

Everyone should think twice before deciding to eat fast food. There are many health risks when

it comes to eating food that’s made within a matter of seconds. The food is not properly taken

care of, which leads all the way back to where the food is originally produced. Even if it is easy

to buy and cheap, the health risks outweigh the five minutes of satisfaction that fast food brings.

One should carefully think before they eat fast food.

The health risks that come from eating so much fast food are life-threatening. Obesity can come

from eating fast food that’s bought often. Fast food is made from a lot of high saturated fats and

calories if it isn’t work off, then you can grow to become obese. ―Even a small quantity of fast

food contains high calories. People are fooled by the quantity and they tend to eat more. Thus,

without knowing, they consume a lot of calories‖ (How). This is a prime example on how people

can consume so many calories, and without even knowing. Obesity isn’t the only risk, because

heart disease is also a prime factor. ―What you eat can affect your heart’s health and your

chances of developing life-threatening heart disease‖ (Robin). When you eat all of the fats,

sugars, and salts, your heart can grow weak and it will endanger you. There is no safe risk for

your body when it comes to eating fast food.

Food-borne illnesses can come from out fast food. What most people don’t know is the

conditions the animals are living in before they’re killed. Cows are being hung upside, pigs and

chickens are cramped in enclosed spaces. ―Inside the facility, the animals are beaten once more

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to be herded into place. In one case, a man is seen punching, kicking and kneeing a pig, then

striking it with a steel stunning tong at least 20 times, as the animal screams‖ (Gutierrez). What

can come from those living conditions? Different bacteria that enters our food. ―A recent study

has revealed that a full 48% of soda fountains at fast food restaurants contain coliform bacteria –

which grows in feces. 11% containted E. Coli, too‖ (Merchant). It’s extremely sickening to see

that even our soft drinks are now infected by food-borne illnesses that usually derive from meat.

However, fast food is one of the easiest and cheapest ways of eating. It saves a lot of time and

money, especially for people who are coming home from work. ―As illustrated by the success of

fast food, being more convenient than the alternative will almost always give you a significant

advantage in the marketplace‖ (Myers). It’s obvious that there is no quicker or better way to

satisfy your rumbling stomach. But then again, what exactly is the price to pay once you’ve had

your fill, and now you have new illnesses from eating at fast food restaurants? ―In the United

States, food-borne diseases have been estimated to cause 6 million to 81 million illnesses and up

to 9,000 deaths each year‖ (Mead). Anyone one of these numbers can be from someone’s family.

Most of this bacteria is found in the food you eat from your local fast food joint. Eating at one of

these places can cost thousands of dollars in hospital bills, all because of a diseased burger.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fast Foods

Currently most of the people prefer fast foods and foods cooked in microwave oven instead of

preparing and cooking homemade foods that takes longer. The trend of having food quickly has

advantages and disadvantages either.

In my opinion, the only benefit of eating fast foods and foods cooked in microwave oven is to

provide to save time. There are many people who live in rush and have loads to do. In this case,

it’s hard to find time to cook a meal. Therefore fast foods and foods cooked in microwave oven

emerge as a solution for those people. But there are many drawbacks of fast foods that outweigh

this advantage. Since fast food restaurants became widespread, people do not eat balanced and

nutritious. That causes serious health problems later. Especially for children, to eat balanced,

healthy and nutritious is essential for proper growth. To eat so much fast food in childhood might

cause permanent growth disorders that might affect on children’s psychology as well. Rates of

obesity increases inevitably just as proliferation of eating fast foods. Obesity is not just to be

overweight. It results significant health problems. In some countries, obesity rates are so high

that the governments of those countries must take measures instantly to prevent this increase.

Also the belief that microwave ovens trigger cancer is a noteworthy one, and one that i believe

in. There is the same thought about fast foods too.

HISTORY

Food and nutrition. In concept it seems straightforward enough. Food is what we eat to obtain the

nourishment and thus the energy to keep us going from day to day. Yet food has undergone

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radical changes over the past hundred years, especially in the industrialized West. People who

lived at the turn of the 20th century wouldn’t recognize today’s grocery stores, and they certainly

wouldn’t recognize much of what fills grocery store shelves as nourishment.

It all began with a push toward greater convenience in an increasingly mechanized world.

Electricity and then electronics brought with them an endless stream of new gadgets for the

home, each promising to make life easier in some way. Many of these time- and labor-saving

devices were destined for the kitchen. Factories, too, were retooled to streamline the manufacture

of everything, including food. But a growing segment of today’s population is concerned about

healthy eating and about the place of heavily processed foods in their diet. Should convenience

be the ruler by which we measure food and nutrition?Some convenience foods actually predate

the 20th century, among them canned soups, fruits and vegetables; gelatin dessert mixes; ketchup

and other prepared condiments; pancake mixes; ready-to-eat breakfast cereals; sweetened

condensed milk. After the First World War, these and more found their way into the kitchens of

eager young housewives, with manufacturers often promoting their innovative products via free

recipe books.

There’s no denying that flavor, texture and nutrients suffered, but people began to rely on these

conveniences, and their tastes simply changed to accommodate. It was, after all, an era of

scientific progress.

By 1937, as another world war threatened, the timing was perfect for the arrival of a processed,

canned meat product called Spam. Currently celebrating its 75th anniversary, Spam was all but

guaranteed to make a name for itself when the U.S. government included it in war rations to be

shipped overseas to Allied troops. It was economical, had a long shelf life, needed no

refrigeration, and was ready to eat straight from the can.

The processed meat product won a place in pantries back home as well, and for all the same

reasons. During wartime, women joined the workforce in unprecedented numbers to fill in for all

the men-turned-soldiers. This left less time to cook, and many of the newly employed were ready

for quick, cheap, modern and convenient time-savers at the end of the day.

After the war, women (whether or not they were still employed outside the home) were encouraged to

embrace the frozen, dehydrated, canned and boxed foods that promised to save time in the progressive

modern era and allow more time for new leisure options—for example, watching television. Of course,

food manufacturers capitalized on the new medium, contracting with celebrities such as George Burns

and Gracie Allen to promote an ever-growing number of new products on live television shows as well as

on radio and in popular magazines; if Gracie liked Spam or evaporated milk, it had to be good!Inevitably

people began combining various convenience foods: a package of noodles, a can or two each of

condensed mushroom soup, tuna and peas, some crumbled potato chips on top, and voilà—the tuna

casserole was born. And for the ultimate side dish, a baked mixture of canned green beans, condensed

mushroom soup and dehydrated fried onions. What could be simpler?

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Throughout the 20th century, the food industry worked to provide not only convenience but also

ostensibly wholesome substitutes for natural foods, including butter. In fact, margarine has been around

since the late 19th century, but for many years it was white by law. Eventually, however, it came with

added artificial flavor and a capsule of yellow artificial food coloring (to be kneaded in after purchase) so

it would taste and look more like the real thing. At first countries including Canada, Australia and France,

as well as some American states—notably Wisconsin, the Dairy State—outlawed colored margarine to

protect their butter trade. As unappealing as hydrogenated oil with a side of chemical yellow color sounds

today, ―modern‖ housewives trekked across state lines to procure the factory-made substitute and bring it

back to their kitchens.

Eventually ―millions of American palates adjusted to artificial flavors and then welcomed them; and

consumers started to let the food industry make a great many decisions on matters of taste that people in

the past had always made for themselves,‖ writes Laura Shapiro in Something From the Oven:

Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America.Advertising companies and the growing convenience-food industry

made sure that eating the modern way became the fashionable way. Real, fresh food in its natural form no

longer seemed desirable. With the advent of frozen products in addition to canned, foods were widely and

consistently available year-round. There was no need to rely on seasonal or regional crops, and prices

remained fairly stable from winter through autumn. In keeping with this revolutionary new approach, a

fish dinner— which might once have consisted of fresh, delicate lake perch with a butter sauce and in-

season vegetables—now meant reheated frozen fish sticks with instant mashed potatoes, canned peas and

Jell-O salad.

With the modernization of food came the modernization of agriculture to keep up with the

demand. Organic, mixed-crop family farms slowly gave ground to large commercial

monoculture operations that depended on chemical fertilizers and pesticides—operations that

science and academia dubbed ―agribusiness‖ and promoted as the future of food.

Commercial food manufacturers helped ensure the success of the new paradigm through the

education system, providing instructional material for home economics teachers to pass on to

students. In Something From the Oven, Shapiro cites a 1955 article that sang the praises of

convenience foods in the classroom. ―These mixes eliminate much of the tedious, uninteresting

part of the work for the students,‖ she quotes; ―mixes are in keeping with our speed era.‖

By the 1960s, cooking with food in its raw, natural state was little more than a quaint novelty and

was in fact becoming a lost art. But then Julia Child learned how to cook and went on to help

many American women rediscover the joys of cooking. The writings of Adelle Davis and others

began to infiltrate the consciousness of a new generation, and ―health food‖ became the latest

buzzword. Healthy eating gained more traction after Rachel Carson sounded the alarm about

what pesticides were doing to our environment and to us (see ―Rachel Carson: A Voice That

Broke the Silence‖).

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But for the majority, convenience remained the hallmark of modern food and nutrition.

Throughout the remainder of the 20th century, convenience foods continued to gain in

popularity, and ―fast food‖—the ultimate convenience food— joined the revolution. Fast-food

chains reached from coast to coast and then around the world, from Boston to Bahrain. The mass

of consumers had by now largely lost the connection between food and nutrition, and few

thought much about ingesting foods to keep themselves healthy.

After several generations of variations on this theme, however, we are seeing the effects of

eating foods that are so far removed from their original state. Not only are many diseases linked

to poor diet—from certain cancers to diabetes to heart disease—but obesity affects an

unprecedented segment of the Western population. The ideas planted by Childs, Davis, Carson

and others are finally taking root and spreading. Although grocery-store shelves attest to the

ongoing public demand for the quick and easy, Slow Food and related movements are growing,

along with an awareness of the deliciousness and healthfulness of seasonal, local, sustainable

fresh food (see ―Time to Eat‖). With the help of time and information, tastes are changing

worldwide once again as consumers little by little rediscover the flavors, textures and nutrition of

real food and healthy meals.

We’ve seen many culinary changes since early-20th-century cookbook author Fannie Farmer

declared with infectious optimism, ―I certainly feel that the time is not far distant when a

knowledge of the principles of diet will be an essential part of one’s education. Then mankind

will eat to live, will be able to do better mental and physical work, and disease will be less

frequent.‖

Perhaps the takeaway lesson in all of this is that we shouldn’t rely on agribusiness or the food

industry to lead us to better health. Understanding the connections between food and nutrition—

the complex relationship between how we produce what we eat and its effect on our personal and

environmental health—is an individual responsibility. In the long run, a return to more natural

foods can’t help but have a positive effect on health and productivity.


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