encourage us to feed our children a diet that promotes premature growth and
rapid maturity. Nutritionists have suggested humans need to consume highprotein
animal foods such as eggs, meat, and fowl because these foods have
been noted to promote more rapid growth in rats and other rodents. This is a
tremendous error, as now we have learned that growth acceleration promotes
aging.
Over the years researchers noted that the rodents that matured and grew the
quickest died the earliest. This Nvas tested again and again with all animal
species: the faster an animal grows and matures, the younger it dies.
This is now an established fact in humans as well; for example, early puberty increases
our risk of certain cancers, especially breast and prostate cancer.
It was also noted that if we restrict the calories an animal can eat, by
underfeeding it or periodically fasting it, we can significantly prolong its life. In
fact, periodically fasting animals can double their natural life span.
Utilizing the traditional four food groups as a guide, modern society consumes
a diet with a severe excess of fat, cholesterol, and protein, and that is also
significantly deficient in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Almost any menu that
uses these outdated guidelines would have us consume between 30 and 45
percent of calories from fat. This is more than double the amount consumed in
countries that do not have the high rates of heart attack and cancer that we see
in our country today. Our fiber intake hovers around 10 to 20 grams per day,
less than a fourth of what it should be.
The modern way of eating sets the stage for our bodies to function at low
efficiency, stressing our internal organ systems, leading to chronic disease.
Though all chronic diseases may have genetic factors contributing to their
expression, without the stresses of modern living and modern dietary practices,
these inherited differences, the weak links in our genetic codes, need never
express themselves in chronic disease.
Chronic diseases, more prevalent in modern times, are on the rise not merely
because people are eating an animal-based diet, but also because the grain
products we consume are highly refined and processed to make them nearly
devoid of fiber. In addition, modern societies consume a large amount of added
sweeteners, simple sugars, and refined vegetable fats or oils. These foods rob
us of our nutritional reserves and add further toxic stress to the body.
Rather than eat unprocessed foods as nature intended, most of us consume
large quantities of processed foods that are high in fat, salt, sugar, and
chemical additives and that are deficient in fiber and essential nutrients. Instead
of providing a diet predominating in fresh fruits and vegetables, which supply
the proper nutrients for normal development, most parents allow their children
to consume large quantities of ―empty-calorie― foods. These deficient foods
include bottled fruit juice and other sweet drinks that are high in sugar and
deficient in essential nutrients. Incredible as it may seem, the top three sources
of calories in most American diets today are milk, cola, and margarine, with the
combination of fat and refined sugar occupying 65 percent of caloric intake.
It amazes me that the human body can even survive this onslaught of abuse
that begins at such a young age. Is it any wonder that almost from birth many
children are frequently sick with one infection after another? Then they get
older, develop hay fever, allergies, or asthma, and are increasingly prey to
autoimmune illnesses and cancer. Is it surprising that we have a nation of the
walking sick? Unfortunately, few comprehend the correlation between diet and a
multitude of common diseases such as acne, hyperactivity, anxiety, headaches,
and PMS.
Obesity in children is also rising at an alarming rate. The May 1987 issue of
the American Journal of Diseases of Children reported a 54 percent increase in
obesity in 6- to 11-year-olds since 1960.
The 1992 Bogalusa Heart Study discovered atherosclerotic lesions, the early
signs of clogging of the arteries, in most children, teenagers, and young adults.
Autopsies were conducted on over 60 percent of all children who died, mostly
by accidental deaths. They confirmed that this disease process begins very
early in life, setting the stage for a premature death later on.
It astounds me that parents in our society allow their children to consume the
foods they do — sugary cereals, fast food, pizza, white bread, and other emptycalorie
foods, never wondering why their children are chronically ill, allergic,
asthmatic, or have recurrent ear infections. High-calorie malnutrition takes its
toll, flooding doctors' offices with sick patients of every description.
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