REASONS
BEHIND DISEASES.
Many diseases are caused by an inadequate diet. We may eat too much
unhealthy food (especially sugar, white flour, and fatty food)
and too little food that contains important protective nutrients, such
as vitamins and minerals. It is very possible that we get enough
energy from food, but not get these important protective nutrients,
and this can lead to diseases. This is possible also in Western
countries.
People who
eat only vegetarian foods represent a special group. They usually
avoid many standard of living diseases (gallstones, cardiovascular
diseases, diabetes, constipation, cancer), but can suffer from
deficiency of certain nutrients, which can also lead to diseases.
For
example, tuberculosis has killed more people than any other infectious
disease; it is more commonly found among vegetarians. According to a
study of Asian emigrants living in South London, vegetarians had
tuberculosis eight times more often than those who ate either meat,
fish, or milk products daily; (Readers Digest: Terveyttä vai sairautta
ruoasta?, p. 417). The reason for this might be the deficiency of
vitamins B12 and D, which are important for our immune system, and
which can be obtained mainly from the products of the animal kingdom
(fish, meat, eggs, milk products). Some people may have a
deficiency of vitamin B2 (fish, meat, eggs, milk products, whole
meal grain), zinc (fish, meat, whole meal grain, nuts, peas,
beans, milk products), iron (meat, fish, eggs, peas, beans,
whole meal grain, dark green vegetables) and perhaps of other
protective nutrients. They all are important for our immune system and
are often difficult to obtain from mere vegetarian food.
If we take
a look at what is the most typical factor causing diseases nowadays,
it is surely eating too much resulting in overweight. In Western
countries, people are on average fatter than ever before, and this has
caused diseases. For example, cardiovascular diseases, gallstones,
constipation and intestinal problems, problems with joints and many
other problems can arise from too much eating, overweight, and
unhealthy eating. Especially the so-called junk food that contains
plenty of sugar, white flour, and animal fats and only a little fiber,
can be a reason for overweight and the deterioration of health:
One Third of Americans’ Meals Are Junk Food
Junk food
contains almost a third of the calories the Americans consume daily,
the researchers told on Tuesday. 25% of their diet consists of sweets,
desserts, lemonades, and alcoholic drinks. On top of this, 5% of their
food is salty snacks.
- We
already knew that people eat plenty of junk food, but the fact that
almost one third of the calories comes from it is shocking. No wonder
that obesity is an epidemic in this country, said professor Gladys
Block, the leader of the study from the university of Berkeley.
4,760
adults were interviewed for the study. The adults were asked to make a
note of all the food they had eaten during a day.
According
to the researchers, one alarming thing in this kind of a diet is also
that the junk food does not have any vital vitamins or trace elements.
(..) A
large number of Americans are undernourished as comes to vitamins. It
is possible to be both fat and undernourished as comes to nutrients,
Block said. (Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, 3 June 2004)
The
significance of our daily choices in controlling weight becomes
apparent in the next table (6 / 2003 Koulurauhaa, (“Peace at
School”) p. 25). It shows how our choices can save us from getting
unnecessary amounts of energy and fat. This is really important if we
are trying to lose some weight:
Old habit
|
New Habit
|
Energy saved
kcal/day |
Energy saved
Kg/year |
Danish pastry (80 g)
|
Little bun (50 g)
|
155 |
8 |
French potatoes (120 g)
|
Boiled potatoes (120 g)
|
185 |
10 |
Low-fat milk (6 dl)
|
Fat-free milk (6 dl)
|
80 |
4 |
Cream cheese (3 slices)
|
Light cheese 20 (3 slices)
|
50 |
3 |
Salami (4 slices / 30 g)
|
Smoked ham (4 slices / 30 g)
|
95 |
5 |
Butter or margarine (30 mg)
|
Soft margarine (30 g)
|
110 |
6 |
Beer or lemonade (0,33 l)
|
Water/mineral
water (0.33l) |
130 |
7 |
Bar of chocolate (35 g)
|
Apple /orange (150 g)
|
140 |
7 |
In
Coffee
(4
cup per day)
Coffee cream (0,5 l) |
Milk (0,5 l)
|
80 |
4 |
Sugar (2 pieces / cup)
|
Without sugar
|
80 |
4 |
