REASONS BEHIND DISEASES
Many diseases have their
origins in a wrong 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 these important protective nutrients, and this can lead to
diseases. This is possible also in the Western countries.
On the other hand,
people who eat only vegetable food are their own special group. They
usually avoid many elite diseases (gallstones, cardiovascular
diseases, diabetes, constipation, cancer), but can suffer from the
deficiency of certain ingredients, which can also lead to diseases.
For example,
tuberculosis that has killed more people than of any other infectious
disease, is an illness which is more probable among vegetarians.
According to a study made among 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, for example, 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 are
all 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 the 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 also from 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 |
