For the Lord thy God will bring you into a good land — a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey” (Deut. 7:7–8).
God’s bountiful blessing of food was not a promise just for the children of Israel but for all of His creation.
Both the Old and New Testaments are rich with references to the grains, cereals, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits and vegetables native to the Near and Middle East.
From the dawn of history and for millennia, civilizations depended on gathering and eventually the cultivation of plant food.
Recent scientific research has given the medical community the body of knowledge it needed to prove what our mothers said was true — you need to eat your vegetables and fruits.
Advancement in analysis of foods has allowed us to see beyond the value of traditional vitamins and minerals that were discovered in the last century to understand the literally thousands of food compounds now known as phytochemicals.
Phytochemicals work as antioxidants in our bodies just as the vitamins C, E, beta carotene and the mineral selenium. Antioxidants reduce our risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants and phytochemicals are found most abundantly in whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes.
The most important principle about health benefits from these foods, however, is that whole foods contain the most.
All of these compounds, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and even those yet unknown to science act synergistically as we consume whole foods on a daily basis.
Isolated nutrient supplements give health benefits to those with specific conditions, but in general, the consumption of whole natural foods the way God provided them in His wisdom gives us the most benefit.
Whole fresh foods in addition to foods preserved by drying, salting, smoking, fermenting and curdling had been eaten throughout history in their natural state until really about 150 years ago. The industrial revolution brought with it the ability to preserve food for food safety but also for convenience and mass production.
The mass production of processed and convenience foods has changed not only how we eat, but what we eat. Locally grown produce has been replaced with every food imaginable at our fingertips — both in and out of season.
We may be able to eat peaches in February, but the nutritional value and taste of the natural whole food has been compromised by early harvest and storage.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t eat produce from California or Florida that is out of season here, but the taste and nutritional value of locally grown produce will usually be superior.
The more refined or processed a food is, the longer the ingredient list on the food label. Since we can’t turn back the clock, we will always be eating and cooking with processed food products.
However, we can consciously choose whole natural foods and processed foods with the smallest ingredient list on the label. Food labels must include a list of ingredients in descending order by weight. Look for a whole food listed first.
Also beware of saturated fats and sugars near the beginning of the list.
These include: hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats, coconut or palm kernel oil, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, maltose, dextrose, hydrolyzed starch, invert sugar or molasses.
Artificial food additives are another issue related to refined and processed foods. Chemicals are added to processed foods to improve shelf life and storage time, flavor, nutritional value, attractiveness and to make food more convenient and easy to prepare.
Again, the more ingredients listed on the food label, the more additives that are probably in that food product.
Common sense should tell us that the more artificial ingredients we consume the more health risks we are taking.
Various food additives have been implicated in increasing the risks of allergies, asthma, behavioral changes, immune function and cancer — to name a few. If this is a risk for adults, it is an even greater risk for children. Because of their small size, amounts of chemicals that would not be harmful to adults could accumulate much quicker in children.
We simply do not know what effect decades of consuming food additives and chemicals will have on our children.
Additives to avoid include: artificial colors and flavors, artificial sweeteners and fats, nitrites and nitrates, sulfites, preservatives (BHA, BHT, EDTA, etc.). Remember — if you can’t pronounce it, it is probably artificial!
So, should we avoid all processed foods and food additives? Of course not. There would be no way. However, choosing whole natural foods for most meals and as a way of life gives the flexibility to also use processed foods in moderation.
The first step is to become aware of what you and your family are currently eating. Read food labels. Make whole foods reign.
For more information on this topic, the following resources are available.
–“Whole Food Facts” by Evelyn Roehl
–“The Whole Foods Market Cookbook: A Guide to Natural Foods with 350 Recipes” by Steve Petusevsky
–“Foods That Fight Disease (Phytonutrients)” by Laurie Mozian
–www.wholefoods.com
–www.eatright.org.
Editor’s Note — Pat Hart Terry is chairman of the department of nutrition and dietetics at Samford University in Birmingham and a registered dietician.
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