For the past 20 years, the American public has been bombarded with the
message: “Fat is bad!” As a result, our food supply is now inundated with “low
fat” foods, engineered foods and foods processed to remove natural fats. In
every instance, low fat foods are loaded with carbohydrates.
The result: Americans are suffering from a variety of endocrine problems
and degenerative diseases directly attributable to insulin resistance, excessive
intake of refined carbohydrates and a lack of proper fat in the diet.
Actually, this information is not new. It has simply been ignored by the
American food industry. In 1956 Thomas L. Cleave, Surgeon-Captain of the
Royal Navy and research director of the British Institute of Naval Medicine,
published a paper proposing that many chronic conditions were the result of a
“master disease” resulting from the rise in popularity of sugary foods. He
pointed out that it requires approximately 20 years “incubation” time for the
chronic diseases to manifest themselves. Interestingly, the sudden rise in
popularity of sugary foods just before the turn of the century coincided with
the emergence of heart disease and disorders of the digestive tract as major
killers after World War I. He cited other examples as well:
1. When Iceland’s diet became Westernized in the 1930s and sugar and
refined carbohydrate consumption rose significantly, diabetes became
commonplace in the 1950s.
2. In studies of Africans, he found that wherever rapid dietary change
introduced refined carbohydrates, heart disease and diabetes began to spread
approximately two decades later.
3. Finally, he pointed out that studies ranging from Kurds to Yemenites to
Zulus found that the refining and processing of foods appeared to bring a rise
in chronic disease in less than a quarter century. (The Kellogg Report, The
Impact of Nutrition, Environment and Lifestyle on the Health of Americans,
Joseph D. Beasley, MD., and Jerry J. Swift, M.A., 1989, p 331)
Closer to home, we have the example of the Eskimos. Subsisting on a diet of
almost pure protein and fat, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and dental caries
were unknown. With the Westernization of their diet, all of these health
problems became scourges in the Eskimo culture.
Another interesting and well-documented phenomenon is the increase in
heart disease with the introduction of:”refined” white flour and the dramatic
drop in deaths from heart disease as the American public began to buy and
consume vitamins.
Vitamin Sales and Deaths
Year Deaths per 100,000 Vitamin Sales per $Billions
1920
Dr. Richards is a Diplomate of the American Board of Chiropractic Internists, a certified herbalist, and a Fellow of the International Academy of Clinical Acupuncture. She was recently awarded the distinction of being invited to become a Fellow in the International College of Chiropractors. Dr. Richards has been in practice for over eighteen years, teaches professionals, lectures, and is currently working on several books. Her website is http:// http:// http://www.richardsfamilyhealth.com
Dr. Richards can be reached at Richards Family Health Center (626) 963-1678.
