HEALTH | FOOD | LIFESTYLE | INDUSTRY | DIET
Fighting for Your Health: Whole vs. Processed Food
Which will you let win?
This story is about a conflict between whole foods that nourish and heal your body and sickening, processed ones: a battle in which you choose the winner.
Previously on COMPLETENESS (↓), I shared with you about a big mistake I made, an attack on my health. I also told you about a somewhat unusual experience: the day I discovered that Nina’s two didn’t smell bad. Finally, I commented on the power of bone broths, fruit raiders, and the cleanest newborn that Dr. Vera, a renowned Venezuelan obstetrician, saw in his life. Today, the topics will be less varied and, as I said, will revolve around the battle between natural and processed or “chemical” food.
Olive oil for gym-goers
In 1991 we moved to Curaçao. Yeah, an island suntanned (almost) all year round and bathed by a turquoise sea.
There I ran the local branch of Parmalat S.p.A., the multinational food corporation, from which I managed the sales to other islands in the Caribbean. The products we used to sell came from Italy and were very good in quality, presentation, and taste.
One day, I received a visit from a senior manager of Parmalat-Italy, who encouraged me to add an olive oil brand to the products and foods we sold. He told me that it was not a Parmalat brand but that he could grant me the representation of this excellent quality oil. I agreed to receive a container to test.
It was fabulous, with a good body and aroma, in presentations that ranged from 250 cm³ to five-liters tins. We sold this oil all around the island, like hotcakes.
I brought home a box of these tins (20 liters), not only for dressing salads and soups but also for cooking and frying. Wow! As you know, after trying them, some things can no longer be left, and to this day, our family only uses olive oil at home for all preparations. Of course, the exception is when another type of fat is explicitly required, such as sesame oil for some Chinese specialties.
The taste of good olive oil is unique: it enriches most Mediterranean-style dishes and enhances their flavor. The Internet is full of articles that talk about the benefits of EVOO¹ for health.
It was a shocking moment for me. I can’t say that the many years my mother used instant coffee every day made her sick, but I can’t say otherwise either.
In contrast, the “vegetable” oil that the food industry produces from seeds is toxic. The systems used for its production and processing seem to have come out of a Dracula movie. I highly recommend reading The Shocking Origin of Vegetable Oil — Garbage! (Link below) from Dr. Jason Fung. Another excellent Medium article on the subject is Maria Cross’s: Why vegetable cooking oils are as bad as sugar.
Olive oil has a history of service to humanity of more than 5,000 years. It was even part of the Greek lifestyle as it was almost of mandatory use in the gymnasium, that Hellenic institution dedicated to fitness:
“ ‘The use of olive oil is especially suitable and most necessary for the bodies of men and even more so for old [120] men.’ In fact, exercise and olive oil were so closely associated that gymnasium users formed themselves into associations under the rubric, hoi aleiphomenoi, ‘the anointed ones,’ and the middle voice of the verb aleiphein, ‘to anoint with oil,’ meant simply ‘to exercise in the gymnasium.’ ”²
Did instant coffee kill my mother?
In 2011 I took a plane to visit my mother, who was in poor health, already eighty-five years old. Medical tests and biopsies indicated that she had bladder cancer. At that age, she was a lucid woman who did not suffer from any other ailment. Unfortunately, there was no possibility of a cure for her illness, and the only thing left was resignation. I had asked the doctor who attended her about the disease’s cause, but he could not give me any precise answer.
Drinking coffee is part of the lifestyle of many people, as it was my mother’s. Being with her, I realized that her meals were still very healthy, except that she drank coffee two or three times a day: I mean, instant coffee. Once, when I was making one for her, I felt something strange inside me, and I asked myself: “What is instant coffee?” I spent some time reading and watching videos about the manufacturing process. It turns out that the end product is brewed coffee dehydrated by industrial processes.
Suddenly, I found something disturbing on Wikipedia: “Instant coffee has been associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer in women when compared to regular coffee.”³ The writer founded the claim on a study⁴ published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
It was a shocking moment for me. I can’t say that the many years my mother used instant coffee every day made her sick, but I can’t say otherwise either. For me, it was one more warning on my path to perfect health, against unnatural products. Did you know that by 2013 some 10,000 chemical substances were allowed to be used in food for human consumption?⁵ Are you aware that industrial companies can secretly decide on the safety of chemicals in our food without FDA’s review or the public’s knowledge under the GRAS⁶ designation?
As a result, companies have determined that an estimated 1,000 chemicals are generally recognized as safe and have used them without notifying the agency. The firms usually use their own employees, consultants, or experts whom they select and pay to make the safety decision with no disclosure or apparent efforts to minimize the inherent conflicts of interest.⁵
Our dining room table is a battlefield between whole, natural, organic foods versus processed “foods.” On one side is divine creation and on the other is science. Nature provides us with nutrition, disease prevention, and health. The food industry denatures our food, and then it must use additives to “fix” it:
- acidulants,
- acidity regulators,
- anticaking agents,
- antifoaming agents,
- antioxidants,
- bulking agents,
- food coloring,
- fortifying agents,
- color retention agents,
- emulsifiers,
- flavors,
- flavor enhancers,
- flour treatment agents,
- foaming agents,
- glazing agents,
- humectants,
- tracer gas,
- preservatives,
- stabilizers,
- sweeteners,
- thickeners,
and indirect packaging additives: in total, some 10,000 different chemicals. There are also some non-chemicals like air, bacteria, fungi, and yeast.
It is up to you who wins this battle, and I can tell you that if you do not eat healthily, it’s due more to habits and laziness than to lack of time. That’s why, in my previous story, I dared to say that enjoying good health and eating tasty foods can constitute a lifestyle. That’s because they are not things that oppose each other if we know the way. The one who benefits or pays the consequences of the decision you make in this battle will be yourself. From the age of forty onwards, sometimes before, you’ll feel the weight of that choice.
The R37 Broiler
The story of the R37 broiler can be an example of how artificial our food can be (or was it R47?)
I don’t remember well. In any case, it was a variety of chicken to which the movie This is America — Part 2 dedicates a segment. After 37 (or 47) generations of crosses between chicken varieties, the scientists obtained this strain characterized by its fast growth and abundant meat.
In the process, the scientists behind the project investigated the amount of daily light that the chicken needed to grow larger and the ideal temperature and humidity. The birds were placed in small cages within a relatively long, fully enclosed barn to control the mentioned parameters. Thus, they received the “ideal” amount and intensity of said factors.
The floor had a slight slope to prevent chickens from dying due to the ammonia produced by their feces. Some valves launched water jets under pressure so that the excrement, feathers, and food that fell to the floor could “run” toward the end of the barn.
The investigators in charge of the project discovered that the new chicken’s metabolism did not fully take advantage of the nutrients in the compound feed fed to it. They saw that part of those nutrients were still present in the feces. As a result, they designed a system to recycle the manure, recover those nutrients, and feed the chicken back with them.
The chickens received growth hormones, analgesic, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antibiotics in their feed. The latter served to reduce pain in their legs due to the lack of movement. They had to bear a much greater weight than typical in a normal chicken, which caused additional stress. Another issue with these birds was the “double breast” muscle, which bigger size moved forward their center of gravity, increasing the pressure on their hips and legs.
After slaughtering the chickens, it was frustrating to discover that the meat was extremely pale and tasteless. However, this reality did not daunt the scientists in charge of the project as they soon found a solution. When slaughtering the chickens, they received an injection with artificial chicken flavor and color while they were dying. The project was a success.
Adding salt to my life
I have not been able to find a documented article that I read once (if anyone knows about it, please send me the link). The report speculated that common table salt induces the loss of minerals and salts present in our bodies, making us chronically deficient in them.
Before reading that article, I was already aware that common table salt passes through industrial processes that strip it of around 80 essential minerals and trace.⁷ I also knew that said salt is 99.5% sodium chloride. Anticaking agents, moisture absorbents, sugar, and iodine comprise the remaining 0.5%.⁸ Even without giving much credit to the article in question, it encouraged me to make the change. I think that not refined Himalayan, Maras,⁹ or sea salts are more beneficial for our health and well-being than regular table salt, so, ten years ago, I stopped using regular (iodized) table salt, and I haven’t looked back.
A balanced and varied diet helps me to counteract the lack of iodine in the mentioned unrefined salts. A great source of this mineral is seaweed (yuyo) that I love to eat in ceviche, salads, or soups.
Here, eight healthy foods that are rich in iodine
My hardest battle, however, has been cutting an element out of my diet. I tried and failed several times until six months ago, when I was finally able to do it.
My battle with sugar (spoiler: I won it!)
According to Natural Society,¹⁰ in 1700, the average person consumed approximately 1.81 kg of sugar per year, 10.2 kg in 1800, and 40.8 kg in 1900. In 2009, 50% of Americans consumed 81.6 kg of sugar, representing about 6 tons throughout their lives.
For my part, I used brown sugar in the juices, coffees, or drinks that I used to drink at home. All my attempts to exclude it from my diet were unsuccessful until I decided to cut down on each serving by just a fifth and wait to get used to it.
The result was successful. Within a few days of lowering the amount of sugar (about a week), my sense of taste adjusted, and I no longer felt that the drinks were tasteless. I decided to continue reducing the amount of sugar I was consuming. Eventually, I reached a point where I only used half the sugar of my initial intake. Accomplished that goal, I decided to go further.
Frustrating failure. Again and again. The beverages were tasteless on each try, and this went on until I decided to be drastic and remove sugar entirely in one fell swoop.
Big success. Unlike my other minor triumphs in which my sense of taste adjusted and the drink felt good at the new sugar level, this time, it didn’t feel nice, but it wasn’t unpleasant either. For now, I think the drink is not bad, not tasteless. Perhaps in a while, I will come to feel that sugar-free drinks are tasty; I’ll have to wait.
I must clarify that this doesn’t mean that I never drink sugar: I do it from time to time. For example, I consume some sugar when I have a coffee in the company of a family member or friend or when doing a special culinary preparation. The good news is that I no longer need sugar in my life, and I can do without it most of the time.
So now you are asking yourself: “What should I do to feel better, more vital, healthier? How can I be confident that, if I ever get sick, it won’t be because of my bad eating habits, nor because of being careless about my health?”
I invite you to start your path to vibrant health. Open yourself to the experiences God provides you to take better care of your health and well-being. Eat the widest variety of foods you can, that is, consume as many different ones as possible. Refuse to eat processed foods full of chemicals that will make you sick. You’ll feel much better with a daily intake of salads and fruits.
The truth sets us free, so I invite you to research the subjects related to health and the factors that can affect it. Don’t believe the first thing you read, do your homework, read all the points of view, even if they are opposed to each other, and draw your conclusions: after all, what is at stake is your well-being and life.
The person who cooks in your home is one of the most important ones for you and your family. Pay them well if they are your employee, but they should love cooking and be willing to follow your guidelines. Meet with them once a month to discuss your dietary plans. If you or your partner are in charge of preparing the food at home, you already know the goal.
Put more avocado in your life.
Exercise your body in moderation.¹¹ Even the ancient Greeks advised this.¹²
Be aware of the amount of oil you eat with your food. Choose the healthiest one.
Awaken your love for natural soups made with chicken, meat, or fish broths. When you learn to value them, please don’t stop preparing them regularly.
Try not to mix animal protein with carbohydrates.
Is sugar your sweet enemy?
Adapt your diet to seasons: more soups in winter, more salads in summer. Try to eat seasonal fruits.
Is animal fat really bad for you? Do your research.
Don’t waste your bodily fluids.
Break free from traditions: breakfast doesn’t necessarily have to be pancakes and bread with eggs and bacon.
Decide that you will live a healthy life, even in your old age.
Smile more.
Here’s to your future!
— Víctor Tapia —
Thank you for reading this article. If you have any questions or concerns, leave a comment below, I promise to respond.
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COMPLETENESS is the publication that studies the factors that restrict your freedom and prevent you from reaching your financial, health, and wellness goals. It analyzes the alternatives at hand and formulates and discusses actionable strategies.
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Víctor Tapia is a writer who specializes in bitcoin, internationalization, and wellness issues. For his website’s web presence, he writes and edits both English and Spanish articles, guides, and courses. Similarly, he focuses on producing material for other parties and produces Medium stories on various themes related to his field.
Víctor worked for many years in the field of food and beverages, both for the hospitality and food industries. Before founding My CBS in 2002, he was the General Manager at Parmalat S.p.A., the multinational food corporation, at its subsidiary in Curaçao. One of his activities is service coaching in any area of commerce and industry, including food and beverages.
You can get in touch with him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, follow his posts on Medium, Mixturas (Spanish) and Completeness (English), or by visiting his website, My CBS.
¹ Extra Virgin Olive Oil
² Kennell, Nigel (2001). “MOST NECESSARY FOR THE BODIES OF MEN: OLIVE OIL AND ITS BY-PRODUCTS IN THE LATER GREEK GYMNASIUM”. In altum: Seventy-Five Years of Classical Studies in Newfoundland. p. 119. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
³ Instant Coffee. (2020, September 28). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_coffee#Carcinogenicity. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
⁴ Howe, G.R.; Bursh, J.D.; Miller, A.B.; Cook, G.M.; Esteve, J.; Morrison, B.; Gordon, G.; Chambers, L.W.; Fodor, G.; Winsor, G.M. (April 1980). “Tobacco Use, Occupation, Coffee, Various Nutrients, and Bladder Cancer2”. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. pp. 701–713. doi:10.1093/jnci/64.4.701. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
⁵ “Fixing the Oversight of Chemicals Added to Our Food: Findings and Recommendations of Pew’s Assessment of the U.S. Food Additives Program”. The Pew Charitable Trusts. November 7, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2020
⁶ Generally recognized as safe
⁷ Fliedner, Sapna (February 19, de 2014). “Why Your Table Salt is Killing Your Health”. Raising Sages — Interactive Pediatrics. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
⁸ Arora, Shilpa (October 15, 2017). “Why Sea Salt and Not Table Salt?”. NDTV Food. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
⁹ At present, iodine is added to Maras salt by government regulation.
¹⁰ Renter, Elizabeth (January 16, 2013). “Average Person Consumes 300% more Sugar Daily than ‘Recommended’”. Natural Society. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
¹¹ Dr. Maffetone, Phil (May 1, 2015). “Exercise in Moderation is a New Discovery! Really?”. MAF. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
¹² Albanidis, Evangelos (January 2013). “Exercise in moderation: Health perspectives of Hellenic antiquity”. Nikephoros. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
