The food industry, which is much larger than the tobacco industry, could not maintain its profits if the average American ate primarily whole, locally grown, minimally processed plant foods. Like medical drugs, food produces its highest profit margin when it is processed through many layers of technology. The result is a gigantic web of public-relations misinformation, fed through every branch of mainstream health care and always backed by sound science , about the role of food in human health and disease. Because of our globalized culture and modern food transport and storage, people have lost a feeling for what kind of food to eat that makes sense. The foods normally eaten historically by sedentary, temperate-climate populations such as whole grains, vegetables and legumes usually get skipped in our society.
People are too overworked to prepare regular meals at home from fresh, whole, unprocessed foods.
Most of today s available foods are processed, lifeless, embalmed, colored, zapped and chemicalized. Taste buds are over-stimulated and dulled, and discretion is lost. While animals in the wild are rejecting genetically altered plants from their smell alone, Americans eat large amounts of adulterated and fake food each day without a nod. A holistic approach to food looks at the underlying nature of the whole food, the balance between the different foods chosen, how the foods were grown and prepared, the health and vitality of the plant or animal, and its effect on the digestive system. In contrast, people in our society are taught to focus on isolated components such as beta carotene, zinc and protein, and on ensuring that they are getting enough of each component.