WHY is America so sick?

Research and editorial by Mary Thomas

Prior to the industrial revolution, America was relatively free of such modern chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, MS, lupus, fibromyalgia, ADD and hyperactivity, allergies, osteoporosis, Alzeimers, epilepsy, infertility, and digestive disorders such as GERD, ulcers, Chrohn's disease, diverticulitus, and IBS. Never has America been so health conscious, yet America has never been sicker.  We spend over $800 billion yearly for medical services, and what do we have to show for it, other than very wealthy pharmaceutical giants?  Something is very wrong, even though many Americans are trying hard to follow the "orthodox" dietary advice of lowfat, low sodium, no cholesterol (and don't forget that health club membership!). Let's take a look at some facts, taken directly from the USDA website:

U. S. per capita consumption

2000

1910

Fresh Eggs...................... Butter............................ Lard............................... Fluid milk and cream........ *Milk, consumed where produced. Red Meat........................ *Soybeans - see below Salad and vegetable oil...... Margarine....................... Chicken.......................... *Shortening..................... *Caloric sweeteners......... *High fructose corn syrup *Soft drinks.................... Total animal fat................ Total vegetable fat............ Total fat..........................

Fresh Eggs...................... Butter............................ Lard............................... Fluid milk and cream........ *Milk, consumed where produced. Red Meat........................ *Soybeans - see below Salad and vegetable oil...... Margarine....................... Chicken.......................... *Shortening..................... *Caloric sweeteners......... *High fructose corn syrup *Soft drinks.................... Total animal fat................ Total vegetable fat............ Total fat..........................

306 18.5 lbs 8.2 lbs 289.10 lbs 161.4 lbs 125.9 lbs 1.5 lbs 1.6 lbs 16 lbs 0 lbs 112.9 lbs 0.0 lbs 10 gallons 22.9 lbs 10.7 lbs 33.7 lbs

180 4.5 lbs 1.9 lbs 206.7 lbs 0.6 lbs 120.5 lbs 33.7 lbs 8.3 lbs 81 lbs 23.1 lbs 146.10 lbs 62.8 lbs 47 gallons 11.8 lbs 62.6 lbs 74.5 lbs

*Milk consumed where produced - purchased either on the farm or in a store supplied by local farmers.  Milk was still largely unpasteurized in 1910.  Chicago had passed the first compulsory pasteurization law in 1908.  Homogenization began in 1919. *Crisco invented in 1911.  Per capita consumption in 1912 was 8.3 lbs. *Caloric sweeteners: Earliest statistic available is for 1966. *High fructose corn syrup:  Earliest statistic available is for 1966. *Soft drinks: Earliest statistic available is for 1947.

*Information on soybean consumption was not as easy to find.  Soybean oil was discovered in 1904 by American chemist (yes, CHEMIST) G.W. Carver.  Farming of soybeans didn't take off until the 1940s in America.  It was at that point that tropical oils became scarce due to World War II.  The American Soybean Association was incorporated in 1948 (see www.soygrowers.com), and they worked hard (and still do) to ensure that soybeans would become a major cash cow (they have - for the processors).  To change people's perception of it, soy has been AGRESSIVELY marketed as a health food - just walk down ANY AISLE at a health food store and see it in its many forms.  Don't you remember making fun of those nasty soybean burgers back in jr. high? Use logic here - read labels!  It was my daughter's allergy to soy that caused me to begin to do some research.  Soy is contained in most of the processed foods you find on your grocer's shelves.  How do we even begin to guess at a per capita consumption?  Only nine percent of all soybean production ends up as food - the rest ends up used in such industrial products as paint, adhesives, rubber, diesel fuel, and fungicides, to name a very few.  Yuck!  We are eating this stuff!  In 1996, US production of soybeans was 64.83 MILLION metric tons.  In food, soy masquerades as many things; for example:  textured vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, MSG, mono-diglyceride, "natural flavor," xanthan gum, "flavor enhancers," lecithin, vegetable broth, vegetable starch, protein extender, guar gum, and bulking agent.  Watch this to change in 2006, when the new Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection act goes into effect.  Thankfully, food manufacturers will be required to clearly state whether a product has soy (in addition other common allergens).  For way more information, see Dr. Kaayla T. Daniels' new book, "The Whole Soy Story."

Friends, this is huge!  Look at the consumption of artificial vegetable fats - margarine and shortening!  Look at the highly processed, refined vegetable oils!  Look at the chicken!  All that "heart healthy" stuff!  Again, logic: look at the numbers above, and ask yourself, "Is it working?"  Our animal fat consumption is half what it was, but our vegetable fat consumption is SIX TIMES higher than in 1910.  According to the logic of the "dietary experts," we SHOULD be the most heart-healthy nation on earth!  So, are we?  Let's look:

Chronic Heart Disease 1900:  Responsible for about 8 percent of the deaths in the US 1950:  Responsible for 30 percent of deaths in the US Today:  The number one killer, responsible for 45 percent of deaths in the US

Folks, I am almost out of room on this page and want to mention cancer (number two killer behind CHD).  More logic - look at labels and see just how many chemicals you are eating.  Additives, preservatives, artificial colors, not to mention white refined sugar, which feeds cancer.  For more information, visit the following website and do a search for things like "sugar" and "cancer."

www.mercola.com