Milk in India is referred to as the elixir of life but many people are increasingly shifting to dairy-free and vegan diets.
Some of the most profound changes in our food supply have had a negative impact on our health. Here is a list of a few:
Modification of wheat
The alarming increase in gluten-related disorders and celiac disease in the last decade has led to much speculation on the causes, with the majority of the blame apportioned to the new cereal hybrids introduced into our diet. This implies that changes in the gluten containing cereals themselves have been the principal cause. Sophisticated hybridisation techniques have been used to produce new strains of modern wheat, which could be high-yielding, high-gluten, disease resistant or pest resistant. These have made their way into our food supply in the absence of human safety studies. It is believed that these newer varieties are highly immunogenic compared to earlier varieties. Their effects can be diverse ranging from mild nutritional deficiencies to disorders like digestive problems, migraines, acne, skin conditions, mental health to diseases like auto-immune, growth & cancers. Very often symptoms can be mild and eventually serious diseases can manifest later.
Milk
Milk in India is referred to as the elixir of life but many people are increasingly shifting to dairy-free and vegan diets. Increased demand for milk has led to cross breeding and the creation of genetic variants. There are two varieties of cows based on their genes: the high yielding ones that produce A1 milk protein and the other, which produce A2 milk protein. Studies suggest that milk from cows with A2 genes is far healthier than that of their A1 counterparts. Evidence linking A1 milk to ill-health is building. These include conditions like type -1 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (IHD), delayed psychomotor development among children, autism, schizophrenia, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) auto-immune diseases and intolerance. Those with digestive disorders like stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, and on long-term medication or antibiotic treatment, are at higher risk.
Refining of oils
In the aspiration for healthy eating, almost every urban household today has switched to refined vegetable oils. The first casualty has been traditional cooking fats like desi ghee and coconut oil. But abandoning traditional fat in favour of modern oils has also led to radical decline in health. If statistics are to be believed, heart disease, diabetes and cancer rates are growing exponentially. Refining of oils involves natural oilseeds being heated to a very high temperatures (often over 200°C) and oil is then extracted through a solvent extraction process. This high heat destroys most of the essential fatty acids (the reason why one needs fat), natural vitamins including Vitamin E and antioxidants. Even lecithin, a fat emulsifier present in oil, is sold separately to the food industry. The oil thus obtained, ripped off its antioxidants tends to become very unstable and prone to rancidity. Therefore, then it is further subjected to a process of hydrogenation to increase its shelf life. This process is seriously harmful as it causes formation of “trans fatty acids” which increase risk to coronary artery disease.
Refining of sugar: HFCS
Refined sugar has been associated with not only an increase in diabetes, heart disease and cancer but also digestive and immune function disorders. Refined sugar is cheap, has better shelf life and texture and is easy to use. This has not been without serious repercussions. Sugar’s role in metabolic diseases like diabetes is well known. But its impact is far greater. In excess, sugar can lead to coronary heart disease, obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), lowered immunity, impaired brain function and increased risk to cancer. Sugar, in fact has been found to be addictive in nature, using the same neurological pathways as narcotics to hit the pleasure centre of the brain. Worse still, a new combination of sugars (50% fructose and 50% glucose), also called high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), has found its way as a sweetener and significantly increases blood fat levels, which eventually can lead to fatty liver, pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
Pesticides, preservatives and undesirable processing
Increased intake of chemicals including chemical pesticides, preservatives, additives, stabilisers and solvents in our food have been associated with high risk of health problems including auto-immune diseases, neurological problems, reproductive and birth defects and cancers to name a few.
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