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The Dangers Of Refined Foods

Category: The Good Food Guide

Article by Neville Mandy

It is a well‑known and tragic fact that in the formulation of the great majority of today’s processed foods, the primary considerations of the manufacturer are taste, mouth‑feel, appearance, shelf life and profit. Sadly, the all-important considerations, these being the nutritional value of the product, and the effect that the product will have upon the health of the consumer, are not always given the attention that they deserve.

This sad oversight has resulted in the proliferation of very attractive, very tasty, very long-lasting food products that have as their main ingredients, refined sugar, highly refined grains, and highly refined, hydrogenated fats. Whatever else is included will usually amount to little more than a wonderful combination of chemicals that are used to preserve the product, to enhance the flavour, to improve the colour, and/or to modify the texture.

If such foods were used only on rare occasions, the situation would not be as serious as it is, but the sad fact is that the majority of families are now using such foods as their primary source of nourishment – with devastating results. As the remainder of this article should convincingly prove to you, this is one major reason why so many people complain of a lack of energy, why so many are constipated, and why so many are plagued by ever-recurring illnesses.

The figure below is a diagrammatic representation of a cross-section of a grain of wheat. It shows the many elements of this life-giving, energy-giving grain. Notice carefully that most of the nutritive elements, as well as the bran and the fibre, are situated in the outer layers of the grain.

What is most tragic, however, is that when wheat, or any other grain, is refined, the outer layers of the grain are removed – along with most of the nutritive elements that are so essential to the maintenance of life. This leaves a refined end-product that is, at best, hopelessly deficient in nutritional value and sadly lacking in essential fibre.

In the refining process, the germ of the wheat is also removed. The following is a list of the many vital elements that are found in this little power-house of natural goodness. These include: vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, inositol, folic acid, folinic acid, biotin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, para amino benzoic acid, pantothenic acid, alpha‑lipoic acid, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, and zinc.

Dr Albert Zehr has the following to say about this lamentable process – a process that, believe it or not, lies at the very heart of so-called “food science.”

`Take beautiful whole grain and strip it off the fiber which the body needs for proper bowel function. Then, rob it of the life-giving germ and the endosperm which contain vitamins, minerals and protein. Next, apply chlorine dioxide gas to bleach what remains. Now that it looks beautifully white, is insect proof (because insects cannot survive on it, and possibly because insects are wiser than humans), and has an indefinite shelf-life, sell it to every baker in the land and let them bake lifeless bread to form the main staple of the nation’s diet. Oh, by the way, since the flour has been robbed of its wealth and natural riches, add a trace of synthetic vitamins and call it “enriched.” In case you are not yet convinced, here is one more point to consider: white flour is more effective as a wallpaper paste than as a food. Do your health a favor – eat only whole grains, and choose a variety [of grains] instead of wheat alone.’ (Dr. Albert Zehr, Healthy Steps, pp.7-8)

Obviously, therefore, when we use refined foods, as in the case of refined white flour products, sugar and hydrogenated fats (which are the main ingredients in most processed junk foods), we are using food that has been deprived of much that is essential to the body’s energy needs and to the maintenance of life and good health.

According to one report, . . .

`When whole wheat is refined into white flour, 83% of the nutrients are discarded.’ (Light Bearer’s, The Viper’s Cup, p4)

The following statements prove just how damaging refined foods really are:

‘During World War II Denmark stopped refining flour, an action which was not accompanied by any other marked changes in living habits. Later it was found that the death rate had dropped and that there had been a marked decline in cancer, heart disease, diabetes, kidney trouble, and high blood pressure.’ (Carl C. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., M.D., Mental & Elemental Nutrients, p.72)

`Over the last 40 years Dr Wilfred Scutte of Canada has shown that Vitamin E was almost entirely removed in the [extraction of the] wheat germ [in the process of refining flour] and that the lack of this vitamin is a major cause of heart disease. Most of the minerals, contained in the whole wheat, were also removed in the offal [bran, pollard and wheat germ], and some very recent research has shown that the lack of certain minerals causes arthritis. The removal of the bran, or roughage, has been blamed for much of the constipation that afflicts so many of us today. All in all white flour is a dangerous substance. Laboratory animals cannot live for more than a few weeks on white bread, yet most of us like eating this denatured and impoverished food.’ (Rex Newnham, Odyssey, Dec/Jan 1983/4, p.14)

The table below reflects the incidence of certain diseases in Western nations as compared to developing nations. You will notice that in developing nations, where the basic diet is still natural and unrefined, the scourges of the West have hardly made any inroads. The evidence is clear that while the refining of food has been a boon to industry, it has not been of any physical benefit to the unsuspecting man in the street.

We certainly cannot deny that the process of refining has distinct advantages for both the manufacturer and the retailer in that, once refined, the product will have a longer shelf life but, as far as the consumer is concerned, he now has to make use of a food that is seriously lacking in vitamins, minerals, trace elements, bran, fibre, and natural oils – and he will surely suffer as a result.

Refined foods now make up the bulk of our Western diet, with white flour (bread, pasta, cakes etcetera), white sugar, white rice, hydrogenated oil and common margarine (which is also high in hydrogenated fats) being the main culprits. Is it any wonder, therefore, that our immune systems can no longer counteract infection? Is it any wonder that so many people suffer from nutritional deficiencies? Is it any wonder that so many people complain of a lack of energy?

In this light, we will appreciate that food refining is good for the food business – for people will have to eat far more in a desperate attempt to satisfy their appetites, but it is also good for the vitamin business. There certainly is no mystery as to why so many people are desperately turning to nutritional supplements. Yet, surely, is it not more beneficial, wiser, and far more economical, first to do all in our power to obtain our nutrition from organic, unrefined foods rather than rely solely on expensive, inorganic and/or synthetic tablets and/or tonics?

In Scripture there is a passage that reads, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2). Thinking people the world over are asking this very question and, on the evidence of true science and simple logic, they are turning their backs on refined foods. These people have realized and accepted that life simply cannot be sustained on a diet that is high in fat (most of which is hydrogenated), high in sodium, high in sugar, high in preservatives, highly acid-forming, highly refined, and low in all of the vital nutrients that are so essential to the functioning of the living organism.

Nobody ever questions the fact that we must feed our horses balanced rations, that we must correctly fertilize our plants, and that we must give the correct octane fuel to our motor cars. Yet, strangely, so many people seem to have extreme difficulty in understanding that our bodies have the same uncompromising energy requirements as do horses, plants and motor vehicles. None of us would dream of running our cars on 23-octane fuel, yet, by using a diet that is high in refined foods, we are attempting to run our lives on what we might term “23-octane food” – with costly, painful and often tragic consequences sure to follow.

When will man ever learn that we cannot take apart what God saw fit to put together – without causing suffering? When will `so-called science’ ever concede that there is no alternative to the superlative plan of Nature?