10 global nutritional mistakes in the entire history of mankind

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

They were made in different eras and in different countries, but we suffer from this.

Rice grinding

White rice is in the diet of most people: tasty, but practically "empty" in terms of vitamin value. It appeared in Japan at the end of the 19th century - the locals for the first time peeled dark rice from the shell. For a long time it was considered elite. The fact that white rice is very different from its "progenitor" became clear after many years.

Scientists have found that a 100-gram cup of white rice, on average, has 89% less vitamin B1 than the same cup of dark rice; 84% less vitamin B3 and 81% less vitamin B2. After processing, the glycemic index of rice increases. Scientists from the United States have shown that even one serving of white rice per day increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 11%.

The purification of rice led to an epidemic of beriberi disease that broke out in Asia and was associated with vitamin B1 deficiency.

White bread

Until the 20th century, few could afford white bread - it cost more than coarse flour bread, which peasants and workers were content with. But with the development of the industry, the product became available to everyone. It differs from whole grain in that it uses premium wheat flour - it is made from fully processed grain. Such grinding causes a loss of 70% of fiber, which affects intestinal motility and weakening of immunity, as well as a loss of 60% of iron and the complete destruction of other minerals. At the same time, the calorie content of such bread is on average 30% higher.

Soft Wheat Pasta

Producers began to economize and produce "wrong" pasta - from soft wheat. They are pressed bakery flour, are composed of fast carbohydrates and have a high glycemic index. Their consumption leads to a set of extra pounds and is associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. In the historical homeland of pasta - in Italy - in the 1960s a law came into force that prohibits the production of pasta from soft wheat. There they are prepared only from hard grain. These pasta are very healthy. Durum wheat contains a lot of plant protein and substances that protect the heart. There is no such law in Russia.

Trans fats

At the end of the 19th century in France, they learned how to obtain solid oil from liquid vegetable oil. In the 20th century, this technology became the basis of margarine production; its harm was not known for a long time. But in the early 1990s, scientists discovered that during hardening, vegetable oil changes its structure - beneficial fatty acids are converted into trans fats. Studies have confirmed that they increase cholesterol levels, provoke the development of coronary heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The World Health Organization recommends eliminating trans fats from the diet entirely. In Denmark, Austria and Norway, the law prohibits more than 2% trans fat in all foods. In Russia, such a law will come into force in 2018, but it will not prohibit them in all products, but only in spreads (artificial butter) and margarines.

Processed meat

People learned to preserve meat through processing back in the days of Ancient Greece: they salted, smoked and dried it. Industrialization has made processed meat an everyday product: semi-finished products and sausages have become available to everyone. And today it is known that such foods can cause colon cancer. A sandwich with two pieces of sausage weighing 50 g increases the risk of this disease by 18%. This conclusion was made by WHO scientists on the basis of a large analysis of studies. In 2015, processed meat was officially listed as a carcinogen.

Fast food

It existed long before it became a cult. For example, Homer mentions the prototype of the hot dog.

Fast food is bad for many reasons. First, it is high in calories. Second, fast food meals are made up mostly of fast-type carbohydrates, sugar, salt, saturated fat, and trans fats, and they do not contain fiber. Thirdly, for the preparation of fast food, deep fat is used - the oil is heated to a temperature of about 180 ° C, which leads to its oxidation and the formation of carcinogens.

Added sugar

Even 200 years ago, sugar was an outlandish and expensive product. To bring cane sugar from India - a British colony, ships traveled a long way. Napoleon changed everything. The emperor did not want to depend on the British and turned his attention to a way to get white sugar from beets. Since then, sugar has become available to everyone. Today, it is added to a huge number of products, which we often do not even know about, including bakery and dairy products. This is done to improve flavor and shelf life. The human body is physiologically incapable of assimilating as much glucose, therefore added sugar provokes obesity, the development of cancer and heart disease.

Carbonated drinks

Even Hippocrates recommended using mineral carbonated water for medicinal purposes. In the 18th century in England, they invented a way to make carbonated water artificially and began to add sugar there. Later, American scientists conducted a major study that confirmed that consumption of even one glass of sweetened carbonated drink per day increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Added salt

If once people died for salt, raising salt riots, today there is too much of it in our diet. According to the WHO and American guidelines, we should consume no more than 2.3 mg sodium per day. In the United States, for example, they eat on average almost 50% more. Salt comes primarily from processed foods - it is used as a preservative for sausages, bouillon cubes, sauces, and cheeses. Eating a lot of salt increases blood pressure and increases the risk of heart disease.

Canned food

Canned food became popular during the First World War - no special conditions were required for their storage, they made it possible to survive during a famine. Already in the middle of the twentieth century, canned food became an everyday food in many countries. In stores, you can find not only canned meat and fish, but also vegetables, legumes and even fruits. People have forgotten that canned food is food intended for desperate situations when there is no access to fresh food. Canned food is a source of added salt and sugar, and during processing they lose most of their vitamins and minerals.