History of Natural Food Cuisine
For thousands of years people of traditional cultures have understood that the secrets of health, beauty, and longevity are directly connected with the foods we choose to eat.
By becoming more aware of what we eat and making better choices, we not only improve physical and mental health, but also heal common ailments by returning the body to balance.
According to recent studies by archaeologists, anthropologists, and comparative anatomists, for thousands of years, human beings have primarily eaten vegetable quality foods including grains, vegetables, beans, nuts, tubers and fruits.
The vegetables grew in mineral-rich soil in harmony with the changing seasons. In addition, the wild game which they did eat was very lean (with eight to ten times less fat than modern domesticated animals). The ratio of vegetable quality foods to animal foods was three-to-one and death was rarely caused by diet.
We have examples of vegetable based diets coming from traditional cultures all over the world:
- Japan, China, India, Korea and South East Asia: rice, beans and bean products, vegetables, pickled vegetables and fish.
- Latin America: corn, beans, vegetables and chicken.
- Middle East: wheat, beans, vegetables and lamb.
- Northern Europe: wheat, barley, buckwheat, beans, pickled vegetables and salted fish.
- North America: wild rice, corn, beans, vegetables and fish.
The percentage of deaths linked to these traditional vegetable-based diets is very low.
However, in the West in particular, especially since the Industrial Revolution, the ratio of vegetables to animal foods has reversed, now being one to three. Instead of following a natural whole food, vegetable-based diet, our food consumption is dominated by:
- Antibiotic, hormone and steroid fed meat products.
- Commercial vegetable farms that use pesticides, artificial fertilisers, irradiation and genetic modification.
- Over-processed grains that have few nutrients and no fibre.
- Mass-produced dairy products full of hormones.
- Sugar, artificial sweeteners and soft drinks.
Hundreds of diseases are now linked to this modern diet.
A traditional vegetable-based diet has been recognized and encouraged by national and international health organizations as the most health-supporting because it is high in nutrients and fibre and low in saturated fat.
But in addition, when choosing a healthful diet it is important to consider the QUALITY of the food which contains those nutrients. Select organic quality wherever possible to get the best nutrition. By supporting organic farmers we discourage the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides on our land, thereby protecting our health, as well as wild life and the environment.