It’s not an exaggeration at all to say that the food industry at large is unethical and complacent when it comes to concern for human health. Although some small companies have positive ethical standards, 99% of the food industry is controlled by companies who have no concern for the health and wellness of their customers.
Most such companies exist because there is a great deal of demand for their extremely unhealthy products. They make such products available because of the demand for them, and the easy accessibility of the products increases that demand. It’s a vicious cycle.
Certain governmental agencies were put in place to protect society from toxic foods. They have not succeeded in what they have been tasked to do. They have been given the job of promoting a true paradigm that would lead to foods of high quality and good nutritional value being made available to the public. Such foods would lead over time to significant improvement of the physical and mental health of society. But these government agencies have failed miserably at their jobs.
Perhaps the availability of toxic food products and the failure of agencies to regulate that availability is solely due to profit motivation, or perhaps it’s not that simple. But one thing is certain: We have made progress beyond anyone’s wildest imagination in almost all of the physical sciences, but we are still in the dark ages regarding scientific knowledge pertaining to food.
We must recognize that we practice foolish behavior not only in our collective eating habits but in the methodology of large scale agriculture. We are destroying topsoil. We are poisoning the earth with chemicals. We are growing the wrong types of foods. And our distributions systems don’t ensure that foods come to us fresh and wholesome.
Our societies are mostly meat-based. This puts a terrible burden on the planet and is a factor in why half of the planet is malnourished. Hundreds of billions of sentient creatures die in order for our species to fill our bellies incorrectly. Heavily meat-based diets cause many life-threatening diseases to proliferate.
The medical industry has advanced over the centuries. Magnificent medicines, treatments, and surgeries have been developed over time, and we should all be amazed at the progress that has been made. But it’s shocking to see how the medical industry has been corrupted by the almighty dollar. Many common medical practices do not facilitate long term healing and are not compassionate.
Doctors frequently offer little or nothing else to overcome medical problems other than medicine and surgery. There are exceptions to that rule; some doctors do advocate strongly for proper dietary practices as part of a comprehensive health program. But they are few and far between.
The paradigms in the medical industry have not changed for the better in terms of practitioners recommending pure and wholesome diets. That seems to be the case for two reasons in particular. One is that medical personnel may be relatively unsure of how to prescribe proper diets. Another is that dietary improvements usually don’t yield the immediate results that can be obtained through surgery and medicine.
There is still debate about what foods should be excluded from a sick person‘s diet (e.g., dairy products). That’s one of many issues. Lack of general knowledge about healthy foods and dietary practices among the general public is another problem. Some illnesses are hereditary. But a lot of illnesses occur because of the poor dietary choices that people make. People literally eat themselves into sickness and disease, and psychological problems very often lead them to continue with their dangerous dietary practices.
People have the power to cease bad lifestyle choices that make them ill. And they also have the power to demand positive change regarding the practices of the medical industry and the products offered by the food industry. Consumers must demand more from both groups; both of them are at the mercy of our dollars. Both industries will need to supply what their consumers demand, whether their consumers demand better products, better practices, or both.
I cannot possibly change the food industry or the medical industry on my own. But I can try to influence consumers. I can encourage you to decide for yourself if what I’m saying is true. And I can try to guide you towards deeper and deeper knowledge about health and wellness.
It will take time for the medical and food industries to improve their practices, products, and ethics. Some may feel that trying to advocate for such positive change is pointless. But that’s absolutely not the case. Consumers have power. Socially conscious consumers can make their societies’ industries change for the better.
Look closely at all the things that the food industry does to make food more profitable, more tasty, and more addictive to you at the expense of your health and wellness. Get angry, and focus that anger on demanding change in the food industry.
Look closely at the medical industry. Determine if your caregivers are enlightened people. Only patronize doctors that have 50 different types of books open at one time to ensure that they are not missing any type of knowledge. A person who considers himself a healer should constantly read up on the latest technologies pertaining to medicines and surgery. They should also understand what are considered “alternative” practices such as ayurvedic medicine, reflexology, and meditation. And of course they must have deep, intimate knowledge of molecular nutrition.
Do not underestimate your power as a consumer. You need not settle for unhealthy food products or inadequate medical care. Let your voice be heard!