Garbage In,
Garbage Out
by Trisha O'Hehir, RDH, MS
Editorial Director, Hygienetown
The human body is an amazing, sophisticated machine,
running on water, oxygen and nutrients from the diet. You can
get away with putting in garbage - sugar, lower nutrient foods
and soda - for a while, but eventually the high performance
body will react. The immune system will be compromised and
infections, inflammation and cancers that normally would be
stopped, will now overwhelm the immune system.
To picture this, think of the body as a paper recycling center.
When young, a healthy immune system can handle all the
paper presented for shredding. When garbage and non-recyclable
materials are added to the paper mix, the recycling system
becomes less effective. As the paper mixed with garbage
continues to be delivered to the recycling center, it adds up,
filling up all the available storage space and slowing down the
efficiency of the recycling center. In the human body being
fueled with a poor diet, the immune system becomes less
effective in screening out the "garbage" and the body suffers
infection, inflammation and cancer. A high performance
machine like the human body deserves the best level of fuel
available or at least no garbage!
The feature article this month presents an overview of centuries
of change impacting the human diet and changing it
from fresh, healthful food to highly processed, sugar-laden food
- or more appropriately termed "garbage." Put garbage into the
body and it won't function as well as it could or should.
The human body will grow and develop based on the
quality and quantity of nutritious food/fuel provided.
Without it, adoptive parents see both the results of malnutrition
and the quick turn-around the body makes
when adequate nutrition is provided these children from
other countries.
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