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Pocket recommended the following from NPR

The U.S. diet is deadly. …

The data are stark: the typical American diet is shortening the lives of many Americans. Diet-related deaths outrank deaths from smoking, and about half of U.S. deaths from heart disease – nearly 900 deaths a day – are linked to poor diet. The pandemic highlighted the problem, with much worse outcomes for people with obesity and other diet-related diseases.

“We’re really in a nutrition crisis in this country.” says Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University …

The U.S. can’t “fix” hunger by just feeding people cheap, high-calorie, processed foods – the food that’s so abundant in our food supply, they say. Instead, it’s got to find ways to nourish people with healthy, nutrient-dense foods. …

1. Treat food as medicine

There’s a growing movement to integrate food and nutrition into health care, by providing healthy meals and groceries to patients to help prevent or manage diet-related illness.The task force wants to see this kind of work expand.

“We should pay for food-based interventions that are effective,” Mozaffarian says.

For example, there’s mounting evidence that providing prescriptions for fruit and vegetables can spur people to eat better and manage weight and blood sugar. …

2. Focus on quality of calories, not just quantity

The U.S. food supply is awash in cheap calories. …

3. Expand access to dietary and lifestyle counseling

The Affordable Care Act mandates that diet counseling be covered by insurers as a preventive care benefit for those at higher risk of chronic disease. …

4. Support food entrepreneurs

People who start food businesses can help nourish their communities and create jobs. The task force calls on the federal government to pass policies that boost new healthy food enterprises, …

5. Increase the number of new farmers growing healthy foods using regenerative farming techniques

If all Americans began to eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables each day, there would be shortages. That’s because corn and soybeans are grown on most cropland in the U.S.. Now, there’s growing recognition of the need for more specialty crops – including fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

The task force recommends that Congress create a Farmer Corps to support new farmers, building on the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/08/31/1120004717/the-u-s-diet-is-deadly-here-are-7-ideas-to-get-americans-eating-healthier?utm_source=pocket-newtab

My clinical experience suggests that the deaths caused by poor diet exceed the 900 per day NPR reported about.

As far as point one goes, Hippocrates anciently stated:

Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.

Fresh foods and many herbs are good for human health.

While NPR is correct that Americans eat too much junk food and not enough fruits and vegetables, it has overlooked a lot–here is a link to a draft article: Christian Health Matters.

There are a lot of questionable items that Americans eat–and that causes health problems. As does ingesting other items that really are not food.

Notice also the following:

31  August 2022

Eating lots of highly processed food such as ready meals is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, bowel cancer and premature death, according to two large studies.

The research offers more reasons to limit intake of ultra-processed foods and instead consume more unprocessed or minimally processed foods to reduce the risk of death, disease and ill health. The findings were published in the BMJ. …

Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or heat products, often containing high levels of added sugar, fat, and/or salt, but lacking in vitamins and fibre.

The first study suggests high consumption of ultra-processed foods in men and some subgroups of ultra-processed foods in men and women is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. The second study found a link to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/aug/31/highly-processed-food-consumption-risk-disease-evidence

Notice the following from last year:

August 30, 2021

Nine out of 10 American adults are metabolically unhealthy, and much of that comes down to the food they eat, according to the experts, who say it might be time for the government to step in and regulate what Americans put in their mouths.

“This is the only segment of our economy where we have the majority of products being knowingly dangerous, and we leave it up to the consumer,” says Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist who is the dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. “There’s no way we leave car safety, home safety, mattress safety, cellphone safety, every other aspect of the economy — we don’t leave it up to the consumer. If there’s stuff that’s hurting people, we get rid of it.”

To assess metabolic health, doctors measure blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure and other indicators. People who are in poor metabolic health are at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other serious health issues.

“We think of being healthy as the norm and being sick as something that’s unusual, and what’s happened over time is that diet-related diseases have caused many more of us to be sick than are healthy, especially among adults,” Mozaffarian says. “When you have nine out of 10 adults being metabolically unhealthy, largely due to diet-related illnesses, you know we have a broken system.”

Americans’ consumption of junk food isn’t helping. A 17-year study found that junk food — primarily processed foods with little nutritional value that are high in sugar, salt and fat — account for 1 in every 5 calories for children and 1 in every 7 calories for adults.

Those foods can be hard to resist … https://www.voanews.com/usa/all-about-america/should-us-government-regulate-what-unhealthy-americans-eat

Yes, but junk food should be resisted.

However, politicians in the USA receive lots of money from food processing companies, farming interests, and the pharmaceutical world.

Plus, government regulators, like the US Food and Drug Administration prefer drugs to foods.

And then, there are people like the US Surgeon General that wish to be ‘politically correct’ and not properly call out the problems various ‘communities’ have regarding taking care of their own health.

Breaking Israel News had a link titled Why Some Christians Are Eating Biblically Clean. Here is some of what that article stated:

So basically the two listed reasons for not eating biblically unclean animals in the above article is because the Bible says not to and there seems to be habits of unclean animals that suggest they should not be eaten by humans. On that latter point, there are various diseases that humans have gotten from eating unclean animals (like Ebola and trichinosis).

Let me also mention a scripture from the New Testament:

3 … contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3)

One of the ways you contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints is by following their example of not eating biblically unclean meat.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Jesus did not eat biblically unclean meat (cf. Luke 11:11-13; John 15:10).

The Apostle Paul did not eat biblically unclean meat (cf. Acts 28:17).

All should realize that the Apostle Paul did not want Gentile Christians to participate in uncleanness and that is something that they should repent of. Paul also wrote:

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them (Ephesians 5:5-7).

Is eating biblically prohibited foods or not eating them a sign of disobedience? Is not consuming what the Bible prohibits covetous?

Although some feel that Christians can eat unclean meats, Paul wrote:

7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness (I Thessalonians 4:7).

The Apostle Peter added:

9…the Lord knows how…10 to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority (II Peter 2:9-10).

Some, sadly, despise biblical authority and eat whatsoever they lust after.

Most who profess Christianity, however, will claim to believe that Jesus declared all animals to be clean to eat, even though He did not.

I would also add that even Roman Catholic scholars realize that it was not until about a century and a half after Jesus was resurrected that their church accepted the consumption of unclean animals.

According to the Liber Pontificalis, the acceptance of unclean meat came about 150 years AFTER Jesus was resurrected and was pushed by the Roman Bishop Eleutherius:

He also decreed that no kind of food in common use should be rejected especially by the Christian faithful, inasmuch as God created it; provided it was a rational food and fit for human kind (Book of the Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) 2nd edition. Translation by Raymond Davis. Liverpool University Press – Translated Texts for Historians, Liverpool, 2001, p.17).

The Catholic Encyclopedia states:

The “Liber Pontificalis” ascribes to Pope Eleutherius a decree that no kind of food should be despised by Christians (Et hoc iterum firmavit ut nulla esca a Christians repudiaretur, maxime fidelibus, quod Deus creavit, quæ tamen rationalis et humana est).

It should be noted that Roman bishops were not called Popes that early (that did not happen until the late fourth century). Anyway, according to Lopes book The Popes, Eleutherius was bishop of Rome from 175-189 AD. This book (which I purchased at the Vatican itself) states this about Eleutherius:

He dispensed with the obligations of Christians to follow dietary laws of Judaic origin (page 5).

The above book should have said the obligations of biblical origin as the dietary restrictions began with God and not Jews (the distinction between clean and unclean animals was known by at least Noah’s time, since God so declared in Genesis 7:2-3). Perhaps it needs to be stated that no one called of God in the Old Testament is ever shown to have consumed unclean meat. Hence the Catholics (and the Protestants that follow this edict) are relying on a possible pronouncement of a bishop of Rome for justification of eating unclean meats more than they may realize. And this alleged decree did not happen until about 150 years after Jesus was resurrected.

That said, the USA has a major problem with obesity.

The Bible opposes obesity.

Here is what Moses and Jeremiah were inspired to write about obesity thousands of years ago:

15 You grew fat, you grew thick,
You are obese!
Then he forsook God who made him,
And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods;
With abominations they provoked Him to anger. (Deuteronomy 32:15-16)

11 “Because you were glad, because you rejoiced,
You destroyers of My heritage,
Because you have grown fat like a heifer threshing grain,
And you bellow like bulls,
12 Your mother shall be deeply ashamed;
She who bore you shall be ashamed.
Behold, the least of the nations shall be a wilderness,
A dry land and a desert. (Jeremiah 50:11-12)

The idea that one should not be obese is not a new one.

Furthermore, the Bible warns about eating things that are not really food:

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

Refined processed “breads,” refined and artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, and some other items commonly associated with junk foods and hydrogenated fats would seem to be consistent with that warning.

Breakfast cereals used to be one of the original ‘health foods’ when Dr. Kellogg first introduced Corn Flakes at his clinic in Battle Creek, Michigan. It was basically made of whole organic corn. Now, it seems to be made with GMO corn (its label does not state otherwise, which in the USA means the corn source is almost always genetically-modified) and is ‘fortified’ with synthetic vitamins.

Many other breakfast cereals, especially the ones targeted towards children are made of refined, degerminated grains, synthetic vitamins, a lot of sugar, and artificial colors. Pop-Tarts are made of refined, degerminated grains, synthetic vitamins, fruit, sugar, gelatin (probably biblical unclean; see also The New Testament Church and Unclean Meats), and artificial colors.

Many consume supplements hoping they will fill in nutritional gaps.

Yet the vast majority of Americans (and others) consume synthetic vitamin supplements that they tend to consider to be “health food.” Synthetic vitamins are often in forms that are foreign to the human body (i.e. there is no such thing as isolated thiamin hydrochloride (thiamin HCL) in a natural food, but that is one form that refined foods are ‘fortified’ with–foods mainly contain vitamin B-1 as thiamin pyrophosphate. Most USP vitamins are petroleum derivatives and/or processed with formaldehyde and/or acetone).

Synthetic/USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) vitamins are not only isolates, they tend to be crystalline in structure. Vitamins complexed in foods appear rounder. Notice some electron microscope photos of food and synthetic vitamins:

Food Thiamin vs. USP Thiamin HCL

Food Vitamin C vs. USP Ascorbic Acid

Furthermore, let me add that synthetics or isolates like ascorbic acid are NOT significant antioxidants in human beings. Ascorbic acid is a powerful antioxidant in vitro (in test tubes), but not people. The same is true for most isolated forms of vitamin E–yet foods do have powerful antioxidant effects in the human body.

Some claim that free radical damage is a major factor in aging, and that antioxidants are helpful. Yet, many fail to see that food antioxidants are superior to USP isolates. In several ways, synthetic vitamins are similar to false religion. False religions normally have some truth, but are not the same as the real thing–the same is true when you compare synthesized vitamin isolates to real vitamins found in foods.

Researchers have found that “it has not been possible to show conclusively that higher than anti-scorbic intake of {SYNTHETIC} vitamin C has antioxidant clinical benefit.” Let me also add that an in vitro study performed at this researcher’s lab with a digital ORP meter confirmed that a citrus Food vitamin C has negative ORP, but that ascorbic acid had positive ORP. It takes negative ORP to clean up oxidative damage and since ascorbic acid has positive ORP (as well as positive redox potential), it can never replace Food vitamin C. No amount of ascorbic acid can truly replace Food vitamin C!  Furthermore, foods which are high in vitamin C tend to have high Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC, another test which measures the ability of foods and other compounds to subdue oxygen free radicals.  A U.S. government study which compared the in vivo effects of a high vitamin C food (containing 80 mg of vitamin C) compared to about 15.6 times as much isolated ascorbic acid (1250 mg) found that the vitamin C containing food produced the greatest increase in blood antioxidant levels (it is believed that bioflavonoids and other food factors are responsible).

Get your vitamin C from food such as citrus fruits, berries, acerola cherries, tomatoes, bell peppers, etc. (assuming you are not allergic to them).

Perhaps I should comment that most minerals Americans (and others) purchase are basically ground up industrial rocks with acids added to them. While plants can properly convert rocks into food, humans are supposed to eat food. Unless people consider bones or shells to be foods (which do contain hard mineral salts), foods simply do not contain the type of two word mineral salts that are used in most vitamin-mineral formulas.

Here are electron microscope photos of food and rock zinc:

Food Zinc vs. USP Zinc Chloride

Most people consuming mineral supplements are consuming ground up rocks. The chemical forms of these mineral salts can be ‘natural,’ but they are not natural for humans to eat. Actually, eating ground up rocks/dirt is considered as a medical condition called ‘pica.’ Yet, many ‘health food’ supplements contain these substances for minerals that are totally foreign to human foods.

An Iowa study involving over 30,000 older women found that those that regularly consumed a synthetic vitamin pill died years before women that did not. In 2017, a study found that smokers who took high doses of synthetic vitamins B6 and B12 had a significantly increased risk of developing lung cancer than smokers who did not.

Synthetics are not good!

What should you eat? You should eat real food and be careful about your quantities.

2 … Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. And if you take vitamins and minerals, take the type whose nutrients are 100% food (which is what I personally do).

As regular readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, I have been stating what I felt public health officials should have done related to diet and COVID since early 2020.

Actually, because I pointed out some issues about nutrition and one public health official, Facebook censored a post of mine in 2020. Here is some of what that post said:

While government actions have been focused on masks, social distancing, and quarantining those not known to have COVID, a personally helpful approach would be encouraging people to:

1. Avoid biblically unclean meats,
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C,
3. Fast regularly for those who can,
4. Consume foods high in zinc like pumpkin seeds or 100% food nutrient supplements which provide Zinc,
5. Get proper sunlight exposure for vitamin D,
6. Exercise regularly, and
7. Lose weight for those who are overweight.

All the above help support one’s innate immune system, which helps the body fight many types of pathogens–not just one.

Instead of doing the above, in places like the USA, more junk food has been consumed, many gyms have been shut down, many beaches and parks have been closed or limited, and many have gained weight during the lockdowns (see Using scale for weight loss? Americans gain weight during COVID-19 shut downs).

The idea of ‘herd immunity’ presumes that the ‘herd’ will have many with strong immune systems–something that mask-wearing does not truly promote, but that healthy living does.

Here is a link to the version at COGwriter that is still available: COVID interview: Dr. Fauci takes isolated vitamin D and synthetic vitamin C.

As far as COVID-19, the immune system, and eating goes, The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together a video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel, but YouTube censored and removed it last November.

Here is information and a link to the YouTube censored video that we still have up at BitChute:

Feb 21, 2021

COVID-19: Eat what is good!

US President Joe Biden said on 2/19/21 that the USA may NOT “return to normal” in 2021 because of vaccine and mutation issues. Is there another approach? Would it make sense to improve nutrition to strengthen the immune system and to help people with COVID-19? What about zinc, selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin D? What about avoiding unclean meats? What about eating more fruits and vegetables and items such as pumpkin seeds and Brazil nuts? What about eating bovine glandulars? What about herbs? Could fasting help? What about exercise and sunlight? What about masks, lockdowns, junk food, obesity, and weight gain? Dr. Thiel, who possesses a US regionally accredited PhD. in nutrition science from the Union Institute and University, a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern California, and a natural scientist license from the State of Alabama, explains why people may wish to consider approaches for their immune system. He also goes over scriptures related to worse pandemics coming (associated with the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse–Revelation 6:7-8), and the fact that the Bible teaches to “eat what is good” (Isaiah 55:2).

A written article, with references, of related interest is also available titled “Joe Biden: life may not return to normal this year due to COVID mutations; Paul Roberts: The Covid Pandemic Is The Result of Public Health Authorities Blocking Effective Treatment” URL: https://www.cogwriter.com/news/prophecy/joe-biden-life-may-not-return-to-normal-this-year-due-to-covid-mutations-paul-roberts-the-covid-pandemic-is-the-result-of-public-health-authorities-blocking-effective-treatment/

Here is a link to the censored video: COVID-19: Eat what is good!

Years back, the Continuing Church of God put out a video about concerns about eating on our YouTube channel called Bible New Prophecy.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Christian Health Matters Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to some related sermons: Let’s Talk About Food, Evil is Affecting the Food Supply, and Let’s Talk About Health.
Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned? What diseases are associated with eating too much refined foods? A related video would be Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy.
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are some related videos: GMO Risks and the Bible and GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras?  Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?  and Human-Monkey Embryos and Death.
Should Christians Exercise? What does the Bible teach? What are some of the benefits and risks of exercise? Here is a link to a related video: The Plain Truth About Exercise.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats; two short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food? and COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat.
Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food? Many have claimed that Jesus declared all animal flesh as food in Mark 7. Mulvane Brethren Pastor Jack Wellman cited this verse as partial proof that Jesus declared that all animals were clean for Christians. Is this what Jesus really said? What did early Christians believe about this? Were faithful Christians still avoiding unclean meats after Jesus was resurrected? What did the Apostle Peter do? What did the third century martyr Pionius do? When did the Church of Rome claim it changed to allow promotion of biblically unclean animals? Were any unclean animals mentioned in the New Testament after Mark 7?
American foods that gross out foreigners A study done in the Fall of 2014 found out which foods that non-USA Americans considered weird or gross that Americans eat. This video discusses those foods, ingredients in some of those foods, and warns against consuming ‘that which is not bread’ (Isaiah 55:2). Dr. Thiel also warns about synthetic vitamins and some of the issues associated with them. He also discusses something promoted by the late Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. This is a video. A partially related written post is titled American ‘foods’ that gross out foreigners.
Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned? What diseases are associated with eating too much refined foods?
Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy Are there disadvantages to being overweight? Is junk food really bad for you? Does the Bible discuss overeating and/or obesity? Is overeating having an effect on the US military? What are the ramifications of personal and national health for overeating? What should you eat? This is a sermonette-length YouTubevideo.

 

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 17th, 2023 at 12:01 am and is filed under Doctrine.

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