Fast Food Fact:

In 1821, the average sugar intake in America was 10 pounds per person per year; today it is 170 pounds per person, representing over one-fourth the average caloric intake. Another large portion of total calories comes from white flour and refined vegetable oils.* This means that less than half the diet must provide all the nutrients to a body that is under constant stress from its intake of sugar, white flour and rancid and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Herein lies the root cause of the vast increase in degenerative diseases that plague modern America.

*Beasley, Joseph D, MD, and Jerry J Swift, MA, The Kellogg Report, 1989, The Institute of Health Policy and Practice, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, 144-145

-from Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.

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Fat Processing: Homogenization(#3 in a series)

It is important to understand that, of all substances ingested by the body, it is polyunsaturated oils that are rendered most dangerous by food processing,
especially unstable omega-3 linoleic acid. Consider the following processes inflicted upon naturally occurring fatty acids before they appear
on our tables:

Homogenization: This is the process whereby the fat particles of cream are strained through tiny pores under great pressure. The resulting fat particles are so small that they stay in suspension rather than rise to the top of the milk. This makes the fat and cholesterol more susceptible to rancidity and oxidation, and some research indicates that homogenized fats may contribute to heart disease.*

*Zikakis, et al, Journal of Dairy Science, 1977, 60:533; Oster, K, American Journal of Clinical Research, Apr 1971, Vol II(I).

-from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, available at www.chapters.ca.

(See previous sidebar posts in blog archives for descriptions of the following process, prequels to this passage: Extraction, Hydrogenation.)