Overconsumption has a history
The damaging pattern of the western diet is embedded in social and industrial development. Since the turn of the century greater wealth has led to increased consumption of processed, high-sugar and high-fat foods, foods that were once regarded as luxuries. There has been a corresponding sharp decline in the consumption of plain nutritious staples. The general quality has altered too, with modernisation in the food industry involving chemical additives and refining techniques which have "denatured" much of the stock in the supermarket. Fortunately, the nutritional component in enhancing health and preventing, even curing, illness is now widely recognised. It is well known that a poor diet can exacerbate stress, cause nervous disorders, and affect mental as well as physical development. There is also increasing concern about food allergies and about the possibility of the potentially toxic cocktail of food additives reacting in the body. Obesity, too, is a matter of widespread anxiety. It is one of the most serious risk factors in many types of illness and although there is a genetic element, it is largely a result of poor dietary habits. In the natural therapies naturopathy and herbalism dietary changes play an extremely important part in treating illness.
