Where’s The Beef? Is There Really A Foodless Food Syndrome?

Foodless foods devoid of essential nutrients have invaded the marketplace in epidemic proportions. How serious is this problem and what needs to be done?

My all-time favorite TV commercial was that old Wendy's ad. The setting is The Home of the Big Bun; the customer reminds us of Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies. As Granny opens the lid of an over-sized hamburger bun, she discovers an unsettling surprise... a teensy-weensy, itty-bitty patty of beef. Mad as a hornet with P.M.S., she cackles the now-famous slogan:

"Where's the Beef?"

"Where's the Beef?" soon became a catchphrase in the arena of verbal combat. I still chuckle whenever I think back to an infamous moment during the 1984 presidential primaries. Walter Mondale separated himself from underdog Colorado Senator Gary Hart with a little humor.

Mondale borrowed the phrase "Where's the Beef?" to criticize Hart’s lack of depth in policy statements. Everyone knew exactly what he meant. Those three powerful words cut swiftly and poignantly to the proverbial chase! Suddenly, Hart’s pompous pontifications were stripped of their aurora of omniscient omnipotence and simultaneously exposed as frivolous fluff. Reminiscent of the scene from The Wizard of Oz, the curtains parted and the spotlight shifted to an emperor who had no clothes.

Okay, so Mondale didn't beat Reagan. But that's another story.

My point is (and I do have one), although our supermarket shelves are stocked with a wide array of fancy foodstuffs in pretty packages, and even though your gleeful kiddies may make you feel like parent-of-the-month as you reward their consumption of Happy Meals with cool cartoon figurines, remember: “All that glitters ain't gold!” Unless consumers become vigilantly alert, the food industry will continue to crank out an endless entourage of pre-packaged, foodless foods.

Does A Foodless Food Syndrome Really Exist?

My guess is, most people aren't fully persuaded that a foodless food syndrome really exists. Or if this so-called syndrome does exist, it can't possibly be all that serious, right? Granted, many people continuously feel sick and tired, but that's natural, right? Though many people are sick and tired, most are simply not sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Furthermore, we fail to connect the dots. Sure, we've heard the reports. But “Sixty percent of Americans are overweight!” is no longer a newsflash. Complacent to reality, we tempt fate and continue to Super-size our fries. Sure, seventeen million Americans suffer from diabetes, but another gulp of soda pop couldn't hurt. And so what if over 40 percent of the US population will die of a heart attack? I'm not giving up my cholesterol-rich diet. Forget about the fact that there is now irrefutable evidence that high cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Forget about the fact that there is a direct relationship established between high cholesterol levels and high rates of heart attacks. Surely it's just a coincidence that the high US death toll from heart failure corresponds with the high cholesterol level in The United States.

On the flip side of the coin, is it just a coincident that populations with much lower cholesterol levels also have much lower death tolls? Consider rural China, where the average cholesterol level is almost half that of the American cholesterol level. Less than five percent of their population dies from heart attacks. Hmm. Forty percent verses five percent is a HUMONGOUS difference, don’t you think? Oh well, maybe that too is just a coincidence.

And so what if The World Health Organization tells us yet another time that cancer is a leading cause of death? Who cares if an estimated 7.6 million people died of cancer in 2005? It’s no longer shocking to learn that 84 million people will die in the next 10 years if action is not taken. Besides, what, in bloody blazes, does all this have to do with poor nutrition?

Everything. Numerous experts echo the alarm of the American Cancer Society, "Eating right, being active, and maintaining a healthy weight are important ways to reduce your risk of cancer - as well as heart disease and diabetes."

The Problem with Processed Food

So why am I picking on the processed food industry? Here's the problem in a nutshell.

First, we produce way more food than what is necessary for our consumption, which creates a surplus. So this surplus food needs to be highly refined and processed, otherwise it will spoil. During this process, essential vitamins and minerals are annihilated. The result is, foodless foods are being produced in massive quantities. These food products retain most of their calories, but they have little, if any, nutritional value.

These foodless foods do not nutritionally support your body properly to allow for the normal repair and growth of your tissues and cells. In fact, refined foods are so depleted that the government has laws which require artificial vitamins and minerals to be added in order to meet minimum standards. The very reason why foods are labeled "enriched" or "fortified" is because their natural nutrients have been robbed! As a consequence, over sixty percent of the typical American diet consists of refined foods and snacks.

The Importance of A Healthy Diet and Diet Supplementation

So what's the solution?

The first step is to eat a healthy diet consisting largely of raw fruits and vegetables, preferably organic. Avoid refined sugar and processed bread. Instead, substitute natural sweeteners like honey. Also, eat whole-grain bread.

But let’s face it – we’re not living in the Garden of Eden. Life is a rat race and we’re in the fast lane. It can be cumbersome with our fast-paced lifestyles to get all the essential vitamins and minerals we need by relying on our diets alone. That's why it is critically important to supplement your diet with a great high-quality All-Natural Multi-Vitamin made from Whole-Food sources. Unlike cheap synthetics, Whole-Food Vitamins are the greatest in the world when it comes to nutritionally supporting your body. Plus, they are much better utilized and absorbed by your body’s individual cells.

There’s the Beef!

[DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are my own, although they have been compiled over the years from my research through books and articles. My opinions should not be considered as medical advice to treat or cure any diseases or illnesses. For these matters, consult a qualified professional.]