“Whole food is food that contains all the nutrients in the same proportions as found in nature.” Man has a propensity to interfere with the natural packaging of food, a process which is termed “refining”. In the process of refining, foods are separated into components, and these are then consumed independent of each other. Grain is, for example, separated into bran, germ and white flour, and one or more of these components is eliminated from refined foods. Most often it is the germ which is discarded in view of its spoiling qualities, but the germ contains the essential fatty acids which are require for the formation of healthy cell membranes and prostaglandins. The fat in the germ comes prepacked with the right quantities of vitamin E to prevent the formation of harmful free radicals through the process of autoxidation.
Furthermore, the germ also contains vitamin B5, which is needed for carbohydrate metabolism. Separating the carbohydrate-rich endosperm from the germ thus robs us of the means of optimally utilizing these carbohydrates.
The removal of the bran interferes with intestinal motility, and this in turn leads to constipation, and a host of associated diseases. Even more illogical is the modern concept of consuming the daily bran ration in one meal. A breakfast consisting largely of bran will certainly assist intestinal motility of the food ingested, but will do nothing for subsequent meals. The only way to ensure a correct relationship between nutrients and fibre, is to consume whole food. It is also of little value to add bran and other refined products in order to try and rectify imbalances in refined foods, as one can never achieve the optimal relationship with which whole food was originally endowed.
The same applies for all grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Refined, separated, texturized vegetable proteins are much harder to digest than whole foods, and extracted fats and sugars are responsible for a host of physiological disordres. Though the exclusive consumption of refined foods must be considered a health hazard, this does not mean that whole foods may not be processed, which is an entirely different procedure. The foods may be ground, liquidized, combined with other foods and cooked or baked to change their taste and texture, as this processing does not remove any of the original nutrients. Many vegetarians consume meat analogues instead of meat, but meat analogues, such as gluten and soya-protein products are, in fact, refined foods that are high in sodium and low in iron and fibre content, and their consumption should be limited. A new attitude is needed; there must be a moving away from concentrated foods such as animal products and meat analogues, to proper combinations of whole foods.