The word food is derived from the Latin words “food” and “seaporter.” The first person, “food,” refers to anything edible; while the second person, “life,” refers to life itself, including human life. In modern English, food has come to refer to any of a number of consumable substances, which may not be eaten, including vitamins, alcoholic beverages, medicine, tobacco, insects, plants, fungi, enzymes, hormones, water, foods manufactured by humans, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The list goes on. Food is considered the ultimate source of nourishment, and its consumption varies greatly from one culture to another. In the United States, for example, we eat between two and six times more food per person than do people in other countries.
Generally, food consists of four elements: carbohydrates, protein, fat and vitamins. When comparing these elements, it is the combination of food elements that makes up “nutrient value” that is most important to a dieter’s nutritional needs. With this in mind, it becomes obvious that there are food additives that affect these four elements in adverse ways.
Fatty foods are created through the process of industrial chemical processing and high temperature cooking. Because they contain more fat than carbohydrates and protein, fats are considered the most harmful of all food elements. High-fat foods are also known to increase cholesterol levels, which can lead to heart disease and stroke, as well as induce abnormal cell growths in the body, particularly in the liver. Fatty acids are necessary for the synthesis of essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are crucial to cell membranes, hormones, nerves, and muscles. Unfortunately, the majority of fat in the diet is produced by the food industry, because it is cheap to produce, but harmful to health.