Soil and Health Library
This document is a reproduction of the book or other copyrighted material you requested. It
was prepared on for the exclusive use of Oriana , whose email address is
orianaoriana@gmail.com. This reproduction was made by the Soil and Health Library only for the purpose of research and
study. Any further reproduction or distribution of this copy in any form whatsoever constitutes
a violation of copyrights.DANGERS 
IN MODERN FOODS 
BY ARNOLD DEVRIES 
CHANDLER BOOK COMPANY 
333 NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE CHICAGO 1, ILLINOIS COPYRIGHT 1958 BY ARNOLD DE VRIES 
CONTENTS 
All rights reserved . This book. or parts thereof. must not be reproduced in any form 
without permission . FIRST IMPRESSION 
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA I . The Science of Nutrition 
11 . Common Salt .... 
111 . Refined Grain Products . IV . Refined Sugar .... 
v . Meatproducts .... 
VI . Fish Liver Oil .... 
VII . Milk ....... 
VIII . Cheese ...... 
IX . Canned Foods .... 
x . Condiments ..... 
XI . Alcoholic Beverages . . XII . Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa . XIII . SoftDrinks ..... 
XIV . Drinking Water ... 
xv . Confections ..... 
XVI . Ice Cream ..... 
XVII . The Practical Application 
Bibliography .... 
Index ....... PAGE DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS I. 'The Science of Nutrition 
A LL HUMAN LIFE CENTERS AROUND 
food. For perhaps ninety per cent of the earth's population, the 
problem is simply one of getting enough food to survive. For the 
remaining ten per cent, including most Americans, the problem 
is to select the most appropriate foods from the great abundance 
i that is available. It is here that the power of selection may be 
instrumental in determining the full course of human life. It may 
lead to a condition of vital, vibrant health, or it may lead to 
disease and premature death. Unfortunately, this power of selec- 
tion usually follows the latter course. Due to careless and indis- 
criminate use, without the slightest concern for the science of 
nutrition, it has become one of the prime causes of physical 
deterioration in man. If only natural foods were available for human consumption, 
the question of selection would not assume such great importance. But natural foods comprise only a very small portion of the mod- 
ern dietary. Our foods are usually deficient in necessary nutri- 
tional factors, and they contain excessive quantities of harmful 
substances. The deficiencies result largely from current methods 
of refining and processing foods, and the presence of harmful 
substances is due in some cases to the natural composition of the 
original foods, but more often to the addition of poisonous chem- 
icals or purified nutrients in the manufacture of food products. The possible presence of strontium-go or other radioactive ele- 
ments in food products is also assuming increasing importance. The best example of the adulteration and poisoning of our 
general food supply may be noted in a report of the U. S. Food 
[31 DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS THE SCIENCE OF NUTRITION 
and Drug Administration, which has estimated that 704 chem- 
icals are presently used in or on foods. Of these, only 428 are 
considered relatively safe. The remaining 276 chemicals have 
either not been tested sufficiently to assure their safety or they 
are considered definitely poisonous by nutritionists and health 
officials. However, it must be recognized that even the 428 "safe" 
chemicals are designated as such only insofar as they have not yet 
been incriminated as specific causes of disease in the amounts 
used. In instance after instance, chemicals which had previously 
been certified as "safe" are found quite harmful and later banned 
from use in food. It must be understood that no prior clearance or testing is 
required for any new chemical additive to be used in food prod- 
ucts. Actually a poison may be consumed regularly year after year 
by millions of people before its use in food is questioned. Some 
chemicals are not even tested until a long series of complaints 
from consumers are received. The Food and Drug Administration 
may ban use of a poison in food only after it has been proven 
decidedly harmful to humans in the amounts used, and that may 
require years of investigations, hearings, and trials, during which 
time there is no consumer protection. Once the poison is pro- 
hibited, there is nothing to prevent the manufacturer from using 
another, equally as harmful, for the same purpose. Thus our 
protection from toxic chemicals in food products rests upon an 
inadequate law which offers limited protection only after one has 
been poisoned. This is very important in the science of nutrition, for the nu- 
tritionist believes that the basic causes of most forms of disease 
are based upon the chemistry of the body. Deficiencies of essen- 
tial chemicals, and excesses of toxic substances, completely upset 
the normal physiological activity of the body, lower its basic 
efficiency, and induce the development of disease. A proper chem- 
ical balance is necessary to assure good health and freedom from 
disease. This can only be established through consumption of 
foods, which are in themselves complete nutritional units. There 
must be adequate amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, min- erals, vitamins, enzymes, and hormones, and these must be com- 
bined in a manner which permits the full utilization of all food 
factors. At the same time, the foods must be free from toxic 
substances which can interfere with digestion, assimilation, and 
metabolism, and act as a general barrier to physiological efficiency. To the degree that the finished food pattern meets all of these 
requirements is its biological value rated. This is the viewpoint of modern nutrition. It is not necessarily 
the viewpoint of every branch of medicine. Some theories as to 
the nature and cause of disease are based upon bacteriology; 
others find their foundation in the mind and nervous system, and 
chiropractic and related fields give disease a mechanical basis. It is not our purpose here to consider the value of each. Each 
theory may be applicable in certain cases, but the nutritionist 
believes that his has a greater application over a wider variety of 
conditions than any other. He states that the bacteriological, 
mental, and mechanical conditions of the body are dependent to 
a large degree upon the initial state of chemical balance. Today many people are familiar with nutritional theory and 
isolated segments of biochemical data. Less well known, however, 
are the total implications of the numerous dietary experiments 
and the practical application to human life of all knowledge thus 
gained. Here we shall consider this latter phase of nutritional 
science, as it is related to the quality and value of our most com- 
mon foodstuffs. At the same time the theoretical value of the 
foods will be reviewed from the standpoint of chemistry, in its 
possible relation to the experimental and clinical results. The 
conclusions thus arrived at may not coincide with our past con- 
cepts as to what constitutes an adequate diet, nor will they 
necessarily agree with the nutritional implications associated with 
the commercial distribution of many common foods. They are, 
however, factual and accurate as regards present knowledge of 
t nutrition. They may help to point the way to a more practical 
mode of human dietary habits, as well as act as a limited guide 
for constructive and healthful meal planning. COMMON SALT 
II. Common Salt 
s ALT IS A CHEMICAL COMBINATION 
of the elements, sodium and chlorine. A molecule of a salt is an 
atom of sodium joined to an atom of chlorine. Both sodium and 
chlorine are useful to the body, and sodium is of particular impor- 
tance in maintaining normal metabolism of the cells. About one- 
third gram of salt is needed each day by the body. This is found 
in green vegetables and many other common foods,*in an organic 
combination with other minerals, in particular calcium and potas- 
sium. In this form salt appears to be non-toxic, and it serves the 
body without producing any detrimental side-effects. Common table salt is sodium chloride, in its purified state, in 
the absence of any other nutrients as are normally found in food. Its use as a seasoning to foods extends back to the origin of 
recorded history, though it was first used only at the tables of 
the upper classes. In the Middle Ages its use had spread to most 
of the European population, and about 150 years ago it was 
manufactured and distributed on a large scale for the first time 
in America. Today the substance is used in all nations by all sec- 
tions of the earth's civilized population. The average individual 
in the United States consumes from lo to 15 grams of salt each 
day. Our discussion here concerns the effects of the pure crystalline 
product, common table salt. Until a recent era no such discussion 
would have been possible, for salt was regarded as essential for 
health, without evidence, and investigations which might lead to 
other viewpoints had not been made. Today the old viewpoints concerning salt have been proven false in almost every particular, 
and medicine has established a new basis for its conclusions on 
the subject. However, many of the professional workers in medi- 
cine and the other healing arts are yet unaware of present knowl- 
edge concerning salt, and the layman is without opinion or he 
accepts the unscientific doctrines of the past. Of first consideration is the question: Is salt necessary for the 
support of animal life and human life, and a condition of health 
associated therewith? Popular conception has long decreed an 
affirmative answer. Wild animals are said to make use of salt licks 
at frequent intervals. Domestic animals are said to have a desire 
for salt, and the substance is provided for many of them. Primi- 
tive races are thought to utilize salt at every opportunity. With- 
out salt, it is believed, animal and human life must necessarily 
suffer, and possibly perish. I 
But is this true? In the wild animal kingdom there is very sel- 
dom any consumption of salt. The story of salt licks seem to be 
as old as history itself, but it has little basis in fact. Salt licks and 
outcroppings do exist, but they are not at all prevalent. Men who 
have been active the greater portion of their lives as hunters, fish- 
ermen, and trappers report that they have never seen a salt lick. It is doubtful that many wild animals see or use them either. In some areas inhabited by wild animals there are absolutely 
no salt licks to be found. The deer is one of the few animals 
that has been seen at outcroppings of salt. However, many 
deer live in regions where no salt exists, and upon capture they 
refuse all salt that is offered them. Most other wild animals also 
refuse salt when first offered, though a long period of captivity 
with salt feeding may alter the animals7 desire for the substance. Among domesticated animals salt is being used and has long 
been used, though not because of any expressed animal craving 
or because farmers have found it necessary for the animals' health. t The animals do seem to crave salt after they have used it for a 
time, but this is not true of the first feedings. The basic purpose 
of using the salt is to increase the animals7 weight more rapidly, 
which it does very satisfactorily. However, the abnormal increase DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS COMMON SALT 
in weight seems to decrease their resistance to disease, and some 
ailments among farm animals have been traced to their provisions 
of salt. Upon removing these provisions, health tends to improve. When the earth's primitive races were discovered and visited 
by Europeans, a few racial groups were found to use moderate to 
heavy amounts of salt, but the majority used no salt whatsoever. Some had no knowledge of its existence; others, who lived near 
the sea, had easy access to the product, but they did not use it 
with their food or in any other way. Dr. Benjamin Rush made a study of American Indian life at the 
close of the eighteenth century, and though he found the primi- 
tive Indians to be very healthy, he reported that he could not 
"find that the Indians used any salt in their diet till they were 
instructed to do so by Europeans17 In 1864 Dr. Hoffman wrote 
of his experiences with the Indians of the Western plains. Of 
these people he reported that "anything they could taste salt in 
they would invariably refuse:' and he remarked that even when 
hungry they would abstain from foods that had been salted. Yet 
he commented upon their magnificent state of health and pointed 
out that a "more athletic, hearty, stout and robust class of men 
cannot be found in the world than these very Indians:' He stated 
that many "of them are over six feet high, others of medium size, 
and they will endure more hardship, stand more fatigue, have 
better lungs, suffer less from sickness, live longer, on a general 
average, than the white race, who have all conveniences17 
Many primitive racial groups of the present era, who yet adhere 
to the native dietary customs, abstain from salt. Some of the 
more primitive Indian groups of Alaska and northern Canada 
not only do not use salt but they undertake the most heroic 
measures to remove it from commercially prepared salted meat. They soak it overnight in water, then add fresh water and boil 
it an hour, later remove the water, then add fresh water and cook 
it again, simply to get a salt-free food. The arctic traveler, Vilh- 
jalmur Stefansson, has pointed out that the primitive Eskimos 
dislike salt and will never use it. On the South Sea Islands many 
semi-isolated Polynesian and Melanesian groups get no salt except 
I: 8 I that which remains on the fish they consume. In central Africa 
, salt is completely unknown by some of the primitive groups. Even in China salt has been a rare item of diet. One has only to 
go beyond the bounds of civilization to find that salt is neither 
regarded as necessary nor desirable. It should be clear that salt is not essential for the support of 
animal or human life. In nature its use is the exception rather 
than the general rule. A more important question, however, is 
still unanswered: Does the use of salt seriously interfere with 
health and cause physical harm? Judging from the superior physi- 
cal condition of both wild animals and primitive races living with- 
out salt one might suspect that it does, but before drawing any 
conclusions therefrom it is necessary to consider more definite 
and practical information on the subject, as well as the theoretical 
observations involved. Salt seems to have a deleterious effect on the process of diges- 
I tion. This was explained as early as 1900 by Linossier, who showed 
that the amount of salt consumed at any ordinary meal retarded 
protein digestion as much as would a reduction of 40 to 50 per 
cent in the amount of pepsin (the digestive ferment necessary to 
digest proteins). A further explanation for the digestive impair- 
ment may be that, in disguising the flavor of foods, salt hinders 
the exact adaption of the digestive juices to the particular food 
being eaten. ~;ke other purified minerals, salt has a tendency to raise the 
osmotic pressure of the body and interfere with the passage of 
solvent through the membrane lining of the blood vessels. As 
the tissues are adapted to a specific osmotic pressure at all times, 
any factor which tends to raise it above normal, is attracted to 
the kidneys for elimination through a process which physiologists 
define as "selective excretion17 Large amounts of salt are thus 
attracted to the kidneys for elimination. As the kidney tissue 
itself appears to be particularly sensitive to salt, in the course of 
time it may undergo some damage. Even in the early stages the 
normal excretion of water by the kidney cells may be partly in- 
hibited. In the latter stages there is occasionally the development COMMON SALT DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
1 
of Bright's disease. Some physicians recognize that salt is a 
I 
I I significant factor in producing this ailment, and hence they 
usually recommend a salt-free diet for all patients so afflicted. As the kidney function becomes impaired through the use of 
salt, elimination of the salt is also impaired and some of the 
material must then be stored in the body, until it can be elimi- 
nated at a more favorable opportunity. As a part of the body's 
regulatory apparatus, the body stores toxins and unuseable mate- 
rials in its comparatively inactive tissues, such as bone, cartilage, 1 
and connective tissue. These tissues, particularly the subcutane- 
ous connective tissues, become the site for salt deposits when 
~ the substance can no longer be eliminated. The salt is diluted 
I 
I with the water, the water serving to hold the salt in solution and 
thus protect the tissues as much as possible from irritation. By 
being held in the subcutaneous tissues the salt is kept from cir- 
culation and hence from damaging the more vital parts of the 
body. We thus find the development of edema - a water-logging 
of the tissues -which serves a physiological need and acts as a 
defense mechanism. The primary cause of edema in such cases 
I is the excessive amount of salt in the body, and it tends to dis- 1 
I appear as soon as the use of salt is discontinued. Many physicians 
1 now use a saltless diet for all cases of edema, and when the ail- 
I ment is caused in the first place by salt, recovery is the usual rule. The relation of salt to insomnia and nervous ailments has been 
studied by Dr. Mickail M. Miller at the U. S. Public Health Nar- 
cotics Hospital in Lexington, Ky., a U. S. Marine Hospital, and 
the New York State Psychiatric Institute. At these places many 
I of the patients suffered from insomnia, "convoy" fatigue (among 
1 seamen), drug addiction, and general nervousness. Dr. Miller 
1 found that the insomnia tended to disappear according to the ! I rate at which he withheld salt from the diet, and then quickly 
1 reappeared as soon as salt was again used in large quantities. To 
patients who had been sleeping only an hour or two each night 
the salt-free diet often brought surcease within just a few weeks. At the same time disturbing dream phenomena tended to dis- 
appear. The subjects were able to relax more readily; a decline in the intensity of emotions resulted, and the ability to concentrate 
increased. Studies of the chloride content of the brain tissue have 
further indicated that there is retention of this mineral in most 
cases, which may give some theoretical explanation for linking 
the body's salt metabolism with mental disorders. Salt is perhaps the most important single cause of hypertension 
(high blood pressure) and its many complications. This was 
noted as early as 1922 by Dr. Frederick M. Allen and his co- 
workers, who then announced the successful treatment of 280 
cases of very severe, otherwise uncontrollable, high blood pres- 
sure with a saltless diet. In the following years, up to 1949, Dr. 
Allen treated several thousand additional cases of hypertension 
with a salt-free diet. Most of the patients were kept active and 
improved, with progression arrested and complications prevented 
or rendered less severe. "Frequent clearing of the retinitis (swell- 
ing of the retina and optic nerve of the eye), congestive failure 
(heart failure), headache, dyspepsia (shortness of breath) and 
other symptoms is unmistakable:' declared Dr. Allen, in refer- 
ence to the effect of the saltless diet for hypertension patients. Dr. Walter Kemper, assistant professor of clinical medicine at 
Duke University, has also used a salt-free diet in treating hyper- 
tension, and he employed other dietary changes as well. He points 
out that his dietary regime usually causes a marked decrease in 
blood pressure in three to four months, with an occasional patient 
getting results in as little as four days. A few patients had to 
remain on the diet for 12 months to secure a sufficient decrease 
in pressure. Also observed on the salt-free diet anlong some 
patients was a significant reduction in the size of greatly enlarged 
hearts, in addition to favorable changes in electrocardiograms and 
improvements in the fundus of the eye (retina and optic nerve 
head). Numerous other pathological conditions have been attributed 
to the use of salt and then treated with a saltless diet. Experi- 
ments have shown that salt interferes with the absorption of 
chyme by the mucous membrane of the intestinal tract, which 
theoretically might lead to various ailments. Dr. Haig of England COMMON SALT DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
showed that the elimination of uric acid is impeded by salt, a 
fact which is often pointed to in consideration of the possible 
causes of rheumatism. K. De Snoo has described salt as a cause 
of the eclampsia of pregnancy, and he advocates a low-salt diet 
during the second half of pregnancy. J. 0. Arnold also recom- 
mends a limitation of salt in the diet under certain conditions, 
in particular when pregnant women are threatened with 
eclampsia. Pomerance and Daichman have observed that the 
length of labor is apparently reduced by a limitation of salt dur- 
ing the latter part of pregnancy. Barker reports beneficial results 
in treating patients affected by congestive heart failure with a low- 
salt diet, containing no more than ten per cent the usual amount 
of salt. Scheinm reports benefit for his cardiac edema patients 
by using a similar diet, low in salt content. Wheeler, Bridges, and 
White report improvement in 22 of 35 cases of congestive heart 
failure by limiting the amount of salt in the diet. Likewise, by 
reducing salt intake Walsh and Adson were able to secure com- 
plete recovery or improvement of vertigo among 78 of 128 
patients affected with Meniere's syndrome. Salt is considered of therapeutic value in treating constipa- 
tion and heat fatigue, but the acting principle of salt in these 
cases acts as a detriment and may induce the development of 
other diseases. When using the substance as a laxative, two 
tablespoonfuls are taken with a quart of water in the morning 
before breakfast. This induces immediate elimination, but only 
at the high cost of irritation to the intestinal tract. The delicate 
lining commences to "water" as it comes in contact with the salt, 
just as the eye waters when it is irritated. The water quickly 
washes away the irritating salt, and the result is a soft or liquid 
evacuation such as diarrhea. Peristaltic action is also increased, 
as the body quickly acts to expel the irritant. The total effect is 
similar to that of many drugs; the artificial and excessive stimu- 
lation is eventually followed by corresponding depression and 
weakness. To prevent and remedy heat fatigue, heat cramps, and stroke, 
salt has been enlployed by the U. S. Army and in many indus- tries, furnace rooms, and mines. Certain physicians and nutri- 
tionists have also recommended the procedure as a daily pre- 
caution for everyone in hot weather. It is thought that the extra 
salt will stabilize the amount of salt in the body at a time when 
more salt than usual is lost in the process of perspiration. Actually the loss of salt in perspiration is helpful, and such salt 
need not be replaced. Its presence in perspiration is only the 
result of elimination of a material the body cannot use, with the 
work of the kidneys being lessened accordingly. The loss of water 
in perspiration, however, must be replaced, and for those who 
drink insufficient water or liquid food during a heat wave, salt 
has the advantage of inducing thirst and is of according benefit. This may account for the good results first reported from the use 
of salt tablets or extra salt for those working under conditions of 
excessive heat. More recently, however, physicians have begun 
to realize that the liquid intake can very easily be increased with- 
out the use of salt. A number of patients suffering from heat 
fatigue have taken salt for relief, only to find later that they 
became more allergic to heat and suffered from weakness when- 
ever it was present. Others have noted that no amount of salt 
had any effect on their ability to withstand heat, and a number 
have become ill after taking salt tablets. Indigestion and nausea 
are the most common immediate reactions. The eventual after- 
effects may be much more severe, involving the development 
of such chronic diseases as are known to follow the excessive use 
of salt. Many industrial firms have already discontinued supplying 
salt tablets for workers, and others will no doubt follow. The 
practice was a serious mistake from the beginning, as the liquid 
intake can easily be increased by safer means, which have no 
adverse side-eff ects. Salt in colloidal form, combined organically with other chemi- 
cals and catalytic agents in food, forms an essential non-toxic part 
of our food supply. Salt in its purified state, as exists common 
table salt, is not necessary for human health or life. It serves no 
known useful purpose in the body and tends to act as a toxic 
irritant to all body tissues. It is known to be a primary or second- DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
ary cause of certain common diseases, and, by impairing physio- 
logical function as a whole, it may be a factor of causation in 
the majority of diseases. Its reduction of quantity in the diet is 
followed by specific physical benefits, and its complete elimina- 
tion from the diet is necessary for the greatest possible benefit 
and the most efficient physiological function throughout the 
human body. Substitutes for comnlon salt have been offered for sale ever 
since the latter product was proven harmful. Some of these con- 
tained chemicals more dangerous than salt itself. Lithium chlor- 
ide was sold for two years as a salt substitute, until numerous 
reports of severe toxic reactions and several deaths caused the 
product to be withdrawn from the market. Sea salt has been pro- 
moted as a worthy substitute for ordinary rock salt, whereas the 
chemistry and effects of the two substances are identical. Others 
have mixed sea salt with a little vegetable broth powder and sold 
their new product as "vegetable salt? A completely acceptable salt substitute contains no salt what- 
soever, and it is free from all harmful chemicals. Such a product 
is pure dehydrated vegetable broth powder. This food has lost 
some vitamins in processing, but it is still rich in minerals. It 
cannot be presented as a completely natural food, but as a con- 
cession to taste, it may be used by those who insist upon a sub- 
stitute for salt. Many have found it to be more palatable than 
salt itself. III. Rejined Grain Products 
TF HE ORIGIN OF GRAINS AS A STAPLE 
item of human food is doubtless one of great antiquity. It is 
believed that wheat was widely grown even in prehistoric times, 
and this food came into special prominence in the Nile Valley 
I, during the early days of Egyptian civilization. During the famine- 
stricken Middle Ages bread became the staple food of Europe. The use of grains was rapidly incorporated into the habits of the 
early American pioneers, and corn for the first time was widely 
used. Today grains of one kind or another predominate in the 
diet of the greater portion of the earth's -population; in the 
Orient, rice is staple; the Europeans rely primarily upon wheat, 
) with considerable amounts of rye in the north. Wheat, corn, and 
occasionally rye form the basis of the American diet. Whole grains, whether wheat, rye, corn, rice, or others, form 
a highly nutritious source of food. Though their mineral and 
vitamin content hardly qualifies them for a position as the staple 
food, and though green vegetables and fruits are a better source 
of the alkaline minerals, grains are rich in phosphorus and potas- 
sium. Wheat in particular contains liberal quantities of the B 
complex vitamins, and the germ of the grain is considered the 
finest known source of vitamin E, upon which reproductive effi- 
ciency depends. Each of the grains contains considerable protein, 
and that of the corn germ is of high biological value. The cellu- 
lose content of the grain is high, and this is an aid to normal 
elimination. The earliest wheat and rye grains were simply ground between DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
mill stones in the preparation of flour. The resulting product was 
in rather coarse condition and it included all of the nutrients 
originally present in the grain. This method continued in use 
throughout most of history. In the eighteenth century wire screen 
was added as a means of extracting the coarser portions of bran 
(the outer coating of the grain) from the rest of the flour. Eighty 
per cent of the bran remained, however, so the flour was still 
relatively nutritious. At the beginning of the nineteenth century 
a new process was developed - that of "bolting" the flour by 
passing it through fine silk-bolting cloths. This removed most of 
the bran and with it the high percentage of minerals and B com- 
plex vitamins found therein. Particles of the embryo were also 
filtered out, thus causing a reduction of the amount of vitamin E 
in the flour. Having thus lost most of the dark cellulose material, 
the remaining flour was of yellowish color. Another innovation was developed shortly after the Civil War. This involved the use of air currents to separate the remaining 
particles of bran from the rest of the flour. The air currents neces- 
sitated the use of considerable power and machinery, and hence 
the small local grist mill gradually gave way to large flour mills 
in which mass-production was possible. Freshly-milled flour be- 
came less common - the flour products being shipped thereafter 
for large distances from Minneapolis and other concentrations 
of the industry. As oxidation occurs in the case of ground wheat, 
this meant a further loss of nutritional factors. The final and most drastic step in the refining of flour came 
with the development of the steam-powered rolling mill. The 
rollers crush the grain so completely that all cell structure is 
destroyed, and they accomplish a much more thorough grinding 
job with less work and in less time than the other methods could 
possibly do. The extra fine grinding permitted a greater separa- 
tion of the starch wheat-berry from the rest of the grain than 
ever before, and thus all of the most nutritious portion was lost. The tremendous pressure of the rolling mill also tends to impair 
the remaining mineral and vitamin structure of the wheat berry, 
adding to the demineralization of the original grain. REFINED GRAIN PRODUCTS 
i As if the refining of flour were not in itself sufficient, the flour 
is later bleached with a poisonous gas. This "ages" the flour so 
that it is more adaptable to make light, fluffy bread and also gives 
it the pure-looking whiteness which is considered so desirable. It 
also causes a further loss of the mineral and vitamin content of 
the flour. During the entire refining and bleaching process, the total loss 
in B vitamins and minerals runs as follows: 80 per cent of the 
thiamine, 65 per cent of the riboflavin, 75 per cent of the niacin, 
50 per cent of the pantothenic acid, 50 per cent of the pyridoxine, 
70 per cent of the phosphorus, 98 per cent of the manganese, 
50 per cent of the calcium, 80 per cent of the iron, 75 per cent 
I of the magnesium, 50 per cent of the potassium, and 65 per cent 
I of the copper. Exact measurements of the biotin, inosital, folic 
acid, choline, and para-aminobenzoic that are lost are not avail- r able, but as they are found primarily in the bran and germ, which 
I are extracted during milling, the losses must be considerable. I Virtually all of the vitamin E, one-half of the fat, and much of 
I the protein are also lost in the process of refining. As the refined grain - in particular the flour of the wheat - 
enters the modern bakery it is mixed with a variety of other 
t ingredients for making different kinds of bread, cakes, cookies, 
rolls, and other forms of bakery goods. Such ingredients, com- 
monly thought to be primarily water, fresh milk, yeast, salt, sugar, 
and shortening, include in addition a wide variety of other mate- 
rials, depending on the particular bakery involved and the food 
being made. These are largely synthetic, almost always unwhole- 
some, and in some cases definitely poisonous. Dried milk rather than fresh milk is nearly always used in 
bakery products (when milk is used at all). The use of frozen, 
canned, or dried eggs is customary, and not infrequently have 
these been found to be adulterated. Pastry fillings and pies usually 
contain more starch "fillers" or extendings than real fruit, and 
artificial flavors and fruit acid substitutes are often added for 
more taste. The artificial coloring is added to many breads and 
cakes to give the appearance that eggs were used in the ingre- DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS REFINED GRAIN PRODUCTS 
dients, and starch fillers are commonly used here also. Icing on 
cakes was formerly colored with bluing or phenolphthalein, the 
poisonous coal-tar drug, and some icing has actually been shel- 
lacked. Synthentic cornstarch custards often go into pies and 
custard. "Process" butter is almost always used instead of normal 
high-quality butter. Fats are generally hydrogenated. Gum 
tragacanth and gum acacia are added to cake batter so that the 
cake will retain moisture better. Propionic acid or acetyl-methyl 
carbinol is often added to the dough to change the flavo;, and the 
well known antiseptic and poison, hydrogen peroxide, is recom- 
mended by bakers to raise the bread. "Plastic" cream is the new- 
est substitute for real cream. Gelatinized starch and agar are used 
to improve the keeping quality of the foods. Similarly unwhole- 
some and synthetic products generally form any further ingre- 
dients that may be used. To give advertising assurance of the healthful qualities of 
bread, three synthetic vitamins of the B complex group - thia- 
mine, riboflavin, and niacin - and iron, are added in the approxi- 
mate amounts as were originally present in the grain. These are 
only four of the main twenty-five nutrients of whole grain flour, 
but putting them back in their synthetic and purified form is 
said to provide "enriched" bread which supplies the same nutri- 
tional qualities as whole wheat bread. Corn and rice have undergone a history involving progressively 
more refining, just as have wheat and rye, though they are not 
later mixed with so many unwholesome ingredients before being 
used as food. In the corn the most valuable nutritious material is 
found in the germ; the richest source of minerals in rice is found 
in the outer coating of the seed. Today nearly all corn meal pro- 
duced is degerminated and thus rendered much less nutritious. The outer coating of the rice is completely removed and the 
remaining part brushed, scoured, polished, and sometimes talcum 
coated to give it a pure white color. The polished grains are used 
as foods for humans; the valuable outer hulk is included in food 
for livestock or entirely discarded as waste. How have physicians and nutritionists viewed the refining of grains and their mixture and use in foods thereafter? In general 
they have denounced the entire procedure, except when commer- 
cial pressure has forced other action. As early as the eighteen thir- 
ties and forties physicians objected to the "bolting" of flour that 
was then becoming common. In that period Sylvester Graham 
received national attention as he traveled throughout the eastern 
states telling members of his audiences not to eat bread made 
from bolted flour. Bakers and millers became so aroused that riots 
t were started and barricades frequently had to be erected at lec- 
tures for protection. Nevertheless Graham was neither a quack 
nor a faddist and the medical press of the day gave him widespread 
support. He arrived at the same conclusions through rational ob- 
servation that nutritionists now do through experimentation. To 
this day whole wheat flour is often called "Graham flour:' and 
"Graham crackers7' are a well known food. I It was not until the twentieth century, however, that the most 
conclusive and convincing evidence began to arrive as to the 
effects of the process of refining, and then it came from scientists 
in all parts of the world. From England in 1912 came the report 
from Dr. Frederick Gowland Hopkins, of the University of Cam- 
bridge, that the "superior value of whole wheat meal lies in the 
fact that it retains certain food substances whose presence allows 
I I our systems to make use of the tissue-building elements of the 
grain:' In a series of experiments Dr. Hopkins showed that young 
1 animals grow much more rapidly on brown flour than white 
I flour, and he was able to alter at will the tissue-building rate of 
I animals by altering the ratio of brown flour to white flour in the 
diet. Also in England, Benjamin Moore, Chief of the Biochemical 
Department of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, re- 
ported that experiments with pigeons indicated the development 
of a wide variety of pathological conditions resulting from white 
t flour, even when unbleached. The pigeons fed such flour, he 
reported, "all speedily developed marked symptoms of malnutri- 
tion and serious nerve derangements. Besides losing weight they 
, sit listless and shivering, lose power in their legs, suggesting nerve 
I DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS REFINED GRAlN PRODUCTS 
paralysis, while many develop convulsions17 The pigeons fed 
whole wheat remained healthy and up to normal weight through- 
out the length of the experiments. Just two years later, in France, similar experiments were con- 
ducted yielding similar results. Two scientists, E. Weill and G. 
Mouriquant, reported that the pigeons fed on refined barley 
"showed similar waste and paresis of the limbs and wings as has 
been frequently noted on a white bread diet. These symptoms 
were followed by ataxic cerebellar or labyrinthine phenomenon - the animals falling backward or laterally with hyperextension of 
the limbs and head, ending in death. A cataleptoid condition 
sometimes preceded death where there had been no previous 
symptoms17 
In America T. B. Osborne and L. B. Mendell found that ani- 
mals fed refined grains rapidly declined in health, even though ~ 
crystallized mineral salts were added to the diet. Other American 
scientists made similar observations. In New York it was noticed 
that both cattle and horses showed symptoms of acidosis, emacia- 
tion, and anemia when fed degerminated corn meal, and prompt 
recovery occurred when the animals were given whole grains and 
fresh grasses. The famed breeder of thoroughbred horses, David 
T. Arret, reported that his animals, when fed unprocessed and 
unbleached grain foods, remained immune to all of the equine 
diseases which were then so common among horses. The general 
conclusion of scientific workers in America was summed up at 
that time by Harvey W. Wiley with his statement that there 
was "an almost universal consensus of opinion among dietetic 
experts to the effect that properly ground whole wheat flour is a 
more wholesome product both for children and grown people 
than the fine white flour of commerce:' 
While scientists in the western world were discovering the 
effects of refined wheat, rye, barley, and corn, those of the Orient 
were reporting that beriberi and general ill-health were wide- 
spread in China and the entire Far East because of the increasing 
use of refined polished rice. In the Philippine Islands, the health a ives official, Dr. V. G. Heiser, showed that beriberi among the n t' 
was due to the consumption of polished rice. Dr. Fraser of Singa- 
pore, Dr. DeHaan of Java, and Dr. Highet of Siam followed with 
similar reports from their areas. In the famous Coulion Leper 
Colony nearly all of the inmates fell ill with beriberi. ~reatment 
consisted of replacing polished rice with the natural rice grain 
and extra rice bran. In just sixty days the disease was not only 
interrupted, but complete cures among many of the afflicted 
were established. Since that time whole brown rice has come back 
into use in many parts of the Far East, and when beriberi devel- 
ops in other areas, the food is introduced as a specific remedy. Still more damaging evidence against the use of refined foods 
has come in recent years, in particular with respect to the bleach- 
ing of flour. In 1948 Dr. Anton J. Carlson, the world-renowned 
physiologist of the University of Chicago, described the extreme 
danger of nitrogen trichloride, used in the bleaching process. He 
pointed out that the chemical causes running fits and epilepsy 
in dogs, monkeys, and rats. He referred to the chemical as "a 
nerve poison" which "changes a good protein into a bad one, 
and causes nervous instability:' It should be noted that nitrogen 
trichloride had been used for bleaching 90 per cent of all white 
flour during the prior twenty years. Now its use is prohibited for 
bleaching purposes, but other poisons are employed as substi- 
tutes. Most flour is presently bleached with the well known 
toxic chemical, chlorine dioxide, which was approved for use 
over protests of U.S. Army nutrition experts. Chlorine dioxide 
is much more powerful than nitrogen trichloride and need be 
used in only one-third to one-half the quantity of the latter. According to Lockwood7s Flour Milling publication, the chem- 
ical is "particularly valuable for bleaching very low grade flours:' 
So the millers had good reason to welcome the change, but the 
consuming public received a doubtful advantage. Along with bleaching, the use of chemical softening agents 
is widespread and dangerous. Bakers use tlie softening agents so 
that their bread will keep fresh-looking and soft for two weeks or DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
longer. Until 1953, more than ten million pounds of bread each 
year were treated with Polyethelene monstearate. This chemical 
emulsifier was tested by Dr. John C. Krantz, who had been hired 
by one of the chemical companies to test the harmlessness of 
their product. But the experiments showed that white rats, mon- 
keys, and rabbits did suffer when given the softener, some of 
them developing spontaneous tumors, others dying, and some of 
the rabbits being victims of cannibalism. Other scientists noted 
damage to liver and kidneys when the softener was fed to animals. Polyethelene monostearate was finally banned after an exhaustive 
hearing lasting 116 days and involving 160 witnesses, 17,000 
pages of records, and more than 500 exhibits. Yet, in spite of 
all the evidence presented against the chemical, the legal decision 
was appealed to the Supreme Court, and the very firms whose 
scientists had proved the dangers of the chemical fought for its 
continued use up to the very end. Today we do not have Poly- 
ethelene monstearate in our bread, but we do have other chem- 
ical softening agents which may or may not present serious risks 
to human health. Some nutritional scientists have apologized for the baker's 
production of white bread on the grounds that the natural whole 
grain product often becomes infested with vermin when not 
transported and stored under refrigeration. As Prof. E. V. 
McCollum remarks: "There are good and sound commercial 
reasons why most people should eat white bread. . . . It is safest 
and most economical to transport the flour and get it to the 
consumer in the form of bread than it is if whole wheat flour 
were used, since the latter tends to spoil more readily:' Whereas 
this is a good argument for commercial profit, it is an argument 
against good nutrition. The lower forms of animal life do not 
infest white flour and white bread because these foods do not 
offer them suitable nourishment. They need living foods, rich in 
nutritional factors, in order to thrive. And man is no exception 
to this rule. We are no more capable of being well nourished on 
white flour products than are insects and vermin. REFINED GRAIN PRODUCTS 
The fact that white bread is an inferior food does not mean 
that we can automatically obtain good nutrition simply by pur- 
chasing dark bread. Ordinary dark wheat bread is usually com- 
posed of about one-third whole wheat flour and two-thirds white 
flour. Ordinary rye bread, and even most pumpernickel breads, 
are made from a combination of rye and white flours. Some loo 
per cent whole grain products are available, but even they are 
often inferior foods. They are not always free from the harmful 
ingredients found in white flour products. Some whole wheat 
bread is made from whole wheat flour which is bleached with 
about four times the quantity of chemical bleaching agents as 
are used for ordinary white flour. This renders the bread unfit 
for human consumption, just as it renders it unfit for infestation 
by vermin. When bread containing bleached whole wheat flour 
is fed to experimental animals, the animals actually die more 
rapidly than when given ordinary white bread. But the situation is not without hope. While the general 
milling and baking industry of this country follows the line of 
campletely refined and bleached grains products, every individual 
miller has not done so. There still do exist sources of genuine 
whole grain flour, and natural food outlets still sell some bakery 
products made entirely from wholesome ingredients. Whole 
brown rice, whole wheat and rye kernels, and other whole grains 
are available. Flour may be freshly ground in the home with the 
aid of small hand-operated or motor-driven flour mills. Whole 
grains may also be allowed to sprout and used effectively in their 
uncooked state. Whole grain products may thus be prepared in 
the home with little loss of time and important gains in the 
quality of the dietary. In view of the fact that nearly one-third of the American diet 
is composed of products made from refined grain, the cumula- 
tive effects of these foods on the state of health must be one of 
great consequence. Unfortunately such effects are now on the 
detrimental side rather than helpful. By using only whole grain 
flour and whole grain products, and consuming as much of the DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
food as possible in its uncooked state, together with liberal t 
amounts of raw sprouted grain, the effects of grain will be turned I 
in the opposite direction. The body will be given adequate nour- 
ishment and a much greater immunity to disease may be expected. The food which now constitutes a virtual staff of death may then 
be looked upon as the real staff of life. IV Refined Swgar 
s UGAR IS A CHEMICAL COMPOUND 
of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. As the source of the elements 
and methods of sugar synthesis differ, the various forms of sugar 
are classified: dextrose, found in fruits and honey; fructose or 
levulose, also found in fruits and honey; lactose, found in milk; 
sucrose, found in maple sap and sugar cane, and glucose, formed 
by the action of sulphuric acid on starch. The value of sugar in human nutrition is based entirely upon 
its calorie content, and thus the food constituent is useful to 
supply energy and fuel to the body. As found in nature it is com- 
bined with a wide variety of minerals, vitamins, and other nutri- 
tional factors. Foods rich in sugar are hence of great importance. The sugar itself supplies an important physiological need, and 
its combination with other important vitalizing factors provides 
the body with an important source of nutriment. In the earliest of times the chief sources of sugar were honey 
and ripe fruit. Sugar cane grew in Asia and was perhaps a food 
of the natives. In the thirteenth century sugar cane was intro- 
duced into Europe and became the chief source of sugar to the 
people of that continent. By the eighteenth century the sugar 
cane industry commenced to develop in America, and in the 
following century sugar was extracted from sugar beets in both 
Europe and America. By this time advanced mechanical methods 
had been developed to separate the sugar from the remainder of 
the plant. The end-product then was brown sugar, which still 
possessed some flavor and a very small percentage of the minerals DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
and vitamins originally present in the plant. This material was 
made on the sugar cane plantation and then shipped directly to 
the retail outlets and consumers. Toward the close of the nineteenth century came the devel- 
opment of the modern refinery. This carried the sugar cane 
through the ultimate and complete state of refinement, after 
which the remaining product was of a pure-white color and over 
99 per cent pure carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The last traces 
of minerals and vitamins had now been removed. This final phase of sugar refining completely revolutionized 
the industry and was accomplished in a single year through a 
clever advertising ruse. The advertising was done by the refiner, 
not the plantation, and the purpose was to insure that all sugar 
produced was shipped to the modern refinery prior to the con- 
sumer, and thus provide the refiner with a profit on all sugar 
produced. In 1898 many important newspapers and magazines 
in America carried advertisements displaying the picture, magni- 
fied zoo times, of a dreadful looking creature described in appear- 
ance as a cross between a lizard and a louse. This was said to be 
the "disgusting insect7' (producing "disgusting diseases") which 
was found in brown sugar. Needless to say, the resulting horror 
that spread among housewives was sufficient to all but wipe out 
the sale of brown sugar throughout the nation. The total process of refining sugar is a long and complicated 
procedure. The beets are sliced, then treated with very hot water 
until all the sugar is extracted in the form of diffusion juice. Lime 
is then added, and carbonic acid derived from a lime kiln is blown 
through it until the lime is converted into a carbonate which 
carries away the mineral elements and other "impurities" of the 
juice. The juice is passed through the filter press, then evaporated, 
and finally bleached with bone-black to give it a pure white color. Cane sugar goes through an even more elaborate process. After 
the juice is extracted it is mixed with lime and often subjected to 
the fumes of burning sulphur. Salts of tin or bluing are used in 
washing the sugar in a centrifugal, and the various forms of acid 
phosphates are frequently employed in clarifying the cane juices. [ 26 I REFINED SUGAR 
Bone-black is again used for bleaching, and evaporation follows. The remaining solids are white sugar, which is later granulated. The finished product is more than 99 per cent sugar. It is an 
unbalanced food, completely devoid of all minerals, vitamins, 
and other accessory nutrients normally found in natural foods. One of the single disadvantages of white sugar lies 
in its damaging effects upon the teeth. When sugar ferments in 
the mouth, certain acids arise which are an ideal medium for the 
lactobacillus micro-organism, which is known to be destructive 
to tooth enamel. When the sugar is combined with other food 
factors, as are found in natural foods, the bacterial tendency to 
destroy enamel appears to be lessened or eliminated altogether. The harmful bacteria need free sugar in which to live. This is 
ideally supplied in refined form, but not in natural form. There 
are no pure sugars found in nature. Our natural high-sugar foods 
normally contain an assortment of enzymes, vitamins, and other 
activators and nutritive factors which tend to prevent the pres- 
ence of free sugar in the mouth fluids. Thus people who use 
considerable quantities of raw sugar cane and other natural car- 
bohydrate foods may have excellent teeth, whereas those using 
the refined product often suffer from dental decay in its worst 
forms. This is born out by important experiments. At the University 
of Michigan School of Dentistry, Dr. Philip Jay placed fifty 
children on a diet rich in candy and other high-sugar foods. The 
control group included 120 children who used a diet low in 
refined sugar content. Within five months clinical evidence 
of dental caries appeared in 44 per cent of the first group, com- 
pared to the presence of caries in only 13 per cent when the 
experiment started. The lactobacillus count increased an average 
of 80 per cent in the children and then rapidly dropped when 
the experiment was over and less sugar consumed. In the control 
group, the lactobacillus count increased only 28 per cent. Dr. Herman Becks, professor of dental medicine at the Uni- 
versity of California, conducted two separate five-year studies on 
the relationship of refined sugar in the diet to dental decay. DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
Altogether, 1,542 individuals were observed for a full year after 
they eliminated all products containing refined sugar from their 
diet. Some of the subjects suffered severely from dental decay 
prior to the dietary restriction, but improvement was rapid and 
consistent in almost all cases. In the first study, from 1938 to 
1943, 62 per cent of the subjects developed no caries for the year 
after the dietary change; in the later studies, from 1943 to 1948, 
even greater improvement was noted, and fully 81 per cent 
remained caries-free during the year-long observation period. A 
marked drop in the lactobacillus count was registered within 
two to three weeks after the dietary restrictions went into effect. In 1934, Doehne, Bunting, and Morrel studied a group of 169 
orphanage children, from seven to sixteen years of age who had 
lived for several years on a low-sugar institutional diet. Although 
many of the children had open cavities formed prior to their 
coming to the institution, there was a remarkably low incidence 
of active dental caries. Seventy to eighty per cent of the children 
had no new caries over a period of several years. The lactobacillus 
count was found to be exceptionally low. To test the effects of 
refined sugar upon dental caries, fifty-one of these children were 
then given three pounds of candy a week over a period of five 
months. In eighty per cent of the cases, the lactobacillus count 
rapidly rose, and forty-six of the children developed active dental 
caries, compared to an incidence of only seven cases prior to the 
dietary change. When the candy was again omitted from the diet, 
the lactobacillus count returned to its former low level, and three 
months after the discontinuance of sugar feeding, there was no 
extension of dental caries seen in any case. Schour and Massler studied people of various age groups in 
Italy during 1945, and found the incidence of dental decay to 
be two to seven times lower than observed in the United States. This was considered due in part to the reduced sugar intake dur- 
ing a period of general scarcity of food. Guttrom Toverud made 
similar observations while studying 8,000 Norwegian children 
during the years 1940-47. Toverud noted a 35 to 60 per cent 
reduction in decayed and missing teeth during the period of 
[ 28 I REFINED SUGAR 
wartime occupation, when the intake of refined sugars and other 
refined carbohydrate foods was severely restricted. Similar reduc- 
tions in caries incidence were reported for other Scandinavian 
countries, with the percentage of reduction varying in direct 
relationship with the severity of wartime dietary restrictions and 
intake of refined sugars. The rate of dental decay among primitive racial groups having 
no access to refined sugar or refined sugar products has always 
been extremely low. For some groups, several hundred teeth have 
to be examined in order to find a single sign of dental caries. Many 
of the primitive people live from birth to death without ever hav- 
ing a single decayed tooth. Such conclusions have been established 
by studying thousands of skulls from natives living in a pre- 
civilized era, and by contemporary studies of primitive people 
living today or in a recent era. .Yet, the primitive teeth decay 
every bit as rapidly as do those of civilized man when refined sugar 
and refined sugar products are introduced into the diet. This does 
not mean that the absence of refined sugar was the sole reason 
for the presence of good primitive teeth, or that the presence of 
refined sugar is the sole reason for poor primitive teeth. A number 
of dietary factors enter the picture, but the absence or presence 
of refined sugar is the most important of these. If the adverse effects of refined sugar upon the teeth were all 
that we had to contend with, we would still have sufficient reason 
for discarding this food from our diet. But there is evidence that 
refined sugar harms much more than the teeth. Many dentists 
believe that the food causes gingivitis as well as dental decay, 
and medical authorities have long known that it tends to produce 
acne and other skin diseases in sensitive individuals. Sugar which 
is not utilized as energy is turned into fat in the body, which 
accounts for the fact that people who are especially fond of 
candy and other sweet foods tend to be obese. As obesity is 
associated with the high incidence of heart disease and other 
pathological conditions, and results in a mortality rate fully 74 
per cent above normal, this reaction from refined sugar may be 
even more important than that concerning dental decay. It is 
[ 29 1 DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
well known that refined sugar is the most dangerous of all foods 
for the diabetic patient. According to Drs. Hutchinson and 
Mottram, sugar is a very strong irritant which causes abnormal 
production of mucus "and the pouring out of a highly acid gas- 
tric juice:' Accordingly, many people are forced to reduce or 
eliminate their use of sugar in order to avoid digestive disturb- 
ances. Dr. Otto Meyerhof, of the University of Pennsylvania Med- 
ical School, has called attention to "the appetite of tumors for 
sugar:' and Dr. Fisher-Wesels, of the University of Frankfort, 
reported that "Cancer may be linked to the food you eat, partic- 
ularly sweet foods that produce high blood sugar levels17 
Dr. Melvin E. Page has studied the relationship of refined 
sugar consunlption to the calcium-phosphorus ratio of the blood. When no refined sugar is consumed, the normal ratio is two and 
one-half to one, or two and one-half times as much calcium as 
phosphorus. With the intake of refined sugar, this ratio was 
found to be greatly distorted. This could affect the health in 
various ways, and one of these is by making the body more liable 
to insect bites. J. I. Rodale, after following Dr. Page's advice 
on eliminating all refined sugars from his diet, found that he 
was practically immune to mosquito bites during the following 
summer. E. S. Bayard noted in Peru that the native Indian 
women were rarely bitten by mosquitos, which also was attributed 
to the fact that they ate no sugar. It is known that different dietary 
habits of racial groups in various parts of the earth are associated 
with marked differences in the liability to be bitten by blood- 
sucking insects. While this is a subject on which much additional 
research is needed, some of the evidence does apparently indicate 
that the changes produced in the blood as a result of refined sugar 
consumption render the body more subject to insect bites. Do all of these facts mean that we must live upon a sugar-free 
diet in order to have good health? Most assuredly not. A sugar- 
free diet would not be desirable even if it were possible. The 
culprit is not sugar, as such, but only refined sugar which is too 
highly concentrated and deprived of all traces of minerals and 
vitamins. Natural sugar-containing foods have been used with 
[ 30 I REFINED SUGAR 
success by racial groups throughout the earth. The ancient 
Samoans, and many other Polynesian groups in the South Seas, 
! were very fond of raw sugar cane, and they had some of the finest 
pearly-white teeth in the world. The Indians in all of New 
England were fond of maple syrup and maple sugar, and though 
! their teeth were not quite equal to those of the Great Plains 
Indians, they were remarkably sound by modern standards. Many 
of the pastoral nomads of the Near East and North Africa have 
been known to include liberal amounts of sugar-rich dates in 
their diet, but they possess teeth far superior to those of people 
in Western countries. Honey is perhaps the most universal sweet- 
ening agent of the entire primitive world, and its use has been 
associated with fine teeth and excellent physique and health. In modern life, it has been used with remarkable success for 
therapeutic purposes and is very well tolerated under normal I conditions. Even many diabetic patients, who cannot handle 
refined sugar at all, tolerate moderate quantities of honey with- 
out difficulty. The desire for sweet foods is a natural craving which can be 
utilized to supply the body with an easily assimilable source of 
I energy and a valuable source of minerals, vitamins, and other 
nutrients. This does not mean that no natural sugars can be 
taken to excess. Most primitive people had a single important 
source of sugar -honey, or maple sugar, or dates, or sun-dried 
I fruits - rather than a combination of all of these sources. With 
I many kinds of sweets in modern life, we have to go easier on 
each one, particularly if these are heat-processed. But we do not 
have to follow the advice of those who recommend a sugar-free 
diet for good teeth and good health. We can have our sweeten- 
ing agents and we can still have good teeth and good health. All 
we need do is choose our sweets with care and discretion and 
use them in moderate quantities. MEAT PRODUCTS 
V. Meat Products 
A SERIOUS IMPAIRMENT IN THE QUALITY 
of meat results from the current practice of injecting hormones 
into food animals with the object of fattening them more rapidly 
and rendering their flesh more tender. After the hormone injec- 
tions, the weight of a chicken shoots up from 25 per cent to 
50 per cent at about a tenth of the cost of the feed normally 
necessary to achieve the same gain. A steer will rise from 600 to 
900 pounds within a month after the injections begin. As early 
as 1950, approximately 30 million chickens in this country 
received implantations of silbestrol, a synthetically produced 
hormone having activity similar to the natural female sex hor- 
mone. Today the practice continues on an even wider scale. Half of the beef cattle in this country have already been given 
silbestrol. The result has been an increment of hormones and 
hormone-like substances in the diets of those who consume meat 
products. The human body produces both male and female sex hor- 
mones. The action of these hormones determines the sex char- 
acteristics of the individual and affects, among other things, sex 
drive, development of the sex organs, breast development, growth 
of hair on the face and body, pitch of voice, and height. When 
hormone pellets are implanted in chickens, the results are similar 
to those obtained by castrating the male bird. When the hormone 
substances are then consumed as part of the animal flesh by 
humans, the consequences may be adverse in certain respects. Normal physiological function is disturbed by the ingestion of large quantities of hormone substances. One of the most common 
risks believed associated with the consumption of hormonized 
flesh is that of causing sterility in the male. Another risk involves 
the possibIe production of cancer. Four distinguished physicians, 
Dr. G. F. Knight and Dr. W. C. Martin of the American 
Academy of Medicine, Dr. R. Inglesias of the University of Chile, 
and Dr. W. F. Smith of New York, have written a simultaneous 
report on the risks of hormone injections which was submitted 
to the Food and Drug Commissioner of the United States 
government. Among other evidence, the report points out that 
mice, rats, and guinea pigs given the hormones developed polyps, 
fibroids, and tumors and soon wasted away and perished. The 
physicians concluded that the introduction of hormones into 
the food supply presented the problem of cancer exposure in 
human beings from birth onward. I It has been objected that, with reference to poultry, the area 
of the animal in which the stilbestrol pellets are implanted is 
removed and thrown away, so that no unabsorbed stilbestrol 
reaches the consumer. This may be an acceptable theory to many, 
but it does not work out well in practice. Occasional sampling by 
the Food and Drug Administration of stilbestrol-treated chick- 
< ens which are shipped in interstate commerce reveals the fact 
that some 60 per cent of the sampled birds still contain portions 
of unabsorbed stilbestrol in areas which would remain with the 
consumer after the normal severing of the head from the carcass. Hormonized flesh, therefore, is not acceptable in any plan of 
good nutrition. Whenever possible the normal flesh of non- 
treated animals should be given preference to that which has 
been subjected to hormone treatments of any kind.
Dangers_in_Modern_Foods_by_Arnold_DeVries.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Soil and Health Library
This document is a reproduction of the book or other copyrighted material you requested. It
was prepared on for the exclusive use of Oriana, whose email address is
orianaoriana@gmail. com. This reproduction was made by the Soil and Health Library only for the purpose of research and
study. Any further reproduction or distribution of this copy in any form whatsoever constitutes
a violation of copyrights. DANGERS 
IN MODERN FOODS 
BY ARNOLD DEVRIES 
CHANDLER BOOK COMPANY 
333 NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE CHICAGO 1, ILLINOIS COPYRIGHT 1958 BY ARNOLD DE VRIES 
CONTENTS 
All rights reserved. This book. or parts thereof. must not be reproduced in any form 
without permission. FIRST IMPRESSION 
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA I. The Science of Nutrition 
11. Common Salt. 111. Refined Grain Products. IV. Refined Sugar. v. Meatproducts. VI. Fish Liver Oil. VII. Milk. VIII. Cheese. IX. Canned Foods. x. Condiments. XI. Alcoholic Beverages. XII. Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa. XIII. SoftDrinks. XIV. Drinking Water. xv. Confections. XVI. Ice Cream. XVII. The Practical Application 
Bibliography. Index. PAGE DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS I. 'The Science of Nutrition 
A LL HUMAN LIFE CENTERS AROUND 
food. For perhaps ninety per cent of the earth's population, the 
problem is simply one of getting enough food to survive. For the 
remaining ten per cent, including most Americans, the problem 
is to select the most appropriate foods from the great abundance 
i that is available. It is here that the power of selection may be 
instrumental in determining the full course of human life. It may 
lead to a condition of vital, vibrant health, or it may lead to 
disease and premature death. Unfortunately, this power of selec- 
tion usually follows the latter course. Due to careless and indis- 
criminate use, without the slightest concern for the science of 
nutrition, it has become one of the prime causes of physical 
deterioration in man. If only natural foods were available for human consumption, 
the question of selection would not assume such great importance. But natural foods comprise only a very small portion of the mod- 
ern dietary. Our foods are usually deficient in necessary nutri- 
tional factors, and they contain excessive quantities of harmful 
substances. The deficiencies result largely from current methods 
of refining and processing foods, and the presence of harmful 
substances is due in some cases to the natural composition of the 
original foods, but more often to the addition of poisonous chem- 
icals or purified nutrients in the manufacture of food products. The possible presence of strontium-go or other radioactive ele- 
ments in food products is also assuming increasing importance. The best example of the adulteration and poisoning of our 
general food supply may be noted in a report of the U. S. Food 
[31 DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS THE SCIENCE OF NUTRITION 
and Drug Administration, which has estimated that 704 chem- 
icals are presently used in or on foods. Of these, only 428 are 
considered relatively safe. The remaining 276 chemicals have 
either not been tested sufficiently to assure their safety or they 
are considered definitely poisonous by nutritionists and health 
officials. However, it must be recognized that even the 428 "safe" 
chemicals are designated as such only insofar as they have not yet 
been incriminated as specific causes of disease in the amounts 
used. In instance after instance, chemicals which had previously 
been certified as "safe" are found quite harmful and later banned 
from use in food. It must be understood that no prior clearance or testing is 
required for any new chemical additive to be used in food prod- 
ucts. Actually a poison may be consumed regularly year after year 
by millions of people before its use in food is questioned. Some 
chemicals are not even tested until a long series of complaints 
from consumers are received. The Food and Drug Administration 
may ban use of a poison in food only after it has been proven 
decidedly harmful to humans in the amounts used, and that may 
require years of investigations, hearings, and trials, during which 
time there is no consumer protection. Once the poison is pro- 
hibited, there is nothing to prevent the manufacturer from using 
another, equally as harmful, for the same purpose. Thus our 
protection from toxic chemicals in food products rests upon an 
inadequate law which offers limited protection only after one has 
been poisoned. This is very important in the science of nutrition, for the nu- 
tritionist believes that the basic causes of most forms of disease 
are based upon the chemistry of the body. Deficiencies of essen- 
tial chemicals, and excesses of toxic substances, completely upset 
the normal physiological activity of the body, lower its basic 
efficiency, and induce the development of disease. A proper chem- 
ical balance is necessary to assure good health and freedom from 
disease. This can only be established through consumption of 
foods, which are in themselves complete nutritional units. There 
must be adequate amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, min- erals, vitamins, enzymes, and hormones, and these must be com- 
bined in a manner which permits the full utilization of all food 
factors. At the same time, the foods must be free from toxic 
substances which can interfere with digestion, assimilation, and 
metabolism, and act as a general barrier to physiological efficiency. To the degree that the finished food pattern meets all of these 
requirements is its biological value rated. This is the viewpoint of modern nutrition. It is not necessarily 
the viewpoint of every branch of medicine. Some theories as to 
the nature and cause of disease are based upon bacteriology; 
others find their foundation in the mind and nervous system, and 
chiropractic and related fields give disease a mechanical basis. It is not our purpose here to consider the value of each. Each 
theory may be applicable in certain cases, but the nutritionist 
believes that his has a greater application over a wider variety of 
conditions than any other. He states that the bacteriological, 
mental, and mechanical conditions of the body are dependent to 
a large degree upon the initial state of chemical balance. Today many people are familiar with nutritional theory and 
isolated segments of biochemical data. Less well known, however, 
are the total implications of the numerous dietary experiments 
and the practical application to human life of all knowledge thus 
gained. Here we shall consider this latter phase of nutritional 
science, as it is related to the quality and value of our most com- 
mon foodstuffs. At the same time the theoretical value of the 
foods will be reviewed from the standpoint of chemistry, in its 
possible relation to the experimental and clinical results. The 
conclusions thus arrived at may not coincide with our past con- 
cepts as to what constitutes an adequate diet, nor will they 
necessarily agree with the nutritional implications associated with 
the commercial distribution of many common foods. They are, 
however, factual and accurate as regards present knowledge of 
t nutrition. They may help to point the way to a more practical 
mode of human dietary habits, as well as act as a limited guide 
for constructive and healthful meal planning. COMMON SALT 
II. Common Salt 
s ALT IS A CHEMICAL COMBINATION 
of the elements, sodium and chlorine. A molecule of a salt is an 
atom of sodium joined to an atom of chlorine. Both sodium and 
chlorine are useful to the body, and sodium is of particular impor- 
tance in maintaining normal metabolism of the cells. About one- 
third gram of salt is needed each day by the body. This is found 
in green vegetables and many other common foods,*in an organic 
combination with other minerals, in particular calcium and potas- 
sium. In this form salt appears to be non-toxic, and it serves the 
body without producing any detrimental side-effects. Common table salt is sodium chloride, in its purified state, in 
the absence of any other nutrients as are normally found in food. Its use as a seasoning to foods extends back to the origin of 
recorded history, though it was first used only at the tables of 
the upper classes. In the Middle Ages its use had spread to most 
of the European population, and about 150 years ago it was 
manufactured and distributed on a large scale for the first time 
in America. Today the substance is used in all nations by all sec- 
tions of the earth's civilized population. The average individual 
in the United States consumes from lo to 15 grams of salt each 
day. Our discussion here concerns the effects of the pure crystalline 
product, common table salt. Until a recent era no such discussion 
would have been possible, for salt was regarded as essential for 
health, without evidence, and investigations which might lead to 
other viewpoints had not been made. Today the old viewpoints concerning salt have been proven false in almost every particular, 
and medicine has established a new basis for its conclusions on 
the subject. However, many of the professional workers in medi- 
cine and the other healing arts are yet unaware of present knowl- 
edge concerning salt, and the layman is without opinion or he 
accepts the unscientific doctrines of the past. Of first consideration is the question: Is salt necessary for the 
support of animal life and human life, and a condition of health 
associated therewith. Popular conception has long decreed an 
affirmative answer. Wild animals are said to make use of salt licks 
at frequent intervals. Domestic animals are said to have a desire 
for salt, and the substance is provided for many of them. Primi- 
tive races are thought to utilize salt at every opportunity. With- 
out salt, it is believed, animal and human life must necessarily 
suffer, and possibly perish. I 
But is this true. In the wild animal kingdom there is very sel- 
dom any consumption of salt. The story of salt licks seem to be 
as old as history itself, but it has little basis in fact. Salt licks and 
outcroppings do exist, but they are not at all prevalent. Men who 
have been active the greater portion of their lives as hunters, fish- 
ermen, and trappers report that they have never seen a salt lick. It is doubtful that many wild animals see or use them either. In some areas inhabited by wild animals there are absolutely 
no salt licks to be found. The deer is one of the few animals 
that has been seen at outcroppings of salt. However, many 
deer live in regions where no salt exists, and upon capture they 
refuse all salt that is offered them. Most other wild animals also 
refuse salt when first offered, though a long period of captivity 
with salt feeding may alter the animals7 desire for the substance. Among domesticated animals salt is being used and has long 
been used, though not because of any expressed animal craving 
or because farmers have found it necessary for the animals' health. t The animals do seem to crave salt after they have used it for a 
time, but this is not true of the first feedings. The basic purpose 
of using the salt is to increase the animals7 weight more rapidly, 
which it does very satisfactorily. However, the abnormal increase DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS COMMON SALT 
in weight seems to decrease their resistance to disease, and some 
ailments among farm animals have been traced to their provisions 
of salt. Upon removing these provisions, health tends to improve. When the earth's primitive races were discovered and visited 
by Europeans, a few racial groups were found to use moderate to 
heavy amounts of salt, but the majority used no salt whatsoever. Some had no knowledge of its existence; others, who lived near 
the sea, had easy access to the product, but they did not use it 
with their food or in any other way. Dr. Benjamin Rush made a study of American Indian life at the 
close of the eighteenth century, and though he found the primi- 
tive Indians to be very healthy, he reported that he could not 
"find that the Indians used any salt in their diet till they were 
instructed to do so by Europeans17 In 1864 Dr. Hoffman wrote 
of his experiences with the Indians of the Western plains. Of 
these people he reported that "anything they could taste salt in 
they would invariably refuse:' and he remarked that even when 
hungry they would abstain from foods that had been salted. Yet 
he commented upon their magnificent state of health and pointed 
out that a "more athletic, hearty, stout and robust class of men 
cannot be found in the world than these very Indians:' He stated 
that many "of them are over six feet high, others of medium size, 
and they will endure more hardship, stand more fatigue, have 
better lungs, suffer less from sickness, live longer, on a general 
average, than the white race, who have all conveniences17 
Many primitive racial groups of the present era, who yet adhere 
to the native dietary customs, abstain from salt. Some of the 
more primitive Indian groups of Alaska and northern Canada 
not only do not use salt but they undertake the most heroic 
measures to remove it from commercially prepared salted meat. They soak it overnight in water, then add fresh water and boil 
it an hour, later remove the water, then add fresh water and cook 
it again, simply to get a salt-free food. The arctic traveler, Vilh- 
jalmur Stefansson, has pointed out that the primitive Eskimos 
dislike salt and will never use it. On the South Sea Islands many 
semi-isolated Polynesian and Melanesian groups get no salt except 
I: 8 I that which remains on the fish they consume. In central Africa 
, salt is completely unknown by some of the primitive groups. Even in China salt has been a rare item of diet. One has only to 
go beyond the bounds of civilization to find that salt is neither 
regarded as necessary nor desirable. It should be clear that salt is not essential for the support of 
animal or human life. In nature its use is the exception rather 
than the general rule. A more important question, however, is 
still unanswered: Does the use of salt seriously interfere with 
health and cause physical harm. Judging from the superior physi- 
cal condition of both wild animals and primitive races living with- 
out salt one might suspect that it does, but before drawing any 
conclusions therefrom it is necessary to consider more definite 
and practical information on the subject, as well as the theoretical 
observations involved. Salt seems to have a deleterious effect on the process of diges- 
I tion. This was explained as early as 1900 by Linossier, who showed 
that the amount of salt consumed at any ordinary meal retarded 
protein digestion as much as would a reduction of 40 to 50 per 
cent in the amount of pepsin (the digestive ferment necessary to 
digest proteins). A further explanation for the digestive impair- 
ment may be that, in disguising the flavor of foods, salt hinders 
the exact adaption of the digestive juices to the particular food 
being eaten. ~;ke other purified minerals, salt has a tendency to raise the 
osmotic pressure of the body and interfere with the passage of 
solvent through the membrane lining of the blood vessels. As 
the tissues are adapted to a specific osmotic pressure at all times, 
any factor which tends to raise it above normal, is attracted to 
the kidneys for elimination through a process which physiologists 
define as "selective excretion17 Large amounts of salt are thus 
attracted to the kidneys for elimination. As the kidney tissue 
itself appears to be particularly sensitive to salt, in the course of 
time it may undergo some damage. Even in the early stages the 
normal excretion of water by the kidney cells may be partly in- 
hibited. In the latter stages there is occasionally the development COMMON SALT DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
1 
of Bright's disease. Some physicians recognize that salt is a 
I 
I I significant factor in producing this ailment, and hence they 
usually recommend a salt-free diet for all patients so afflicted. As the kidney function becomes impaired through the use of 
salt, elimination of the salt is also impaired and some of the 
material must then be stored in the body, until it can be elimi- 
nated at a more favorable opportunity. As a part of the body's 
regulatory apparatus, the body stores toxins and unuseable mate- 
rials in its comparatively inactive tissues, such as bone, cartilage, 1 
and connective tissue. These tissues, particularly the subcutane- 
ous connective tissues, become the site for salt deposits when 
~ the substance can no longer be eliminated. The salt is diluted 
I 
I with the water, the water serving to hold the salt in solution and 
thus protect the tissues as much as possible from irritation. By 
being held in the subcutaneous tissues the salt is kept from cir- 
culation and hence from damaging the more vital parts of the 
body. We thus find the development of edema - a water-logging 
of the tissues -which serves a physiological need and acts as a 
defense mechanism. The primary cause of edema in such cases 
I is the excessive amount of salt in the body, and it tends to dis- 1 
I appear as soon as the use of salt is discontinued. Many physicians 
1 now use a saltless diet for all cases of edema, and when the ail- 
I ment is caused in the first place by salt, recovery is the usual rule. The relation of salt to insomnia and nervous ailments has been 
studied by Dr. Mickail M. Miller at the U.
Arnold DeVries
Who wrote the book "Dangers in Modern Foods"?
The author argues that the refining and processing of foods, as well as the addition of chemicals and additives, can be harmful to human health.
What is the author's main argument in the book "Dangers in Modern Foods"?
The text does not specifically state the main issue with the use of salt, but it does mention that excessive salt consumption can lead to health problems such as hypertension, kidney damage, and digestive issues.
What is the main issue with the use of salt in the human diet?
The author is strongly against the use of refined grains and sugar, stating that they are unnatural and can lead to a range of health problems.
What is the author's stance on the use of refined grains and sugar?
The author recommends a diet that consists of whole, unprocessed foods, and avoiding the use of refined grains and sugar.
What is the author's recommendation for a healthy diet?