The so-called 
"caponettes" and "hormonized fryers" should always be avoided 
when purchasing poultry. In addition to the hormonization of meat, there are other 
dangerous practices employed by the meat industry. Some forms 
of meat are treated with injurious chemicals, both for purposes 
of preservation and color. Inspection methods are not adequate 
for full consumer protection. Most meat is "well hung" and thus DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
aged until putrefaction has already set in and certain nutritive 
qualities are lost. Certain meats are smoked, pickled, soaked in 
smoke solutions, and injected with brine, fat, and gelatin. Some 
of these processes are done to disguise stringly meat from mal- 
nourished animals and all tend to render the meat less suitable 
for consumption. Many tinned meats contain the poisonous 
drug, sodium nitrate. Due in part to present methods of feeding 
hogs, some pork is infested with trichina and the quality of the 
meat is rarely as good as that of other animals. Local health 
department inspectors in various cities have occasionally found 
sulphite powder on some meats, which is used to give a nice red 
color to old meat. Some meats sold in restaurants have even been 
"embalmed" with formaldehyde in order to assure preservation 
over a long period of time. It is difficult, if not impossible, to purchase any meat on the 
regular commercial market with complete assurance that it is 
completely fresh and free from synthetic hormones and all chem- 
ical additives. But, if there is not complete safety, there is 
relative safety. The most dangerous meats are those which are 
tinned and processed into sausage. The safest meats are fresh 
beef, lamb, and sea fish. However, unless you know the direct 
source of your beef cuts, you will have to take your chances on 
the hormone problem. This is not a completely happy solution, 
but it is the best that can be suggested under current circum- 
stances. VI. Fish Liver Oil 
A N ANIMAL FOOD WHICH HAS RECEIVED 
widespread use among children is cod liver oil. Adults frequently 
I take other forms of fish liver oil (usually from the shark liver) 
as a supplementary source of vitamins A and D in the diet. Though fish liver oils are a rich source of the vitamins, and 
though certain animals, in particular dogs and cats, appear to 
take the oils without harmful reactions, there are serious doubts 
regarding the value of such foods in the diet of other animals and 
human beings. Dr. Weston Price has found that large doses of 
fish liver oil give some patients "definite symptoms of depression:' 
and has further observed paralysis and structural damage to 
hearts and kidneys of animals when overdoses were given. Agduhr, 
using the oils on rabbits, and Malnlberg using chickens, both 
found damage to the heart as one of the effects. P. Hendricksen 
concluded from his experiments that the oils produced degenera- 
tion throughout the body. Herlitz, Jundell, and Wahlgre con- 
ducted experiments which showed degeneration of the heart 
muscle when normal doses of cod liver oil were given. Dr. Osman 
treated cases of ketosis in children with cod liver oil and found 
that the patients became worse under care. Dr. Paul Gyorgy, 
professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, 
has reported that "certain cod liver oil constituents called unsat- 
urated fatty acids are known to exert a toxic effect on the liver or 
on the heart muscle when the oil is taken in large or prolonged 
doses:' 
i One may well conclude from all these facts that the fat-soluble DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
vitamins are best obtained from sources other than fish liver oils 
of any kind. This does not present a nutritional problem, for the 
vitamin D found in cod liver oil and other fish liver oil has been 
found to be much less efficient than that of milk and butterfat 
in human nutrition. In San Diego, California and Portland, 
Oregon, studies were made of several hundred children to deter- 
mine the relationship of vitamin D intake from cod liver oil and 
sunlight to rickets. Ninety-five per cent of the children in Port- 
land and seventy-three per cent of those in San Diego manifested 
four or more signs of rickets, and eighty-two per cent of these 
children were receiving cod liver oil regularly. So it is apparent 
that we cannot rely upon fish liver oils to give perfect bone devel- 
opment. However, we can rely upon whole foods in their natural 
state, together with sufficient exposure to sunlight over the entire 
body, to do so. Raw dairy products, together with raw egg yolk 
and whole raw liver, are the best food sources of the fat-soluble 
vitamins, and any one of these will give more assurance of good 
bone development than will fish liver oil. VII. Milk 
M ILK IS FREQUENTLY DESCRIBED AS OUR 
finest beverage. It is considered a near-perfect food which is 
practically immune to criticis~x. Yet, in modern life milk is often 
far from perfect. The value of milk depends largely upon the 
feeding habits of the cow, the health of the cow, cleanliness of 
milk handling, and the methods of processing. Unfortunately 
many cows on modern farms are poorly fed, with insufficient 
green feed during much of the year. They receive toxic doses of 
antibiotic drugs both in their food and as injections, and many 
are afflicted with various diseases. The milk itself is handled and 
transported with frequent disregard to cleanliness. Finally, to 
compensate for all these measures, the milk is pasteurized to 
make it safe and mixed with synthetic vitamin D to make it 
nutritious. But the solution is not equal to the original problem. Much 
of our milk supply, aside from being perfect, is hardly fit for 
human consumption. So much residual penicillin has been found 
in some milk that the cheese industry has found the milk useless 
as a starter culture. Such milk also has an antagonistic effect upon 
developing yogurt. Individuals sensitive to penicillin cannot 
always drink the milk without experiencing allergic reactions. The milk may be low in mineral and vitamin content, and its 
nutritive value is further impaired to a marked degree through 
the process of pasteurization. After the milk is processed with 
synthetic vitamin D, it gives toxic reactions in animal feeding 
tests. The finished product is no longer a natural food and pro- DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
duces some of the same ill-effects as do the other processed foods 
of civilization. It may be noted that all of these objections are to the methods 
of producing, handling, and processing milk, and not to milk 
itself. Further, the objections are confined largely to the ordinary 
commercial methods of milk production. Certified raw milk is 
produced under superior standards which provide a much better 
grade of milk. There are presently 26 certified dairy farms in the 
United States, which retain their license for certification only 
by producing and handling milk according to the strictest feed- 
ing, milking, and milk handling rules and regulations. Such 
regulations are set, supervised, and enforced by local medical milk 
commissions. Certified raw milk must test 500 or less bacteria 
count per cubic centimeter, whereas most health department 
regulations permit a maximum of 30,000 to 50,000 bacteria per 
cubic centimeter in ordinary pasteurized milk. So it can be seen 
that certified milk is up to loo times as pure before pasteuriza- 
tion as is regular milk after pasteurization. This does not mean that all raw milk must be derived from a 
certified source of supply. Obtain certified milk if you can, but 
in any case obtain raw milk. While certified milk is the purest 
milk, from a bacteriological standpoint, it is not the only good 
milk. Non-certified producers of raw cow's milk and raw goat 
milk do not have the false sense of security that pasteurization 
provides, and hence they usually handle their milk with reasonable 
care as to cleanliness. Excellent grades of non-certified raw milk 
have been available in such communities where raw milk could 
legally be sold. As long as such milk has not been processed with 
synthetic vitamin D, and as long as it does not contain traces of 
antibiotic drugs, it is suitable for use. Good raw milk, certified or 
non-certified, is rich in essential nutritive factors and represents 
one of the finest all-around foods for human consumption. VIII. Cheese 
A HE MILK PRODUCT, CHEESE, CAN BE 
defective, as it is often contaminated with dangerous chemicals 
added during manufacture. The "process" cheeses are most objec- 
tionable in this respect. Yellow AB and yellow OB are two dyes 
that are still used to color much cheese, in spite of the fact that 
they have long been suspected as causes of cancer. For years 
American manufacturers have been bleaching their Gorgonzola 
and blue cheeses with a dangerous chemical, benzoyl peroxide, 
which minimizes the yellow color of the cheese and destroys 
vitamin A. One of the carrying agents of the bleaching process 
is aluminum potassium sulfate, which is used in industry for 
dyeing and printing fabrics, making cement, and producing explo- 
sives. A yellowish-green liquid, diacetyl, is often used in cottage 
cheese to impart an artificial butter aroma to the product. Alginic 
acid is a common stabilizer in process cheese, and methyl cellulose, 
used industrially for making cosmetics and greaseproof paper, is 
added as a thickening agent. Phosphoric acid, normally used for 
making rustproof metals, helps to give cheese a sharp taste. Sodi- 
um carboxymethyl and citric, lactic, tartaric, and malic acids may 
also be included as ingredients in cheese. Even the cheese wrap- 
pers can be contaminated. On one occasion the Food and ~r;~ 
Administration seized 6,000 pounds of cheese wrapped in a 
preserving agent that was treated with a chemical as poisonous 
as carbolic acid. Only a freak accident led to this discovery. It is 
important to remember that most cheese is produced,- trans- DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
ported, and sold without inspection, irrespective of any possible 
contamination with poisonous chemicals. Fortunately, there are still some relatively safe cheeses available 
for public consumption. A number of the so-called "natural" 
cheeses fall into this category. There are even a few domestic 
sources of cheese made from raw milk, which are nutritionally 
far superior to cheeses made from pasteurized milk. It is also 
still possible to purchase imported cheeses made from raw milk, 
and these are usually free from chemical additives. The selection 
of such cheeses, whenever possible, represents the solution to 
the dangerous "process" cheese problem. IX. Canned Foods 
HE CONSUMPTION OF CANNED FOODS T 
has steadily risen during the past few decades. The rise of the 
frozen food industry has reduced the consumption of fresh fruits, 
vegetables, and meats, but it has not affected the consumption of 
canned foods, as is shown by the record 1957 production of 
i 7io,ooo,om cases of canned products. Thus we are confronted 
kith a situation whereby canied foods have taken a place beside 
refined grain products as staples of the American dietary. The can 
opener and the cork screw have become the two chief implements 
of the modern kitchen. This has serious consequences in terms 
of human health. I With few exceptions, foods are best consumed in their raw 
state. In this way the consumer receives the full nutritional bene- 
fit of the foods being eaten. If foods are not eaten raw, they are 
best cooked at low temperatures for the shortest possible pkriod 
of time. They should never be canned, for this involves the most 
destructive methods of heat-processing. Most vegetables are 
blanched prior to commercial canning, which causes some loss of 
nutritional factors. ~urin~ the canning process itself, they are 
cooked for 25 to 40 minutes at a temperature of 240 degrees I?. or higher in order to achieve a complete sterilization of the food 
product. Without complete sterilization, spoilage could set in 
and the food would not be safe for human consumption. It is impossible to sterilize foods without causing serious nutri- 
tional losses at the same time, so canned foods are necessarily 
denatured foods. Many canned products are also heavily salted; DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
in the case of fruits and juices, refined sugar is often used as a 
sweetening agent. Some of the sugar may be in form of glucose 
in order to give additional weight and body to the product. Artificial coloring and preserving agents may or may not be added. The dangerous sodium benzoate contaminates some canned 
foods. And this is not the end of the damage. Nutritional losses 
can continue during storage, which may last from months to 
years. When finally consumed, the canned product is thoroughly 
devitalized and incapable of meeting the basic human require- 
ment of good nutrition. X. Condiments 
I 
I C 
ONDIMENTS HAVE PLAYED AN IMPORTANT 
role in human history. Many of the early trade routes were 
opened in the search for spices, and much exploration was done 
on the same behalf. Spices were a treasured possession of the 
few who could afford them. In addition to imparting a new flavor 
I to foods, they were powerful germ killers and were thus effective 
in preserving foods. For instance, cloves, pepper, and cinnamon 
1 have been employed to keep fats from going rancid over a long 
period of time. , 
I If condiments have helped man in some ways, they have not 
helped him in all ways. Their effect upon human health has 
I been a negative one. If condiments will kill the bacteria in food, 
they may also kill some of the bacteria of the digestive tract, 
which play an important role in the digestion of foods. If they 
burn the tongue, there is evidence that they will irritate the 
delicate mucous membrane of the entire alimentary canal and 
may even have an irritating effect upon the blood vessels. Experiments have shown this to be true. Dr. Enrique Sanchez- 
I Palomera reported in June, 1951, that experimental animals 
given any one of four spices - paprika, pepper, cloves, and mus- 
tard - tended to develop ulcers within a remarakbly short period 
of time. Of 48 animals tested, 25 developed ulcers within eight 
days; 20 suffered from hemorrhage and water logging and con- 
gestion of the mucous membrane lining of the stomach, which 
were considered symptoms of approaching ulcers, and only three 
animals were unaffected at the end of the eight-day period. The DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
condiments were given in doses of only one-tenth of an ounce 
per day, and only one kind of spice was administered to each 
animal. Other experiments have shown that spices may produce 
hardening of the arteries. In order to protect themselves from 
the spices, the blood vessels harden and thicken. When mustard 
is added to the diet of experimental animals, the blood vessels 
begin to harden and thicken within a few months. Experiments 
with rabbits have shown that another spice, pepper, has a tend- 
ency to produce hardening of the liver, congestion of the kidneys, 
degeneration of cells, and a shortened life span. The very high 
rates of disease in parts of India and other nations which use 
large quantities of spices has often been noted. McCarrison 
observed that the rate of ulcers was especially high in the spice- 
consuming provinces of India. It is certain that spices have outlived their usefulness in the 
modern world. They are no longer essential for the preservation 
of foods, and they are certainly not essential for flavoring natural 
foods which already possess distinctive flavors of their own. If 
we do want to add a little seasoning to certain foods, there are 
safer ways of doing so than adding irritating spices. There is a 
wide assortment of mild herbs which are especially valuable for 
this purpose. Sage, bay leaf, caraway seeds, peppermint, fennel, 
tarragon, dill, and many other mild flavoring herbs deserve a 
place in good nutrition. As substitutes for irritating condiments, 
they may be highly recommended in all forms of food prepara- 
tion. XI. Alcoholic Beverages 
b HE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC 
beverages has contributed decisively to disease in modern life. The ill-effects of alcohol upon the human system are already 
common knowledge and little need be added here. Modern 
physiological studies have confirmed the frequent assertions by 
temperance workers that alcohol harms the heart, blood vessels, 
and nerves, as well as other organs. Recent statistics given the 
Northwest Mutual Life Insurance Company listed the death 
rate of "regular spirit drinkers" as 83 per cent higher than that 
of "total abstainers:' 
It may be added that alcohol accounts for only part of the 
ill-effects produced by most alcoholic beverages. Some of the 
wine, cider, and other spiritous drinks produced in past centuries 
in all countries, and still produced today under more or less 
primitive conditions, were little more than fermented fruit juice. These drinks did contain alcohol, but they also retained nutritive 
qualities which compensated at least in part for the content of 
alcohol. Some of the wines were still rich in vitamin C, and they 
were considered a valuable food when the supply of fresh fruits 
and vegetables was severely limited. Modern liquors are not only 
much higher in alcohol content, but they are so highly processed 
and chemically treated that practically all of the mineral and 
vitamin content is lost. Some of the old fashioned drinks could 
be considered both food and poison. The alcoholic beverages of 
the modern world are strictly poison. If alcoholic beverages are used, they should be made without 
[451 DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
heat-processing and without added sugar. The natural fermenta- 
tion of raw grape juice produces a highly nutritious wine, far 
superior in flavor to highly-processed wines. This does not con- 
stitute a recommendation of such wine as normal source of 
human food. Fresh grape juice is unquestionably superior to 
fermented juice. However, for those who do demand some kind 
of alcoholic beverage in modern life, the use of simple fermented 
juices will afford the least harmful method of meeting this 
demand. XII. Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa 
A MERICANS DRINK A MILLION TONS OF 
coffee each year, together with vast quantities of tea and cocoa. Each of these foods is a rich source of caffeine, which is known 
to have harmful effects upon the human body. Coffee and cocoa 
contain about the same amount of caffeine; tea leaves contain 
twice as much, but as a smaller quantity of tea per cup is used, 
these sources of caffeine are about the same in terms of everyday 
use. Many of the ill-effects of caffeine are already well known, b'ut 
certain facts may be given mention. At the University of Minne- 
sota, Dr. Edward Judd studied dogs and found that half of the 
animals developed ulcers after they had been repeatedly dosed 
with caffeine. Roth and Ivy, of the Northwestern University 
School of Medicine, gave experimental animals intra-muscular 
injections of caffeine, and ulcers were produced in 40 to 50 per 
cent of all cases. With a gastroscope, the physicians observed 
what happened in the stomach of an anaesthetized dog. Imme- 
diately after the injection of caffeine, "the inner lining of the 
dog's stomach became engorged, and then turned to a sickly 
duslcy purple - obviously an unhealthy condition17 In humans 
Roth and Ivy found that caffeine caused a considerable rise in 
stomach acid, which is known to be one of the immediate causes 
of ulcers. The relationship of coffee, tea, and cocoa to ulcers is only part 
of the story. Caffeine is so stimulating to the heart that doctors 
generally forbid coffee to patients with heart disease. In some DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
cases heart pains disappear when caffeine-containing drinks are 
omitted from the diet. Blood pressure has been known to drop 
as much as twenty points when the use of coffee was stopped. Nervousness, skin disorders, headaches, sight impairment, and 
other diseases have also been attributed to the use of caffeine 
beverages. In addition to caffeine, tea and cocoa contain other poisons. Tea contains poisonous tannin, which is used externally in medi- 
cine as an astringent, styptic and hemostatic, and internally as 
an antidote for other poisons. Its habitual use in food is dan- 
gerous. Tannin is said to interfere with the action of digestive 
juices, and it tends to produce constipation in some cases 
because of its astringent action. Cocoa contains theobromine, 
also a medical drug, which produces effects similar to those of 
caffeine, except that it is fatal to experimental animals in smaller 
doses. While coffee, tea, and cocoa must be rejected, this is not true 
of all warm beverages. More than a hundred varieties of herb 
teas are available for human use, and most of these can be 
depended upon to supply valuable nutritive values without the 
presence of harmful poisons. Peppermint tea is one of the finest 
for general use, while fenugreek, rose hip, sassafras, chamomile, 
strawberry leaf, squaw tea, and many other varieties offer pleasant 
additions to the human diet. s OFT DRINKS ARE AMONG THE MOST 
widely used of all beverages. Their great popularity makes them 
exert a great influence upon the health of people of all ages, but 
in particular upon young growing children who use them in 
unusually large amounts. While the harmful effects of some bev- 
erages are well known, those of soft drinks are frequently ignored. As a result we see many people drinking several bottles of carbo- 
nated beverages each day, scarcely aware of the serious dangers 
of these products. Soft drinks cannot justly be called food. They do supply the 
body with calories, which, however, are already in excess in the 
average diet. The basic nutritional qualities of minerals and vita- 
mins are entirely lacking. The beverages are largely an artificial 
product, composed of refined sugar, mineral acids, coal-tar dyes, 
artificial flavors, and water. The carbonated beverages contain 
carbon dioxide, which is broken down with water into carbonic 
acid. Cola drinks derive part of their flavor from an extract of 
the Kola nut, which contains about the same quantity of caffeine 
as does coffee or cocoa. Cola drinks contain about two-thirds of 
a grain of caffeine for each six ounces of beverage and thus yield 
the usual ill-effects of caffeine poisoning. Nutritionists accuse soft drinks of contributing to the cause of 
a wide variety of diseases. Of particular interest is their very detri- 
mental effect upon the teeth. McCay and Will, of Cornell Uni- 
versity, gave a group of white rats a solution of phosphoric acid 
and sucrose in exactly the same percentages as they are found DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
in the common cola drinks. Though the rats were eating a good 
diet, the simple addition of this cola mixture to the diet brought 
about such severe dental erosion that by the end of six months 
erosion could no longer be measured, for the teeth had eroded I 
right down to the gum line. These two experimenters then placed 
human teeth in the cola solution. Within three hours, measure- 
able quantities of calcium had been dissolved from the teeth, and 
within two weeks, the teeth were practically decalcified. Later 
experiments conducted at the laboratory of Consumer's Reports , 
confirmed the acidity of soft drinks, particularly those of the cola 
variety. More recently Carey D. Miller tested the many carbo- 
nated and non-carbonated synthetic beverages upon the teeth of 
129 rats. The results again showed that dental erosion followed 
ingestion of the beverages; indeed, even the non-carbonated 
drinks of relatively low acid content produced some destruction 
of tooth enamel. 4 
We need not speak of substitutes for soft drinks, for it is the 
soft drinks which are substitutes for real foods. And they are a 
very poor substitute indeed. Not only are the real foods incom- 
parably more nutritious than soft drinks; they are more flavorful 
as well. Who would not select fresh strawberry juice before arti- 
ficial strawberry beverage, or genuine cherry juice before artificial 
cherry beverage, or any one of dozens of other freshly-extracted 
fruit juices before inferior imitations? If we were obtaining spe- 
cial flavors in soft drinks that we could not possibly duplicate or 
improve in natural beverages, we might have some excuse for 
their use. But we are gaining nothing and losing everything in 
our selection of soft drinks. And on the other hand, we have 
everything to gain and nothing to lose by our selection of natural 
beverages. XIV Drinking Water 
E VEN SO COMMON A DRINK AS O'RDINARY 
water often undergoes so much treatment with chemicals that it 
can have toxic effects. Due to the unnecessary and careless dis- 
posal of industrial and sewage waste products into rivers, the 
danger of polluted drinking water is believed to necessitate the 
use of caustic chemicals to destroy such micro-organisms as may 
be present. Nearly all city water is chemicalized water. It may 
provide a limited degree of bacteriological purity, but is com- 
pletely lacking in chemical purity. As an example of the chemi- 
cals which go into the water supply of the average city, the 
following figures cover the addition of chemicals to the drinking 
water of Columbus, Ohio each year: 8,000 tons of lime, 3,000 
tons of soda ash, 1,200 tons of sulphuric acid, 500 tons of alumi- 
num ore, 500 tons of coke, and 8 tons of liquid chlorine. Iodine 
has also been added to the drinking water of cities. The addition 
of sodium fluoride to water is a more recent practice, and by the 
end of 1957, more than 15,000 communities with a total popu- 
lation exceeding 32,000,000 had already accepted fluoridation. It has long been known that many of the chemicals added to 
water have toxic effects when used in adequate amounts. Some 
are fatal poisons when used in their pure, undiluted state. When 
used in great dilution, as in drinking water, there are no severe 
reactions of immediate poisoning, though there may be cumula- 
tive effects of poisoning over a period of time. Medical journals 
record many cases of allergies, asthma, hives, and other adverse 
reactions which were traced to the use of chlorinated water. DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS DRINKING WATER 
Fluoridation is the most dangerous of all methods of treating 
water. Sodium fluoride is one of the most poisonous of all chemi- 
cal compounds. It is widely employed as the active ingredient in 
commercial rat poisons and moth control preparations. When 
given in small traces to rats and mice, it slows the animals7 mental 
reactions to a considerable degree. When cattle are exposed to 
fluoride fumes from industrial plants they suffer from fluorisis, or 
fluoride poisoning. The bones of the cattle become enlarged and 
more fragile, and the normal bone tissue is replaced by softer 
material. With humans, a mild form of fluorisis occurs in those locali- 
ties where the drinking water contains more than two parts per 
million of fluorine. The teeth of the people who drink this water 
become stained and mottled, the color ranging from a light yel- 
low to a dark brown. In addition, they occasionally become trans- 
lucent and, in some cases, pitted. Some of the teeth age more 
rapidly than normal, as is indicated by the narrowing of root 
canals and enlargement of the roots. 1n severe cases of fluorine 
poisoning, the entire body may be affected, with retarded ossifi- 
cation and the transparency and softening of certain bones, de- 
pressed appetite, diuresis, anorexia, estrual disturbances, and loss 
of weight. Sodium fluoride is added to the water supply of cities in 
amounts of one part per million. This trace amount is sufficient 
to cause a limited reduction in dental decay, and the ill-effects 
are so mild as to be scarcely noticed during the first years of 
fluoridation. But this does not mean that no damage occurs on 
a long-range basis. Slight mottling of the teeth, together with 
increases in some diseases, have already been reported in a number 
of cases. It has also been noted that, whereas fluoridation increases 
resistance to dental decay, the teeth are lost more rapidly than 
normal. Gingivitis appears to become more pronounced. In 
short, the fluoridation of water may do considerable harm in 
exchange for very slight benefit. If additional fluorine is needed, this is best obtained from 
natural foods. The toxic tolerance point of fluorine in food is many times as high - possibly hundreds of times as high - as 
that of the pure sodium fluoride added to drinking water. Wheat 
has been examined which contained 400 parts per million of 
I fluorine. Buckwheat grown on treated soils in Arizona contained 
I as much as 9,900 parts per million of fluorine. And such foods 
have been satisfactorily used in animal and human nutrition. It 
is thus obvious that fluorine is best secured from natural food 
sources; attempting to obtain this chemical from our water 
supply is both relatively ineffective and dangerous. The best water for human consumption is tested well water 
and spring water. This may be substituted for highly chemical- 
ized water. Bottled spring water is readily available in some com- 
munities at moderate cost, and it is a safe and sensible solution 
to the water problem in large urban centers. Distilled water may 
also be used, but it is less palatable than spring water and can- 
not be given first preference. With pure spring water, you will 
find advantages in flavor as well as health. I CONFECTIONS 
some three billion pounds of candy.-Basic ingredients in the 
candy included over a billion pounds of refined sugar, over seven 
hundred million pounds of refined corn syrup and corn starch, 
and over four hundred million pounds of chocolate. Additional 
ingredients included chemical preservatives, anti-oxidants, stabi- 
lizers, thickeners, buffers, acids, and synthetic coloring and flavor- 
ing extracts. Wholesome ingredients, such as fruits, nuts, and 
dairy products, were used in very small amounts. All ingredients 
were thoroughly heat-processed during manufacture of the candy. Glucose is a common form of refined sugar found in candy. It possesses little sweetness and is used chiefly as a "filler" to 
increase the weight and body of the candy. Glucose is absorbed 
more rapidly by the blood than any other form of sugar; four 
ounces of glucose, for instance, will be found in the blood within 
fifteen minutes after it is consumed. This rapid absorption is 
actually a serious disadvantage, for it overworks the pancreas, 
which must rapidly secrete large quantities of insulin to handle 
the "shock" dosage of sugar. In experimental animals, glucose 
tends to cause diabetes and it may do likewise in man. The 
presence of this sugar in candy renders the food much less suitable 
for human use. The Food'and Drug Administration has no standards for candy 
ingredients, and the individual manufacturers are free to treat , 
their products with chemical additives as they see fit. Titanium 
dioxide is put into some candy to give it a white pigment. This 
chemical is also used to make artificial leather, linoleum, lacquer, 
rubber plastics, shoe cream, and the white pigment in paint. Acetaldehyde, a flammable liquid known to be irritating to mu- cous membranes and to cause death in large doses, is used to 
flavor some candies. Esters, used industrially to make paints and 
varnishes, are additional flavoring agents. Ethers, normally used 
in making matches, dyes, and photographic films, are also used 
to flavor candy. They are believed to be a cause of some respira- 
tory ailments and are considered harmful to the kidneys. To keep 
candy from getting brittle, manufacturers use a group of chemi- 
cals known as humecants. These include mannitol, otherwise 
used in the manufacture of dry electrolytic condensers; propylene 
glycol, otherwise used as a disinfectant, and sorbitol, otherwise 
used in anti-freeze mixtures. Candy may be preserved with either 
of two well known poisons, sodium benzoate or sulphur dioxide. Sodium benzoate is used in very small amounts, as large doses 
can be fatal. Sulphur dioxide is an industrial disinfectant which 
has deleterious effects upon kidney function and metabolism 
when used in food. Maraschino cherries, widely used in choco- 
late covered candies, are prepared by bleaching out all of the 
original color of the fruit with a solution of sulphur dioxide and 
brine. Then they are artificially colored with a new red color. Artificial flavor is also added and the cherries are preserved for 
marketing in a solution of alcohol. The basic purpose behind modern confectionery is to create 
an inexpensive product that will keep indefinitely. Artificial in- 
gredients are much less expensive than natural ingredients and 
they are scarcely perishable at all. So the modern confectioner 
wants to make his product as artificial as humanly possible. Yet, 
completely natural confections can be made, and for those who 
are willing to pay for real food instead of artificial "fillers~' they 
represent an acceptable method of satisfying the normal desire 
for sweets. Unfumigated dates, unsulphured sun-dried fruits, 
nuts, sunflower seeds, honey, cream, butter, fruit juices, and 
other natural ingredients may be employed in dozens of combi- 
nations in the preparation of vitamin-rich uncooked candy. If 
you cannot obtain such candy through natural food outlets, you 
can make it in your home. The candy should be kept under 
refrigeration if long preservation is necessary. XVI. Ice Cream 
I CE CREAM WAS ORIGINALLY SOLD AS A 
confection and formed a very small part of the American food 
supply. It was made primarily from cream, milk, eggs, sugar, and 
fresh fruit. But in the modern era these circumstances have 
changed. Ice cream has become a staple food of our civilization, 
and we are urged to depend upon it as an important source of 
calcium and other dietary essentials. Ice cream has even been 
described as a health food for children. We are told that all 
ingredients now used in ice cream are "pure" and that all equip- 
ment used in manufacturing the product is modern and spot- 
lessly clean. Until 1958, there were no federal laws regulating the ingre- 
dients of ice cream or the labeling of ingredients within the ice 
cream package. The ingredients in ice cream were left entirely 
to dairy associations and state legislatures. Most states passed 
requirements on the butterfat content of ice cream, but beyond 
that, manufacturers were given a free hand to produce their 
product as they saw fit. Accordingly, most commercial ice cream 
could be more aptly described as imitation ice cream than real 
ice cream. Butterfat requirements were set at eight to fourteen 
per cent, depending upon states, so, except for frankly advertised 
ice cream substitutes, all ice cream could be depended upon to 
contain some cream, which was always pasteurized and homogen- 
ized. Refined sugar was the primary ingredient and often ex- 
ceeded the cream in quantity. The chemical anti-freeze ingredi- ICE CREAM 
ent, diethyl glucol, was used in place of eggs as an emulsifier in 
much ice cream. Other ingredients included artificial flavoring 
extracts, artificial coloring extracts, pure starch, gum arabic, 
canned milk, and powdered milk. In some cases slaughter house 
wastes and tallow were also added. Carboxymethyl was often 
employed as a stabilizer in ice cream, and the anti-oxidant, di- 
hydroguaiaretic acid, was commonly used to prevent spoilage. The new requirements for ice cream, set by the Food and Drug 
Administration in 1958, provide for a limited improvement in 
ice cream quality. Some of the chemical additives, including cer- 
tain acid emulsifiers that break down the barrier between fat 
and water, are now forbidden. Such stabilizers as gelatin, locust- 
bean, gum sodium alginate, guar-seed gum, and extract of Irish 
peat moss may continue in use. Artificial flavors and colors are 
still permitted for ice cream, although real fruit flavors are re- 
quired for sherbets and water ices. All ice cream must now include 
at least lo per cent milk fat and 20 per cent milk solids. The 
ice cream must weigh a minimum of four and a half pounds per 
gallon, to hold down the quantity of air that is whipped into the 
product. A minimum of one and six-tenths pounds of solid 
substance per gallon is now required to assure a better balance 
between water and cream. These are improvements, it is true, but they do not assure a 
healthful product. There is still not a single completely whole- 
some ingredient in ordinary commercial ice cream. All of the 
cream remains pasteurized; refined sugar is still the primary ingre- 
dient, and artificial flavors and colors remain in use. It is true - 
all ingredients are "pure:' but this very purity can be a serious 
disadvantage. T11e "pure" white sugar used, for instance, is cer- 
tainly less desirable than natural sweetening agents which still 
contain such "impurities" as minerals and vitamins. These statements do not constitute a criticism of real ice 
cream, made from raw cream and milk, eggs, honey, and fresh 
fruit or juice for flavoring. You can have ice cream and you can 
have good health, providing you obtain the genuine product DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
rather than the adulterated mixture of commerce. For the pres- 
ent, this brings ice cream making back to the home. With a 
standard hand-operated ice cream freezer, or the extra convenient 
electric freezer, you can make a real health food, suitable for 
child and adult alike, which will surpass commercial ice cream 
in flavor as well as nutritional value. XVII. The Practical Application 
A BSTINENCE FROM THE DANGEROUS 
highly-processed foods of civilization is a foremost requirement 
on the road to good health. But it is not the only requirement. We may live upon unrefined foods, free from all chemical addi- 
tives, but if these are grown upon depleted soils and largely 
devitalized through extensive heat-processing, health may still 
be impaired to some degree. There is a fundamental need for 
unsprayed foods grown upon fertile soils in good nutrition. There 
is an equally important need for the heat-labile nutrients which 
can be obtained only through adequate intake of raw foods. For a 
balanced healthy life, we also need pure air, regular exercise, 
exposure to sunlight, sufficient rest, mental tranquility, and all 
of the other normal hygienic requirements of life. Here we have 
covered an important part of the nutritional phase of healthful 
living, which, while not offering a complete answer to all health 
problems, does provide us with one of the most important keys 
for physical improvement in modern life. The concluding picture of good nutrition is an optimistic one. When the dangerous foods of civilization are omitted from the 
diet, not only will human health improve, but there will be 
much greater pleasure from eating. The alteration, treatment, and 
processing of food has proved very costly, not only in terms of 
human health, but perhaps equally so with respect to our enjoy- 
ment of foods. Unusual as it may seem, popular opinion has 
decreed that a food must be either healthful or palatable; we DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION 
have assumed that foods are nutritious in proportion to their 
lack of flavor and harmful in proportion to their delicious flavors. Actually, this is far from the case, as any brief consideration will 
indicate. What are some of the choices in food now before us? Fresh 
fruits from the tree and bush, or the canned products of com- 
merce; succulent, tender greens in their raw state, or soggy 
vegetables from the boiling pan; the fragrant and delicious forms 
of honey, or white sugar; raw, crisp, brown nuts fresh from their 
shells, or fumigated nut-meats and salt and oil-soaked nut prepa- 
rations; the crisp meat of the mature coconut and the fine 
custard of the jelly coconut, or colored oil and sugared shreds; 
real whole grain products, or tasteless starch; sun-dried fruit- 
honey-nut confections, or artificially flavored and colored 
mixtures of refined ingredients; delicious natural cheeses, or 
processed cheeses; fresh meat cuts from healthy animals, or 
hormonized meats and tinned and processed meats; pure vege- 
table broth powder, or common salt; delicate herbal seasonings, 
or irritating condiments; fresh raw milk, or pasteurized, con- 
densed, evaporated, boiled, and dried milk; fresh fruit and vege- 
table juices, or soft drinks, delicious herbal teas, or caffeine- 
containing beverages; pure spring water, or chemically treated 
water. It is apparent that healthful eating does not involve a single 
sacrifice in terms of our enjoyment of foods. On the contrary, a 
return to natural foodstuffs will allow the development of a true 
Epicuran art which may greatly increase the pleasure of eating. Man today is sacrificing the fully-developed and complete flavors 
of real foods and is living instead largely upon products which 
are either tasteless or rendered edible with artificial flavoring. The 
fact that he is still able to enjoy his food at all only shows how 
adaptable the sense of taste can be. The total significance of the changes civilization has brought 
about in dietary habits can hardly be underestimated. Certainly 
the modern phobia for processing foods in every known fashion I has had and will continue to have a great effect upon the standard 
1 
1 of public health. Today many physicians recognize that the 
"deficiency" diseases result from defective diet, but analysis of 
modern foods and their effects clearly shows that most of the 
I infectious and degenerative diseases may also have a nutritional 
basis. The individual and national destiny is clearly dependent to 
I a great extent upon the future alteration and use of foods. BIBLIOGRAPHY 
BAUER & FREYBURG, Vitamin D Intoxication with Metastic 
Calcification. American Medical Association, 130, 1208, April 
27, 1946. BECKS, H., Dangerous Effects of Vitamin D Overdosage on 
Dental And Paradental Structures. J. Am. Dent. Assoc., 29, 
l947. BECKS, H. and JENSON, A., Dental Caries Prevention Service. J. of Dent. Res., 27, 6, 737, Dec., 1948. CARQUE, O., Rational Diet. Los Angeles, Times-Mirror Press, 
1923. CARQUE, O., Vital Facts About Foods. Glendale, Natural 
Brands, Inc., 1933. Chemicals in our Food. Modern Nutrition, 11, 3, 11 & 19, Mar. 1958. CUMMINGS, R. O., The American and His Food. Chicago, 
University of Chicago Press, 1940. DELANEY, J. J., Peril On Your Food Shelf. American Mag., 
July, 1951. DRUMMOND, J. C., The Place of Bread in the National Diet. J. Roy. Inst. Pub. Health Hyg., 2, 441-450, 1939. Food and Life, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture Yearbook, Washing- 
ton, D. C., Government Printing Office, 1939. FORMAN, J., Fluorine on Tap: the Case Against It. The Land, 
127 1, 9-44, 1953. FURNAS, C. C., The Next Hundred Years. New York, World 
Publishing Co., 1942. FURNAS, C. C. and FURNAS, S. M., Man, Bread and Des- 
tiny. New York, Reynal & Hitchcock, Inc., 1937. HEISER, V., You're The Doctor. New York, Norton, 1939. JAMES, A. G., Case of Dental Caries Versus the Sugar Inter- 
ests. South. Calif. State Dent. Assoc. Jour., 16, 17-25, Nov., 
l949. LADD, E. F. and STALLINGS, R. F., Bleaching of Flour. North Dakota Agricultural College Experiment Station, Bul. 72, 1906. LEE, R., Sugar and Sugar Products - Their Use and Abuse. Jour. of the Acad. of Applied Nut., 3, 1, 1950. LEE, R., The Fallacy of "High Potency" in Vitamin Dosage. Milwaukee, Lee Foundation For Nutritional Research, Re- 
print 25B. LEE, R. and STOLZOFF, J. S., The Special Nutritional Quali- 
ties of Natural Foods. Milwaukee, Lee Foundation for Nutri- 
tional Research, 1942. LORAND, A., Health and Longevity Through Rational Diet. Phila., F. A. Davis Co., 1912. MARVIN, H. M., The Therapy of Dropsy. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 
1147 97 757-7637 Mar. 27 1940. McCANN, A. W., This Famishing World. New York, George 
H. Doran Co., 1918. McCARRISON, R., Studies in Deficiency Disease. London, 
Oxford Medical Publications, 192 1. McCARRISON, R., Nutrition and National Health. London, 
Faber and Faber, 1944. McCLURE, F. J., The Destructive Action in Vitro, of Dilute 
Acids and Acid Drinks and Beverages on the Rats Molar Teeth. J. of Nutrition, 26, 251-57, 1943. [631 DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS BIBLIOGRAPHY 
McCOLLUM, E. V. and SIMMONDS, N., The Newer Knowl- 
edge of Nutrition. New York, Macmillan, 1929. McCOLLUM, E. V. and SIMMONDS, N., Food, Nutrition 
and Health. Baltimore, 1933. McGRATH, G., Lax Food Laws Can Kill You. National Police 
Gazette, May, 1958. McHENRY, E. W., Observations on the Nutritive Value of 
Bread. Can. Pub. Health J., 428-432, Sept., 1940. MORGAN, A. F., The Effect of Imbalance in the Filtrate Frac- 
tion of the Vitamin B Complex in Dogs. Science, 261, Mar. 14, 
l941. MURNEEK, A. E., Vitamins in Our Food. Science, loo, 557- 
562, Dec. 22, 1944. NATENBERG, M., The Legacy of Doctor Wiley. Chicago, Re- 
gent House, 1957. NORMAN, N. P., Constructive Meal Planning. Passaic, N. J., 
Phototone qress, 1946. NORMAN, N. P. and RORTY, J., Tomorrow's Food. New 
York, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1947. PRICE, W. A., Control of Dental Caries and Some Associated 
Degenerative Processes Through Reinforcement of the Diet 
with Special Activators. J. Am. Dent. A., 19, 1339, 1932. PRICE, W. A., Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. New York, 
Paul B. Hoeber, Inc., 1939. QUIGLEY, D. T., The National MaInu trition. Milwaukee, Lee 
Found. for Nut. Res., 1943. RICHARDS, M. B., Imbalance of the Vitamin B Factors. Brit. Med. Jour., 4395, Mar. 31, 1945. ROBERTS, J. A., Vitamin C in Citrus-Juice Beverages and 
Canned Grapefruit Juice. Food Research, 2, 331-337, 1937. -- 
RORTY, J., Hidden Dangers in White Bread. National Police 
Gazette, Oct. 1954. RUPP, E., What About Trace Minerals? Missouri Ruralist, April 
97 I9490 
SCHLINK, F. J. and KALLET, A., ioo,ooo,ooo Guinea Pigs. New York, Vanguard Press, 1933. SCHLINK, F. J., Eat, Drink and Be Wary. New York, Grosset 
& Dunlap, 1935. SCHOUR, I. and MASSLER, M., Dental Caries Experience in 
Postwar Italy. (1945) I. Prevalence in Various Age Groups. J. of Am. Dent. Assoc., 35, 1, July, 1947. SHELTON, H. M., The Hygienic System. Vol. 2. San Antonio, 
H. M. Shelton, 1948. SHERMAN, H. C., The Science of Nutrition. New York, Co- 
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Children During World War II. J. of Am. Dent. Assoc., 39, 
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Diet Low in Salt (Sodium) in Congestive Heart Failure. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 133, 16, 1947. WICKENDEN, L., Our Daily Poison. New York, Devin-Adair, 
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WILEY, H. W., The History of a Crime Against the Food Law. Washington, D. C., H. W. Wiley, 1929. WRENCH, G. T., The Wheel of Health. London, C. W. 
Daniel Co., 1938. [ 65 1 INDEX 
....... Alcoholic beverages 45 
....... . Becks. Dr Herman 27 ........... Bright's disease 10 
Caffeine ................. 47 
............ Canned foods 41 
Cheese .................. 39 
Chemicals in candy ....... 55 
...... Chemicals in cheese 39 
........ Chemicals in meat 33 
........ Chemicals in water 5l 
.......... Chlorine dioxide 21 
................... Cocoa 47 
Coffee .................. 47 
Colloidal salt ............. 13 
............. Condiments 43 
History ................ 43 
....... Effect on humans 43 
Experiments ........... 44 
Substitutes ............ 44 
Confections .............. 54 
Dehydrated vegetable broth 
powder ................ l4 
............. Dental caries 28 
....... Diseases from sugar 3O 
Drinking water ........... 5l 
.................. Edema lo 
Effect of soft drinks on teeth 50 
I ............. Fish liver oil 35 
........ Flour experiments l9 
............. Fluoridation 52 
........ Fluorine poisoning 52 
Food and Drug 
Administration ......... 4 
Gingivitis ............... 29 
Glucose ................. 54 Graham. Sylvester ......... l9 
........... Healthy eating 60 
History of sugar .......... 25 
Home preparation of flour . 23 
..... Home-made ice cream 57 
Honey sweetening ........ 3l 
.............. Hypertension 
..... .......... Ice cream 1 
Chemicals 56 ............. 57 
Food and Drug 
Administration 
......... requirements 57 
Ingredients in soft drinks . . 49 
................ Insomnia lo 
. ............ Jay. Dr Philip 27 . ......... Judd. Dr Edward 47 
Ketosis in children ........ 35 
Kola nut 49 ................ 
......... Lithium chloride l4 
Meat products ........... 32 
Milk .................... 37 
Natural cheeses .......... 4O 
....... Nitrogen trichloride 21 
.... Nutrition requirements 59 
Obesity ................. 29 
Penicillin in milk ......... 37 
................ Raw milk 
Raw sugar cane ........... 38 
31 .... Refined grain products 15 
............ Refined sugar 25 
......... Refining of sugar 26 
1 67 1 DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
......... Refining of wheat 16 
........... Vitamin loss 
Adulteration ........... l7 
......... Rice experiments 20 
............ Roth and Ivy 47 
..................... Salt 6 
.............. Digestion 
................ History 8 
Needs ................. 7 
......... Salt. perspiration 13 
........... Salt as laxative 12 
Salt illnesses ............. 11 
......... Salt in pregnancy 12 
....... Science of nutrition 3 
..... Sex hormones in meat 32 
........ Silbestrol injection 3 
......... Sodium benzoate 42 
............... Soft drinks 49 ............. Spring water 53 
Tannin in tea ............ 48 
Tea ..................... 47 
........... Tea substitutes 48 
Theobromine in cocoa ..... 48 
Theories of disease ........ 5 
...... Theories of nutrition 5 
Tinned meats ............ 34 
Titanium dioxide ......... 54 
Trichina in pork .......... 34 
................... Ulcers 47 
Vitamin D in cod liver oil . . 36 
............ Whole grains 15 
Wines .................. 45
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:

        The so-called 
"caponettes" and "hormonized fryers" should always be avoided 
when purchasing poultry. In addition to the hormonization of meat, there are other 
dangerous practices employed by the meat industry. Some forms 
of meat are treated with injurious chemicals, both for purposes 
of preservation and color. Inspection methods are not adequate 
for full consumer protection. Most meat is "well hung" and thus DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS 
aged until putrefaction has already set in and certain nutritive 
qualities are lost. Certain meats are smoked, pickled, soaked in 
smoke solutions, and injected with brine, fat, and gelatin. Some 
of these processes are done to disguise stringly meat from mal- 
nourished animals and all tend to render the meat less suitable 
for consumption. Many tinned meats contain the poisonous 
drug, sodium nitrate. Due in part to present methods of feeding 
hogs, some pork is infested with trichina and the quality of the 
meat is rarely as good as that of other animals. Local health 
department inspectors in various cities have occasionally found 
sulphite powder on some meats, which is used to give a nice red 
color to old meat. Some meats sold in restaurants have even been 
"embalmed" with formaldehyde in order to assure preservation 
over a long period of time. It is difficult, if not impossible, to purchase any meat on the 
regular commercial market with complete assurance that it is 
completely fresh and free from synthetic hormones and all chem- 
ical additives. But, if there is not complete safety, there is 
relative safety. The most dangerous meats are those which are 
tinned and processed into sausage. The safest meats are fresh 
beef, lamb, and sea fish. However, unless you know the direct 
source of your beef cuts, you will have to take your chances on 
the hormone problem. This is not a completely happy solution, 
but it is the best that can be suggested under current circum- 
stances. VI. Fish Liver Oil 
A N ANIMAL FOOD WHICH HAS RECEIVED 
widespread use among children is cod liver oil. Adults frequently 
I take other forms of fish liver oil (usually from the shark liver) 
as a supplementary source of vitamins A and D in the diet. Though fish liver oils are a rich source of the vitamins, and 
though certain animals, in particular dogs and cats, appear to 
take the oils without harmful reactions, there are serious doubts 
regarding the value of such foods in the diet of other animals and 
human beings. Dr. Weston Price has found that large doses of 
fish liver oil give some patients "definite symptoms of depression:' 
and has further observed paralysis and structural damage to 
hearts and kidneys of animals when overdoses were given. Agduhr, 
using the oils on rabbits, and Malnlberg using chickens, both 
found damage to the heart as one of the effects. P. Hendricksen 
concluded from his experiments that the oils produced degenera- 
tion throughout the body. Herlitz, Jundell, and Wahlgre con- 
ducted experiments which showed degeneration of the heart 
muscle when normal doses of cod liver oil were given.
The text does not specify the exact practices, but it mentions that some meats are treated with chemicals, such as sodium nitrate, and that some are smoked, pickled, or injected with brine, fat, and gelatin.
What are some of the most dangerous practices in the meat industry?
The text states that fish liver oil is not a reliable source of vitamins, as it can cause depression, paralysis, and damage to organs in some cases.
What is wrong with using fish liver oil as a source of vitamins?
The text highlights that some cheese is made with artificial additives, such as yellow dye, benzoyl peroxide, and alginic acid, which can be harmful to human health.
What is the issue with the production of cheese?
The text states that sodium fluoride is added to water to prevent tooth decay, but this can have negative effects on human health, such as fluorosis, and is not a suitable substitute for natural sources of fluoride.
What is the issue with the use of fluoride in drinking water?
The text suggests making ice cream at home using raw cream, milk, eggs, and fresh fruit, as this will provide a healthier and more natural alternative to commercial ice cream.
What is the recommended way to make ice cream at home?