Food ecology and health. Ecology of food

Concept food ecology may include various aspects. First of all, eating ecology means choosing foods whose consumption would not harm your body or your child’s body. And already at the second stage, you can think about the optimal nutrition strategy.

Nowadays, we eat a lot of foods whose ecology is disrupted, and which our body spends too much time processing, sometimes without receiving the correct calories necessary for its development. Judge for yourself, we drink powdered milk, eat a lot of canned foods, sausages are made with the addition of soy. And who knows what they contain more - soy or meat. And the invention of fast food had about the same impact on the ecology of food as the invention of the nuclear bomb on the ecology of the planet.

One of the main business requirements for fast food products is long-term storage. After all, food needs to be transported from the point of production to the point of sale, and this sometimes means transporting it over hundreds of kilometers. The need to preserve food for a very long time means that a certain amount of preservatives must be added to it, which does not make the food more environmentally friendly. Do you know how many preservatives affect our body? Allergies, headaches and general fatigue are the least they can cause. A product that is far from environmentally friendly can cause asthma attacks and the appearance of malignant tumors. Others increase cholesterol levels. Still others weaken the immune system. How can we raise food ecology to the proper level with such products? Scientists' claims that all these food additives are allegedly absolutely harmless are questionable for the simple reason that new preservatives appear quickly, and for a qualitative experiment to determine harmlessness it is necessary to observe changes in the body for several years, and maybe even generations.

Another invention of mankind that strikes a blow to the ecology of nutrition is flavorings, which are also added to food products. Flavor enhancers supposedly make ice cream even tastier, add aromas to berry jams, as if in the village at grandma’s, and give toothpaste an unnaturally bright taste of fresh strawberries. One of these flavorings, monosodium glutamate E-621, affects the sensitivity of the taste buds on the tongue, which means, at a minimum, it causes addiction to this particular taste sensation. And in some cases it causes neurosis, headaches, and increased heart rate. To say that products containing flavors are far from being environmentally friendly is an understatement.

It's not always that something that tastes good is actually healthy. What you eat directly determines your well-being, health, and life. Start thinking about food ecology today.

Modern medicine should pay great attention to the relationship between a person’s health status and the characteristics of his diet. Recently, nutrition has been increasingly considered not only as a means of satiation and a source of energy, but also as a factor that determines the normal functioning of all body systems, and as a means of preventing various diseases.

The Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences conducts surveys of various population groups. The results indicate an extremely insufficient consumption of mineral substances by the majority of Russian residents, primarily essential (irreplaceable) substances, such as iodine, iron, calcium, selenium and others. Features of human metabolism in the modern period:

§ Significant reduction in energy costs

§ A sharp decrease in the total amount of food consumed

§ Inconsistency of the body’s enzymatic sets with the chemical structures of food

§ Unbalanced nutrition creates “diseases of civilization.”

Nutritional structure disorders:

§ Excessive intake of saturated fat.

§ Significant increase in sugar and salt intake.

§ Reducing consumption of starch and dietary fiber.

§ Increase calories (up to 60%) from fats and refined sugars and decrease calories (20%) from vegetables, whole grains and fruits.

§ Deficiency of energy and protein (15-20%) in the diet of residents with low incomes.

§ Deficiency of polyunsaturated fatty acids, complete proteins, most vitamins, minerals (especially calcium, iron), microelements (iodine, fluorine, selenium, zinc, etc.), dietary fiber (from 10 to 30% of the recommended daily dose).

Ways to solve the problem of nutritional imbalance

Method 1 - increasing the volume of food in order to receive a sufficient amount of nutrients. The consequences are the risk of obesity and the development of cardiovascular and endocrinological diseases.

Method 2 - food enrichment - introduce microelements and bioactive substances directly into the food composition. The negative side is that individual human needs are not taken into account; not all products can be enriched.

Method 3 - introducing dietary supplements into the diet, which are natural complexes of minerals, dietary fiber and others, which will allow:

increase the body's resistance to adverse factors,

replenish the deficiency of essential nutrients,

purposefully change metabolic processes, bind and remove toxins from the body,

stimulate the immune system,

prevent the development of socially significant diseases,

balance medical nutrition.

Structure of a rational, balanced diet

Nutrition, in order to bring maximum benefit and minimal harm to the human body, must be organized in accordance with a number of principles, the essence of which is formulated in the current concept of rational nutrition:

Firstly, a balance is necessary between the energy supplied with food and the energy expended in the process of life;
- secondly, the body must receive from food a sufficient amount of nutrients in a certain ratio: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, microelements and dietary fiber;
- thirdly, the diet must be followed.

The essence of a balanced diet is that opraHi i 3 M receives from food the set of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and microelements it needs for normal functioning. A balanced human diet should include macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, including dietary fiber, fat, mineral salts (macroelements) - sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chlorine, sulfur), water, micronutrients (vitamins, essential of which 9 are considered water-soluble - C, B, B2, B6, folate, pantothenic acid, biotin and 4 fat-soluble - A, E, D, K; trace elements - iron, zinc, iodine, fluorine, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium) . Each of the macronutrients is represented by a wide variety of organic compounds that perform both general and specific metabolic functions in the human body.

Let us dwell on the important ones, which are part of the dietary supplement such as “Litovit” (mineral and plant components).

Minerals. Minerals in the human body play a huge role in all metabolic processes of the body. The tissues of highly organized animals and humans contain 35 minerals and more than 80 chemical elements. The role of minerals in the human body is great: they participate in all types of metabolism, and the degree of dispersion, hydration and solubility of proteins depend on their concentration. They also participate in maintaining osmotic pressure, are components of the body's buffer systems, are part of tissues and cell membranes, perform a regulatory function, and have catalytic activity.

Norms of physiological needs for macro- and microelements for an adult person (per day) (determined by the Institute of Nutrition of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the Russian Federation)

Macroelements are mineral substances, the content of which in the body is quite significant - from 0.01% and above. These include sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sulfur, chlorine, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, magnesium.

Let's look at some of them.

Calcium. It belongs to the alkaline earth metals and has high biological activity. The human body contains 1-2 kg of calcium, of which 98-99% is found in bone and cartilage tissue, the rest is distributed in soft tissues and extracellular fluid. Calcium is the main structural element of bone tissue, affects the permeability of cell membranes, participates in the work of many enzyme systems, in the transmission of nerve impulses, carries out muscle contraction, and plays a role in all stages of blood coagulation.

Phosphorus. In large quantities, together with calcium, it is included in the composition of bone and dental tissues in the form of hydroxyphosphate. A significantly smaller amount is included in the composition of soft tissues, where it is represented by various organic compounds (CoA, NAD, NADP, pyrroxal phosphate, cocarboxylase). It is part of adenosine triphosphoric acid and, thus, occupies a central place in metabolic processes and energy metabolism.

Magnesium. The second most important cation after potassium. In total, the human body contains about 20 grams of magnesium. Of these, 50% is found in bones, 1% in extracellular fluid, and the rest in soft tissues, mainly in muscles. Magnesium activates many enzymes, regulates the reactions of phosphorus metabolism, glycolysis, metabolism of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. This macronutrient is necessary for the normal functioning of nerve and muscle tissue.

Microelements are mineral substances that are present in the human body in much smaller quantities, but play a very important role. They perform a structural function and are part of hard and soft tissues, but their main role is to ensure all physiological functions of the body. Microelements are involved in all metabolic processes, tissue respiration, growth and reproduction of the body, neutralization of toxic substances, stimulate the functions of the hematopoietic organs, nervous and cardiovascular systems, mobilize the body's protective functions, and participate in adaptation processes.

Iron. On average, the body contains 3*5 grams of iron. It takes part in the transport and storage of oxygen (80% in hemoglobin, 5-10% in myoglobin), 1% is contained in respiratory enzymes that transport electrons (cytochrome). Participates in the formation of active centers of redox enzymes (oxidases, hydrolases).

Zinc. The body contains 1.5-2 g of zinc. It is found predominantly in muscles, red blood cells, plasma, prostate gland, and sperm. Zinc is necessary for the normal functioning of the prostate gland and reproductive organs. This element is an integral component of insulin and many vital enzymes, including superoxide dismutase. It is part of metalloenzymes involved in various metabolic processes, including the synthesis and breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, participates in the synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids, and is necessary to stabilize the structure of DNA, RNA and ribosomes. Thus, zinc affects the functioning of the genetic apparatus, cell growth and division, keratogenesis, osteogenesis, reproductive function, and takes part in the immune response. The optimal daily intake of zinc is 100 mg.

Manganese. The body contains 10-20 mg of manganese. The highest concentrations are found in the bones, liver and kidneys. The biological role of this microelement is associated with the processes of osteogenesis, metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and mineral salts. It is an activator of redox processes. Manganese is necessary for the normal functioning of hematopoietic organs, takes part in carbohydrate metabolism, and is involved in lipid metabolism and cholesterol synthesis.

Selenium. Selenium is a metallanoid, found in nature in the form of organic and inorganic compounds. The main function of selenium is to slow down lipid oxidation processes. It is a vital antioxidant, especially when combined with vitamin E. It protects the immune system by preventing the formation of free radicals. Selenium is a cofactor in a number of redox enzymes, is involved in a number of anabolic processes and has an antiblastic effect, having a direct damaging effect on tumor cells. Selenium is an integral component of the active site of glutathione peroxidase, which catalyzes the reduction of hydrogen peroxide or fatty acid peroxides with glutathione. The optimal daily intake of selenium is 50-200 mcg.

Silicon. In the body, the largest amounts of this element are found in the lymph nodes, connective tissue of the aorta, trachea, tendons, bones, skin and epidermal formations. With age, the silicon content in connective tissue decreases, which has a certain relationship to the development of atherosclerosis. Silicon as a component is part of glycosaminoglycans and their protein complexes, which form the skeleton of connective tissue and give it strength and elasticity. It is necessary for the construction of epithelial cells, and is also involved in the processes of ossification along with magnesium and fluorine.

Dietary fiber is a complex of substances consisting of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, lignin and associated protein substances that form the cell walls of the plant. Dietary fiber is classified according to its chemical structure, raw material sources, methods of isolation from raw materials, water solubility, degree of microbial fermentation and main biomedical effects. They are natural components of food and not only have a pronounced effect on the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, bile acids, and minerals, but also, being a nutrient substrate for the natural intestinal flora, lead to an increase in the bioavailability of a number of essential vitamins and amino acids. The complex chemical structure and fibrous-capillary structure of dietary fiber allows us to consider them as a natural enterosorbent, adsorbing on its surface many xenobiotics, toxic metabolic products, carcinogens, radionuclides, and heavy metal salts.

Thus, if 600 essential macro- and micronutrients are regularly supplied to our body, we are healthy, active, and able to withstand various adverse factors. With a deficiency of at least some of them, pathological changes occur at the cellular, molecular and tissue levels.

The regulator of biochemical processes is food. Due to disturbances in the quality of food, metabolism is disrupted. Functional disorders lead to morphological disorders, and the latter, entrenched in generations, become genetic, hereditary.

Many edible plants synthesize and continuously contain small amounts of toxic chemical compounds to protect them from insects and animals. Thus, a flavonoid such as kersetin, contained in onions, is a fairly strong mutagen. The body's detoxification system is capable of neutralizing not only natural, but also artificial chemicals that come from food, if they come in small doses. Paracelsus also said: “Everything is poison, and nothing is devoid of poisonousness; just the dose makes the poison invisible.” Doses will be small if the diet is varied. When consuming the same products, the administered dose of the same substances will increase and accumulate.

About the environmental purity of modern products. Chemicals can get into food products as a result of treating agricultural fields with mineral fertilizers, pesticides, during transportation, or when using chemical additives to improve the appearance, marketability and other properties of products. There are known cases of food contamination with metal compounds (lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, tin), as well as petroleum products, pesticides, and nitro compounds. For example, studies have shown that in roach, which was caught in the Setunya River near Moscow, the lead content is three times higher than the maximum permissible concentrations, and in Yauza perch the content of petroleum products is even 250 times higher. And this applies not only to river fish, but also to sea fish: in Azov, sturgeon accumulate excess lead, flounder - copper, gobies - chromium, herring - cadmium, and tiny sprat - mercury.

Our country's dairy industry is not in the best position either. The audit showed that Moscow dairy processing enterprises receive dairy products in which the content of antibiotics and toxic elements (lead, zinc, arsenic) exceeds permissible levels by 2-3 times. These neotoxins are retained in the finished product.

It is known that many different substances are added to poultry and cattle feed to make the animals healthy and grow faster. Small amounts of additives may remain in meat and thus enter the human body. The consequences are varied. For example, the hormonal drug diethylstilbestrol was used as a growth stimulant in cattle. However, this drug has caused cancer in children born to women who took it during pregnancy. There is also evidence that it increased the risk of developing cancer in women themselves.

Another concern about drugs in feed is that animals can develop resistant strains of bacteria when antibiotics are routinely given to them. Animals raised in cramped feedlot conditions respond to antibiotics with greater weight gain. It has now been proven that such resistant bacteria can cause disease in humans. In England, there was a case where injections of large doses of antibiotics into dairy calves led to epidemics of antibiotic-resistant salmonellosis in humans.

It is known that the main part of nitrates and nitrites enters the human body with water and food (with plant foods, especially when growing vegetables in conditions of increased amounts of nitrogen-containing fertilizers). In plants, nitrates are converted to nitrites by the enzyme nitrate reductase. This process occurs especially quickly when vegetables are stored at room temperature for a long time. The process of converting nitrates into nitrites in food products is sharply accelerated when they are contaminated with microorganisms. Boiling foods in a large volume of water reduces the content of nitrates and nitrites by 20-90%. On the other hand, cooking in aluminum cookware leads to the reduction of nitrates into nitrites.

The toxic effect of nitrates and nitrites is associated with their ability to form methemoglobin, as a result of which the reversible binding of oxygen to hemoglobin is disrupted and hypoxia develops (lack of oxygen in tissues). The greatest pathological changes are observed in the heart and lungs; the liver and brain tissue are also affected. High doses of nitrates and nitrites cause intrauterine fetal death and retardation in the development of offspring in experimental animals. It is believed that sodium nitrite causes the breakdown of vitamin A in the digestive tract.

Nitrosamines can be formed from nitrites - carcinogenic compounds that contribute to the development of cancer. Nitrosamines are mainly formed during smoking, salting, pickling, canning with the use of nitrites, as well as during contact drying of products. Most often they are found in smoked fish and sausages. Among dairy products, the most dangerous are cheeses that have gone through the fermentation phase. From vegetable - salted and pickled products, and from drinks - beer. When taking high doses of nitrates with drinking water and food, nausea, shortness of breath, bluish skin, and diarrhea appear after 4-6 hours. All this is accompanied by weakness, dizziness, and loss of consciousness.

Tomatoes, onions, grapes and eggplants accumulate the least nitrates; most of all - carrots, watermelons, beets, cabbage.

Do not use aluminum cookware for cooking;

During heat treatment, some of the nitrates are destroyed, some go into the decoction, so it should not be used as food;

Start cooking beef in cold water, this will transfer more toxins into the broth; after a five-minute boil, do not hesitate to pour out the first broth, cook soups only in the second broth;

Peeled vegetables must be soaked in advance (at least an hour) in slightly salted boiled water to remove excess nitrates.

Nutritional supplements. There is another important source of “contamination” of food products - the addition to them (for the purpose of canning, to improve taste, color, etc.) of many synthetic chemical compounds, the negative effects of many of which on the body have not yet been fully studied. In particular, in the USA, 1000 food additives are allowed only in drinks like Coca-Cola.

We often see beautiful ripe fruits on the shelves of our stores. If you look closely, you will notice a mottled gray coating. These fruits are saturated with highly concentrated preservatives that kill not only putrefactive bacteria, but also the cells of the human body and the intestinal bactericidal environment. The consequence is loss of immunological protection, ulcerative and tumor processes. In addition to preservatives, apples, strawberries, grapes, and many other fruits are covered with an emulsion film for long-term storage. Not only fruits, but also pink sausages, sausages, salami, fish souffles, shiny dried apricots and raisins in wrappers, vegetable oils that do not go bitter from long-term storage are stuffed with preservatives.

When purchasing imported products, first of all carefully study the symbols printed on the packaging. The letter E and a three-digit number indicate that the product was manufactured using food additives, many of which are hazardous to health. The manufacturer honestly warns the consumer: “You are free to decide whether to buy this product, which is cheaper, or prefer an impeccable one, but more expensive.”

Meat fried until brown and bread deeply toasted in a toaster also contain mutagenic and carcinogenic active substances. If there is a large amount of highly fried foods in food, a person consumes a daily amount of carcinogenic active substances equal to the daily intake of a smoker who smokes 2 packs of cigarettes per day.

One of the paradoxes of civilization is refining. “Our civilization methodically destroys natural food products in order to make them more attractive, although this is done to the detriment of health” (M. Goren). White flour of the highest grades, from which the bran has been completely removed, is devoid of ballast substances, salts, vitamins, and the amount of proteins in it is sharply reduced. Polished, refined rice does not contain dietary fiber or vitamin B1. Refined foods are called "empty calories."

Do not eat moldy foods! Remember that mold releases toxins (aflatoxin, ochratoxins, etc.), which pass into the thickness of the product; aflatoxins pass into processed vegetables and fruits. Do not use moldy products for making juices, wine, marmalade, etc. Peanuts, lentils, nuts, apricot kernels may contain aflatoxins without visible mold or a moldy smell;

Do not eat fruits and vegetables if they are grown near highways or factories;

When storing alcoholic tinctures on stone fruits for a long time, a strong poison - hydrocyanic acid - passes into the solution;

When storing potatoes in the light, as well as during their germination, solanine is formed. It gives potatoes their green color. Solanine poisoning is not fatal, but it is still better to avoid it. Green potatoes should be thoroughly peeled, removing the “eyes”;

Do not use newspaper to wrap food as it contains high levels of lead and

When using a cast iron frying pan, less iron is absorbed by food;

The degree of extraction of copper and lead by products depends on the degree of wear of the dishes. After a long period of use, the effectiveness of the protective layer of tin covering copper decreases;

Zinc, which contains some cadmium, is easily dissolved by dilute acids, and the dishes should not be used to store foods containing acid;

After opening the can and storing it at room temperature, the amount of tin that passes from the tin plate into the food increases; the transfer of tin into food from cans increases in the presence of nitrates, and the toxicity of tin in the presence of nitrates increases.

Professor B. Rubenchik in the book “Nutrition, Carcinogens and Cancer” writes: “Among artificial additives that prevent spoilage or improve the quality and safety of products, carcinogenic activity has been found in some dyes, aromatic and flavoring substances, and antibiotics. Carcinogens can form in food products during smoking, frying, and drying. Therefore, eliminating carcinogenic substances from human food is one of the most important ways to prevent cancer...”

Food quality disorders and their impact on human health

Pollutants or toxic substances present in the food of modern people, who are under threatening environmental influences, can cause severe food intoxication and worsen the quality of life. This problem becomes more acute with the appearance of more and more imported food products on the food market, but above all with the deteriorating environmental situation. Ecologically clean food is what every person and society as a whole dreams of.

Unfortunately, food can often be a carrier of xenobiotics, or foreign substances that enter the body with food and have a high degree of toxicity, such as radionuclides, pesticides, nitrates and nitrites, mycotoxins - chemicals produced by some molds (fungi), biological pollutants .

Note 1

The main part of nitrates and nitrites enters the human body with water and food.

Poor quality food, a person’s diet, improperly balanced, with a deficiency or excess of substances necessary for the body’s functioning, can act as risk factors and cause a number of diseases, both acute and chronic. It is especially dangerous that disorders turn from functional to morphological, and then, over time, to genetic, affecting future generations.

Finished works on a similar topic

• Course work Ecology of food 400 rub.
• Essay Ecology of food 220 rub.
• Test Ecology of food 220 rub.

Poor quality food, malnutrition, overeating are factors in the development of diseases such as cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys and many others.

Contaminants (“foreign”) substances may appear in food accidentally in the form of contaminants - contaminating agents of food products, or specifically as food additives during canning, to improve taste, color, etc., while the negative impact of some synthetic chemical compounds on the body are still under study, and there is no consensus on others.

Classification of food contaminating compounds according to various dependencies

Food contaminants (often chemical contaminants) can enter food products in a variety of ways, for example as contaminants from raw materials, from food containers and packaging materials, or as a result of food production or processing.

There is a high probability of contamination from the environment through air, water and soil: this is radioactive and toxic waste from industry, transport and households.

A significant group of pollutants are residues of agricultural pesticides (fertilizers). These are pesticides and herbicides that penetrate into products after plant protection and pest control, or fertilizers that enter plants from the soil.

It should also be noted that pollution is directly related to the need to treat animals. Antibiotics and psychopharmacological drugs used in animal husbandry can adversely affect humans.

Depending on the chemical nature of the compounds, food contaminants can be classified into nine groups:

1. Radionuclides.
2. Heavy metals and other chemical elements. These include fluorine, arsenic, aluminum, chromium, cadmium, nickel, tin, copper, lead, zinc, antimony and mercury.
3. Mycotoxins.
4. Pesticides and herbicides.
5. Nitrates and nitrites.
6. Detergents (detergents) that will be contained in food products during poor rinsing of equipment in the dairy and canning industries, as well as when using detergents in everyday life.
7. Antibiotics, antimicrobial agents and sedatives.
8. Antioxidants and preservatives used to extend the shelf life of food products.
9. Compounds that are formed during long-term storage or during high-temperature processing of food products.

Substances contaminating food products are classified according to the nature of their effect on the human body, toxicity and degree of danger. By the nature of the action, these are either substances with a general effect (irritating, allergic, carcinogenic), or substances that have an effect on individual systems and organs of a person (nervous, hematopoietic systems, liver, stomach, intestines, etc.).

ABC of ecological nutrition Lyubava Zhivaya

What is sustainable nutrition?

I came up with the term “eco-friendly food” myself many years ago, when I was writing my dissertation. I was advised to call the food “ecological”, because there is such a word, but I liked “ecological”. This word somehow resonates with what I internally mean by it.

"Ekos" means "house". "Logos" - "science". Ecology is the science of the House. Home is our planet earth on which we live and which feeds and waters us. “Eco-friendly food” means what is logical for the House, for its inhabitants, and, therefore, for our planet Earth and for all its inhabitants. And it is environmentally friendly because it is natural, natural, specific, natural. It's so logical! It's so simple!

So what is sustainable eating and why is it so important now?

On the other hand, we ourselves are parts of nature, and its condition cannot but affect our health. And according to statistics, despite the ever-improving financing of the healthcare system, health, life expectancy and fertility are constantly declining. And this is understandable - we eat food stuffed with chemicals and empty in nutritional value.

The most pressing, but not yet scientifically resolved issue of healthy eating: how provide humanity with everything necessary for health and active longevity and at the same time not exhaust the possibilities of nature.

In my understanding, there is only one way out - environmentally friendly food: natural, natural, living! Ecological nutrition is the achievement of harmony between human nutritional needs and nature’s ability to satisfy them. Those products that require minimal resources for their production are also the best for human nutrition. This fact confirms the harmonious relationship between nature and man: it provides everything necessary for life without sacrificing its own condition.

We eat every day. By managing your body, you can achieve a significant reduction in the food resources you consume due to more conscious choice products with maximum nutritional and adequate energy value and avoidance of unhealthy, empty foods. Apply gentle cooking methods so as not to lose its nutritional value. Consume food consciously, in adequate quantities. Reducing the amount of consumed food resources and increasing their quality has a positive effect on human health, allows you to save the body’s internal resources, increases the time of full, trouble-free operation of the internal organs responsible for digestion and waste removal (liver, kidneys, intestines, etc.), duration active life.

On the other hand, there are still no immutable and uniform dietary recommendations for everyone in the world. One thing is clear - nutrition should be healthy. The principles of healthy eating vary depending on theories and concepts, of which there are many. But everyone agrees on one thing: plant foods are the healthiest for humans. Therefore, any nutritional concept that inspires the consumption of mainly plant foods is environmentally friendly - vegetarianism, veganism, raw food diet.

Eco-friendly nutrition also includes such an important component as eco-products - products grown with a careful approach to nature, ideally without the use of chemicals and GM technologies. Therefore, if a person does not choose a plant-based diet, adopting a meat-eating diet, he can still make it more environmentally friendly by reducing the amount of meat food, preferring safe meat, or resorting to separate meals.

Eco-friendly nutrition takes into account such a facet as eco-cooking. The ideal diet for humans is a vegan (plant-based) raw food diet. With this type of nutrition, a person receives food in its original form, given by nature itself. But many generations of our ancestors ate cooked food, which is firmly imprinted in our DNA. Switching to a raw food diet is not so easy, because for this you need to develop and gain a foothold in the necessary symbiotic microflora. Therefore, the path to environmentally friendly nutrition is the path to reducing cooked food and increasing the proportion of raw food.

Eco-friendly nutrition, first of all, means reasonable consumption. After all, of course, you can stretch your stomach and eat a lot of dishes, as in the work “Three Fat Men,” but why? This will lead to increased consumption of natural resources, use up a lot of the body’s own enzyme and energy reserves, overstrain the excretory organs and systems and push the body towards chronic diseases. Why is this necessary, if with conscious nutrition we need so little food in order to live in health and harmony with nature?

Thus, the EcoNutrition formula looks like this:

EcoNutrition = EcoConsciousness + EcoProducts + EcoCooking

This is a complex concept, and each component is important. No matter how wonderful an eco-product may be, if you do not have knowledge about eco-cooking, you can deprive it of all its beneficial properties by improper preparation. And without eco-consciousness, it will be difficult for you to choose such products or grow them. Because if you do not want to produce environmentally friendly products yourself and be a farmer, even partially, in the country, then in the modern world, with a shortage of quality food, you turn into a hunter and are forced to obtain these products for yourself and your family.

It is clear that if we and our parents did not eat wisely, then this is the result of the conditions that we created by moving away from nature. But she always tells us how to eat optimally. Therefore, how each of us eats is his personal choice. It is important that no matter what type of diet we eat, we can improve it by focusing on healthier foods, using more gentle cooking methods and eating food consciously.

This text is an introductory piece.

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