Deficiencies in Western diets

The answer lies in national and global health data, which have shown a worrying trend over the past 100 years. It is undeniable that as our diets have become more Westernized, rates of chronic disease have steadily increased. Although modern medicine is making significant advances in prolonging our lives, nutritional deficiencies are widespread and our dietary and lifestyle choices are leading to disease at increasingly younger ages. Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) is “the measure of how long we live without disease.” This figure has declined markedly in the Western world, from 67 years in 2015 to 63 years in 2020.

What's going on?

1. FOOD IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE

Let's start with some hard data. We would now need to eat more than 8 oranges to get the same amount of vitamin A that our grandparents got from just one, 10 times as many tomatoes to match the mineral intake, and 4 times as much broccoli to achieve the same calcium intake.

There are countless examples showing that food quality has declined due to population growth, intensive agriculture and monoculture. Crops are selected for maximum yield, often at the expense of their nutritional value, while our soils are being exploited at an alarming rate. It is estimated that we have already lost one third of the world's agricultural land and that in 60 years, or 60 harvests, we will have lost all the arable land on the planet.

This affects the quality of crops (many staple vegetables have lost up to 50% of their mineral content in just 70 years) and, in turn, our health. It is the reason why up to 75% of people have low magnesium levels, 50% suffer from calcium deficiency and about a third of the world's population suffers from iron deficiency.

2. OUR DIETS ARE RICH IN WHAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE

People in developed and affluent countries are consuming more meat and processed foods. These diets are excessively high in sugars, salt, trans fats, additives and preservatives. Without realising it, we have replaced beneficial micronutrients with calorie-dense but nutrient-depleted foods. This has negative impacts on our health, from causing chronic low-grade inflammation to oxidative stress and insulin resistance. These symptoms are responsible for the 6 leading causes of death globally. On average, we can expect to live the last 13 years of our lives with one of these chronic diseases, and this number is on the rise.

3. EVEN WITH THE BEST WILL, WE DO NOT CONSUME ENOUGH OF THE RIGHT THINGS

Our diets also lack adequate amounts of beneficial foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and mushrooms, which used to form the basis of our meals. As a result, we don’t get enough essential micronutrients, such as carotenoids, flavonoids, minerals and antioxidants. We also struggle to get enough fibre in our diet – an alarming 90% of people in the UK are deficient. Dietary fibre plays a vital role in digestion and detoxifying the body, and yet most of us consume only about half the minimum recommended intake.

4. OUR LIFESTYLES HAVE CHANGED

The rise of the five-day working week, spending long hours in front of a computer, means we now spend far less time moving around and outdoors than we once did. Research by the British Heart Foundation has found that office workers spend 75% of their waking hours sitting or sedentary. The health implications of this inactivity have led to sitting being dubbed “the new smoking”, directly linking it to 50,000 deaths each year in the UK.

In addition to lack of exercise (which contributes to the rise in obesity, heart disease and stroke), simply being indoors reduces our exposure to sunlight. Low levels of vitamin D affect up to 74% of people, especially in winter, and are associated with a compromised immune system. We can effectively supplement vitamin D in our diet, so there is no need to look for alternatives.

What is the solution?

At Ganbatte Superfoods, we examine the available research and data to identify deficiencies and their causes, as well as the impact of lifestyle. We then look for realistic and practical ways to address and correct these dietary deficiencies.

While we may not be able to completely solve the global health crisis, we can play our part. Ganbatte Superfoods supplements have been specifically developed to fill the gaps in Western diets. Our mission is simple: to provide better health to more people. Our range of products is easy to understand and incorporate into your daily routine. And, most importantly, we use doses that are sufficient to achieve short and long-term results.

Written by Ana Saiz

Co-founder of Ganbatte Superfoods