Obesity has become a serious problem for most of the world, but nowhere is the problem as acute as in the USA. Throughout history, in all civilizations, there were individuals who were obese, either because of some illness or most likely because of gluttony. (Gluttony or gula in Latin is one of the seven mortal sins in Christian Faith.)

Modern obesity really took off with the processing of food. Food processing is a highly profitable business for giant food corporations that have world wide operations. Giant Agri-businesses and giant food processors  are one of the key pillars of capitalism, but they are very, very harmful to human and animal health, and very, very damaging to the environment.

The ascent of obesity began with the beginning of the Cold War with the USSR in 1947. The US wanted to present itself as the land of the cornucopia, but it is ending up as the cornucopia of garbage. The US leads the world in the production of “dead food”, food with no nutrient value, but with an immense profit margin. That is all that matters, profit, regardless of the human and environmental costs.

All life depends on the sun’s energy from the tiniest sub particle to the largest trees and animals. Cold blooded animals recharge themselves by laying in the sun and soaking up its’ energy. They may eat fewer than a dozen times a year to obtain nutrients and materials to maintain and repair their bodily structures. The accumulated sun’s energy keeps them going in between meals. When the cold season comes, they go into hibernation.

Mammals, including humans, eat food that contains the stored energy of the sun. Apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, pears, figs, dates are sources of the stored energy of the sun. They should be eaten raw. Legumes are to be cooked, as well as grains. Meat should be prepared fresh and not frozen or processed.

All processed foods destroy the energy of the sun and its’ nutrients, and only the calories remain. People who eat processed food suffer from what I call ” physiological starvation.” They are constantly snacking and eating because they are not receiving sufficient nourishment from these nutrient-deficient foods. The end result is obesity, morbid obesity, and the cornucopia of illnesses which are gifts to pharmaceutical-medical industry. Physiological starvation means the body does not have access to the nutrients that it needs to maintain and repair itself.

Pesticides and monoculture agriculture based on nutrient depleted soil produce nutrient deficient foods which are further destroyed by processing. Trans fatty acids, chemical additives, and GMO’s  complete the cycle of evil in this production of obesity and illnesses, but at the same time, produce immense profits for agri-businesses, food processors, and pharmaco-medical complexes which are key pillars of the system. The profits are beyond imagination, but the environment and the very existence of all life is in danger. This parasitic system, capitalism, is destroying life on earth, and in the process will destroy itself. Only time will tell.