Question of protein

I found the same conditions among the African Bantus. As soon as they are given the right kind of nourishment, tuberculosis is usually overcome. South American Indians eat very little meat. When they keep to traditional ways of living and eating, they are generally quite tough. An exception is those who are undernourished because of economic hardship and who fall ill for this reason. It spells disaster for them when they accept our nutritional fads and follies. Even years ago I was astonished to observe the confidence South American Indians put in our refined foods.

In Cuzco I watched how people from distant mountain areas bought bags of white flour and white sugar, carrying them home on their backs, believing they had acquired wholesome food items. I felt equally displeased when I saw children eating white bread rolls. If this becomes a habit, how long will their healthy teeth stand for it? Imagine, this goes on in a mountain valley where the best vegetables grow and potatoes are indigenous! The precious ground produces what is good for health. But the natural foods that have proved their worth for centuries are forced to give way to white flour, white sugar and white rice.

Health is on the decline among the Maya Indians in Guatemala too. People there were brought to the hospital suffering from lack of vitamins and protein only shortly before they were to die. It was then usually too late to render successful help. In India, Indonesia and other Far Eastern countries, I met with similar conditions. The greatest thing was the difficulty in getting people to see the real problem, so that they could escape troubles. They simply do not have the necessary knowledge, and cannot understand why white rice carries the heavy blame for the whole nutritional problem. They do not comprehend that the dreaded beriberi with its serious symptoms is because of their one-sided eating of polished rice. But even amongst us vision is often lacking, or else devalued rice would not be preferred above the natural brown kind. It is understandable that ignorant people lacking the power of discernment may think that it does not matter whether rice is nice and white or a little darker. These people simply will not recognize that the old-fashioned, tried and tested eating habits based on natural foods should be better than the attractive but devalued food of civilization.