The Junk Food Craze

Richard Hollerman

As Christians who seek to follow the ways of Christ even when these ways are unpopular and even counter-cultural, we look at society in a different way than our neighbors. This is true of nearly everything that we do—the way we drive a car, the kind of house we live in, the clothes we wear, the education that we receive, the institutions that we are associated with, and so much more. It is also true regarding the things that we eat, how we eat, and the like. What do we mean?

I am somewhat naïve in regard to such things, but sometimes we have been both shocked and dismayed regarding what we observe regarding the food that people eat! We see what they eat and how they eat; we learn how much they spend on food and where they obtain their food. We see these things even by professing Christians. Yes, it both shocks us. And it dismays us. Why would we say this?

Think of the professing Christians that you see and know. We are aware that we are not to judge people regarding such things as food in respect to that which concerned both Jews and Gentiles. But here we are referring to whether the food is nutritious or, in contrast, the proverbial “junk” food (or non-nutritious food). We realize that there are secular people and groups that promote good, nutritious food for their own good and there are others (such as the Seventh-day Adventists) who follow the dictates of Ellen G. White and therefore have a theological bent to their views.

We are not referring to these people but we are referring to what nutritionists, health-professionals, and the like promote regarding our diet. (And we are not referring to the recognized health benefits of physical exercise, sufficient sunshine, plenty of liquids such as water, enough sleep and relaxation, and so forth.) Here we are alone referring to our diet and what we know is a healthful way of eating and especially what we eat.

Not many years ago, actually rather recently, we came across a book by Joel Fuhrman entitled Fast Food Genocide. This is a volume that we recommend to all of our readers. Although there may be certain limitations to the book and the philosophies found in it, we think that it is still a book worthy of our careful reading and attention. We know that Fuhrman is an avowed evolutionist (which this writer strongly condemns and which conflicts with what we read in God’s Word, the Bible). Still it is a volume worthy of our reading and study. Whether it be in the paperback form or the hardback form, still it is an encouraging book that warns of the dangers of the American diet and the diet of people around the world. He calls it the SAD (Standard American Diet) and shows that it is robbing the health of millions of people in the United States and other places in the world.

The book, Fast Food Genocide, is produced by Harper Collins Publishers contains 343 pages, which includes a worthy index, endnotes, Questions and Answers, as well as a lengthy section of recipes. The book, written by Joel Fuhrman, M.D., with Robert B. Phillips, is a worthy volume for your library. I would encourage you to obtain a copy very soon and apply the contents to your own life.

Basically, the author encourages us to eat more natural foods rather than “junk” foods. And this is the title of his book, “Fast Food Genocide.” He claims that when we eat the kind of food that we eat in “fast food” eating establishments, we harm our bodies. He would say that when we eat what the average American eats (high fat, high sodium, white rice, white flour, high sugar, and so-called “junk foods,” we are harming our bodies in various ways. We end up with high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease, diverticulitis, diabetes, cancer, and so much more. Therefore, he recommends a more organic, nutritious, and “whole foods” way of eating, that majors on fruits, vegetables, many kinds of grains, and so forth. Actually, as you can imagine, this is the way that people tended to eat in years gone by.

We think that reading these pages will be for your good and for mine as well. If we take these instructions and heed this advice, we should live in a healthier way with fewer diseases of modern life. This is the way that was more common in other parts of the world but, as the American “SAD” diet has been promulgated and advanced, we find more of the diseases of modern culture (the “Western” way of eating) taking over and inundating us with further issues.

Thus, we would encourage you to obtain a copy of this present study and digest the contents for your own good. While we may have some negatives about some of this, still it is a “good read” and worthy of our intake and application.

Fast Food Genocide by Joel Fuhrman with Robert B. Phillips

(Endorsement by Mark Hyman and Neil D. Barnard.)

New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2017.