Healthy in Mind, Spirit and Body
(republishing, copying, no restrictions)
By: Father Shay
How often have we heard the phrase "We are what we eat"? That is equally true of the spirit as of the body. If we are influenced by lies, smut violence and propaganda we could be corrupted in our spirit and our will power to avoid temptation and do good will be weakened. That's how I view the advertising of cigarettes, alcohol and unhealthy food, it is not advertising, it is propaganda. It’s aim is to persuade us that unhealthy products are in fact good and enjoyable. No wonder governments are compelled to place warnings on cigarettes such as ‘smoking kills’. In the Philippines much more has to be done to ban all such advertising on television and in the print media.
The recent campaign in the Philippines led by the women's rights movement ‘Gabriela’ against the huge billboard advertisements for cheap “Napoleon” brandy that asks the lurid question; “Have you tasted a 15-year-old yet”? The radio spot makes it clear that it is referring to the sexual abuse of a child. The campaign against it supported by many church groups including the advertising industry, will have the effect of associating that brandy and those who drink it with the sexual abuse of a fifteen year old.
The all-persuasive television advertising of processed food products persuades us to buy what they sell, unhealthy as it may be. We have to break free and make our own healthy choices. The amount of pesticides and toxic chemical that gets into the food chain and builds up in our bodies over time is the cause of much cancer and other diseases. What is so wrong and unjust is when our spiritual and physical health is damaged through no fault of our own.
This is a time in the history of the world when what is bad is called good and real good is ignored. That is not only the spiel of the political masters of deceit and forked tongues but of the very people to whom we trust our lives -the sellers of food products. At a time when the health of more and more people, especially children is being seriously damaged by chemical laden and sugar loaded products. It is good to hear that the sale of healthy organic food is on the rise. Thank God for the good news.
Last year sales of organic food in Britain passed the £1 billion mark this is a increase of 10% in a twelve month period. That is a whopping leap forward for any industry and have food manufacturers sitting up and taking notice. It is a positive trend mirrored across Europe.
That is what we need to convince food corporations to change their ways and use organically grown and processed ingredients. Organic food means, among other things that the food is grown and processed naturally without chemical fertilizers or pesticides or the like.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the world that the multinationals controlled fast-food chains and soft drink peddlers are responsible for serving up dangerously unhealthy products. These moguls of instant meals and sugared drinks are infuriated at the WHO but the officials have bravely refused to backtrack.
Don't throw up your arms in despair asking what can I do about it? Your purchasing power can help make this a more just and healthy world. You can demand chemical and GM free food and buy organic or natural every time. Meals made up of naturally or organically grown fresh fruits, fish, vegetables, dried tropical fruits and fibres are the best to help us avoid cancer and diabetes. Regular exercise is vital too. Be sure you are buying only Fairly Traded products also because it is just as important to help the poor live longer as it is for ourselves and our children.
Here in the Philippines at the PREDA center spiritual faith and social justice are one. The Fair Trade project helps thousand of poor farmers (some not so poor anymore) get higher prices for their naturally grown mangos. We have the mangos processed under the ISO standards and dried without the use of chemicals or additives. Likewise the producers of furniture, handicrafts and ornamental crafts and arts get great prices for their products and PREDA exports them all over the world giving them a steady steam of orders. That is doing our best to make this a healthier and more just world.
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