The major problem with politicians and industry is their insatiable greed, they always want more. More of us to reproduce, so there’s more people to tax, and for us to keep spending more and more each year. Not a single thought (or care) about where this is leading. When what we should all be doing is the total opposite, encouraging everyone not to have any more children and not to spend, because of what it is doing to the planet. Life would be a lot more rewarding and less stressful if we did, not just for us but for every other species.
Since I last posted, about how words are hijacked by politicians and industry to give their agendas credibility, more examples have popped into my head. The first being sourdough, which has to be the simplest and most natural, tastiest way to make bread. Living proof that LESS is definitely MORE. Made with just two simple ingredients, organic grain and water. The microorganisms/ fungi in the ancient grains doing all the rest of the work, making it rise into a loaf and giving that wonderful taste and nutrition. And ground very lightly into a wholemeal flour means all the nutrition remains. This was the way bread was made for thousands of years, right up until the Middle Ages, when production shifted from the household to become a trade, and barm (the waste yeast from ale making) took over as a quicker way to make it rise. Followed in the 18th century by industrial dried yeast and refined flour, along with the need to add a whole host of additives and flavourings to replace what had been lost.
I remember hearing about sourdough, way back in the 1970s, but by then it was purely people doing it for their own use, otherwise sourdough had all but disappeared.
Then came the devastating events of BREXIT and lockdown. Which not only paved the way for politicians (and their friends in the ruling classes) to start taking back our hard-won human rights, but gave industry yet another opportunity to sell us even more pointless things to crave. Which the food industry used to dramatically increase their range of ready-prepared chilled and frozen meals. Along with what they (laughingly) refer to as healthy options, with the introduction of plant-based alternatives. All of which have been incredibly successful and profitable, but at what cost? A quick look at the ingredients will give you some idea. Basically what we are seeing right now is what happened to sourdough. Ever since bread-making became a business the industry has been looking for ways to cut their costs while getting us to pay more (and more). They have achieved this by taking control over all the stages of production. Which in the case of bread means they no longer have to worry about where they grow the wheat or the weather, because the new genetically-modified grains will grow just about anywhere, and are also protected by a whole host of toxic chemicals. Plus, instead of wasting time, money and space producing hundreds of thousands of loaves a day naturally, they have come up with ways to do it faster and cheaper industrially, by using artificial additives and flavourings.
Their sourdough range has been one of the most successful, even though it’s priced a lot higher than other bread products. Achieving global sales of $2.3 billion in just one year, and with a market share that just keeps growing. Even though the ingredients used are exactly the same as those in the cheaper range of baked goods.
They manage to pull this off by using very impressive marketing. A mix of compelling storytelling and packaging the bread to give the impression this has not been produced in a vast anonymous factory, but in a small independent craft bakery, by artisan bakers, who make it in small batches using the best natural ingredients and all the time it needs to rise naturally. They also heavily imply that eating this kind of bread is healthier.
None of which is true.
What this bread really is, is very cheap highly-refined flour, which has very little nutritional value, mixed with up to 20 other ingredients, all of which are synthetic and many highly toxic. It is not food or nutritious or healthy, and consuming products like this regularly is very likely to make you very ill. Scientific studies are now showing that consuming genetically-modified, chemically-laden, ultra-refined, ultra-processed ingredients (like these – flour, salt, sugar and artificial additives/ flavourings) can increase the likelihood of:
Increased Blood Sugar – leading to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Metabolic Dysfunction – leading to obesity.
Cardiovascular Disease – leading to a higher risk of heart disease, heart attacks and
strokes.
Digestive Problems – including bloating, constipation or diarrhoea.
Cancers – including breast, liver, stomach and colon cancer.
Mood Changes.
Reduced Life Expectancy.
Kidney Disease.
Whereas real sourdough, made using only organic wholemeal flour and water, is not only highly nutritious and filling, it can:
Improve digestion.
Enhance nutrient absorption.
Control blood sugar.
Support gut health.
For the moment we still have a choice. Either continue to buy their industrially created unnatural unhealthy products, or make our own. But as our global population continues to rise exponentially (currently by 70 million more each year, which is the population the UK), pressure on farmers to produce enough cheap ingredients will soon see the end of organic farming. High time we took back control of our health and learnt to cook for ourselves, using only natural ingredients, support the few remaining farmers who still want to protect our planet. And at the same time discover not only a new sense of achievement at being able to create something that tastes amazing, far better than shop-bought, but is really good for us.
Click here if you’d like my simple recipe to make your own real sourdough bread.
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