T. Colin Campbell, PhD, co-author of the best-selling book The China Study has been dedicated to the science of human health for more than 60 years. From this lifetime of work, he has developed eight principles of food and health.

The following is an abbreviated excerpt from The China Study summarizing Principle #1.

PRINCIPLE # 1

Nutrition represents the combined activities of countless food substances. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The chemicals we get from the foods we eat are engaged in a series of reactions that work in concert to produce good health. These chemicals are carefully orchestrated by intricate controls within our cells and all through our bodies, and these controls decide what nutrient goes where, how much of each nutrient is needed and when each reaction takes place.

Our bodies have evolved with this infinitely complex network of reactions in order to derive maximum benefit from whole foods, as they appear in nature. The misguided may trumpet the virtues of one specific nutrient or chemical, but this thinking is too simplistic. Our bodies have learned how to benefit from the chemicals in food as they are packaged together, discarding some and using others as they see fit. I cannot stress this enough, as it is the foundation of understanding what good nutrition means.

Read the rest of the 8 Principles:

Eating Right: 8 Principles of Food and Health