A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BODY
“A healthy mind in a healthy body”
Billions of your cells replace themselves every day, in 90 days most of your organs will have renewed themselves. You have a completely new body after every 7 years.
But the question is; are we putting in the right things, such as food, water, thought and emotion, in our body for the cells to optimally renew themselves? Are the cells replicating and renewing in a healthy alkaline environment or in a toxic acidic environment where bacteria and parasites can thrive?
The first thing we can and must do is to drink more clean, quality water to hydrate the body, to move nutrients around and to help the body to get rid of waste products. Then the cells can “work” in a clean environment. Our bodies consist of mainly water and salt, we are actually a “column of seawater” walking upright. Our blood has the same water-salt balance as the ocean. The best way to help your body keep the right balance, is to drink plenty of pure water, try to drink about 1.5 -2 litres a day and add a pinch of pure, unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt to every litre of water you drink to maintain its salt balance. The salt addition is very important to your body to function properly on every level. But please add Sea salt or Himalayan salt and NOT the white table salt, table salt is a dangerous toxin! You will find more on that in the salt chapter.
After you drink more water and take some quality salt, ask yourself; is the body in constant stress or in a peaceful heal and repair mode? Are your core digestive organs being supported and are you actually chewing or just swallowing? Digestion starts in the mouth, which is why we have teeth in the mouth and not in the stomach. We can fine tune our body processes and it all starts with digestion & absorption and ends with how we get rid of the waste. All starts of course with proper chewing, like 20 times chewing per mouth-full is half the job when it comes to proper digestion.
Next the more natural and uncooked the (vegetarian/vegan) food is, the better these processes will work. Cooking destroys enzymes, which are needed for every metabolic function in the body, Enzymes are Life! When we are born we have an estimate enzymatic potential to become 300 years old but we soon destroy that with our lifestyle, by eating cooked processed foods and microwaved meals without any enzymes in the food. We very quickly kind of “cash in” on our natural enzyme “bank account” until it is empty and we are in debt for the rest of our lives. That is why up into your twenties you can eat and drink whatever you want and still be doing fine, but then your “bank account” is empty and your body will degenerate more rapidly and take longer to recover and restore to a manageable level.
However, we can restore more and replenish this life-enabling “bank account” by eating enzyme-rich foods, like all raw uncooked vegetables, legumes, sprouts, fruits etc. With that we can take additional quality enzyme supplements.
Think about it, the longer you cook food the more it ends up like charcoal… which has nothing nutritional left to give to the body. Same with microwaved foods, microwaving food totally denatures food, it changes the molecular structure, whereby the body cannot recognise the food and rejects it as something foreign that has to be fought off. Whenever you eat cooked or microwaved foods, your white blood cell count dramatically increases as if there is an attack on the body. This process of increased white blood cells is called “leucktosysis” and it can drain the immune system. This reaction does not happen when more than 60% of the meal consists of green vegetables, so start adding in those big salads!
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet”
Thought provoking story:
A famous “microwave” experiment conducted in England already some years ago. They put a group of cats in a room with artificial light for a month providing the cats with all the food and water possible, but all was microwaved. All of the cats died within a month due to starvation…. This actually reminds me of many office environments, where much microwaved foods is eaten, today and why so many people call in sick so often. Anyhow, think again if the main part of your diet consists of microwaved food just because it is easy and quick, you are not doing yourself any favours. Try to put a piece of cheese in the microwave long enough and the structure turns into something similar to plastic. Do you think your body & mind will flourish on that?
Probiotics, this I already highlighted briefly earlier on regarding the happy gut, happy mind. We want to have a healthy intestinal flora for proper digestion and absorption so that we can have optimum utilisation of the food we eat. They say; “you are what you eat”, but it is more like; “you are what you can absorb”. Besides that, as explained in an earlier chapter, a healthy intestinal flora contributes greatly to your immune system and serotonin production. The optimum functioning of your intestinal flora is dependent on healthy, friendly bacteria, those bacteria can be affected negatively by what you put in your body and are even fully killed off by use of antibiotics (self-taken antibiotics or through meat products for example). Also certain levels of chlorine in tap water are not helpful either as chlorine is known to kill all bacteria good or bad. Probiotics are in fact good bacteria that push out or kill bad bacteria and then actually create a type of antibiotic in the body to maintain a healthy functioning in the gut. Wonder why you are often bloated or passing wind? Then often there is undigested food in your intestines - food which is left rotting because there are not enough healthy friendly bacteria to help process the food and perhaps may have not paid any attention to chewing the food enough!
So get into the habit of replenishing the friendly bacteria by taking either supplements or by creating your own friendly bacteria foods, such as sauerkraut, kefir (kefir is a cultured enzyme-rich food filled with micro-organisms that support the inner ecosystem, see kefir.org for more information) or for example make a simple coconut based, friendly bacteria top-up drink once in a while.
Tip: Buy a pack of 500 ml coconut water (or use a real coconut if you can get it) pour the water in a glass jar, then add a 3 or 4 good quality probiotic capsules (open capsules, pour out powder) then leave for 12 to 24 hours. In this time the probiotic, friendly bacteria, will eat the sugars in the coconut water and multiply. Give it a stir every 4 hours with a wooden spoon and the next day it is ready to drink. That will give you a great probiotic top up to increase the friendly bacteria in your intestines to improve digestion and inner well-being.
Besides the so-called spirit or life-force, we need building blocks and materials for our body to be alive, to have energy, to be a catalyst for all body processes to function properly. The body basically needs: oxygen, water, carbohydrates, fats, oils, proteins, vitamins, minerals.
We have to be mindful in choosing the foods which have the best quality and balance of the above. Often we only look at the “Calorie Quantity”. Only looking at the quantity is all fine from a laboratory point of view when you like counting calories but it is more important to look at the quality of the foods that allow best digestion, absorption and utilisation of those calories (fuel). Think also about what those calories carry with them or not, as in, what’s the package the calorie content comes in.
For example, let’s say you decide that for your body type and daily activity you would need 1500-2000 calories spread out over 3 meals a day. By only making the calorie count the most important thing, then you could eat a sugary processed chocolate bar for breakfast, cheeseburger and salty fries for lunch and a salami pizza with sugar coated cookies full of hydrogenated fats for dinner. This could amount up to 2000 calories and include a variation of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. However, what’s the quality of it, how well can the body digest it and eventually use it to feed the cells in the body? These calories are a poor source of fat, proteins and fuel, these calories lack in proper health giving nutrients and enzymes and carry a lot of toxic substances and additives that slow down the body processes, setting you up for chronic disease issues.
You can also look at 1500-2000 calories by having some fruit before breakfast, then maybe some probiotic yoghurt with a granola type of fibre rich cereal and some good fat oil such as Udo’s oil, then for lunch have some sprouted grain bread with coconut oil or honey or a vegetable wrap and for dinner wholegrain pasta with avocados, pine nuts, olives and a green mixed salad or spinach. This offers an alternative healthy green option that also has protein, fats and carbohydrates amounting up to a similar amount of calories.
In the second “calorie” scenario the body can use the provided calories much better, for a more energetic result, with less of a waste residue and providing the body with the essential natural nutrients to grow and thrive.
The effect of calories brings us to the blood sugar concentration or blood glucose level in our body. Calories in a diet full of refined sugars and fat, will affect your blood sugar level in a different way than a diet full of healthy greens, with plenty of fibre, good fats, proteins and slow-burning sugars. The blood sugar management is a book in itself, but here we try to look at its main principle.
Any fluctuation in your blood sugar levels basically affects your health, weight, energy, well-being and success in life probably more than anything else that we do with our habitual eating actions. You already will feel and think differently if you eat a table spoon full of sugar or if you eat an apple. The first will spike your blood sugar levels incredibly high for a short time and then you “crash” with a physical, emotional and mental low feeling. The second option, the apple, will keep your blood sugar level balanced for a longer time without a “crash” and give you the energy to do what you set out to do in a clear manner.
All foods and drinks affect the blood sugar level and the trick is to keep it low, balanced and in a slow burning mode most of the time, with what they call low Glycemic index foods. For example, brown rice has a lower GI than for instance white rice, brown rice gives the body a longer more useful burning energy source than the white rice. There are many books out there that explain what foods give you longer energy without a crash and what foods give you a short energy burst and nothing more. Here, we want to learn how highly refined sugary foods and drinks destroy your blood sugar functioning in the long term. The body needs to produce too much Insulin and cortisol to manage fluctuations from high to low.
Eventually the insulin has no effect anymore in lowering the blood sugar levels by trying to get the energy into to the cells and muscles and instead creates more fat storage and you might also head toward diabetes. Or too many of the blood sugar “carb crashes” have released so many times all the cortisol to bring up the blood sugar that the body has developed problems related to cortisol overload which contributes to major dis-function. This does not only happen by eating pure sugary sweets, but also by eating limited foods options, such as only pasta or only potatoes instead of a balance meal with variation.
It is important to combine meal options with carbohydrates (pasta, potatoes, spelt grain, millet, cous cous) with proteins (nuts, seeds, sprouts), fats (plant fats like omega 3 & 6, flaxseed oil, olive oil, rapeseed oil), and of course plenty of greens (lettuce, spinach, cabbage, all vegetables) this all helps to keep blood sugar levels more balanced and gives energy over a longer period of time without burdening the body too much in the process.
Once you eat more of smaller and balanced meals throughout the day, avoiding any “crashes” by eating fruit between meals, then we become in balance and the blood sugar level remains below a certain trigger point line which determines the difference in a positive or negative reaction for the body. If the blood sugar goes past this trigger point line too often, like after eating a bag of chips and a coke, which gives a big high and a big low, then the body starts more often to trigger the “negative software” (negative eicosanoids) related to physical and mental issues such as weight problems and mood swings or depression.
Therefore, three balanced meals throughout the day is essential, fruit between the meals to fill the gaps and prevent a “crash” and regular water intake to keep you hydrated. This will keep the blood sugar and you as a person better balanced.
Something to “digest” between meals, go out and look for some clover (during summer months), they have some interesting facts about them.
The clover plant comes in two forms; red clover and white clover
Interesting is that this medicinal herb grows in the wild in most countries around the world and most people think it’s just another weed… However, they are full of various minerals & vitamins. Especially the red clover is one of the richest sources of isoflavon. Isoflavons are effective in certain cancer treatments. The clover plant has many beneficial properties; it helps in reducing inflammation, it is detoxifying, it relaxes the nervous system and the list goes on. The red clover photo was taken during a walk in the park and the white clover I found in my back garden, which I did eat…. Note: to learn more about wild foods, their benefits and correct uses, please consult specific” wild food” books before proceeding with any of them.
Acid-Alkaline balance, this is also referred to as pH balance, again another hugely important factor. For instance, think about this; cancer cells cannot exist and grow in a totally alkaline environment. On the other hand bacteria and viruses thrive in a totally acidic environment and even create their own waste to make it more acidic. All disease finds a good place to start in an acidic body and it is said that with an acidic body often comes an acidic, negative mind (and vice versa).
One of the most important reasons to pay attention to maintaining a more alkaline balance is that all life enabling enzyme function is pH-temperature-and hydration-sensitive. Enzymes are dependent on an “optimal” environment to work in to have the most successful ability to function. A diet full of meat, dairy, sugar and alcohol for example, will make you more acidic, create extra stress on the body, decrease your energy and decrease all enzyme processes. A diet with plenty of alkaline food and drinks, such of green leaved vegetables and pure water, will reduce stress on the body, increase energy and enzyme functions.
The acid-alkaline balance goes from acidic pH 0 to neutral pH 7 to alkaline pH 14. The different parts and organs of the body have various pH levels and the blood has a pH balance of 7.35 to 7.45 which is necessary for optimal healthy metabolic function and basically determining the success of all body functions and overall health.
Most people are too acidic and we directly influence our alkaline balance with our food, what we drink and our lifestyle. Alkaline foods are for example green vegetables, fruits, plant-based protein. Acidic foods are for example animal protein, dairy, fats, oils, grains, pasta, alcohol, sugar and medications. Especially sugar is very acidifying and acts as a great food source for unwanted bacteria, so avoid when you can. Furthermore, note that even positive or negative thoughts and emotions influence the acidic-alkaline balance.
To become more alkaline to prevent disease; detoxify, eat more alkaline foods, drink more water, get more (trace) minerals in your body, breath more outdoor air, meditate and exercise to improve circulation. Shops now even sell pH strips to test your saliva or urine so that you can get an indication of your own acid-alkaline balance. Then you can adjust your diet accordingly. But note that the goal is to be slightly more alkaline than acidic, but too much is not good either, the aim is around pH 7.35 - 7.45.
Next we will look at a short Acid-Alkaline food overview
Ideally a nutrition plan should primarily be alkaline, around 75% alkaline foods and 25% acidifying foods. The 25% is of course without the acidifying products such as alcohol, sugar, medication and so on.
Alkalizing Food examples such as vegetables, fruits, mainly plant proteins & add-ons
Vegetables examples; Garlic, Asparagus, Watercress, Beets, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Chlorella, Cucumber, Kale, Mushrooms, Dulce, Edible Flowers, Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Peppers, Pumpkin, Spirulina, Sprouts, Squashes, Alfalfa, Barley Grass, Wheat Grass, Sea Vegetables/seaweeds
Fruit examples; Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Currants, Dates/Figs, Grapes, Grapefruit, Lime, Honeydew Melon, Nectarine Orange, Lemon, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, All Berries, Tangerine, Tomato, Tropical Fruits, Watermelon
Proteins examples; Eggs, Whey Protein Powder, Cottage Cheese, Yogurt, Almonds, Chestnuts, Tofu (fermented), Flax Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Squash Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Millet, Sprouted Seeds
Add-ons examples; Apple Cider Vinegar, Bee Pollen, Lecithin Granules, Probiotic Cultures, Green Juices/Vegetable Juices, Fresh Fruit Juices, Organic Milk (unpasteurized), Mineral Water, Alkaline Antioxidant Water, Green Tea, Herbal Tea, Dandelion Tea, Ginseng Tea, Kombucha, Cinnamon, Curry, Ginger, Mustard, Chili Pepper, Sea Salt, Miso, Tamari, All Herbs.
Acidifying Food examples such as fats, oils, cheeses, animal proteins, coffee, alcohol & drugs
Fats and oils in general; Avocado Oil, Corn Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Flax Oil, Olive Oil, Sesame Oil, Sunflower Oil
Grains (unless sprouted); Barley, Buckwheat, Corn Oats (rolled) Quinoa, Rice (all), Wheat, Rye, Spelt (more or less neutral), Hemp Seed Flour
Dairy, Cheese, Cow Cheese, Goat Cheese, Processed Cheese, Milk, Butter
Nuts, Cashews, Brazil Nuts, Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Pecans, Tahini, Walnuts
Animal protein; Beef, Clams, Fish, Lamb, Lobster, Mussels, Oyster, Pork, Rabbit, Salmon, Shrimp, Scallops, Tuna, Turkey, Venison
Pasta (white), Noodles, Macaroni, Spaghetti, Wheat, Potatoes
Add-ons, Distilled Vinegar
Coffee, Alcohol, Drugs, Medication, Pesticides, Herbicides, Food chemicals, Beer, Spirits, Hard Liquor, Wine
Beans & legumes, Black Beans, Chick Peas, Green Peas, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Lima Beans, Pinto Beans, Red Beans, Soy Beans, Soy Milk, White Beans, Rice Milk, Almond Milk
Remember the 75/25 percentage and that a clean intestinal tract and a primarily alkaline body are fundamental to ensure long lasting well-being.
For myself the tips and ideas in this book have given me amazing results. I’m more balanced in a physical and mental, emotional and spiritual way. No more stomach cramps and upset, regular bowel movements, more energy, feeling lighter and having a better complexion. My body has gradually shed about 10 kgs and that is mainly excessive waste and toxins that had piled-up in my body over a lifetime. Now my body weight has established itself at its most optimum weight for my condition at the moment. The best result for me was that my bad cholesterol levels had gone done by 20% in just a few months and are still decreasing. My doctor had been insisting on that I should take medication such as statins to lower my cholesterol and more or less telling me that medication is the only way. But that actually made me stronger in my resolve to prove that I could get better results naturally, with proper nutrition and light exercise, to create a healthier cholesterol balance. And so I did!
Furthermore, I would also like to highlight how my change “upgrade” of diet and habits, as described in this book, has improved my body functioning. I had a test done with a biophotonic scanner, to measure the level of antioxidants in my body (as explained before, antioxidants fight off the free radicals which attack our healthy cells). This scan gave a result in the so called blue zone, which is the highest zone on the proposed scale. On average only a small minority of those tested get such a good result.
You will not find any supporting antioxidants in the regular ready-made microwave meal but why not try getting some acai or camu camu berry, acerola cherry or rosehip, they are very rich in antioxidants. Or what about raw cacao beans they are like an anti-oxidant punch and you get a boost in “love chemicals” at the same time! That seems like a good deal to me.
“Vitality and beauty are gifts of Nature for those who live according to its laws.”
TIP:
Watch the documentary “Reversing the Irreversible” by Valya Boutenko. Green Apple Award, 2008 Raw Lifestyle Film Festival, West Hollywood. 37 testimonials of people who improved their health naturally. Or try to get the DVD; “Raw for Life”, to learn more about the raw food lifestyle and what raw foods can do for you.
In the next chapter we will have a look at a selection of fun, healthy and versatile foods.