08 Oct Nutrition: The 1st Principle Whole, Pure, and Natural
Nutrition is a natural place to start in building a healthy, beautiful body.
Nutrition can be very confusing. There are so many opinions and so much data out there, and you can find research for about any type of diet you are looking for. If you wanted to adopt the “pizza” or “hamburger” diet, you can probably find research to back it up. It’s enough to boggle anyone’s mind.
After a lifetime of exploring, comparing systems, and working with patients, I’ve simplified the myriad of rules to three basic suggestions:
• Whole, pure, and natural
• Enzyme nutrition
• Finding your own best diet
If you earnestly consider these three suggestions, I’m certain your health will improve.
1. Whole, pure, and natural
In a nutshell, eat foods the way nature created them. If man has altered it, leave it alone. Jack la Lane said: “If man made it, don’t eat it.”
All the healthy cultures of the world followed this first suggestion because there was nothing to adulterate the food supply, and, most were remarkably healthy. However, with the advent of refined grains, sugar, and preserved and chemically altered foods, the health of the people went downhill fast.
To the degree that we go against the laws of nature, health deteriorates. Degeneration is getting worse as can be seen with new crops of designer diseases such as metabolic syndrome, autoimmune diseases, leaky gut, leaky brain, autism, etc. As we continue to violate the laws of nature, I guarantee more serious diseases will proliferate. It’s natural. If the internal terrain of the body gets progressively more polluted and inflamed, it’s totally natural that even more debilitating conditions will prevail.
WHAT To DO?…Eat real food.
Avoid genetically modified foods, irradiated foods, and foods with chemicals, preservatives, or additives. Learn to read labels with utmost care. There are so many harmful additives in foods that it seems we can’t trust anything! Don’t rely on the words “all natural” or “organic.” READ THE LABELS! Look out for any added chemicals, preservatives, corn syrup, agave, and sugar. With the plethora of chemicals and toxins in our environment, we frequently have little control over our exposure to them, so what goes into our mouths becomes extra important. Diet is an important pillar of your health insurance policy.
Organic
Organic food is better than commercial because you want foods without toxic chemicals and fertilizers. Organic also insures that the soil has been renewed and composted in traditional ways. Commercial fertilizers have three main ingredients: NPK, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, and are made up of synthetic chemicals. Because they’re generally water soluble, the plants uptake the nutrients immediately, resulting in rapid growth. The problem with synthetic NPK is that it ultimately creates a malnourished, imbalanced crop.
Organic is the best, but don’t be a fanatic about the word. It’s sometimes better to eat fresh, locally grown produce that is in season than to import organic from halfway around the globe. The local product, even if commercially grown, is probably better if the food is not sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals.
Look at it this way: the gold seal is grown in your own garden on top-quality soil, with only natural fertilizer, compost, and a lot of love. The food goes from vine to plate. Call growing your own food 100%. Organic, locally grown vegetables in season might be 80 or 85%. Fresh commercial produce in season might be 70%. However, if you buy organic from South America or New Zealand out of season, it’s less nutritious. Overseas produce is weeks or even months old. It must be picked immaturely and shipped. By the time it makes it to market, it has lost much of its goodness.
Checking the local farmer’s market and asking how they grow their produce is an excellent way to get high-quality food. Many vegetables and fruits that can’t legally be labeled as organic have not been grown with harmful chemicals. If you get fresh, unsprayed produce, then freshly picked local produce is almost always superior.
Animal Foods Are Better Organic
Meats, eggs, and all dairy products should all carry the organic label, or you should know the source well, such as from a local, trusted farm. Non-organic milk contains harmful hormones and chemicals that are certain to hurt your health. Eggs should be cage-free or free-range, and meat should always consume their natural diet.
The living conditions of commercial animals and poultry is heartbreaking. The animals are raised only for the numbers. They’re terribly crowded, often on top of each other, which raises the likelihood that the animals are diseased. Eating animals and poultry that live in misery is disastrous to your health.
Organically raised animals are in a class by themselves and are well worth the money you spend. You can tell the difference in quality by the color of the meat or the yolk of the egg, which is strikingly evident, and so is the taste. If animals are truly raised properly, eating their natural diet, free range, and given a little love, they are basically happy. You can always tell a happy animal. They smile. You must have seen your own dog or cat when they are particularly happy and content. Their smile is beautiful to behold. Happy, humanely-raised and slaughtered animals are the ones you want to consume.
Never eat grain-fed cattle. You don’t see cattle eating grain in nature; they graze and eat grass. Animals eating their natural diet is supremely important. Mad cow disease came about by feeding cattle (natural vegetarians) their own intestines and body parts. In the same vein, never eat farm-raised fish, with the exception of shellfish. Farm-raised salmon and other fish are an accident waiting to happen to your health. Read every label.
Peanut butter should always be organic (non-organic peanut butter is loaded with undesirable toxins), but I would rather have a non-organic coconut or avocado than none at all. These foods are generally not sprayed or adulterated with chemicals. There is a craze to eat organic potato chips, cookies, and candy bars, but these aren’t really food at all. They might be best avoided altogether.
Fresh is better than frozen, and frozen is better than canned. The most acceptable canned foods are tomato paste, tomatoes, and sardines. But generally, canned foods are inferior food sources. Don’t buy canned soups and stews. Make your own. It’s easy, far more nutritious, and significantly less expensive. Beware of pickles or sauerkraut that have been canned in jars. These foods are harmful to the body. Use only the raw naturally fermented varieties.
You will probably be eating in the next few hours, so you can start detoxifying and having more energy immediately.
To recap: eat everything whole, pure, and natural. Scrutinize all packaged food.I’ll say it one more time: Meticulously read all labels. Limit grain, especially refined grain. Overdose on veggies, skimp on fruit. Grow your own food.
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