I just read some great information on statins (Lipitor, etc.), the anti-Cholesterol drugs actually causing an increase in heart problems! Along with other drug medications for heart-related prevention. And then I read that someone claimed that psychiatric drugs were necessary for many people.
It just makes me realize how blessed we are to know that food is the real answer to these problems. Cholesterol is not bad. It is inflammation that is bad, and it comes from a variety of sources: stress and anxiety, cooking some foods, like milk (creates Xanthan oxidase, which is inflammatory to the blood vessels), eating foods your body doesn’t like, or cooking oils. Also inflammatory is eating Lectins, which are natural chemicals to prevent us from eating certain plants.
If you eat nothing else raw, you should eat all fats raw. This is the number one thing for health. Cooking fats is very bad for us. Very inflammatory, very much gums up the lymph system, the intestines, the arteries.
Health Plan:
The first three are time-honored recommendations from many health gurus, including Paavo Airola.
No sugar.
Currently I feel I can endorse raw, unfiltered honey (in moderation), dates, stevia leaves you grow yourself, dry and powder, low sugar fruit (berries, green papaya, green bananas, green pineapple, and for any cooking you feel you must do, monkfruit.
Considering that diabetes is epidemic in our culture, this is a really good idea.
Sugar is inflammatory by itself, AND is said to allow larger particles (whole proteins, to pass into the blood stream from the gut, without being broken down. This can cause an immune response, and an inflammatory response (chemicals your body releases).
Then, also, sugar increases your excitability, and, therefor, stress, as well as burning up the B vitamins you managed to get from other food, or were made for you by your gut bacteria, assuming they are in good shape.
No white flour.
Okay, this is a newly controversial thing. Now, some people (Gundry is one) are saying your shouldn’t eat whole grains!
Aajonus said that if you eat bread (rarely, and to stop a detox), it should be white sourdough, with no additives, slathered with raw butter.
I thought this was weird, until I read Gundry. Turns out we found that polishing rice and wheat not only extended the shelf life, but was easier on our guts! No wonder the wealthy thought it was better! Whole grains have more lectins (cause inflammation in the gut and anywhere in the body) in them. Now, if you double cook them, like with a pressure cooker, you destroy most of the lectins, but we don’t do that with bread. Only as a cereal, and how many of us do that? Cream of wheat.
AND fermentation wipes out a lot of the lectins. Hence the sourdough. But it has to be real sourdough, that has been fermenting. SO, white sourdough is going to have most of the inflammatory proteins broken down and not hurting you. Makes sense?
No fried foods.
I would go a bit further, and, of course Aajonus did, with not cooking any fats. No heated fats. And no refined oils. Tough one, eh?
So, extra virgin, cold pressed nut and olive oils, not any of the seeds or grains.
It turns out that plant oils are NOT better for us, especially if hydrogenated (turned solid with adding water chemically). If you want solid fats, eat animal fats. They melt in your mouth!
Raw Cream. Yum! Raw Whole milk. Raw butter. Raw fatty meat. Raw Coconut oil, from fermentation or juicing the coconut (coconut cream) and natural separation. Raw Coconut cream.
And Avocados, raw nuts, raw egg yolk, all have good fats. Even olives, cured naturally (although that’s usually pretty salty).
Whether you agree with Gundry completely or not, he has a free buying food guide you can download and print out to help you choose healthy foods.
If you cook food, I highly recommend his plan to help you be healthy. The Plant Paradox or the Gundry Diet should get you there.
Of course, our radical diet of eating food the way God or Nature made it, is the most healthful. Our bodies have eaten that way for hundreds of thousands of years. Our time of cooking food is a blink of the eye. And look what we have now! Half of the men get prostate cancer. Diabetes is getting close. Cancer is considered normal. Heart disease is actually about 4th in causing death. Last I heard, 1/4 of the deaths in hospitals was due to the number of medications a person was on. Not what, just how many. They unfortunately do not have training in what supplementation is needed for the drugs they administer, and most side effects are caused by deficiencies from the action of the drugs. This is why herbal and food treatments are superior. (See Drug Muggers) Herbal and whole foods have other chemicals, minerals, and vitamins that help the active ingredients work better.
Aajonus said our green juice was our vitamin and mineral supplement. Make sure you get fresh green juice every day! It is a vital part of the Primal Diet, for those of you doing that. And vital to everyone. If you think taking supplements is better, you should do more research. For one, you absorb-and use- only a fraction of the supplements/vitamins you take. Food based ones, like Standard Process are far better, but raw food, highly dense, or with the cellulose removed, like in juice, has all usable nutrients. Watch out for inflammatory parts of vegies, like cucumber and tomato seeds and skins.
A tablespoon of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar is a daily requirement. In water or with food. It is a cure-all, with many books about it. Check it out! Makes a good summer drink too, with some fruit.
The other source of concentrated vitamins are organs. Heart and liver are the primary ones. We should all be eating some once a week (if not more often, depending on your health) or minimally once a month. The other organs can be added to a smoothie occasionally to just be sure you have everything. Northstar and Willow Dairy both have these available. Blend them with cream or butter, and I like them with tomatoes (no seeds or skin) and spices/herbs.
To skin tomatoes, stick with a fork and dip for a second or two in boiling water. The skin peels right off. Then slice across the tomato to scoop out the seeds and any green. Tomatoes are one thing you do not want any green of. Also potatoes. If you have arthritis, avoid tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and any other of the Belladonna related plants. Lots of inflammatory stuff there.
Cream is very available now, with summer here. Get cream and eat lots of fruit with it! The fat slows down the sugar intake, and helps clean the body of what the fruit cleans out.
Whole milk is a great summer food. When it is too hot to eat, it’s easy to drink a glass of nice, cool milk.
Coconut cream is great for everything, high in magnesium, and good fats, both cleansing and lubricating. A Higher fat intake, if it is raw, is better for your heart! And it ferments really well, adding to the gut health.
Ceviche, too, is a great summer food.
If you eat cooked food, bone broth is a must. It really helps heal the gut. There are a lot of prepared bone broths available, even from our Northstar Bison!
The gut is everything. Everyone should be eating yogurt or some other fermented food daily. There is fermented coconut yogurt too, even in the stores.
And don’t forget, raw desserts are the best! So tasty and outrageously healthy for us, and they tend to make us not miss what everyone else is eating. They spoil you for cooked treats. (That’s a good thing.)
Sport Drink:
Place in a quart jar:
3 cups of at least 2 of the following: tomatoes, peeled cucumbers, watermelon, puréed
2 T lemon and 2 T lime juice ( I put the juice of one lemon and one lime each)
1 T raw apple cider vinegar
2 T each of raw cream, raw coconut cream
2 -3 raw eggs
1-2 T raw honey (optional)
1 tsp Terramin clay (optional)
Then fill the rest of the quart jar with whey or Gerolsteiner sparkling water, or milk, or combo
Have a great week!
Healthfully Yours,
Marilyn at RA
