Clearly diet plays a big role in gaining or maintaining health. A truly good herbal program will always speed progress toward your ideal health goals, yet coupled with an ideal diet (or a good step in the right direction), the "two steps forward, one step backwards" syndrome can be seriously reduced or eliminated. So, before we talk about diet, let's talk about the most important food combining rules for building health in a consistent manner.
As a preface to the following guidelines, may I assure you that I do not follow all of these rules 100% of the time, nor do I expect anyone else to be successful at following them consistently. Life is about more than just what we eat, yet what we eat will influence the quality of our lives. I recommend that each person simply become aware of the following guidelines, having been derived from countless observations of the negative and positive effects of breaking or following the rules of wise food combining.
Even though the following principles have been proven countless times from my own personal experience and the observation of numerous clients, I still recommend that each person put every one of these guidelines to the test by keeping them for a period of time to see how they make you feel, then by breaking them for a period of time to again see how those food choices make you feel.
Changes in diet and lifestyle are rightfully best made from a place of acceptance based on a personal in-depth understanding (or intuitive realization) of a principle's validity. Such an understanding can only come through your own testing of both sides of a particular food choice or combination and on a personal decision on where to draw the line in each area. Your food choices will change naturally over time from these trial and error experiences once a place of "been there, done that, I prefer to move to higher ground", has been achieved.
It is also helpful to break the rules from time to time so as to insure that a dogmatic adherence to rules for a rule's sake, never sets in. Life should be enjoyed, but when our food choices diminish our enjoyment of life, or more importantly, at times when our food choices are threatening our lives, a remembrance of the following guidelines and close adherence to them may well be part of the solution to getting back to a place where we can once again immerse ourselves in the delight of living on Earth with greater and greater levels of health & vitality.
Do not combine a sweet, a fruit, a grain, or a starch (which convert to sugar) with an oil, a nut, a fat, or a protein (which can interfere with sugar metabolism, thus promoting pathogen overgrowth). On the left of this equation you have things that break down into sugar. On the right you have things that commonly contain fats or oils. The solution is to eat a starch/sugar meal then wait 2-3 hours before eating a protein/fat meal.
Eat fruits alone on an empty stomach, preferably in the AM. Although, with the exception of melons that need to be eaten alone, fruits can be consumed with vegetables and starches, but not proteins and fats.
Do not eat fried chips (they violate the first rule (oil/starch combination).
Do not eat nuts (unless you take them out of the shell, and even then only minimally, not everyday). More health problems can be traced back to nuts (due to difficulty digesting them, even if sprouted), fried foods (like blue corn chips), granola, breads, and, of course, sugars, than any other health foods on the market today.
Do not eat desserts right after a meal due to the mixture of sweets with oils or proteins (in standard American meals). Since most desserts combine both fats and sugars, they are a compromise in and of itself, so if you are to indulge, at least create a space of time between a meal and the dessert, preferably consumed before any meal by an hour or more.
Do not consume any kind of concentrated sweetener (granules, extracts, or drops). See below under Sweeteners.
If sweets are consumed before a meal, best to take Digestive Bitters or bitter herbs/foods (which stimulate bile) before consuming other foods so as to insure the full digestion of oils and thereby prevent the mixture of sweets and oils.
Taking Blood Sugar Balance will also help stabilize insulin/sugar levels after consuming sweets and help reduce pathogen/yeast overgrowth. To understand the relationship between insulin, fat & sugar consumption and various health conditions read this article: Is Alzheimer's Caused by Too Much Sugar?
Minimize or eliminate alcohol, even wine, from the diet due to the sugar content and its weakening impact on the spleen/pancreas/adrenals. Most beers contains hops. Hops is bitter, so it improves bile flow & enhances digestion, but hops also over estrogenates the body, increasing sluggishness, infertility, and yeast overgrowth.
Dry red wines may produce the least negative effects due to their reduced sweetness, but the most restrictive programs will exclude all alcoholic beverages including kombucha (high in tannins, sugar, & caffeine, all of which cause harm to the spleen), honey meads & jun (even fermented honey can blow out the spleen and thereby push one toward alcohol addiction, yeast overgrowth, and depression/anxiety). This is particularly challenging to those on a high fat diet due to the sweet/oil conflict in the bloodstream.
Here is an article exposing the potential additives to non-organic beer: List of legal beer additives
Drink water, or even better, clay water (or Mineral Manna), 20 minutes prior to a meal to aid digestion (provides the hydro in hydrochloric acid/HCL. A small amount of sea salt (already in Mineral Manna) provides the chloride), but minimize liquids with a meal so as not to dilute digestive juices.
20 minutes is typically enough to empty the stomach again before food arrives. Diluted digestive juices can result in heartburn and acid reflux. Improper food combining is another cause of the same.
Take herbal formulas before or with a meal, but if taken after a meal use the least amount of liquid possible so as not to dilute digestive fluids.
Eat or drink fermented foods with every meal (whey, kefir, non-soy miso, sauerkraut, kraut juice shots, fermented salsa, etc.), however, if the ferment contains sugar (kombucha, jun, honey mead) then it is best not consumed with meals that contain fats or oils.
Do not eat genetically modified foods (GMO's). Keep in mind that the most popular grains (corn, wheat, barley, oats, & rye), rices (long & short grain brown & white rices), soy & soy products (including soy-based miso, tofu & tempeh), and canola oil (and the numerous products containing canola oil) have been genetically modified to such a high percentage (90+%) that even the organic versions are likely to be contaminated by wind pollens and other means. Many health problems will go away after eliminating GMO foods from the diet.
To understand the reasons behind this more fully read the following articles:
GMO Food & Issues Dramatic Health Recoveries Reported By Patients Who Took Their Doctor’s Advice and Stopped Using GMO Foods
and
Shocking findings in new GMO study: Rats fed lifetime of GM corn grow horrifying tumors, 70% of females die early
and
Eating GM Wheat May Cause Liver Failure
Whole salts like Himalayan, Celtic, Redmond, Real Salt, etc. are essential for optimal health, up to a point. Heavy salt usage will diminish probiotic count in the stomach and intestines due to the excess of chloride.
Moderate salt intake will provide the body with a full spectrum of minerals, electrolytes, silica and chloride. Moderate amounts of chloride in the body increases longevity.
Minerals and electrolytes are essential for most all chemical/hormonal reactions. As the levels of earthen minerals from clays, superfoods, seaweeds, and humic earth increase in the body, cravings for salt in foods diminish to normal safe levels naturally.
It still surprises me that this last one even needs to be mentioned, yet here it is: Never microwave your food. Microwave ovens turn food into disease forming unnatural substances.
Russia and several other countries around the world have outlawed the use of microwave ovens entirely, and for good reason. Even water becomes toxic.
Never warm or cook food in a microwave. Best to throw it away, rather than sell it or give it to one less informed. Get it out of the house entirely.
Microwaves easily escape from the oven causing cellular disruptions leading to disease states. Articles FYI: Is Your Microwave Cooking More Than Your Food? and This is What Microwaves Do to Your Food
How to tell if your produce is registered as a Genetically Modified food, Conventionally Grown Food (meaning with chemicals) or an Organically Grown food:
The traditional Conventionally Grown food labels have: four digits beginning with a 4.
Organically Grown food labels have: five digits beginning with a 9.
Transgenic Genetically Modified food labels have: five digits beginning with an 8.
Example: You see an apple in the store: if its label is 4922, indicates a traditional apple, it still uses herbicides and harmful fertilizers during planting. If its label is 94922, it is organic and safe to eat. If its label is 84922, then "it is genetically modified (GMO), avoid buying them.
The following recommended foods are obviously going to be organically grown, wild crafted, consciously grown, or personally grown (to avoid eating chemicals with your food).
A few of the most common beneficial basics:
Avocado
Cucumber
Organic or wild crafted mushrooms of all edible varieties (Maitake, Shiitake, Reishi, Portobello, Lion’s Mane, Lobster Mushroom, Morel, Crimini, etc. although best to avoid Button) Place Mushrooms in Sunlight to Get Vitamin D then store them for your 'Winter D'. Avoid Vitamin D supplements due to their chemical, toxic origin: Where the Vitamin D scam originated.
Rice – Brown Basmati is the preferred common species, though others may be the Wild Rice, Red Bhutanese Rice, Wehani Rice & Black Rice. Lundburg Family Farms is certified organic and non-GMO and is an excellent source: http://www.lundberg.com/Commitment/Gmos.aspx
Okra (self-grown and raw is the tastiest and best energy)
Onions (as often as desired; plus stems, leaves and flowers)
Leeks
Ginger
Turmeric root
Parsley
Cilantro
Basil
Celery
Asparagus (excellent with coconut oil or raw butter)
Squash (avoid putting oil or butter on this starch)
Burdock root
Chicory root
Green, red, & purple peppers
Jalapeno
Habanero
Pumpkin (avoid putting oil or butter on this starch)
Raw garlic (medicinally only, since it acts like a broad-spectrum antibiotic and is very hard on some digestive tracts when eaten raw). Garlic stems and flowers are easier to tolerate. Black Garlic is the overall prefered version (tasty, sweet, not garlicy)
Aged garlic, aged 6 months+, is more supportive of friendly bacteria, as is Black Garlic
Be aware, that while supportive of the immune system, especially in extreme health compromises, the sulphone hydroxyl ions compounds in garlic, onions, leeks, chives and spring onions, may produce an effect in the brain which is not supportive of meditation and some mental activities. Use your own discretion. Scientific findings and the Ayuvedic practice.
Aloe (pulp or juice)
Organic spices, especially curries, Italian, chili spices (but watch that soy and natural or artificial flavors (MSG) are not included)
Most lettuces (except iceberg) although brassicas/cruciferous vegetables need to be consumed with discretion (see below)
Dandelion leaves
Spinach (better for hyperthyroid people) will lower thyroid function since it contains higher amounts of oxalic acid which competes for both iron and calcium
Chard (nutritious, but also contains a high amount of oxalic acid, so like the brassicas, go lightly if you already tend toward low energy/low thyroid-adrenal function)
Most other beans & peas providing they are not eaten with oils or fats (like butter or lard). Beans are to be treated as a starch. Beans are best when fermented or soaked for 2 days and the water tossed before cooking:
All beans (white, black, kidney, etc.)
Green beans
Snap Beans
Peas (split, black-eyed, etc.), Be aware that split peas can precipitate a herpes outbreak if you are acidic at the time (especially if you have also been consuming nuts, meat, coffee, tomatoes, etc.), though black eyed peas are not a culprit in this case
Chickpeas (garbanzos) are best if cultured (miso) because they are hard to digest and can frequently cause gas)
Mung beans & mung sprouts
Spice your food with Fire!, Himalayan Salt, Black Pepper, Curry Spices, Chili Powder, Fermented Salsa, or other tasty spices as desired. Often it's the spices that are the most nutritious and beneficial aspects of a meal. Obviously, some moderation needs to be exercised with the hot spices, as an excess can overheat the body increasing inflammation and joint pain. In moderation, however, the increase in circulation stimulated by hot, spicy peppers and salsas are one of Nature's fastest and most effective ways to detox the body and reduce pathogens (fungus, viruses, parasites and bacteria).
Dairy:
Raw is best, goat is best, cultured is best
Drop yogurt (unless you make it yourself) (too congesting for most and usually very low in probiotics anyway), and replace with kefir, or curds & whey (whey is the most beneficial of all, being the highest known source for glutathione and protein and an excellent source of probiotics)
Oils:
But if you are going to use a liquid oil, here are a few guidelines:
Deep fried oils of all kinds are rancid oils and will result in numerous health complaints (especially when the food being deep fried is a starch (like corn or potato chips) or a grain (like breaded chicken or fry bread).
Coconut oil is heat tolerant and is considered a predigested oil, so if the starch & oil prohibition is to be broken (like in a veggie stir fry over rice) then this is the preferred oil to use, as it is less likely to interfere with sugar metabolism than other oils. Even coconut oil, can contribute to fungal overgrowth however, when consumed in quantity with something that breaks down into sugar (breads, pasta, salad dressing with a sweetener, potatoes, squash, fruits, etc).
Olive (will go rancid quickly if not kept corked and out of the light, or if left in the open air on food for a length of time)
Beware of the Olive/Canola oil blends masquerading as "Olive Oil"
Sesame oil is an option
Flax seed oil (if it can be found truly unrancid) is also an option Andreas Seed Oils has a high quality source along with several other oils used for therapeutic purposes (Black Seed, Coriander Seed, Hemp Seed, Black Sesame Seed, Pumpkin Seed and Flax Seed (I don't recommend the Sunflower Seed oil, especially with so many other great ones offered)
Sunflower seeds in moderation are OK, but the oil is not recommended (one of the highest in Omega 6). Not recommended for cooking.
Grapeseeds are preferred over the grapeseed oil
Safflower oil is not recommended, and not advised for cooking
Drop the Canola (all forms are GMO), peanut, corn, & soy oils altogether
Vegetable oil is often another word for corn, soy and/or Canola.
Eliminate the restaurant menu option if they cannot assure you it can be prepared with pure olive oil (not a blend), or some are now using rice oil, which is an option. Sesame oil is a reasonable alternative. Request real butter as a last resort only (due to its pasteurization). Most restaurants are using Canola oil and margarine, both of which need to be avoided like the plague.
Grasses & Flowers:
Grass Juices (wheat, barley, etc.)
All edible flowers, (squash, borage, basil, most herb flowers, etc.)
Superfoods:
Bee Pollen (Make sure your pollen source is not from China or mixed with Chinese pollen due to China's chemical pollution problems)
Nettle leaf, seed & root
Alfalfa leaf
Moringa leaf
Brassica/Cruciferous/Mustard Family
The following are Brassicas are high in sulphur, which can compete with iron, so be conservative if you are low adrenal or low thyroid. To avoid the thyroid lowering effects of the high sulfur brassicas, consume Sacred Clay or Nettle Leaf, both of which are high in iron. Iron balances out sulfur allowing the abily to consume more of this beneficial mineral and its food sources. One of the beneficial effects from consuming Sacred Clay is derived from its natural balance of both sulfur and iron.
Spinach may not be your best iron source to counter the brassica sulfur, however, as it contains a high amount of oxalic acid which is also believed to lower thyroid/adrenal function (though there is some controversy on this still). Some love spinich, thus it is likely good for them, I personally do not feel good on raw or cooked spinach. This does not make it bad, just that my body does not do well with it, so use your own judgement.
The following Brassica list is known to lower thyroid function (thus may be of benefit to hyperthyroid states), yet the foods listed still contain great benefits for the immune system. Balance is the key. I feel a drop in energy with each of these except for horseradish and wasabi. If energy is low, or you are not drawn to any of these foods, listen to your intuitive guidance. Choose foods that strengthen you.
Radish,
Cauliflower,
Broccoli,
Turnip,
Rutabaga,
Brussel Sprouts,
Wasabi.
Mustard leaves,
Horseradish leaves and root,
Watercress, Garden Cress, Land Cress,
Kale,
Cabbage,
Arugula,
Bok choy (and choy family)
Collards,
Kohlrabi,
Parsnip,
The Dangers of Oxalic Acid Foods in Excess
Here is a revealing article that explains this subject in great detail. Surprising revelations, yet my experience and intuitive feelings on certain high-oxalate foods indicate she is right about this.
How Green Smoothies Can Devastate Your Health
by Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist on May 23, 2012
Note: Nuts are among the highest on the list of oxalic acid foods and are near the top of the list for promoting yeast overgrowth in the body due to the difficulty the body has in digesting even the soaked versions. Nuts in excess also tend to feed the shingles virus, thus can easily provoke a breakout or a cold sore from an excess of nuts (especially when combined with sugar or meat which rapidity increases the acidity of the body).
Other Foods to Consume in Moderation or Not At All
Cacao
Cacao beans or nibs (the source of chocolate), scientifically called Theobroma ('food of the gods'). This title was probably referring to the fleshy fruit, not the bean or nut. Like the coffee bean, it is the fleshy fruit surrounding the bean that produces the greatest of benefits to the body. I no longer recommend eating cacao at all, (although if you are to consume it, best if unsweetened and without artificial oils or added dairy). Much of today's chocolate is now laced with Polyglycerol polyricinoleate, commonly known as PGPR, in an attempt to replace the cocoa butter content so it can be extracted and sold to the cosmetic industry at higher prices.
Coffee
In reference to Dr. Mercola's comments about the health benefits of coffee (within several strict parameters):
Studies on the Health Benefits of Coffee
There is no question that some health benefits are derived from the regular use of coffee – and along with those benefits come a number of unpleasant side effects especially if sugar or cream is added to the equation, and even more so if a pastry is consumed with it as well.
Dr. Mercola covers the findings of a growing body of studies on the benefits of coffee without referencing the real reason I believe coffee is able to provide these benefits – the coffee bean is a bitter herb which helps the body both detoxify the blood and digest fat.
There is a direct relationship between bitter herbs (like coffee) with the emulsification (digestion) of oils and fats. I believe this is the main reason for the positive influence of coffee during the many clinical tests. Why? Because our diets are typically high in oils and fats (largely in the unhealthful trans-fat arena), and bitter herbs naturally stimulate the production of bile fluids from the liver responsible for two health-building functions in the body.
Bile is used by the liver to remove impurities (heavy metals, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, parasites) from our blood and it helps us to break down our fats/oils. It is the presence of undigested fats and excessive pollutants in the bloodstream that are largely responsible for the very conditions Dr. Mercola mentions are benefitted by drinking coffee. These same benefits are derived from the use of other bitter herbs and spices as well, such as turmeric, ginger, fennel, cardamon, Trifala (amalaki, bibitaki, haritaki), yarrow, aloe vera, boldo, chamomile, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, milk thistle, dandelion, parsley, gentian, andrographitis (the King of Bitters) and numerous others.
If coffee is to be consumed, Dr. Mercola wisely emphasizes the importance of four health promoting guidelines:
1) only drink organic coffee (non-organic coffee is one of the most heavily pesticided foods in the world),
2) drink your coffee black (sugar and cream drastically reduce any health benefits of a bitter herb),
3) grind your own coffee bean (preground beans can become rancid quickly), and
4) use the dark roast beans over the light roast (seems to have greater health benefits).
I also recommend adding Sacred Clay and/or Ancient Mineral Blend to your coffee as well to:
1) reduce its acidity,
2) nourish your body with the electrolytes that coffee's stimulating effect on your nervous system will deplete, and
3) absorb any residual toxins or chemicals.
Dr. Mercola only briefly covers what I feel is the greatest detriment to drinking coffee, which is how quickly the over-stimulation of the adrenals and the nervous system depletes the energy reserves of the body (which traditional Chinese medicine refers to as the kidney jing – the subtle life-energy stored in the kidneys). Jing essence depletion results in insomnia, adrenal exhaustion, sluggish mornings, spleen deficiency, and hormone dysregulation.
It is worthy of noting here that the true health benefits derived from consuming coffee for its bitter effects and fat digestion can be better replaced by the Digestive Bitters formula with far greater benefits.
For the stimulating effect most people reach to coffee for, basic energy reserves (kidney jing) can be built up over time without coffee by taking Kidney-Adrenal Builder, Revitalize for Men/Women, Spleen Builder and/or Adaptogen & Mushroom Blend. These formulas build natural energy reserves gradually over time while providing 5 hours of calm sustained energy throughout the day – (compared to the instant buzz followed by two hour drop and general energy depletion, common to coffee drinking).
Here is a related article on the effects of coffee: This Is How Your Brain Becomes Addicted to Caffeine
Here is an article on the pesticides and chemicals that can be found in the major natural tea brands: Do You Know What’s Really In Your Tea?
For more on the subject of coffee: Is Coffee Really a Health Food??? Advantages and Disadvantages of the World's Most Favorite Beverage
Starchy Root Vegetables:
Root vegetables can be eaten, but are not to be eaten with oils. Remember, starches turn to sugar in the body. Sugar and oils should not mix. Consume Digestive Bitters and Blood Sugar Balance to moderate the effects of an oil and a sweet or starch combination. If an oil is chosen to be combined with a starch anyway, coconut oil is preferred since it is a predigested oil and will not interfere with sugar levels to the degree that the other oils or butters (including ghee) will.
Carrots, consume whole, cut or shredded, but not juiced (too sweet) except in extreme moderation
Beets (consume moderately because of the sweetness and oxalic acid content. Best when cultured into kvass, assuming you can find beets that are certified non-GMO)
Yams, sweet potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes (sun chokes) are high in inulin (as are most all root vegetables) which feeds beneficial flora (but it is important not to consume with sour cream, butter or oils in the same meal, the combination of which also heavily feeds the fungus), Remember to separate your oils and starches into different meals
Other potatoes may also be consumed with one major exception: there is a growing number of hybridized and genetically modified potatoes in existence today (over 4,000 total potato varieties now), and there are no studies to point to suggesting that such modifications from the original heirloom varieties are safe. Just like we are discovering that hybridized forms of wheat cause Celiac disease, diabetes and numerous other health problems, it is worth restricting the potatoes consumed to heirloom varieties from known local growers. Suspect every potato purchased in stores, even health food stores, unless they are specifically noted as heirloom varieties. Washington State University publishes a list of 500 potato varieties with brief amounts of info on each which may prove slightly helpful in some cases: http://potatoes.wsu.edu/varieties/vars-all.htm
Keep in mind, non-organic potatoes are the most heavily chemicalized vegetable of them all. Never eat a conventional potato. (Farmers who grow potatoes will traditionally grow a separate chemical-free patch for themselves to eat.)
Spice your starches with Fire!, Himalayan Salt, Black Pepper, Curry Spices, Chili Powder, Fermented Salsa, or other tasty spices in lieu of oils. Mushroom puree with arrowroot and spices makes a tasty vegetarian gravy on top of potatoes.
Even raw butter and raw cream can increase candida overgrowth in a big way when combined with a starchy root vegetable, rice or sweetened food
Fruits (seasonal):
Make sure to eat these alone or with each other:
Apples: Today's apples are not the same as those in the Johnny Appleseed days. Due to mineral & microbially deficient soils, hybridization, genetic modifications, and the use of antibiotics on even the organic varieties, their nutrient values have dropped from over 10,000 nutritional compounds to a few hundred. Today's apples are mostly sugar and are very acid forming. Apples are too sweet for most people and need to be avoided or minimized. Since many of today's varieties have been hybridized or genetically modified, only the chemical-free heirloom apples have any real value.
Melons
Cantaloupe
Watermelons
Papaya
Figs
Berries of all kinds (blueberries, currents, elderberries, huckleberries, aronia berries, fresh goji berries (preferred over the dried), etc.)
Drop the dried fruit from stores due to mold growth. If you dry your own then freeze them your chances of staying safe with a dried fruit is greater
Young coconut juice, even the fermented types, tend to aggravate fungal overgrowth due to their sweetness. Best to avoid or minimize.
Concord or Muscadine grapes and their seeds
Most other grapes are too sweet and too hybridized to be eaten safely except in extreme moderation (they are quick to blow out the spleen)
Drop the seedless grapes and seedless watermelons of all kinds. Seedless is not a natural phenomenon
Drop the pears and other super sweet fruits unless you are clearly off meats, fats & the liquid oils mentioned above (I am able to eat more fruit, even the super sweets, only when I am not eating meats, eggs, cheese, liquid oils (including olive), butter, ghee, etc., although coconut oil in moderation seems acceptable.
Peaches lower thyroid function so consume in moderation unless you are on the high thyroid side
Strawberries also lower thyroid function due to the oxalic acid that competes for iron, though good for those on the high side
There are several concerns with bananas (like GMO alterations and fumigations during shipment, etc), although moderate use may minimize the problems with them
Bananas are picked green (therefore lacking in the nutrients claimed by the promoters of bananas), radiated coming across the border and then commonly gassed to encourage ripening. Such manipulations result in a fruit that is mostly an acid promoting sugar. Good bananas are merely a moderate source of potassium even when harvested ripe, nothing special. Lima beans are the highest known source of potassium in a food. Bananas are a very poor substitute for a potassium source largely due to the yeast overgrowth that they tend to create in the body for those that are on meats or oils. If an oil or nut or fat is in the same smoothie or meal, best to leave off all fruits and other sweeteners (except for Licorice Root and Green Stevia Leaf).
Eat avocados for oil (a fruit and an exception to the oil rules). Can also be safely eaten with a small amount of Basmati rice. Adding some mushroom/miso broth and mushrooms along with spices (but no liquid oils) makes a delectible breakfast or lunch.
Dates are a surprisingly safe alternative sweetener when oils and fats are minimal. Due to their traditionally high mineral content from being grown in the sand more so than soil, the sugars assimilate well. Organic Majool dates make a safer alternative to that craving for chocolate or other sugar sweets. If you a still eating granular sugar, or have children who do, try dates as a safer alternative regardless the rest of the diet. Could turn out to be a way to lessen inevitable health crises from granular sugars.
Occasional Citrus Fruits:
All citrus in moderation and only if your system is already balanced to 7.0 pH.
Lime (excellent with the Clay Water Mineral Drink),
Lemon (occasional unless you are already pH balanced, then OK to use more regularly),
Orange,
Tangerine,
Grapefruit,
Drop the pineapple, the sugars and the acids work against you. (digestive enzymes are better derived from digestive spices found in Digestive Bitters
Raw tomatoes (in moderation), no cooked tomatoes (something unpleasant happens to tomatoes when they are cooked, not sure what it is, but energy drops faster with cooked tomatoes and they are more acificying to the body).
Do not use citrus fruits (like oranges or grapefruit) as a source of Vitamin C when you are sick. Sickness often implies you are already too acidic to reverse the acidity from the sweet citrus fruits (meaning you are lacking in sufficient minerals for the pancreas to produce alkalizing carbonate). Too often this merely extends the time needed for recuperation. The acids and sugars in most citrus fruits will merely depress the immune system and further acidify the body, causing a lengthening of the illness). Use Herbal C instead which relies on bitter fruits, not sweet fruits, to give you your C.
Grains & Breads:
Best to treat with caution as grains of today are not what they were hundreds of years ago. Best when sprouted if possible. The non-gluten grains are quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth (these three are technically seeds not grains) and some, but not all, varieties of oats. Millet is similar, but has a slight thyroid lowering effect, therefore is not recommended for those on the low side, yet okay for those with higher metabolism.
Of the ancient grains worth trying (and most highly recommended),Einkorn stands out as the best, andEmmer wheat as second best. Einkorn is the oldest of all grains and its gluten is of a different nature than the gluten in modern hybridized & GMO varieties, thus more tolerable and more natural to the human body. Here is a reputable source for Einkorn and a few other ancient grains:http://kirashi.com/einkorn.html
Spelt, while on the better side, is still not as good for you as the Einkorn and Emmer varieties.
To truly understand the risks we take when consuming today's hybridized versions of wheat here is a highly recommended, must read book: Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis
Sweeteners, eggs and oils in combination with the flour (that readily converts to sugar) are common ingredients in baked goods that produce fungal overgrowth due to food combining violations and skyrocketing sugar levels. A single piece of whole wheat bread can convert to sugar rapidly pushing glucose levels into the diabetic range.
Honey in a baked good may turn into a toxin in the gut. But raw honey in moderation is excellent, especially when consumed apart from liquid oils and fats.
Pasta: Preferably none, being a wheat product and a flour. Although most pastas are made with Durham wheat, which is less hybridized than today's modern wheat, so the glycemic index is lower than the usual wheat. But because oils, dairy or bread are typically consumed with a pasta meal (in the sauces or in the salad dressings that go with the meal), most everyone will have trouble with pastas of all kinds. Pasta meals will typically result in fungal overgrowth and a "wheat belly".
(Quinoa would be the best pasta, but it generally also contains corn – a common GMO food.)
Spelt noodles are among the better of the pastas, though still a compromise in some respects as a starch and not as original a grain as Einkorn or Emmer.
One option is to use Kelp Noodles instead of pasta available in most health food stores today.
Sweeteners: Never consume a concentrated sweetener(our systems have been weakened for several generations by concentrated sugars)
Licorice root powder is the most beneficial (but only in moderation - max of 1 teaspoon per day or less spread out),
Stevia green leaf powder (not the white powder, drops or concentrates). The ground up leaf powder of the stevia plant is safe, but the liquid and white powder concentrates of stevia wreak havoc on the hormone balance of the body due to their concentrated nature. Insomnia, chronic fatigue, thyroid dysfunction and menstrual/menopausal irregularities can result from their daily use.
Eliminate agave, and other liquid sweeteners including honey (unless certified 100% raw and in limited amounts). These are too concentrated for the over worked adrenals and pancreas’ of today. They are also more problematic when combined with oils or breads, etc.
Agave Nectar: A Sweetener that is Even Worse than Sugar
Avoid baked goods made with honey. Heated honey is reported by Ayurveda to be a serious toxin, though I am personally not certain of this, since there is other conflicting advice (will sort this out eventually).
Raw honey is an excellent food and sweetener source for teas, and a variety of foods that are not cooked. Moderation is advised and it is recommended as with any sugar to keep oils and fats away from the sweet.
Be very conservative with the following, since they are protein-based oils or fats and should not be combined with starches or sugars, nor eaten in large quantities due to the difficulty most have in digesting them:
Nuts, (Almonds, Brazil, Cashews, Hazel, Macadamia, Poppy, Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower, Chestnuts), (although Pine Nuts (Siberian Cedar and Liston American Pine Nuts) are the safest and best nuts on the market, but avoid the Chinese imports)
Pine nuts, if eaten in large amounts, will lower thyroid function due to its sulfur content, unless combined with Sacred Clay or Nettle Leaf).
Nuts, in general, except for pine nuts, can precipitate a herpes (cold sore) outbreak, if taken in large amounts (the sulfur in pine nuts may well be a counter to herpes). Nuts tend to be high in oxalic acids which compete for your calcium and can create kidney stones or arthritic joints.Large amounts of pine nuts though can also weaken spleen powers in the body, resulting in melancoly fatigue, and a weaker voice (I know this from experience). It is all about moderation in all things, as some, in proper amounts can be beneficial.
Cheese (unless from raw milk). Raw goat cheese is the safest version of a cheese I have experienced. It is lower in fat, so it is less likely to interact than the higher fat cows milk with any sweets/starches in the diet.
Meat
Be conservative with eggs, (although it is wise to question the source of the grains fed to the birds (make sure their feed is not laced with melamine), and preferably they are not fed potentially GMO grains (especially "organic" corn, soy, canola meal, or cotton seed meal, all of which are likely to be contaminated) if such a feed can be found). We feed our chickens Silica Rich Clay, Sunflower seeds, brown rice and spelt, mung bean sprouts and the curds from raw milk whey ferment.
Meat (keep in mind that even lean meat will contain fat, which can produce fungal overgrowth if combined with a starch or sugar or grain):
Best to replace meat with mushrooms & sprouted/fermented beans where ever possible, however, if you are a meat eater, then less meat or only occasional meat/fish is best. Dietary changes are best made gradually in keeping with natural shifts in the desire for certain foods.
Drop the pork
Drop the shell fish (scavengers which consume many of the chemical pollutants that drop to the bottom of the oceans, rivers and lakes) and farmed fish (often fed antibiotics and chemically laced soy or other feed products) in favor of wild fish. While wild fish is better than farmed, it will still contain certain PCB's, dioxins and any number of the 65,000 listed dangerous to health chemicals now polluting our environment
Make sure your birds are free range and fed organic (although it is wise to question the source of the grains fed to the birds (not laced with melamine), and preferably not fed GMO grains (especially corn, soy, canola meal) if such a thing can be found)
Make sure your beef is free range, 100% grass fed (not “grass finished”), not grain fed (especially not "organic" soy, corn, cotton seed or Canola meal)
Wild game is generally better for you than pastured farm animals.
I rely on Earth & Sea Greens or Vital Cleanse & Nutrify for my protein requirements, as well as my vitamin/plant based nutrient source. With mushroom/veggie soups, salads, rice and veggie/mushroom dishes, I have no cravings for meat, and feel better without it, based on the few times I tried in the last 8 years or so to consume meat again. If I were not consuming the superfoods, I am not certain a total vegetarian diet would be satisfying. If I were combining sweets or fruits with fats/oils or nuts, I am certain the diet would not suit me, nor keep me healthy.
Summary
It is for all of the reasons stated above that I recommend a superfood regimen as the primary food source, with other vegetarian foods consumed mainly for their entertainment value. :)
An Herbal & Clay Cleansing Program
For an outline of a list of herbal and clay formula options to complement your diet, download the Year Round Superfood Cleanse & Revitalize Program Guide PDF (below), which spells out when and how best to take each component.
Many options are listed there, but clearly they are not all required to recover from the holidays or initiate a seasonal cleanse, and may vary with a Year Round Program. Listen to your inner guidance and select the ones you feel are best suited to your unique conditions.
Feel free also to call the office for a more in-depth explanation or to narrow down your choices to suit your needs. (541-483-9633; 888-325-1475)
May your life be filled with vibrant health, success and the fulfillment of your dreams!
Download the Free PDF Year Round Superfood Cleanse & RevitalizeProgram Guide
A Shocking Revelation About Fruits, Oils & Fats – Until I learned the shocking truth about fruits, oils & fats, my "organic health food diet" failed me. Here's what I discovered that turned all that around!
Herbs and clays that help keep the detox channels clear, accelerate the release of toxins from the cells, tissues, and organs, and protect the body from detox reactions.
How to Guard Your Health & Emotional Well Being as You Celebrate
Surprising and (for some) Shocking Tips on How to Minimize the Side Effects of Celebration Foods & Prevent the Seasonal Blues
