Raw Living Foods Lifestyle - chiDiet.net

Feedback - Erika Rier

Feedback - Erika Rier

Lead Poisoning and Soldering

Comment:
This is a great post. I have really amazingly high lead levels that I have been working on reducing. While I've never seen anything to "prevent" lead poisoning it is super important to make sure that you have adequate levels of calcium in your diet. If your body is at all deficient in calcium your body will more easily metabolize and store lead.

Thanks
Erika Rier

 

   

The ugly side of pretty

Emerging science suggests that untold numbers of cosmetics and personal care ingredients may be silently and insidiously promoting cancer, ravaging women's reproductive functions and causing birth defects. Known by hundreds of long, intimidating chemical names, these ingredients are in the products we shower and bathe with, rub, spray and dab on our bodies, unconsciously, day-in-and-day-out: http://www.alternet.org/story/21686/

Large study finds salads and raw veggies a healthy diet

(Science Daily) A new UCLA/Louisiana State University study of dietary data on more than 17,500 men and women finds consumption of salad and raw vegetables correlates with higher concentrations of folic acid, vitamins C and E, lycopene and alpha and beta carotene in the bloodstream.

Published in the September edition of the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the study also suggests that each serving of salad consumed correlates with a 165 percent higher likelihood of meeting recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for vitamin C in women and 119 percent greater likelihood in men.

The study is the first to examine the relationship between normal salad consumption and nutrient levels in the bloodstream, and also the first to examine the dietary adequacy of salad consumption using the latest nutritional guidelines of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences.

The findings blunt concerns about the human body's ability to absorb nutrients from raw vegetables, as well as concern that the structure and characteristics of some plants undercut nutritional value.

"The consistently higher levels of certain nutrients in the bloodstream of salad-eaters suggest these important components of a healthy diet are being well-absorbed from salad," said Lenore Arab, visiting professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health and co-author of the study with L. Joseph Su, assistant professor at the LSU School of Public Health.

"The findings endorse consumption of salad and raw vegetables as an effective strategy for increasing intake of important nutrients. Unfortunately, we also found daily salad consumption is not the norm in any group, and is even less prevalent among African Americans," Arab said: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060901161202.htm.

Cancer researchers taking a closer look at phytochemicals

If you saw the following items listed as ingredients on a cereal box, you might be alarmed: isoflavones, terpenes, indoles, phenolic acids. But these tongue-twisters aren't artificial additives, they're naturally occurring chemicals found in fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains -biologically active chemicals our bodies may use as part of their disease-fighting arsenal. These substances are called phytochemicals (phyto is Greek for plant).

Some phytochemicals found in plants not commonly used for food, such as digitalis and quinine, have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. The anticancer effects of many of them, however, are only beginning to be explored:
http://www.aicr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pub_tlp

[Note: Phytochemicals (phytonutrients) are found ONLY in plants. Meat, dairy and eggs do NOT contain them. Most processed foods have very little or none. Eat a diet of mostly local, organic, whole unprocessed plant foods for the best health!]

Feedback - Becki Campbell

Hi,

The Course arrived today!

Thanks!

Wow, there is a lot to it!

 

Is there a Certification with the Home Study Course? If so, what do I need to do? If not, how would I get certified?

 

Thanks,

Becki Campbell
-------------------------

Yes, certification as an "Advanced Practitioner of Health through Diet, Nutrition and Exercise" goes to all graduates of the Home Study Program.

Hair dye use increases risk of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

(Science Daily) Yale researchers have found that lifetime users of hair coloring products have an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a cancer that attacks the lymphatic system, part of the body's immune system: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040217072523.htm.

From the Hallelujah Acres newsletter:

"EDITOR'S NOTE: From 1980 to 1986, this editor sold a small businessman's Health Insurance policy for the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE). In the early years, N.A.S.E. allowed us to write policies on any small businessperson, but after they had a few years of experience under their belt, they started to become more selective as to who they would insure.

"I remember well that one of the first professions they stopped writing Health Insurance policies for, were beauticians. And the reason: They were a bad risk because of the exceedingly high number of claims coming from beauticians.

"That was welcome news to me at the time, because I hated selling policies in hair salons! Whenever I entered the door of a hair salon, I found myself almost unable to breathe. I was on The Hallelujah Diet at the time, and I found my body so extremely sensitive to all the chemical sprays that I sometimes would leave the salon before ever making the sales presentation.

"Now we learn that it is not only the chemical sprays that are dangerous, but also the hair dyes.
Those who want to protect their health need to realize that what they place on the exterior of the body, or breathe into their body, is as important as what they place into their bodies as food! Why? Because the body absorbs through the skin and lungs whatever is placed upon it or breathed into it. These toxins are then dumped into the blood stream.

"We find a similar problem with the use of underarm deodorants containing aluminum. When this aluminum is placed on the skin, it is absorbed through the skin, and enters the blood stream. Aluminum has an affinity for the brain, and many believe becomes a contributing factor for Alzheimer's.

"Remember, the Bible warns us that "THE LIFE OF THE FLESH IS IN THE BLOOD." (Leviticus 17:11)"

Feedback - James Byrd

Hi Jim,

I have been a vegan for approx. 3 1/2 years and a raw vegan for approx. 1 1/2 years.  I have read several articles about fat/carb/protein ratios what do you all teach about percent/amounts of fat, carbs and protein in the diet and how do I decide who are what do believe.

James Byrd
------------------------

Yes, that’s always the challenge, isn’t it? We’ve been teaching the raw living foods lifestyle at Creative Health Institute since 1976. We were co-founded by Dr. Ann Wigmore, and teach what she taught since the 1950’s. We’ve had over 10,000 graduates of our Institute.

The testimonials of our students say a lot: http://rawlivingfoods.typepad.com/1/testimonials/index.html, as does the feedback we get: http://rawlivingfoods.typepad.com/1/feedback_and_comments/index.html.

To me, the fact that we don’t sell any supplements or any of that other stuff says a lot, too. On our main website, www.chiDiet.com, you’ll see that we sell only books and videos, primarily what’s been created in-house or by our graduates.

You’ll notice that we don’t sell anything, other than training. No supplements, no hardware, no “superfoods.” If we do recommend a product, you can trust our motives when we’re not trying to sell it to you.

I think the fact that almost everyone associated with Creative Health and chiDiet.com is a volunteer is significant, too. There’s nobody here making over 20k a year; I’ve been doing this for free for over 4 years. Because we believe in the program, know how it’s helped us, and have seen what it’s done for others.

Re: your question about fat/carb/protein. We don’t approach nutrition that way. Rather, we see it as a ratio of greens to grains, fruit and veggies. We learn to  listen to what our bodies need.

Re: Who to believe? -- In the end, we take everything we’ve learned from everyone, stir it in the pot and make our own conclusions, don’t we?

Jim Carey

Cancer-fighting nutrients become deadly when combined with chlorinated tap water

From Fulvica Bioscience
http://www.fulvic.com/healthalert/chlorine2.htm

Some of nature’s most valuable and essential anti-cancer and anti-disease phytochemical nutrients, which are commonly found in food, have been discovered to form deadly cancer causing substances when consumed or combined with chlorinated tap water. This discovery includes familiar foods including soy, fruits, vegetables, tea, many health products, and even some vitamins. Research has proven that these essential nutrients are the exact same families of compounds that - even in infinitesimal amounts - have been tormenting the water treatment and chlorine industries for years.

Recently a joint study was undertaken in Japan by research scientists at the National Institute of Health Sciences and Shizuoka Prefectural University. They determined that natural organic substances originating from foods, including fruits, soy, and green or black tea, react when tap water is chlorinated, forming dangerous cancer-causing compounds. These deadly compounds have been named MX, which stands for "unknown mutagen", and are similar to the already well-known and more easily detected cancer-causing THMs (trihalomethanes).

The Japanese scientists specifically mentioned that their studies show that MX is created by the reaction of chlorine with natural organic plant phytochemicals such as catechins, which are contained in tea, and flavonoids, which are found in fruit. Since Japan has an extremely high consumption of tea, fruits, and soy products, it is easy to see how high amounts of residues from these foods would end up in their wastewater treatment and water recycling systems.

Earlier studies by scientists in Finland in 1997 determined that MX is 170 times more deadly than other known toxic byproducts of chlorination, and was shown in laboratory studies to damage the thyroid gland, as well as cause cancerous tumors.

Flavins, flavonoids, flavones, tannins, catechins, quinones, isoflavones, tocopherols, etc.  are some of the most valuable and promising anti-cancer nutrients found in our foods and health supplements. Coenzyme Q10 is a quinone, vitamin B-2 is a flavin, vitamin E is a tocopherol, citrus bioflavonoids including hesperidin, quercetin, and rutin are all flavonoids, green tea contains catechins, phenols, tannins, and isoflavones. Potentially all of these substances, and many more, are implicated by chlorination.

To comply with EPA rulings, water treatment plants have had to develop special techniques to scrub organic residues from water prior to treatment with chlorine. There is nothing wrong with the organic substances themselves, it is chlorine that is at fault for turning them into the deadly THM and MX cancer cocktail. Reality is that the organic substances have been shown to be highly beneficial combined with pure drinking water in trace amounts.

The bottom line is this: when water treatment facilities remove these substances, they are throwing the precious baby out with the bath water, and the remnants that remain are turned into cancer causing agents by chlorination. To make things worse, it is certain that the fresh plant foods we eat similarly react with the chlorinated tap water we drink with our meals, creating toxins. This means that fresh fruits and vegetables, green salads, green tea, black tea, herb teas, soy products, vitamin pills and various health supplements, and even some pharmaceutical drugs, all can be implicated in combination with chlorinated water.

The deadly cancer causing agents which are produced are extremely toxic in infinitesimal amounts, so small and obscure that they are extremely difficult to detect. Very little chlorine is required. When the concentrations of phytochemicals are high, such as in concentrated health supplements, or even fruits and vegetables coming from more fertile soils, the deadly combination with chlorination intensifies.

It has been known by the water treatment and chemical industries for many years that chlorine reacts negatively with natural organic compounds. These industries call these compounds DBPs (disinfection by-products) which are known to cause cancer in populations whose drinking water contains them. THM, the most commonly known DBP, is known to cause a high incidence of bladder cancer and also to cause spontaneous abortion of fetuses.

The Environmental Protection Agency has continually tightened their restrictions on THMs in drinking water, and even tighter restrictions are just around the bend. Yet it is interesting to note that the many government agencies and chlorine industries have conveniently neglected to take a serious look at food, health supplement, and pharmaceutical drug consumption, preparation, and production relating to use of chlorinated tap water.

There is good reason for the public to seriously examine and question this entire issue. Many years ago laws were passed making chlorination of water mandatory. Now, the chlorine industry and government agencies must continue their existing policies, because if sudden or drastic changes are made, the legal liabilities would be staggering. Certainly some government or industry personnel have known or theorized about these problems and have been covering them up for many years. However, if anyone were to admit to it, the consequences could be disastrous. This predicament could make the tobacco industry scandal seem insignificant in comparison.

Another area needing thorough scrutiny relates to pharmaceutical drug safety studies normally performed on animals in the laboratory. It would be reasonable to surmise that good laboratory practices and procedures would require that such studies be performed using highly purified drinking water for animals. It would be reasonable to believe that drug companies would not take the chance of jeopardizing clinical studies using chlorinated tap water. Of course chlorinated tap water is a common denominator within the human environment. Educating people to the dangers of chlorine would be admitting to knowledge of the problem, which could invalidate past studies and certainly raise serious legal problems.

This whole chlorine issue should come as no real surprise to any biochemist. During the last century, chlorine has been combined with many other normally safe organic substances to form some of the most powerful deadly toxins known, such as dioxin, DDT, PCBs, etc. The bottom line is that the real culprit is chlorine, not the substances with which it reacts.

Although chlorine has essentially eliminated the risks of waterborne diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera and dysentery, there are many pathogens that are not controlled by chlorine. Other and better methods of water treatment exist. Many alternatives are already used throughout the world. Ever-tightening EPA regulations have forced the water supply industry in the USA to look into alternative methods for disinfecting water.

Chlorine will one day be exposed as a major cause and contributor to cancer and degenerative disease. Chlorine will also be found to be responsible for damaging the body’s immune and hormonal systems by mutating the food-based plant estrogens and phytochemicals that support those systems.

Sources:

RecerShizuokaPrefecturalUniversity, P; Water chlorine byproduct may be cancer risk; June 18, 1997; Associated Press.
Christman, RF; Kronberg, K; Singh, R; Ball, LM; Johnson, DJ; Report 259: Identification of Mutagenic By-products from Aquatic Humic Chlorination; North Carolina State University.
Rhomberg, L Ph.D.; Risk In Perspective: Are Chemicals In the Environment Disrupting Hormonal Control Of Growth and Development? April 1, 1996; Harvard Center for Risk Analysis.
Japanese data related to MX and the Shizuoka Prefectural University has been extracted from various abstracts published by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Plant phytochemicals and nutrient groups can be determined from information within the Organic Chemical Tables; Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), a division of the American Chemical Society.
World Health Organization report.
British Department of the Environment report.

Feedback - Pam

Oh--last but not least--I LOVE LESSON ONE! and can't wait to do them all!!! What a blessing ...that will live on and on and on... Anyway, thanks again! It's a wonderful program!!!

Now, back to the expert so I can be 'fixed' quickly and get on about my business. :) ha

Prayerfully,
Pam

- Pam's talking about chiDiet.com.

Testosterone drop causes older men to fall, study says

(Reuters) - Men 65 and beyond with low testosterone tend to fall more often than older men with higher levels of the sex hormone, according to a study published on Monday.

It may be that low levels of the hormone impair vision, thinking processes or coordination, said the report from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061023/hl_nm/testosterone_dc_1.

[Note: Instead of testosterone therapy, you might want to consider that proper diet, nutrition and exercise raise testosterone levels.]

Feedback - Darlene Shule

Hi James!

I got the emails you sent me. I thought I'd email you back and tell you I did get them. I'm really pleased with Lesson 1. It's excellent! Does every lesson come in a binder like this? I really enjoyed the testimonial video. I'm really looking forward to lesson 2. You've done a lot of work to put this together. It's so wonderful you have and I'm sure grateful you have put this program together. Thanks!

Darlene Shule
February 17, 2004

Plastic packaging altering breast genes

Compounds in plastic packaging act as environmental estrogens altering breast genes: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-04/fccc-cip041405.php

Osteoporosis drug backfires on users

Why Take an Osteoporosis Drug That Kills Your Bones? - New evidence shows that popular drugs for osteoporosis are causing serious jaw bone damage. What are your options? - http://www.mercola.com/2006/jun/17/why_take_an_osteoporosis_drug_that_kills_your_bones.htm

[Hint: the best source of calcium is the small calcium molecule in raw living foods that properly combines in your system.]

Being even a little overweight at age 50 is dangerous

Baby-boomers beware: Even being a little overweight at age 50 increases your chances of premature death, a large new study reveals.

Past research has shown that being obese, roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight, increases the risk of premature death. But scientists have debated whether being overweight, one pound to 29 pounds over a normal weight, is linked to early death.

To investigate this, researchers with the National Cancer Institute examined the lifestyle habits of more than 527,000 men and women, ages 50 to 71, who were members of AARP. Participants completed surveys, including giving their weight and height. Researchers also looked at participants' death records over 10 years. Findings in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-08-22-overweight-study_x.htm?csp=N009.

A simple way to radically reduce your risk of cancer

Upwards of six hours of strenuous activity each week could reduce the risks of invasive breast cancer by as much as 23 percent.

A recent survey of over 15,000 women shows that exercise has a lifelong protective effect against invasive breast cancer:  http://www.mercola.com/2007/mar/8/staying-active-with-exercise.htm

Osteoporosis and Air Conditioning

One of the reasons why your beautiful friends have osteoporosis is because of having to live and work in an a/c environment.  The a/c destroys the anti-stress vites (b-complex) and the body has to rob the calcium from the bones to line the myelin sheath of the nerves to help the body feel peaceful and survive during the onslaught of unnormally low temperatures, especially when there is a lot of sun outside during the summer.  The whole body goes out of whack. 

The health benefits of Sesame, by Dr. Ben Kim

Experience the Health Benefits of Sesame 
- By Dr. Ben Kim
- DrBenKim.com

Did you know that half a cup of sesame seeds contains three times more calcium than half a cup of whole milk? In addition to being an excellent dietary source of calcium, sesame seeds are also a good source of manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1 (thiamin), zinc, vitamin E, healthy protein, and fiber.

Sesame seeds also contain sesamin and sesamolin, two substances that are thought to prevent high blood pressure and protect the liver against oxidative damage.

Here is one way in which you can enjoy the distinctive flavor and health benefits of sesame seeds through your diet:

Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste) 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds - they don't have to be unhulled
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of lukewarm water

Directions:
Grind sesame seeds in a blender until smooth. Add sesame oil and sea salt [optional]. Then add 1/4 cup of water in a slow drizzle while blending and continue until all of the water has been added and the entire mixture is smooth.

The quantities listed above make approximately half a cup of tahini. Be sure to store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Note: sesame oil is relatively high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are easily damaged when exposed to heat and light. It is best to keep your consumption of sesame oil to a minimum. You can substitute the sesame oil in this recipe with extra water if you are concerned about your intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Another way to enjoy the health benefits of sesame is to include sesame leaves in your diet. Sesame leaves are a staple green vegetable in the traditional Korean diet, and are valued for their mineral density and strong aroma. They are as aromatic as herbs like basil and mint, but have a unique, nutty fragrance.

Sesame leaves are difficult to find in most supermarkets. They are readily available in Korean markets, packaged up in neatly stacked bundles. They can be used in fresh vegetable salads. They can also be used as wraps to eat with miso.

- "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."

Chili peppers for prostate cancer

New research at Cedars Sinai and UCLA shows a compound in chili peppers can cause prostate cancer cells to kill themselves... a disease that strikes more than 200,000 men every year... doctors are finding that the foods we eat can directly influence the management of diseases:

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/9413906/detail.html?rss=la&psp=news

Hot flashes and raw living foods

Lots of women have been calling and emailing me lately about hot flashes.  They are quite relieved when I tell them there is a natural way not to have any! 

Just remove the animal protein from one's diet (the estrogen in dairy and eggs - from female animals and creatures - triggers a lot of stuff) and don't eat more than 2 ounces of soaked fatty nuts at one sitting.  The 2 ounces (or 1/4th of a cup) of almond or filbert cream, or 1/4th of an avocado, is all one's liver can handle without storing it as fat and then having to sweat it out later.  In the summer, this can make for a really nice experience. 

Today I was out in the 90 degree temps eating watermelon on my patio while everyone else was inside with their a/c's...  Being on living food makes it even better because there is no dead food that the body has to burn off.

I have organic pineapples ripening and just found a Publix near my Yoga for Kids class at the YWCA that carries all manner of organic food.  They special ordered some organic cherries for me too!  Now I don't have to drive all the way (17 miles) to Whole Foods and get there and find out that they don't have an organic blueberries or bananas or watermelons or strawberries.

Using a natural bristle skin brush on dry skin really helps to get your skin glowing.  Following that in the shower or bath with a wet loofa scrub will chase the cellulite away and firm up and tone skin.  Cucumber slices on your eyes, and a mask of avocado after 5 minutes of a pineapple pulp mask is such a joy for skin that has been out in the sun or indoors in  A/C.

This is my favorite time of the year and I'm trying to get out to the Biscayne Underwater National Park at least twice a week to just sit and commune with the baby fish.

Peace and love,

Natural treatments for PMS

From Prevention Magazine: Rosemary Tea for PMS, chew fresh Ginger for headaches and sinus troubles, and soak in crushed Marigolds to refresh your spirit. Not the usual kind of advice we find in Prevention, which is big on cooked foods, but this particular article was written by a Naturopath and herbalist.

Raw Italian Dressing

It's a lot easier being raw on a hot summer afternoon.
Here's a favorite salad dressing recipe:

1 c. olive oil
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 Tbs. honey
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of salt

1) In a mixing bowl whisk olive oil, lemon juice, and honey together.
2) Press garlic in bowl and add the remainder of the ingredients.
3) Whisk until creamy.
4) Serve in a nice bowl and enjoy.

Medicine vs. healing, war vs. peace and male vs. female thinking

Wherever you go, if you talk about nutrition, healing with food, natural health or any similar topics, you'll find that women are far more open to these ideas than men. I have wondered for a long time why this is, and I have a few ideas on some possible answers.

For the men out there reading this, you're probably excluded from the generalizations I am about to offer, because if you're reading this, you are open to new ideas. In fact, you'll probably agree with most of this. The question is, why do other men have such closed minds when it comes to new information about natural healing or healing nutrition?

One of the answers, I believe, is that many men want to believe they already understand the way the universe works. Men like to be rational. In fact, they often disparage the intuition and emotion more readily demonstrated by women. They tend to believe that intuition is false and that making decisions with emotions is somehow inferior. They think rationality is the highest form of intelligence, which, of course, is a belief that deserves some rational questioning all by itself.

For one thing, there is no such thing as objective reality because mere existence is subjective. Being alive, being born, breathing, seeing and feeling turns you into a subjective reality filter, so everything you observe throughout your life actually becomes subjective. There's no such thing as a truly objective human being.

I believe most men also don't like the idea of thinking they're not in control. If you discuss things like bioenergy or the idea that conventionally-raised meat has negative energy that affects mood or that a plant has positive energy that makes you feel better, most men reflexively reject these ideas without even bothering to consider them. That's because such ideas take the sense of control away from them.

Men like to feel like they are in control of their minds, emotions and moods, and they don't like the idea that unhealthy foods or "low energy" foods could somehow diminish their cognitive function or worsen their moods.

And yet if they are consuming a typical male American diet, they are not in control at all: http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=13260.

- submitted by Helen Terry

An aspirin a day isn't such a good idea

From the New England Journal of Medicine, 88; 17:1126-7: In summary.

Aspirin reduces the blood's ability to clot. When small retinal blood vessels break the body's ability to stop the bleeding is reduced, and these hemmorages can lead to blindness. Researchers found that 109 patients with macular degeneration were also taking frequent doses of aspirin. The journal predicts an increase in over-60 blindness in the years to come, due to the aspirin a day attitude we now have.

In the end, everything is related. If we want to reduce our risk of heart attacks, we need to change our diet and lifestyle. http://www.AnnWigmore.com.

Raw parenting tips to remember

Raw Parenting - General Tips to Remember
by Karen Ranzi

1) Try different textures. For example, a child may not like a banana, but may enjoy it in smoothies, sauces or [raw] ice cream.

2) Have fruits and vegetables around the kitchen in pretty baskets and brightly colored bowls. The varied colors of the foods in the child's everyday environment will attract them.

3) Name the foods you make with lively or catchy titles! My kids created their own recipes, even from the time they were very little, and then gave names to the recipes, or we got named recipes from certain recipe books.

Seedy Kiwi - by my daughter Gabriela
Cashew Lasagna - by Gabriela and Marco
Bianca Pops - from Sweet Temptations
BAT (Banana, Apple and Tahini) by Gabriela and Marco
Apple Yum Yum (Apple + Carrot Salad) by Beth Montgomery

Interview with 55 year raw fooder Dr. Fred Bisci - by Paul Nison

The following is an interview I did with Dr. Fred Bisci for my book The Raw Life (avilable at www.rawlife.com) 

Fred Bisci is in his upper 70's and have been eating a raw food diet for over 55 years. He does coaching over the phone. He does not have email but his phone number is 718-979-7950. Please only call him if you would like to pay to do a sesion with him. He does not have time to take calls for any other reasons. Tell him you heard about him from me, Paul Nsion. 

Fred Bisci is one of the nicest and most knowledgeable person I have ever met. He is kind and gentle. His knowledge about the human body surpasses that of most people alive today. He is also the most humble person I’ve ever met. Since the publication of the first edition of my book The Raw Life, Fred has become a great friend to me. I feel blessed to have such an amazing person to share my time with. Fred and I have been touring together all over the world speaking about the raw food diet and health.

Interview with Dr. Bisci

How many years have you been on the raw food diet, and what got you into it?
I was always interested in nutrition. When I was a young kid, I was an athlete. I was also learning disabled. Little by little, I changed my diet. I would say about 30 years ago, I ran into a fellow who was into eating raw foods. At the time, I thought he really was extreme or radical, but I always had an open mind. I have always been the type of person who did not settle for mediocrity. I always believed in striving for the highest ideals. Therefore, I decided to make a change and pursue it. The more I did it, I got to a point where I decided that there is no doubt about it, eating a raw-food diet is definitely the way to go. Since then, it has served me well. 

How was your health when you started the diet? 
Fortunately, I was always a healthy guy. When I started the diet, I was big and strong. I had very big muscles. I was into weightlifting at that time and was a good athlete. I came from an athletic family, so I never really had any health problems. I was not the type of person who got into this diet because I was sick. Illness is the main reason why many people first start eating the raw-food diet. However, I never had any major illnesses before getting into this. 

What's in your rug?

Exposure to various chemicals and pollutants is often linked to a greater incidence of unexplained neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and others; lower IQ levels; decreased sperm counts and fertility rates; increased incidence of asthma and respiratory problems; feminization of males; and early puberty in females.

Besides the obvious precaution of minimizing the use of, and contact with, household chemicals and pesticides, most people are at a loss as to what else they can do. They overlook an important contributing factor—carpeting in our homes. Carpets are natural reservoirs for pollutants, and there are numerous reports that support this conclusion.

Parking lots, garage floors, sidewalks, chemically treated lawns, and farm fields are all potentially contaminated surfaces. Typical samples of household carpet have been found to contain high concentrations of various heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, as well as polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. And unlike the same compounds outside, which eventually break down from exposure to sunlight and rain, pollutants used or carried indoors can remain intact for years. For example, DDT was banned in the U.S. years ago, and it's still found in carpets.

Little People, Big Danger
Children are at high risk. Not only do they spend more time on the carpet, but they are also small "touching" machines. (J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 99;9(5):513-20) Researchers from Stanford University videotaped 80 different children for as long as eight hours at a time to determine their movements. They discovered that the children touched something in the room on the average of 340 times an hour. And the younger a child was, the more likely he or she was to put their hands or an object into their mouth.

Real men like it raw

Fitness News
from Black Men's Magazine / February 2002
BY MATTHEW GRACE 

KEEPING IT SIMPLE: REAL MEN LIKE IT RAW!

Hey you, reader...yeah you...with the magazine in your hand.  Have I got news for you!  Are you someone who is fed up with the barrage of information, mis-information and just plain lies concerning health and nutrition?  How would you like to cut through all the nonsense and confusion and find a way to eat that makes complete sense and will provide you with all the health, energy and vitality you could ever wish for? Also, the quickest, safest and most cost effective way to lose weight and return your body back to its natural weight. 

I know what you're thinking, "Yeah right, what's the catch and how much does it cost?"  I don't blame you.  I am not selling any powders, pills, or magic potions, just trying to re-mind you of what you already know. Deep beneath the morass of nutritional propaganda we have been bombarded with since our birth, health is really a simple issue. 

There is no need for all the confusion that exists in the nutritional arena.  The confusion is created by our relentless human compulsion for the "quick fix," and the "easy" way out.  If you want things to be truly difficult in your life keep seeking the easy way.

Companies are falling over each other to come out with the latest, high tech supplements and "energy drinks."  Many of which are extremely taxing to the body and devoid of any assimilable nutrients.  Every year a new vitamin, mineral or amino acid is touted as the answer to all our health problems. It is an unfortunate human trait to try to get something for nothing, i.e. "exercise in a bottle," "a great body in just six minutes a day," "become a millionaire working just three hours a week," etc.  This form of behavior simply creates more problems.  It is a universal law that you cannot get something for nothing, yet the madness ensues.

Nature is a wonderful teacher rich with invaluable wisdom and guidance for our benefit.  Nature is the outer equivalent of that little voice inside us that always knows what's right. 

Let's get to the point.  Cooking destroys food and all the intrinsic nourishment and vitality nature has provided for us.  Enzymes are destroyed in any food cooked over 104 degrees Fahrenheit.  Enzymes are responsible for an endless array of vital bodily functions.  The destruction of these enzymes wreaks havoc on every metabolic, digestive and assimilative functions and a body completely devoid of these enzymes will soon perish.  This is why any fever over 104 degrees can be fatal.  Cooked foods create mucus and an acid condition in the body.  The more cooked and processed a food is, the more difficult it is for the body to digest it.  (Cooking also destroys and coagulates amino acids, the building blocks of protein.) 

Our beauty has been placed in our care

Our beauty has been put in our care and we are responsible for its well-being. - Katherine Anne Porter

Five false assumptions about natural living

5 False Assumptions About Natural Living... From the Raw Food Movement
by Frederic Patenaude

Let's look at what's going on in the raw food movement.

As long as it’s raw it’s okay

When I first got into raw foods almost 9 years ago, the general advice was: “eat as much of anything as you’d like. As long as it’s raw it’s okay.”

That led me and others to some abuse especially in the fat department.

The fact that a food is raw doesn’t mean it’s necessarily healthy, just like a “natural” food isn’t necessarily a healthy food.

In my experience, the “raw foods” that people generally tend to go overboard with are: dried fruits, nuts, oils, avocados, seeds, and dehydrated foods in general.

The foods that should be emphasized in the diet are the obvious but often forgotten fruits and vegetables.

The less you eat the better off you’ll be

Although this one is less common, there’s definitely a tendency in the raw food movement to recommend extreme frugal eating. The idea is that since the food is“alive,” it’s not necessary to eat as much or even eat foods with calories.

This advice leads a lot of people to go on repeated fasts, cycles of restricted diets followed by binges, and generally fail to thrive on a diet that simply doesn’t give enough energy and nutrients.

Although some caloric-restriction is good and caloric requirements may be a smaller on a raw food diet, the basic principles of nutrition still apply and therefore it’s necessary to learn to eat enough fruits and vegetables in the right balance to provide us with enough calories and nutrients.

Fruit is dangerous

Who is responsible for your health?

A good answer to those who think we're fanatical:

Your answer to this question can increase or decrease the quality and length of your life, so consider carefully: Who is responsible for your health?

Your instinctive response may be that you are, with the help of a few experts. But put even a little thought behind it and you realize it's a loaded question. Because it depends on what is meant by "responsible." Does that mean who is to blame or praise for your current state of health? Does that mean who should be watching out for your health? And for that matter, what is meant by "health" itself?

The rest of the article: http://www.mercola.com/2003/jul/9/health_responsibility.htm.
- submitted by Helen Terry

Most prostate cancer treatments unnecessary and harmful

New research confirms that surgery and dangerous drugs for prostate cancer may be unnecessary and powerful nutritional tools may be a far wiser option: http://www.mercola.com/2006/jun/10/most_prostate_cancer_treatments_unnecessary_and_harmful.htm.

Super food for a new new millennium

Wheatgrass in the News - Hermanus, South Africa: Super Food for a New Millennium: http://www.news24.com/Regional_Papers/Components/Category_Article_Text_Template/0,,486_1711680~E,00.html.

From the raw vegan firemen at Engine 2 in Austin, Texas

Is everyone feeling and looking their healthiest?

We hope you are eating plenty of green leafy vegetables, fruits, legumes, and all kinds of wonderful whole grains. Much has happened over the last couple of months including a feature story on the front of the national section of the Sunday edition of the New York Times on March 26, 2006: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/national/26vegan.html?ex=1301029200&en=2a80650fc12be1eb&ei=5088%02%22ner=rssnyt&emc=rss.

Afterward, we got a great deal of interest from literary agents soliciting us to write a tell-all book about our story, philosophy, alignment, vision, recipes, and meal plans. We feel we can reach an audience that wouldn't otherwise be willing to hear such a message as well as win back some people who need a little nudge to get back on course. We have decided to go with Inkwell Management literary agency out of New York City who also did the wildly successful South Beach diet.

We anticipate the book coming out in about one year and are looking for help in creating a spectacular recipe section. Send us 2 or 3 of your favorite healthy vegan recipes and we'll try them at the firehouse. If it's a winner we'll include the recipe in the book and give you full credit along with any other pertinent personal information; # of years as vegan/vegetarian, cholesterol level, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, you name it.

We've recently added several sections to the website so we encourage you to visit and e-mail us any ideas and suggestions. We also have t-shirts and hats for sale if you are so inclined.

Lastly, our illustrious driver, James Rae, has moved to station 23 to help a 33-year veteran and lieutenant in the department regain his health and lose about 50 pounds. J.R. is taking the lead role and already has 4 of the 5 members at station 23 eating vegan while at work. Our new driver is very excited about embracing a new and healthier way of eating. Last shift he made some amazing portabella mushroom fajitas with all the trimmings.

We hope this e-mail finds you safe, healthy, happy and well.

The guys at Engine 2
www.engine2.org

Junk Pet Food and the Damage Done

Dogs, cats and ferrets fed a regular diet of processed food suffer from a range of crueland debilitating diseases. Pet owners can improve their pets' health by feeding them anatural, chewy diet primarily of whole raw carcasses or at least raw meaty bones.

Morgan Spurlock conducted a risky experiment. In the film Super Size Me, Spurlock put McDonald’s food to the test. Every day at every meal for 30 days he ate at McDonald’s restaurants across America. By the end of the experiment Spurlock was in bad shape. He gained 24 and half pounds (eleven kilos); his liver turned to fat; cholesterol shot up; and he doubled his risk of heart failure. Fortunately for Morgan Spurlock he did not become addicted to junk food, was able to follow his doctor’s orders and stop the experiment. Also his holistic health counsellor girlfriend was on hand to nurse him back to health.1

Just for a moment and with little danger to our physical health, let’s conduct a thought experiment. Imagine if all the Big Macs, Happy Meals and Coca Colas consumed by Spurlock during his month-long binge were tipped into a vat, mixed to a uniform consistency and cooked under pressure. Using the most modern, automated, computer controlled technology supervised by scientists in white coats; imagine if the resultant glop was divided into two parts; half to be sealed in cans and the other half to be dehydrated, extruded into kibble and packed in brightly coloured bags.

Six Arguments for a Greener Diet

For 35 years the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest has published hard-hitting studies exposing the dreadful nutritional content of movie theatre popcorn, fast foods, and restaurant meals.

Its latest book is SIX ARGUMENTS FOR A GREENER DIET — a meticulously researched examination of scientific studies that finds that eating more plant foods and fewer fatty animal products can lead to extra years of healthy living.

Happily, explains lead author and CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson, that same diet also leads to much less food poisoning, water pollution, air pollution, global warming, and animal suffering.

Read more: http://cspinet.org/new/200608011.html

BBC about the raw living foods lifestyle

On March 29th, 2005, the BBC ran an article entitled, "Raw food eaters thin but healthy; People who follow a raw food vegetarian diet are light in weight but healthy, according to US researchers."

Their approach in this article was to address bone health and the balanced diet issue: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4389837.stm.

As far as "thin but healthy goes," view this editorial cartoon: http://rawlivingfoods.typepad.com/1/2006/07/then_and_now_ja.html.

Grow your own sprouts

Growing Your Own Sprouts - from chiDiet.com

Sprouts are a fantastic food for all seasons and all places - you don't need half an acre, a backyard, a patio, or even a window box. Just as you give the best of everything to your baby, so does the plant yield the best of everything to its seed. When that seed begins to sprout it develops fantastic nutrients. They become the most assimilable vitamins in God's Kingdom because they come wrapped with all the minerals, enzymes and still-unknown factors so necessary to the full utilization of our food

Almost any seed, grain or legume can be sprouted. Seeds offer a concentrated storehouse of energy and nutrients, held in reserve, ready to burst forth when a suitable environment is offered. You can store seeds, grains and legumes in a freezer and they will still sprout.

During the sprouting process vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes are produced at an incredible rate. Vitamin content triples, at least. In wheat, vitamins, B-complex and C increase by 600 percent.

Most seeds will yield between 6 and 10 times their weight in sprouts. Sprouts are by far the most economical and nutritious food you can eat. Be sure that the seeds or grains have not been chemically treated. If they have been, the germination rate will drop.

Basically, care of sprouts means keeping them moist and providing adequate aeration and drainage.

Vegan organic farming

"Veganics" is Vegan Organic farming. Here's how to be a purist: http://www.friendsofanimals.org/actionline/fall-2004/veganics.html

FDA food pyramid - and a spoof

Well, the US FDA released another "food pyramid": http://www.mypyramid.gov/
Like it's predecessors, it's flawed. But I'll let this site speak on the issues: http://www.mypyramid.org/

About my trip to Raw Lifestyle Film Fest in Hollywood

I recovered the video about my trip to Hollywood for the Raw Lifestyle Film Festival. I was there to present a film by Dr. Ann Wigmore about traveling with raw living foods.

Here it is:

http://www.chidiet.com/blog/raw-food-talk/hollywood.htm

The Hollywood trip was awesome. Check out this short movie to hear about the amazing stories and people I met, and how you can benefit.
Chat soon,

Jim

P.S. The video is on the blog:

http://www.chidiet.com/blog/raw-food-talk/hollywood.htm

P.P.S. Even if you're not 100% raw, how much better are you doing today than when you were on the SAD? 

P.P.P.S. Our big kickoff of the Home Study Program 3.0 is coming up soon, but you can get the early bird special, with ALL of the bonus items, if you act soon: http://chidiet.com.

Feedback - Tiffiny Gulla

From Tiffiny:

Jim, thanks for the "Vanilla Beanie-Banana Shake" recipe...it was delicious!!!

Statistics and dangers of soda pop

The number one source of calories in America comes from soda pop. Nearly everyone by now has heard the litany on the presumed health effects of soft drinks:

    * Obesity
    * Tooth decay
    * Caffeine dependence
    * Weakened bones

But does drinking soda pop really cause those things?

To help separate fact from fiction, the Health section reviewed the latest scientific findings and asked an array of experts on both sides of the debate to weigh in on the topic. Be forewarned, however: Compared with the data available on tobacco and even dietary fat, the scientific evidence on soft drinks is less developed. The results can be a lot like soft drinks themselves, both sweet and sticky: http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/10/soda_pop_dangers.htm.

To search chiDiet.net

To search for an article on this website, please click here and you'll be taken to a special search page.

Feedback - Sarah, from Russia

Dear Jim,

Thank you for believing in and encouraging me.

I've just come back from California where I had a great time with my older niece and her family and we all celebrated the first birthday of my younger niece who is 35 years younger than her half-sister.

Of course I had a Russian copy of "12 steps..." and wonderful materials from your e-mails. I am not sure, but I hope that SOMETIMES it will help.

I will e-mail the last one directly to my older niece (she just came back from the Netherlands), I hope she will be able to convince her Father to pay attention.

Thank you again very, very much.

My best regards,

Sarah (now in Chicago)

Laugh your pains into submission - nutritional healing

NUTRITIONAL HEALING
by Elizabeth Neumaier

The idea that a few chuckles can diminish the effects of illness has been around for a long time. And why not? If stress can cause illness, which has been well documented, then why not laughter as another means to start the road to recovery? Norman Cousins, author of the Saturday Review, brought this old idea into popular thought back in the 70's after writing a book about his own illness. He checked out of the hospital, stopped the drugs, and started a regime of Candid Camera, Laurel and Hardy, and Marx Bothers episodes, and mega doses of vitamin C. He found he could sleep for several hours after his doses of laughing and eventually recovered enough to go back to work.

What actually happens is that laughter removes stress hormones, raises T-cells (which fight disease), and B-cells (which raise production of destroying antibodies). Endorphins are raised, which are the body's painkillers, and increases the sense of well-being. Laughter also releases muscle tightness, especially in the neck and shoulders where a lot of people carry their stress. Hospitals routinely engage clowns and magicians because it has been found that children's pain thresholds are raised for a short time after laughing.

If you think about this idea, it is so true. Do you remember the last time you had a good belly laugh, or went to a party where you laughed most of the night? Didn't you feel good afterwards? Didn't it carry over into the next day, too? My son and I used to go to the same school and drive together each morning. Thursdays were the best mornings because the radio program we listened to had "bad joke Thursdays." We would listen to the jokes on our drive and then get to school and try to remember one to tell a teacher or friend. We always made it through the ride with a feeling of lightness and eagerness to start the day.

There are websites devoted to severely depressed individuals that include joke sections. If you can get a very sad person to laugh at the world or themselves, they can carry on so much better. So my advice to you this month is to go find a joke that you think is especially funny and tell it to as many people as you can. Spread the joy! Help people feel better!

Here are a couple to get you started:

How many meat-eaters does it take to change a light bulb? None--- they'd rather not see how their food is made.

What do you call a vegetarian with diarrhea? A salad shooter.

Hope you have a great week!

Health and nutrition therapy by appt. 

Libby Neumaier, Naturopathic Educator
Women With Wings, Committees chair

Libby Neumaier is a Naturopathic Educator and working on her Masters of Naturopathic healing. She and her family have been vegetarian for 11 years and Vegan for 5. Libby has been a member of VIM (http://all4vegan.net/) for two years and is active in the vegetarian community with animal rights and educational outreach. If you have questions regarding Vegan nutrition please feel free to e-mail her.

e.neumaier@worldnet.att.net, NutritionalHealing@all4vegan.net

Alzheimer's Responding to Raw Living Foods

David Gaunt on "Team Nan" Experiences w/ Paul Murray

Direct link to the 8 minute flash video - you can right-click it to download it to your computer: http://chidiet.org/content/videos/NanProject.flv

If that link won't play for you, try this: http://rawdoctors.com/past-articles/690-treating-alzheimers-with-raw-living-foods.html

"Team Nan" in Cadillac, MI, is pulling off the impossible - yanking an 80ish "young" women sentenced for life in an alzheimer's institution, and is now in month two of a living-food rehab program. The results are causing shockwaves in the nursing home she's staying at. The staff are watching the drama unfold with awe!!!

Paul Murray
Ann Wigmore Advocate

Popular story! It's also posted here: http://annwigmore.com/index.php/testimonials-1/more-testimonials/61-alzheimers-responds-to-raw-living-foods.html

Feedback - Nadia

Hello CHI,

I want to thank you for the materials and new knowledge that I have been gaining through your web site.

Nadia

Flouride, teeth and the atomic bomb

Juan Kirk shared this interesting link about Flouride, Teeth and the Atomic Bomb; the focus is on water fluoridation: http://www.advancedhealthplan.com/fluoride.html

Wheatgrass Milwaukee

Wheatgrass bars sprouting in Milwaukee: http://onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/fitnessbuffet2.html?6727

How big business influences government policy and our food choices

"The Politics of Meat and Dairy: How Big Business Influences Government Policy and Our Food Choices," by Michele Simon: http://informedeating.org/docs/politics_of_meat_and_dairy_article.html