Raw Living Foods Lifestyle - chiDiet.net

10 Dr. Ann Wigmore Videos

I put together a 10 DVD set of the Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw Living Foods lifestyle for a very, very special price.

Learn more: http://wigmorediet.com/

Enjoy!

Jim

Updated Raw Living Foods Course Now Available

By popular demand, the Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw Living Foods Home Study Course keeps growing and growing.

I've added more video titles, two ebooks, and the entire Grassy Roots TV series to the course. It now covers everything from "Raw Curious" to Advanced Raw. There's a 300 page Handbook to Going Raw, and a recipe book with hundreds of raw and transitional recipes.

Learn more: chiDiet.com

Yours in Raw Inspiration,

Jim Carey

"Eat to live - not live to eat." - Ben Franklin

"Because of their diets nine men in ten are suicides." - Ben Franklin

(Ben was a pretty smart guy, wasn't he?)

A Guide to Organic Gardener's Composting

In reviewing my composting procedures here on the farm in Georgia, I came across this really handy, informative book. Through special arrangements with the publisher, I'm able to share it with you. It's 272 pages, in PDF format.

From the foreword, by Ann Lovejoy:

---------------

Back in the '70's, I made the momentous move from the East Coast to the West and quickly discovered that much of my garden knowledge needed an update. Seattle's climate was unlike anything I had experienced in Massachusetts or Ohio or Colorado, and many of my favorite vegetables simply didn't grow well.

A friend steered me to a new seed company, a tiny business called Territorial Seed, unique in that, rather than trying to tout its wares all over the country, it would only sell to people living west of the Cascade Mountains. Every vegetable and cover crop listed had been carefully tested and selected by Steve Solomon for its performance in the maritime Northwest.

The 1980's saw the revival of regional gardening, a concept once widely accepted, but since lost to the sweeping homogeneity of the '50s and '60s. Steve Solomon and his Territorial Seed Company directly influenced the return of regional garden making by creating an awareness of climatic differences and by providing quantities of helpful information specific to this area. Not only could customers order regionally appropriate, flavorful and long-lasting vegetables from the Territorial catalog's pages, we could also find recipes for cooking unfamiliar ones, as well as recipes for building organic fertilizers of all sorts. Territorial's catalog offered information about organic or environmentally benign pest and disease controls, seasonal cover crops, composts and mulches, and charts guiding us to optimal planting patterns.

Every bit of it was the fruit of Steve Solomon's work and observation. I cannot begin to calculate the disappointments and losses Steve helped me to avoid, nor the hours of effort he saved for me and countless other regional gardeners. We came to rely on his word, for we found we could; If Steve said this or that would grow in certain conditions, by gum, it would. Better yet, if he didn't know something, or was uncertain about it, he said so, and asked for our input. Before long, a network of environmentally concerned gardeners had formed around Territorial's customer base, including several Tilth communities, groups of gardeners concerned with promoting earth stewardship and organic husbandry in both rural and urban settings.

In these days of generalized eco-awareness, it is easy to forget that a few short years ago, home gardeners were among the worst environmental offenders, cheerfully poisoning anything that annoyed them with whatever dreadful chemical that came to hand, unconscious of the long-term effects on fauna and flora, water and soil. Now, thank goodness, many gardeners know that their mandate is to heal the bit of earth in their charge. Composting our home and garden wastes is one of the simplest and most beneficial things we can do, both to cut down the quantity of wastes we produce, and to restore health to the soil we garden upon I can think of no better guide to the principles and techniques of composting than Steve Solomon. Whether you live in an urban condo or farm many acres, you will find in these pages practical, complete and accessible information that serves your needs, served up with the warmth and gentle humor that characterizes everything Steve does.

Ann Lovejoy, Bainbridge Island, Washington

---------------

Click here to download your free copy, in PDF format (about 1 MB).

If you want the fancy color cover to the book too, click here (another 1 MB).

Feel free to share this with your friends, but the files are so large I suggest you email them the link to this page, instead of trying to email them the actual files.

Enjoy! I learned a lot from it.
Jim Carey

Vegetables slow memory loss in old age: study

(Reuters) - An apple a day may keep the doctor away but a plate full of vegetables is more likely to help fight memory problems in old age, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Elderly people who reported eating at least 2.8 servings of vegetables a day compared to people who ate less than one serving a day saw their rate of memory loss and other mental decline slow by 40 percent over six years, the researchers found: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061023/hl_nm/vegetables_dc_2.

Vegetables may keep brains young

New research on vegetables and aging gives mothers another reason to say "I told you so." It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old.

On measures of mental sharpness, older people who ate more than two servings of vegetables daily appeared about five years younger at the end of the six-year study than those who ate few or no vegetables: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061024/ap_on_he_me/diet_vegetables_aging_7.

Dr. Campbell's "The China Study" (a PCRM vegan Dr.) - Cancer: Rice and Soy Milk/Casein

by Dr. Flora van Orden III

Studies showed that casein, a protein in all milk products (and even used in many 'soy' and 'rice' cheeses) increased cancer 100% of the time when introduced at any stage of cancer development.... cancer growth could be reversed as well as expanded and contracted just by changing the amounts of animal protein consumed... no danger when plant proteins were eaten, even at higher percentages.

For the first 27 years of his career, Dr. Campbell's [T. Colin Campbell, MD, PhD, The China Study] studies, exposing the deleterious health effects of meat and dairy foods, were funded largely by the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research. Campbell published in many of the world's most prestigious scientific journals.

The U.S. health care system showed disinterest in his earth-shaking findings (does this remind you of what happened to Dr. Bjorn Nordenstrom, head of the Nobel Committee, who successfully went to China when no one would go to his press conferences in NY or DC hailing his success with cancer?), so Campbell pursued the Chinese government, together with Oxford University, and established further research that definitively exposed the catastrophic effects that meat and dairy foods have on human health globally.

Dr. Campbell's work was published in 1990 in a scientific compilation named "China Study." These profound findings jolted the world of nutritional science, yet due to the extensive influence of corporate interests in the media, this invaluable information never reached the general public; thus, little changed.

Moved by a desire to touch a suffering humanity with these simple yet revealing findings, Dr. Campbell, along with his son, Thomas, recently published a beautifully edited and easily understood book called The China Study, which shares the discoveries of nearly four decades. It will provide you with the necessary 'scientific evidence' that so many adversaries in medicine claim is missing from our advocacy of a plant-based diet.

"Sick and Tired" and "Reclaim your Inner Terrain", p 92-94, Dr. Robert O. Young... 10. Avoid alcohol, 11. Avoid All Products Containing Caffeine, 12. Avoid Peanuts and Peanut Products (about 35 years ago, in Africa, clusters of patients presented an unusual type of liver cancer, and the numbers were very large. Investigation revealed a relationship to the consumption of peanuts.) 13. Avoid Corn and Corn Products. Like peanuts, corn is poisonous and carcinogenic. In our opinion, there is no specimen of corn free of mycotoxin. Researchers have reported the positive correlation of corn (and wheat flour) and death from esophageal cancer; corn, with gastric cancer. 15. Avoid Heated Oils at All Costs. 16. Avoid All Microwave Food. PERIOD. 17. Wheat grass is 25% protein. Has 100% more laetrile than sprouts... 23. Sweat Your Way to Radiant Health.

"The therapeutic value of regular sweating has become immense. It has benefits for both body and mind, and, in fact, is the primary reason for exercise." After 30 minutes of sweating, large amounts of toxins, including toxic acids and heavy metals, are flushed from the body. Sweating inhibits the development of pleomorphic microforms and creates a "fever reaction" of rising temperatures that neutralizes them. Increases the number of leukocytes. Need to re-mineralize and re-trace-mineralize with rinsed dulse after sweating. Don't block the fever/sweat by eating cooked food.

Peace and love,
Flora

-- Dr. Flora van Orden III was Dr. Ann Wigmore's assistant for 22 years. Dr. Flora typed Dr. Ann's books and papers, managed her schedule, taught child-birthing classes, and traveled with Dr. Ann on her world-wide lecture tours. Dr. Flora is now retired and living in Homestead, Florida. You can contact Dr. Flora at [email protected]

-- Buying anything through links on this page might generate a commission for us. Thank you!

Eat more greens, part 3

- more excerpts from The China Study, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, MD, PhD.

- Dr. Campbell has spent over 40 years as a scientific researcher doing Federally Funded studies for organizations such as the American Institute for Cancer Research, the American Cancer Society and the National Institute of Health (NIH). He has spent over 45 years as a dietary scientist, and has published 450 peer-reviewed scientific papers. This book is the culmination of his life's research, and in it he reveals the Truths and Myths about plant-based and animal-based diets. Published January, 2005, BenBella Books.

"Real science has been buried beneath a clutter of irrelevant or even harmful information - junk science, fad diets and food industry propaganda. I want to change that... The provocative results of my four decades of biomedical research, including the findings from a twenty-seven year laboratory program (funded by reputable funding agencies) prove that eating right can save your life... findings demonstrate that a good diet is the most powerful weapon we have against disease and sickness." - pp 1-2.

"The story of protein is part science, part culture and a good dose of mythology... Ever since the discovery of this nitrogen-containing chemical in 1839 by the Dutch chemist Gerhard Mulder, protein has loomed as the most sacred of all nutrients. The word protein comes from the Greek word proteios, which means 'of prime importance.' ... If you were to name the first food that comes to mind when I say protein, you might say beef. If you did, you aren't alone." - pg. 27.

"About eight amino acids that are needed for making our tissue proteins must be provided by the food we eat. They are called 'essential' because our bodies cannot make them. If ... our food protein lacks enough of even one of these eight 'essential' amino acids, then the synthesis of the new proteins will be slowed down or stopped. This is where the idea of protein quality comes into play. Food proteins of the highest quality are, very simply, those that provide, upon digestion, the right kinds and amounts of amino acids that are needed to efficiently synthesize our new tissue proteins. This is what the word 'quality' really means: it is the ability of food proteins to provide the right kinds and amounts of amino acids to make our new proteins." - pg. 30.

"This would be well and good if the greatest efficiency equalled the greatest health, but it doesn't, and that's why the terms efficiency and quality are misleading. In fact, to give you a taste of what's to come, there is a mountain of compelling research showing that 'low-quality' plant protein, which allow for slow but steady synthesis of new proteins, is the healthiest type of protein. Slow but steady wins the race." - pp. 30-31 (boldface added).

"Even if it is known that plants have protein, there is still the concern about its perceived poor quality. This has led people to believe that they must meticulously combine proteins from different plant sources during each meal so that they can mutually compensate for each other's amino acid deficits. However, this is overstating the case. We now know that through enormously complex metabolic systems, the human body can derive all the essential amino acids from the natural variety of plant proteins that we encounter every day. It doesn't require eating higher quantities of plant protein or meticulously planning every meal. Unfortunately, the enduring concept of protein quality has greatly obscured this information." - pg. 31, boldface added.

"... eating the right way would largely obviate the enormous costs of using drugs, as well as their side effects... Health care costs would drop and medical mistakes would wane as premature death plummeted. In essence, our health care system would finally protect and promote our health as it is meant to do... The science is there and it must be made known... It is time to stand up, clear the air and take control of our health." - pp. 24-25, boldface added.

--------------------------------

These excerpts were taken from The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, MD, PhD, with Thomas M. Campbell II, 417 pages, 35 pages of reference footnotes, and a 12 page index. It's full of charts, graphs and references; all of Dr. Campbell's supporting documentation.

You can get "the rest of the story" for yourself from Amazon.com (direct link to book): http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/104-1242566-5233538?search-alias=books&keywords=The%20China%20Study&rank=+availability,-proj-total-margin
 

-- Buying anything through links on this page might generate a commission for us. Thank you!

Health and Nutrition Cirriculum Suggestion

Dear Dr. Carey,

We just received your package yesterday in the mail.  Everything seems to be in good condition.

The boys had fun helping me sort everything and check it off against the checklist online.

We felt like children in a candy store, God's "candy" that is!  Not only were we able to check off everything, but found even more extras!

I told a friend of mine that this will be our Health and Nutrition curriculum for the next 10 years!

The Super Quick Start Guide is extremely helpful!  Like you said, this is A LOT of information and it looks very overwhelming at first.

It is hard to stick to the schedule you laid out, I want to look at and read everything at once, but I know it will be worth it!  :-)

Right now, I am starting to read Why Suffer? How I Overcame Illness & Pain Naturally.

Thank you, once again, Dr. Carey, for the program!

God bless,

Lisa Dams

[ see chiDiet.com for more information ]

The Dirty Little Secret of the Raw Food Movement

Yes, it's true. The raw food movement has a dirty, nasty little secret.

 

It's this: Many people go raw, only to encounter NEW health challenges, sometimes much worse than what made them go raw in the first place.

 

Over the years I've received numerous letters about this. One woman even described her journey from SAD (Standard American Diet), to Raw, to insulin-dependent Diabetic.

 

Surprised? I was. So much so that Dr. Flora van Orden III - PhD in Nutrition, and a 40-year raw fooder - Dr. Flora and I spent time consulting with each of them, over the years.

 

In every case we found the same fundamental cause. The person in question suffered from a dietary deficiency. That is, while they were eating healthy, nutritious food, they weren't eating a balanced diet.

 

That is, they weren't getting all of the different nutrients that their bodies need.

 

The insulin-dependent diabetic, for example - she admitted that her raw food diet consisted almost entirely of fruits, and the overload of sugar did her in. She sees this now, and her request is that we make people aware of potential traps like this one.

 

Statistically, after one year most vegans are only eating seven different foods.

 

That's not enough for the body to get all the different things it needs - the typical list is 112 different vitamins and minerals, all available from plant-based foods.

 

So, how DO you get enough protein? How about vitamins, especially B-12? Carbohydrates? Some fat in your diet is important, but what's the right source? Where do you get Omega 3 if you don't eat fish?

 

---

 

 

This is where Dr. Ann Wigmore's Raw Living Foods Lifestyle Program comes in.

 

Dr. Ann Wigmore has been called "The Queen of Green,"  "The Original Raw Diva" and many other compliments, along with earning numerous degrees and awards (click here to read them).

Dr. Ann developed her "Raw Living Foods Lifestyle" back in the 1950's after being told by her doctors that nothing could be done for her colon cancer.

Through study, research and experimentation she healed her cancer, then went on to teach thousands of others around the world how the body can heal itself with the proper nourishment.

 

Dr. Ann found that certain foods - foods most people overlook - are essential to a balanced, healthy diet.

 

Dr. Ann taught that it's not about "superfoods," it's not about supplements, it's about balanced, living nutrition.

 

By the 1960's she had become a world-recognized expert in the field of raw food, had earned numerous degrees, and her advice was sought all over the world.

 

---

 

 

Sadly, all great programs lose some of their momentum after the founder passes.

 

Dr. Ann perished fighting a fire in her apartment in 1993. Eighty-four years old, she was found in the hallway with a bucket of water beside her, and another bucket in the bathtub, with the water running. Smoke from the fire had overcome her.

Dr. Ann did leave us her Lifestyle Training Programs. You can learn about the various hands-on programs at AnnWigmore.com - Learn More. I've been to a number of them and have seen people undergo amazing transformations.

 

My first exposure to Dr. Ann's program was at Creative Health Institute in Michigan, and it did wonders for me. I've been a member of the Board of Trustees of their non-profit Trust for many years. My favorite is the Living Foods Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. Brenda Cobb and staff do a wonderful job of imparting a true Wigmore program. From what I've seen and heard, they all do a great job.

 

Dr. Ann's program works. It really works. It works because it focuses on the proper types and varieties of plant-based foods in order to give the body full, proper nutrition.

 

For those who can't afford two or three weeks and several thousand dollars for a hands-on program, we developed the Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw Living Foods Home Study Program five years ago, and it, too, has benefited thousands, all over the world.

 

We have hundreds and hundreds of testimonial letters. You can read and see some of them at the following links (be sure to click on Previous or Next at the bottom of the pages):

See chiDiet.com/blog/category/success-stories

and chiDiet.net (see the "Feedback" pages)

and AnnWigmore.com (see the "Testimonials" pages)

 

Look around these websites and you'll find many more positive success statements. We have such a big collection of them than I don't have anyplace to publish all of them.

 

---

 

 

However, even the Home Study Program isn't inexpensive. The current economic climate has pushed me into coming up with something new and even more affordable.

 

Here's what I've refined Dr. Ann's program into - The Dr. Ann Wigmore Collection - a collection of 10 DVDs of the basics of Dr. Ann's Raw Living Foods Lifestyle.

 

While the Dr. Ann Wigmore Collection is only a good overview of her program, it contains enough to get you started on the right track.  

 

Seven of the DVDs give you hours of rare footage of Dr. Ann teaching her program, and cover a lot of detail, especially about the right foods to eat, and why.

 

The other three fill in the gaps that Dr. Ann's videos didn't cover, and are taught by veteran instructors from Creative Health Institute, which was co-founded by Dr. Ann and has been teaching her program since 1976. 

 

In addition, these two instructors have agreed to be available to you for personalized coaching by phone or email.

 

I can think of no better way to get on the right track with a new Raw Living Foods Lifestyle than to view - and re-view this information.

 

This Collection is going to throw a lot of what you think you know about food - even raw foods - out the window.

 

Remember - this is tried, true, proven information that has withstood the test of time - and protects you from the dirty little secret of the raw food movement.

 

 

Here's the link: chiDiet.com/aw.htm

 

---

 

Working with you to grow your health,

 

Jim Carey

 

 

 

 

P.S. "If you ignore your health, it will go away." - Unknown

 

 

Here's that link again: chiDiet.com/aw.htm

Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days is an independent documentary film that chronicles six Americans with 'incurable' diabetes switching their diet and getting off insulin.

The film follows each participant's remarkable journey and captures the medical, physical, and emotional transformations brought on by this radical diet and lifestyle change.

We witness moments of struggle, support, and hope as what is revealed, with startling clarity, is that diet can reverse disease and change lives.

Additional wisdom is provided by Morgan Spurlock, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Robbins, Rev. Michael Beckwith, and Doctors Fred Bisci, Joel Furman, and Gabriel Cousens.

We've been awaiting this film for months; it's finally been released. Learn more, and get your copy here:
http://tinyurl.com/revDiabetes.

Yours in health and vitality,

Dr. Jim Carey

P.S. "Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food." - Hippocrates.

P.P.S. Here's another good video about reversing Diabetes and other health challenges with raw, living foods: http://tinyurl.com/chiFood.

-- Buying anything through links on this page might generate a commission for us. Thank you!

More Excerpts from The China Study

T. Colin Campbell, M.D., Ph.D.
- more excerpts from The China Study, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
- Dr. Campbell spent over 40 years as a scientific researcher doing Federally Funded Studies for organizations such as the American Institute for Cancer Research, the American Cancer Society and the National Institute of Health. He has spent over 45 years as a dietary scientist, and has published 450 peer-reviewed scientific papers. The China Study is the culmination of his life's research, and in it he reveals the Truth and Myths about plant- and animal-based diets. Published January, 2005, BenBella Books.

"This is the story of how food can change our lives. I have spent my career in research and teaching, unraveling the complex mystery of why health eludes some and embraces others, and I now know that food primarily determines the outcome. This information could not come at a better time. Our health care system costs too much, it excludes far too many people and it does not promote health and prevent disease." pg. 12.

"If you are male in this country.. you have a 47% chance of getting cancer. If you are female... 38% lifetime chance of getting cancer... cancer is not a natural event... Old age should be graceful and peaceful." - pg. 12.

"Both diabetes and obesity are merely symptoms of poor health in general... and often forecast deeper, more serious health problems, such as heart disease, cancer and stroke." - pg. 14.

"Millions have adopted high-protein, high-fat diets based on books such as Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, Protein Power, and The South Beach Diet. There is increasing evidence that these modern protein fads continue to inflict a great variety of dangerous health disorders. What we don't know - what we don't understand - about nutrition can hurt us." - pg. 19.

"The results of ... studies showed nutrition to be far more important in controlling cancer promotion than the dose of the initiating carcinogen. The idea that nutrients primarily affect tumor development during promotion was beginning to appear to be a general property of nutrition and cancer relationships... a pattern was beginning to emerge: nutrients from animal-based foods increased tumor development while nutrients from plant-based foods decreased tumor development." - Chapter 3, "Turning off Cancer," pg. 66, italics by the author.

"So, what is my prescription for good health? In short, it is about the multiple health benefits of consuming plant-based foods, and the largely unappreciated health dangers of consuming animal-based foods, including all types of meat, dairy and eggs. I did not begin with pre-conceived ideas, philosophical or otherwise, to prove the worthiness of plant-based diets. I started at the opposite end of the spectrum: as a meat-loving dairy farmer in my personal life and an 'establishment' scientist in my professional life. I even used to lament the views of vegetarians as I taught nutritional biochemistry to pre-med students." - pg. 21.

The China Study is 417 pages, written for laymen, with 35 pages of reference footnotes and a 12 page index. It's full of charts, graphs, references - all of Dr. Campbell's supporting documentation. Get "the rest of the story" for yourself - buy the book - http://AnnWigmore.com/news/chinastudy.htm

-- Buying anything through links on this page might generate a commission for us. Thank you!

The Hundred-Year Lie: How Food and Medicine are Destroying Your Health - book review

For Randall Fitzgerald, a journalist who has written for  The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, the crux of the lie cited in his title is the idea that, in general, "lab-created synthetics are as benign as -- and more effective than -- naturally occurring food and medicines."

It started with the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, he says, because that lulled people into thinking the government was looking out for their best interests and the food and medicines they were ingesting were safe and well tested. It was a time of "a better life through chemistry," with the rise of heavily processed foods, fluoridated and chlorinated water, and do-it-all products, most of them approved for general use under the assumption that tiny doses of anything probably couldn't be harmful.

But worse than the rapidly increasing number of chemicals and synthetics "fortifying" our lives (or disguised as "natural flavoring" or "inert ingredients") is the fact that while some additives are tested for toxicity individually, virtually none are tested in combination, and little thought was given to how they could build up in our bodies over time.

More: http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2006/07/06/sounding_the_alarm_on_a_toxic_synergy/.

See more like this at RawLife.org

Here's a directory of Wigmore Educational Resources (all links open in a new window or tab):
AnnWigmore.com - The story of Dr. Ann Wigmore, and a listing of Wigmore Institutes
Dr. Ann Wigmore's Degrees and Awards - probably not a complete list
GrassyRoots.com - The 14-episode TV series I did about raw foods and the Dr. Ann Wigmore Lifestyle
chiDiet.com - The Home Study version of the Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw Living Foods Lifestyle
RawLife.org - I put all of the videos from Grassy Roots TV and the Wigmore Lifestyle Home Study Program online
chiDiet.com/hs3.htm - The Dr. Ann Wigmore DVD video collection
chiDietVideos.com - A large collection of Raw Living Foods DVDs, tapes, CDs and books
GoRaw.net - Other raw websites I'm involved with or respect

-- Buying anything through links on this page might generate a commission for us. Thank you!

Video - T. Colin Campbell Lecture

If you missed Dr. Campbell's visit to Detroit last Spring (2006), you now have an opportunity to hear him on video for free!

His compelling thesis is that animal protein (meat, dairy and eggs) causes cancer. 51 minutes long, and worth every minute!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1308977765978236346&q=vegan&time=390000

-- Buying anything through links on this page might generate a commission for us. Thank you!

Nutritional science is still discovering nutrients in food that we didn't know were there

Mother said, "Eat your fruits and vegetables."

"Whole, fresh, organic plant foods help to provide much more than any supplement could ever claim. By eating whole foods we obtain a full complement of nutrients in the ratios to which they are best absorbed. It is known that each vitamin and mineral works in harmony with at least eight to twelve other nutrients.

"These relationships are not yet well understood in the world of nutritional science as we are still discovering nutrients we never knew were there, and are having to reclassify the ones we thought we've known well for decades."
- by Lennie Mowris. For the rest of the story visit http://www.organicathlete.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=257

Worldwide Obesity Epidemic

This past Wed., a famous researcher spoke to the listening audience of medical doctors in the teleconference put on by PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine). He shared a map of the world where the most dark spots were people who were more than 30% overweight or obese. I was shocked to see Australia, Mexico, many parts of China, Japan, the fertile crescent area countries, in those most dark spots - thinking that they would mostly come from Russia, Northern Canada and Alaska, as well as the US.

He said in his talk and in his published reports that it was from the vegetable oils and soda pops, watching tv and the greater availability of processed foods and animal products that people are obese now. And, it was affecting the women more than men. Also, that people of African and oriental descent were having more problems with heart disease and diabetes, with less help, because the fat is stored in their livers and heart areas instead of being disbursed as it does in Nordic or cold country peoples. A photo of a woman in Egypt in front of tvs she was selling was shocking because she was so large. The worst foods he mentioned were soda and pizza.

This triggered my memory about how when people fry food in vegetable oils, or add vegetable oils (yes, even the best virgin virgin olive oils), that the oils react with the starches and the animal proteins and create a super-glue type of bond that prevents the body from sweating the oil out.

Another thing: I was given a whole lot of baby food this month to share with others: much of it was organic. The 3 brands all had vitamin C added, to even step 1 (around 6 months), and some had calcium added.

I offered it to my ESOL class mothers, and one mother tasted about 3 types before she took it and then put the bottles back. I didn't ask her why but decided to look at them myself. I tasted a little of each and immediately got a headache, which affected my brain stem, and then was affected by a cramp in my left hand which has lasted for almost a week, weakening my grip and then also a stomach ache. I then began to crave more almond cream than I normally would use, and more avocado. My body was trying to heal itself from the acid of the calcium and vitamin C destruction in my epithelial lining. WOW!

Do you suppose the colic that babies have has a lot to do with the vitamin C and the calcium they are putting in the baby food? My throat got sore (some wheatgrass juice helped that) and my ear canals felt swollen and sore (the wheat grass juice helped all of the symptoms, except the weakness in my left hand, which I think is coming from my 7th and 8th vertebra damage by the C and calcium). I know how to heal this, with some fresh pineapple juice and energy soup, but I thought you might be able to share this with some young mothers who might be at their wits end wondering why their babies are unhappy.

Breast milk is all a baby needs until the 2nd year, with some wonderful  coconut juice, papaya, avocado, etc. as supplement after the 6th month. We need to get together and complain to the companies to get those supplements out of the babies' food. I spoke at the 2nd Calcium Conference at NIH about how according to the French doctor Kirvran we didn't need any calcium to make our bones stronger, just foods with potassium, maganesium and silica, which turn into bone calcium, and even then the supplement people were lobbying the doctors to add calcium, which does nothing but plaque onto our arteries and the exterior of our bones and cause lumps and early heart attacks (women spill calcium in their blood just before having a heart attack) and arthritis. We need to save the babies inner peace.

Peace and love,
Dr. Flora

Vegan diet reverses diabetes symptoms, study finds

People who ate a low-fat vegan diet, cutting out all meat and dairy, lowered their blood sugar more and lost more weight than people on a standard American Diabetes Association diet, researchers said on Thursday. They lowered their cholesterol more and ended up with better kidney function, according to the report published in Diabetes Care, a journal published by the American Diabetes Association.

Participants said the vegan diet was easier to follow than most because they did not measure portions or count calories.
http://maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=14694

[source: Veggies in Motion News]

Enzymes and you

This article is a long one, but well worth reading. It explains how and why a raw living foods diet makes us healthier. In the last few months we received numerous requests for this information, some of it from physicians.

One MD stated, “We didn’t study digestive enzymes in medical school. That was a job for nutritionists, and we didn’t bother about it. Your newsletter has piqued my curiosity - please send me any information you can...” 

This is part of what we sent him, an excerpt from Lesson One of the home study program.

Frequently Asked Questions about Food Enzymes
Information Provided by Universal Formulas (1-800-342-6960)

Table of Contents
What are enzymes?
What are the different types of enzymes?
How do enzymes aid in digestion?
What is the difference between pancreatic enzymes, plant enzymes, and microbial enzymes?
How many are aware of the function of enzymes?
Will my body stop producing enzymes?
The Thermic Effect of Food
What are some short- and long-term benefits?
Can the importance of pre-digestion be substantiated?
What happens when food is not properly digested?
Why are food enzymes missing in cooked and processed foods?
Are there physiological effects from consuming an enzyme-free diet?
At the biochemical level, how do enzymes aid in digestion?
Do enzymes survive digestion?
How do supplement manufacturers use enzymes in their products?
Is supplementation really necessary?
Why take a supplemental enzyme?
What should the dosage be?
Are there quality and efficacy issues?
What should a retailer consider when choosing a supplement to carry?

What are Enzymes?

Enzymes are substances that function as organic catalysts, in other words, they either start chemical reactions or make them run faster.  They accomplish this while remaining unchanged themselves enzymes are composed of two parts, a protein portion called the apoenzyme and a nonprotein portion; either a coenzyme (organic) or cofactor (inorganic).  Enzymes are present in every cell in both plants and animals, and are responsible for regulating the biochemical reactions necessary to sustain life.

Enzymes are highly specific, both in the substrate they affect, and in the reactions they catalyze.  They can exist both in active and in inactive forms, and many enzymes occur naturally in both active and inactive forms in cells.  They can, however, be permanently inactivated by altering their environmental conditions, such as pH or temperature.

There are six main groups of enzymes - hydrolases, isomerases, ligases, lyases, oxidoreductases, and transferases.  The enzymes involved in food decomposition and in the digestive process are hydrolases.  They break down proteins (proteases), carbohydrates (carbohydrases or amylases), and fats (lipases).  Plants also contain enzymes to break down fiber (cellulases).

The enzymes most often utilized in dietary supplements function in the same way as the enzymes found naturally in food and as digestive enzymes in the human body.  There are supplemental enzymes available that are capable of breaking down almost any food.  For example, there are several different carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes, such as amylase (for polysaccharides), lactase (for milk sugar), invertase (for sucrose), and cellulase (for plant fibers).

When considering an enzyme supplement it is important to purchase one with known efficacy.  Since there is no correlation between an enzymes weight and its activity, selecting a supplement in which the activity levels are listed is preferable.  There are many assays used to detect enzyme activity.  However, two independent scientific organizations have attempted to standardize ingredients used in foods (and dietary supplements) and pharmaceuticals.

The Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) focuses on food grade ingredients used in foods, food packaging or as food processing aids.  The United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary (USP/NF or USP) is directed toward ingredients used in pharmaceuticals.  The FCC methods are the most widely recognized assays for microbial and plant based enzymes used in dietary supplements.  Animal derived enzymes are more commonly assayed by the USP methodology.

What are the different types of enzymes?

Because enzymes have so many applications, scientists have found it helpful to classify them based on what they do, what substances they act upon  (substrates), and the reaction they start or accelerate.  There are six main groups of enzymes, each having fundamentally different activities:

1) Hydrolases break down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, such as during the process of digestion.  They do this by adding a water molecule, thus the name hydrolases.

2) Isomerases catalyze the rearrangement of chemical groups within the same molecule.

3) The ligases catalyze the formation of a bond between two substrate molecules through the use of an energy source.

4) Lyases catalyze the formation of double bonds between atoms by adding or subtracting chemical groups.

5) Oxidoreductases make oxidation-reduction (the process by which an atom loses an electron to another atom) possible.

6) Transferases transfer chemical groups from one molecule to another.

Your body contains many enzymes from each group.

For the purpose of this discussion, enzymes can be divided into three groups:

• Metabolic enzymes (enzymes which your body produces that work in blood, tissues, and organs)
• Digestive enzymes (enzymes that break down food into usable material)
• Food enzymes (enzymes that are contained in raw food)

When raw food is ingested, enzymes present within the food are released, thereby assisting the body’s digestive processes in breaking down food into simplest components for utilization within the body. However, cooking and processing destroys those enzymes, forcing the body to supply the additional enzymes needed to adequately digest the food.

There are several categories of food enzymes:

• Lipase - breaks down fats that are found in most dairy products, nuts, eggs, oils, and meat.
• Lactase - breaks down lactose (milk sugars).
• Protease - breaks down proteins that are found in meats, nuts, eggs, and cheese.
• Amylase - breaks down carbohydrates, sugar and starches, prevalent in potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and many snack foods.
• Cellulase - breaks down cellulose, the fibrous structure that make up most plant cell walls

To provide enough enzymes to relieve the burden on the body, the choices are to eat more raw food or to take a supplemental enzyme-based product.

How do enzymes aid in digestion?

Enzymes are an integral part of the digestive process. From the time food enters the mouth, enzymes are at work breaking the food down into smaller and smaller units until it can be absorbed through the intestinal wall. These enzymes come from two sources: those found in the food itself, and those produced in the body.

All raw food naturally contains the proper types and proportions of enzymes necessary to assist in the process of decomposition. In addition, when raw food is eaten, chewing ruptures the cell membranes and releases these indigenous food enzymes, many of which survive and contribute to the digestive process. These enzymes include: protease, which breaks long protein chains (polypeptides) into smaller amino acid chains and eventually into single amino acids; amylase that reduces large carbohydrates (starches and other polysaccharides) to disaccharides, including sucrose, lactose, and maltose; lipase, that digests fats (triglycerides) into free fatty acids and glycerol; and cellulase, which is not found in the human system, and breaks the bonds found in fiber.

Ideally, the human body is capable of producing these same enzymes, with the exception of cellulase, necessary to digest food and allow for the absorption of nutrients. However, with estimates of as many as twenty million Americans suffering from various digestive disorders, optimal conditions are not the case.

Most food enzymes are essentially destroyed under the conditions used to cook and process food, leaving foods devoid of enzyme activity. Placing the full digestive burden on the body, the body’s digestive process can become over-stressed. Digestive problems can result, causing improper digestion and malabsorption of nutrients that can have far-reaching effects. Consequences of malabsorption can include impaired immunity, allergic reaction, poor wound healing, skin problems and mood swings. Supplemental enzymes can improve the level of digestion and help ensure that the maximum level of nutrient absorption is attained.

Supplemental enzymes of microbial and plant origin work at the pH found in the upper stomach. Food sits in upper portion of the stomach for as long as an hour before gastric secretions begin their action. Several studies have shown that the enzymes on saliva continue their digestive activity in the upper stomach and can digest up to 30% of the ingested protein, 60% of ingested starch and 10% of ingested fat during the 30 to 60 minutes after consumption. Although salivary enzymes accomplish a significant amount of digestion, their activity is limited to a pH level above 5.0. Supplemental microbial enzymes, and some plant enzymes, are active in the pH range of 3.0 to 9.0 and can facilitate the hydrolysis of a much larger amount of protein, carbohydrates and fat before hydrochloric acid is secreted in sufficient amounts to neutralize their activity.

Obviously, these enzymes can contribute significantly in improving food nutrient utilization.

What is the difference between pancreatic enzymes, plant enzymes, and microbial enzymes?

Pancreatic enzymes:

• derived from animal tissues
• activity limited to a narrow pH range
• very specific in action
• activated by body’s enzymes
• easily destroyed by acidity of the stomach
• delayed effect
• does not break down fibers/certain carbohydrates
• no sucrase, maltase, or lactase activity

Plant enzymes:

• derived from certain plants such as pineapple or papaya
• effective within a broad pH range
• predominantly proteolytic activity

Microbial (fungal) enzymes:

• derived from selected microorganisms by the  process of fermentation
• broad pH range (approximately 3.0 - 9.0)
• activated in upper stomach
• begin working immediately
• broad action on a variety of foods

Supplemental pancreatic, plant, and microbial enzymes are all designed to enhance digestion. However, plant and microbial enzymes use a “proactive” approach and begin working on foods sooner after indigestion. Pancreatic enzymes usually begin working approximately 30 minutes after food reaches the stomach. Because of their stability in the acidic environment of the upper stomach, plant and microbial enzymes can begin their digestive action immediately after the food reaches this region. With the increased exposure to digestive enzyme activity, food has a better chance of being broken down into small, more readily absorbed particles.

Choosing a quality enzyme supplement is more difficult than just looking for a plant or fungal-based product. Enzyme potency and activity level is not evaluated by weight, because weight does not necessarily correlate with digestive capability. The activity level of a digestive enzyme is measured by assaying the quantity of digestion (hydrolysis) that occurs under specific conditions. This activity depends upon concentration, quantity, pH, temperature, and substrate (a substance being acted upon by the enzymes).

How many are aware of the function of enzymes?

Very few are aware of the function of enzymes in the body. Enzymes are substances which make life possible. They are needed for every chemical reaction that occurs in our body. Without enzymes, no activity at all would take place. Neither vitamins, nor minerals, nor hormones could do any work without enzymes.

Will my body stop producing enzymes?

NO. The pancreas will adapt to whatever food is taken into the body and react accordingly. Dr. Howell wrote about the Law of Adaptive Secretion of Digestive Enzymes (page 5 in Enzyme Nutrition) which basically states “if you take supplemental enzymes, then some of the burden of producing enzymes will be relieved.” In general, the body will adapt (within 3-7 days) to the composition of the diet. If you eat a high carbohydrate diet, the body will eventually begin secreting more amylase. Studies in rats show that a high protein diet will increase the secretion of the proteolytic enzyme trypsin. If you supplement enzymes the need for the body to produce “extra” enzymes is decreased.

The Thermic Effect of food

This phenomenon, which is referred to as the specific dynamic effect of food, refers to the stimulation in metabolism that occurs from 1 to 3 hours after a meal. This is a direct result of the presence of food in the stomach and intestine. The body will respond to eating food, and then secrete enzymes to aid in digestion and absorption.

Supplemental enzymes are support tools to aid the body in assimilating foods. The body could adapt to having supplemental enzymes present and begin to produce less endogenous enzymes. However, the mere presence of food in the stomach will always stimulate the pancreas to secrete enzymes. Even as we grow older and the body begins to produce considerably fewer enzymes due to the aging process, food will initiate a “digestive enzyme” response when it enters the body.

What are some short- and long-term benefits?

The benefits will vary depending upon the individual, diet, and general health. For the most part, people notice less fullness after meals, faster emptying of stomach contents, decreased gas, less stool being passed, and more regular bowel habits. Long-term benefits have yet to be clinically demonstrated, but is an area of active research.

Can the importance of pre-digestion be substantiated?

Research shows that nearly all creatures including rodents, whales, canines and birds have distinct organs that enable the exogenous enzymes of food the necessary time to act, before initiating the body’s own digestive process. For example, seeds and grains lie in a bird’s crop for eight to twelve hours, during which time proteolytic and amylolytic enzymes in the seed begin hydrolyzing proteins and starch. The food enzyme stomach concept in humans is supported by research on the extended activity of salivary amylase. The amylolytic activity of ptyalin alone can digest as much as 45% of the starch in a meal, before gastric secretions inhibit its action. Further studies in the 1940’s showed that as much as 60% starch, 30% protein and 10% fat were digested before pepsin was activated.

What happens when food is not properly digested?

Over a century ago Virchow described “digestive leukocytosis,” a condition in which the white blood cell count increases after a meal. Further research by Kouchakoff identified cooked and processed foods as the causative factor. Kouchakoff observed that raw food induced no change in WBC counts while cooked foods, particularly cooked meat, caused rapid increases in serum leukocyte levels. When incompletely digested food molecules are absorbed, the body identifies this particulate matter as foreign antigens and forms circulating immune complexes. The immune system then mobilizes macrophage leukocytes to digest the food.

Do enzymes survive the acidity of the stomach?

Research in the 1930's clearly demonstrated that enzymes in both bananas and carrots are reactivated in the secretions of the intestine. More recently, a study in the 1980's demon-strated that enteric-coated pancreatic enzyme preparations were no more effective than non-coated forms, indicating survival of the enzymes through the low pH of the stomach.

Why are food enzymes missing in cooked and processed foods?

Modern food processing techniques and all types of cooking destroy nearly 100% of the enzymes naturally occurring in food. Enzymes are completely denatured when exposed to temperatures over 1181/4 degrees F. for any length of time. The modern diet, consisting of cooked and processed food, is essentially devoid of active enzymes.

Are there physiological effects from consuming an enzyme-free diet?

According to Dr. Howell “cooked, enzymes-free diets contribute to a pathological over-enlargement of the pituitary gland (which in turn) regulates the other glands”. Likewise, the human pancreas is grossly hypertrophied in relation to all other members of the animal kingdom. Howell concluded that the massive size of the human pancreas is the result of a pathological adaptation to a cooked diet. Research conducted at the University of Minnesota showed significant changes in the organ weights of rats fed heat-treated food. Both the pancreas and submaxillary glands increased in weight by 20 to 30 percent. Research by Grossman further substantiates the adaptive role that diet plays in pancreatic secretion.

At the biochemical level, how do enzymes aid in digestion?

Enzymes are catalysts. They initiate or speed up a reaction. When food is ingested, enzymes are released in the mouth (ptyalin) that aid in breaking open carbohydrate cell walls. As the food progresses through the digestive tract, other enzymes are released. The ultimate breakdown of food occurs in the small intestine assisted by the release of pancreatic enzymes. Raw food contains its own enzymes which help to facilitate this process. However, if food is cooked or processed, these “food” enzymes are inactivated, and therefore the burden of digestion is left to the body’s own enzymes, mostly those produced by the pancreas. Often incompletely digested food is passed into the colon taking vital nutrients with it, and possibly causing intestinal upset.

Supplemental enzymes take the place of the enzymes lost in food preparation, enabling digestion to begin further up in the gastro region and resulting in a more complete digestion and release of nutrients, while also easing the burden on the pancreas.

Do enzymes survive digestion?

Many studies indicate enzymes in foods and even non-enteric coated supplemental enzymes do survive the acidic portion of digestion and are reactivated in the intestine. Enzymes of fungal, or plant, origin tend to work in a much broader pH range. What is important to note is that digestion starts in the mouth. Salivary enzymes work on breaking food down immediately. University studies have shown that enzymes in the saliva continue to break food down in the upper stomach, up to 30% of ingested protein, 60% of ingested starch, and 10% of ingested fat.

Supplementing exogenous enzymes, which work in a pH range of 3.0-9.0, can help to break down significantly more food before hydrochloric acid is secreted in sufficient amounts of neutralize activity. Research is inconclusive as to whether nutritional enzymes themselves offer any nutritive value. But, it’s obvious that enzyme supplementation plays a significant role in improving food nutrient utilization, and can result in less stress placed upon the body during digestion.

How do supplement manufacturers use enzymes in their products?

Supplement manufacturers initially used enzymes, and more specifically proteases, as aids to digestion of food. Other, non-digestive, uses have been proposed.  Attempts have been made to market enzyme products for oral administration using certain metabolic enzymes.

Digestive enzymes, especially those derived from fungal sources, are relatively more stable compared to metabolic enzymes, and as such are ideal for oral supplementation to aid digestion.  The primary benefit is in shifting a portion of the digestive burden from pancreatic enzymes in the intestine to fungal enzymes in the stomach.  Continued supplementation over a period of days activates a feedback system to the pancreas, signaling it to decrease production of its enzymes.  This allows the pancreas, primarily an endocrine organ, to conserve its cellular machinery for production of insulin and glucagon, which are important in blood glucose maintenance.

Building upon research begun in the ‘60s, some manufacturers are marketing proteolytic enzymes as natural anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents.  Research indicates that some portion of orally administered enzymes is absorbed in the intestine as a whole and functional protein, and may perform in a manner similar to that of the body’s own enzyme system in accelerating wound and bruise healing.  Caution is advised in extrapolating from these studies.  Some companies have implied benefits in treating various cancers with enzyme therapy, however, until confirmed through rigorous clinical trials and a mechanism of how proteases produce these benefits on the cellular level is proposed, these claims must lie on the altar of anecdotal evidence.

Is supplementation really necessary?

The enzymes naturally present in food play an important role in digestion by helping to predigest the ingested food in the upper stomach before hydrochloric acid has even been secreted.  This predigestion is hindered when food is cooked or processed because the enzymes are destroyed by processing procedures.  Placing the full digestive burden on the body, the body’s digestive process can become over-stressed and incomplete.  As a result, vital nutrients may not be released from the food for assimilation by the body, and gastrointestinal problems may result.

The primary purpose of enzymes in supplement form is to enhance the enzymes available in raw food, and replace those enzymes lost when food is cooked or processed.  In addition, supplementation enables more digestion to begin in the gastric region, easing the burden on the digestive system as a whole.  The earlier digestion can begin, the greater the likelihood that no undigested food will enter the colon where bacteria can feed upon it, causing such problems as gas and bloating.

Nearly every person can benefit from supplementation with enzymes.  Even healthy people may improve their absorption and utilization of nutrients through the use of digestive enzymes.  Of course the benefits will vary, depending upon the individual’s diet and general health.  Individuals in good health can expect to notice less fullness after meals, increased energy, faster emptying of the stomach contents, decreased gas, and more regular bowel habits.

Why take a supplemental enzyme?

Supplemental enzymes replace the enzymes once present in raw food.  Most enzymes are lost in cooking and processing.  Only raw or uncooked food contains enzymes. Nature put these enzymes in food to aid in digesting the food you eat so that your body’s enzymes would not have to handle all the work.  By taking a supplemental enzyme you free up your body’s enzymes. When enzymes are missing from your food the full burden of digestion falls on your own digestive system.  Food sits in your stomach for nearly an hour before your body’s digestive enzymes are secreted.  It is during this time that food enzymes do their best work breaking down complex food molecules. These supplemental enzymes are temporarily inactivated in the stomach, but not before they have already accomplished much of their mission of breaking down the food molecules.  During the first 30 to 60 minutes after eating, enzymes are hard at work, predigesting food long before the stomach acids render some of them inactive.  Enzymes not destroyed in the stomach are re-activated in the small intestine.

Today’s typical diet of cooked, canned and convenience foods make it very important to take supplemental enzymes to relieve some of your body’s digestive stress.  Since your body will put a higher priority on digestion than on maintaining health, it will steal enzymes from the immune system to finish digestion.  Taking a supplemental enzyme can help take stress off not only your digestive organs, but also your immune system.

What should the dosage be?

Start with small doses, one capsule prior to a large meal.  Most people’s systems work differently.  Try different doses until the desired effect is achieved.  Increase in bowel movements may occur.  This is normal because these enzymes are very stable, and retain activity in the intestinal tract.  After 2 or 3 days, the system will be cleaned out, and less stool is passed.  This means that more food has been broken down and absorbed by the intestinal tract.  After even large meals the heaviness and gas will decrease.  This is mostly due to the presence of undigested food in the colon, and the bacteria present cause the food to ferment, which produces gas.  In addition, less energy is expended by the body to break down food, which often results in one feeling more alert and energized.  Heartburn also is reduced or stops occurring altogether; since the enzymes digest the food very quickly, food is passed out into the intestine faster, and acid production, which is triggered by the presence of food in the stomach, is then reduced.

Are there quality and efficacy issues?

Quality and efficacy issues run the entire length and breadth of the dietary supplement industry, including enzymes.  Knowledge of handling, storing, and packaging of enzymes is essential to properly preserve an enzyme’s activity.  Quality control policies must be strictly followed as well as having knowledge of the suppliers of raw materials.

What should a retailer consider when choosing a supplement to carry?

    * Is the enzyme selected appropriate to the purpose claimed?
    * Declaration of enzymes potencies in standard activity units rather than weight measurements.
    * The activity units should be from a compendial source such as the Food Chemical Codex.

References:
Guthrie, Helen.  Introductory Nutrition Seventh Edition.  Times Mirror/Mosby College Publishing 1989 ISBN 0-8016-2201-8
Grossman, et..al., In the Mechanism of the Adaptation of Pancreatic Enzymes to Dietary Consumption.  The American Journal of Physiology 141:38-41, 1944
Grossman, et. al., The Effect of Dietary Consumption on the Pancreatic Enzymes.  The American Journal of Physiology 140:676-682, 1943.
Howell, Edward.  Enzyme Nutrition The Food Enzyme Concept.  Avery Publishing Group Inc.  1985.
Murray M. Pizzorno J.  Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.  (Prima Publishing, Rocklin, CA 522-23. 1991).
Prochaska and Pickutowski.  On the Synergistic Effects of Enzymes in Food with Enzymes in the Human Body.  A Literature Survey and Analytical Report.  Medical Hypotheses 42 (June): 355-362.
Prochaska I,J and Pickutowski W V “On the synergistic effects of enzymes in food with enzymes in the human body.  A literature survey and analytical report “ Medical Hypotheses 42: 355-62 (1994).
Schwimmer S. Source Book of Food Enzymology. (Westport, CT: The AVI Publishing Company, Inc. 1981)
Whitney EN, Cataldo CB, and Rolfes SR. Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition (St. Paul. New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco.  West Publishing Company.  1991).

Scientific studies of diet and nutrition

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, M.D., wrote 450 peer-reviewed scientific papers on the subject of diet and nutrition while working for some of the most prestigious agencies of the US Government. His book, The China Study, is the culmination of his life's research, and in it he reveals the Truth and Myths about plant- and animal-based diets. Published January, 2005, BenBella Books.

"Jim - I have just concluded Part I of The China Study........ phenomenal! Campbell has established in the scientific realm regarding plant based diet what was previously only available through anecdotal evidence. Have already recommended the book to others and have provided specific excerpts to help point the way. I'm certainly glad you are such a prolific, speed reader :) !!"
- Lawrence Meggs, Roan Mountain, Tennessee.

The China Study is 417 pages, written for laymen, with 35 pages of reference footnotes and a 12 page index. It's full of charts, graphs, references - all of Dr. Campbell's supporting documentation. Get "the rest of the story" for yourself - read the book! - here are two sources:

http://AnnWigmore.com/news/chinastudy.htm

-- Buying anything through links on this page might generate a commission for us. Thank you!

Sunlight isn't so evil after all

- condensed from AARP Bulletin, June 2004

For a long time “medical science” warned people to avoid sunlight. That thinking is changing.

“If sunlight were really that bad for us, we’d be nocturnal creatures like mice,” says Dr. Francis Gasparro, adjunct research professor of Dermatology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

“Probably 40 percent of otherwise healthy adults between 49 and 65 years old and half of all people over 65 are deficient,” says Michael Holick, who runs the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at  Boston University Medical Center.

"Only 20 minutes of sunscreen-free exposure several times a week makes plenty of Vitamin D."

Making the China Connection

Could the plant-based diet of rural Chinese be a key to your good health?

"I didn't get in this business with any agenda, not vegetarian, not vegan, not religious, not animal rights, none of that," he said. "I just got into this field as a scientist."

Campbell, professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University, has summed up his research and his career in a book called The China Study (BenBella Books, 2004):  http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060525/FEATURES03/605250301/-1/rss

-- Buying anything through links on this page might generate a commission for us. Thank you!

DNA and light

DNA is the central storage repository for light in our body and is twisted around itself in a double helix, which can turn right or left. It belongs to the group of nucleic acids, of which there are two chains: the DNA and the RNA. DNA and RNA are built like a helix. Both strands form the structure and consist of sugars and phosphate groups that show a basic reaction.

The links are attached to the sugars and are basic. However, there are only four bases in the DNA: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. Only recently have researchers realized that cells do not simply absorb light but emit it coherently; the DNA and RNA molecules are a laser-active medium and can produce an optical hologram that communicates with the resonance of the background fields of our Earth and the planets as well as galaxies.

This means that they can give off light in a non-chaotic manner. Coherency is the ability of waves to overlap, where spatially different sources of photons either strengthen or weaken each other. This results in a structured state where waves can form a coherent and communicating field, and this field is interactive to a high degree; in the case of non-coherent photons, any interference causes them to collapse within seconds.

Hence, the way ultra-weak luminescent cell radiation works is of significant importance. It does not radiate chaotically, but behaves in a stable manner, phased like a laser-which is light in a coherent form.

Communication turns out to be one of our most basic properties-communication within the system as well as communication with the outside. The aim is to counteract entropy, loss of structure, chaos, a state of high disorder, so as to create and maintain a state of excitement. A high level of order within the body enables an undisturbed flow of information and communication.

This, in turn, maintains the metabolism as well as all other life processes. The building and depletion of cells, the synthesis of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids as well as the flow of neurotransmitters and the entire cell metabolism all work on an extremely rapid transfer of information that can only be achieved by light transmission.

Lack of energy and blockages are signs of disturbance in the flow or process of life. This disturbance can occur on all levels, whether atomic particle or cell, organ or psyche. Hence, any disease can be interpreted as a manifestation of a loss of information and communication with the body!

Life and all particles of a system relate to each other coherently and where they communicate with each other to achieve a sensible cooperation in order to produce the optimal condition for the entire system. Light emission is strongest whenever DNA is reproduced.

The DNA emits about 90% of the biophotons in the cell nucleus. The DNA is an excellent storage medium for light and thus also for oxygen because of its form, the double helix. Perhaps this is why DNA is the basis for all processes occurring in the body-and thus also participates in metabolism.

At least two functions are currently assigned to the DNA: the coding of genetic information, which is passed on to the next generation in the germ cell, and the storing of information to build all cell components. The coherent light from the DNA controls all-important biochemical and changing processes. These processes are the result of information carried by photons. DNA and RNA produce optical holograms and are in resonance with all background fields.

 by Dr. Mercola of http://www.mercola.com.

Biophotons and food

An important aspect of raw foods is the energetic aspect. Without light there is no health. We are human photocells whose ultimate biological nutrient is sunlight.

Dr. Johanna Budwig from Germany has stated that live foods are electron rich and act as high-powered electron donors and as solar resonance fields in the body to attract, store, and conduct the sun's energy in our body.

The greater our store of light energy, the greater the power our overall electromagnetic field, and consequently the more energy is available for healing and the maintenance of optimal health. Currently there are about 40 scientific groups worldwide working on biophotons. The largest association is the International Institute of Biophysics http://www.lifescientists.de/ib_000e1.htm in Neuss (Germany), founded to investigate and understand, via an interdisciplinary approach, living systems. There are 14 Governmental Research Institutes and Universities with common research in: Coherence in Biology Biocommunication Biophotonics

Scientists are rediscovering many components in living foods that have a major impact on our body systems

For thousands of years healers have known about the benefits of eating natural, unprocessed, live foods. With the advent of the industrial revolution and the birth of modern medicine, much ancient wisdom about the healing properties of living foods and herbs was ignored.

Yet today, it is scientists who are rediscovering many components in living foods that have a major impact on our body systems, helping to promote health and prevent disease. These are the phytochemicals (phyto means ‘plant’ in Greek).

Phytochemicals are biologically active compounds in food. They play a vital role in the body’s biochemistry in ways that impact on our health as significantly as vitamins and minerals.

In this sense they are best thought of as essential nutrients.

-- from a South African Journal

Dorit, Certified Chopra Centre Educator and Vegan Living Foods Chef/Life Skills Coach
Author, Celebrating Our Raw Nature
c/o Serenity Spaces
310-854-2078
http://www.serenityspaces.org/

Structural integrity and active enzymes

Most raw food, like our lives, is very perishable. When it is exposed to temperatures above 105 degrees it starts to rapidly break down, just as our bodies would if we had a fever that high.

One of the constituents of foods that can break down are the enzymes. Enzymes, of course, help us digest our food. Enzymes are proteins though, and have a very specific three-dimensional structure in space. Once they are heated much above 105 degrees this structure can change. Enzymes function very similar to a lock and key and once their shape is changed the key no longer works and they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed.

This may be a major factor that explains why cooked foods contribute to chronic illness, as their enzyme content is damaged and thus requires us to make our own enzymes to process the food. Many people gradually impair their pancreas and progressively lose the ability to digest their food after a lifetime of processed foods.

From Dr. Mercola of http://www.mercola.com.
- Submitted by Sharon Liess of Florida.

Leaner mice able to fight tumors

(AP) Fatty tissue may decrease the body's ability to kill off cancer, says a study that found making mice leaner — through exercise or surgery — seemed to help them fight skin tumors.

Scientists have long known that people who are overweight are at increased risk of certain types of cancer. The question is why, and whether slimming down will lower that risk or do any good after a tumor forms.

Rutgers University scientists took a closer look at that question using mice engineered to get skin cancer, and reported Monday that fat cells may secrete substances that short-circuit one of the body's main anti-tumor defenses: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061024/ap_on_he_me/fat___cancer_2.

Mandarin Oranges may cut liver cancer risk

Japanese scientists found the key were vitamin A compounds called carotenoids which give the fruit its orange colour.

One study found eating mandarins cut the risk of liver disease, hardened arteries and insulin resistance, and a second found that drinking the fruit's juice cut the risk of patients with chronic viral hepatitis developing liver cancer: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5333898.stm.

One More Benefit of Practicing Gratitude: It Can Help You Stay Raw!

One More Benefit of Practicing Gratitude:
It Can Help You Stay Raw!
By Victoria Boutenko

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”  - Cicero

When we adopt a raw food lifestyle, we may feel deprived of our habitual pleasures, especially when we watch others enjoying cooked delicacies that used to be our own favorites. Being hungry, angry, lonely, or depressed at that moment could add even more frustration to our feelings of misery. I would like to share with you a method that can help eliminate feelings of deprivation from your life forever.

We all have different perspectives on life. Some of us feel that life is becoming increasingly more frustrating, especially considering all the natural cataclysms and political challenges. At the same time, others view life as a totally beautiful and enjoyable experience. Initially, I thought that our opinions on the fairness of life depended on the level of our material wealth. Later, I met some poor people who were content with their lives and wealthy persons who were deeply upset about their lives. While watching many people caught in a material pursuit (including myself) I developed a strong interest in the true origins of people’s contentment in life. I came to the conclusion that there are two opposite perspectives on life: the materialistic perspective and the grateful perspective.

The materialistic approach to life guarantees discontentment and frustration, as there is no objective limit to the acquisition of personal possessions. There is no constant measure that could be marked as “enough.” At the same time, only the very basic possessions that satisfy our essential needs such as food, clothes, and shelter, can bring us a sensible feeling of contentment. The majority of the items beyond the basic needs convey very little enjoyment to their possessor.

Contrary to this, gratefulness inevitably leads us to becoming aware of the unlimited wealth that life holds for every one of us. Grateful people tend to be happier, more optimistic, more satisfied with their lives, than their less grateful counterparts. Michael E. McCullough, a professor from Florida, provides experimental evidence that gratitude leads to improvements in psychological and even physical well-being.[1]

McCullough’s groundbreaking research demonstrates that “people who place too much emphasis on materialistic pursuits – people for whom obtaining wealth and material possessions takes priority over meaningful relationships, community involvement, and spirituality – tend to be unhappy people. In general, they are dissatisfied with their lives, and tend to experience high levels of negative emotion. They are at risk for a variety of mental disorders. In contrast, grateful people – people who readily recognize the many ways in which their lives are enriched by the benevolent actions of others – tend to be extraordinarily happy. They experience high levels of positive emotion and are generally satisfied with their lives.” [2]

Being constantly exposed to a vast variety of advertisement and financial challenges, we may increase our materialistic perception of life. According to McCullough’s research, gratefulness is such a powerful approach to life that it may reduce people’s materialistic strivings. [3]

I invite you to apply this valuable information about the power of gratitude to any situation in your life. Below, I am presenting two different approaches to watching another person consuming a cooked delicacy.

The materialistic approach:

What is that heavenly smell? Oh no! It’s pizza! Look at how they are enjoying it. How come I am not allowed to enjoy it? Am I a monk? They don’t look as if they are going to die. Can it be true that I will never again in my entire life be able to partake of such a pleasant meal? Oh, how lucky these fellows are! I wish I could enjoy pizza now as they do! What torture, poor me. Oh that aroma… it brings tears to my eyes. So many of the sweetest memories come to mind, the best times. Now, they are over. E-eh.

The grateful approach:

That smell is oddly familiar. Wow, pizza. I had a lot of it in my life! More than one could dream of. Now it is time to take care of my health. Yeah, health is my priority now. All these people eating pizzas will be delighted to discover a healthy diet in their time. I am grateful that I am on a healthy diet already. I do feel a lot better. I am so glad that I will not have to be sick again. In only fifteen minutes I will be home. What do I have in my fridge? Those hass avocados I bought yesterday should be perfectly ripe today. It will only take a couple of minutes to prepare guacamole with lemon, tomatoes, and jalapeno. Uh, my mouth is watering! I have fresh romaine lettuce, tomatoes and a giant organic mango that will be so yummy and nourishing. Oh, I am looking forward to my raw dinner that will leave me feeling light and wonderful. I greatly appreciate what the raw food diet is doing for my body and mind. How fortunate I am! What a blessing life is.

To develop a grateful attitude, we need to practice one simple activity— notice the positive sides of events in our lives. The very best way to do this is to keep a gratitude journal. Buy yourself a notebook and start writing three to five grateful notes daily. I think that we should be grateful not only for the positive but also the negative experiences. Often, it is the most painful events in our lives that shape the qualities in ourselves we value most.

Practicing gratitude can make your life on a raw food diet more enjoyable and will have a positive impact on your health, your mood, and your life in general.

[1] Emmons, A., McCullough, M. The Psychology of Gratitude. Oxford University Press, USA, 2004

[2] Polak, E., McCullough, M. Is Gratitude an Alternative to Materialism? Journal of Happiness Studies, 2006, DOI 10.1007/s10902-005-3649-5

[3] McCullough, M., Kilpatrick, S., Emmons, R., Larson, D. Is gratitude a moral affect? Psychological Bulletin, 2001, #127

- thanks to Victoria Boutenko, www.RawFamily.com.

124 ways sugar ruins your health

By Nancy Appleton, PhD -- Author of Lick the Sugar Habit
Print this list and tape it to your refrigerator or sugar bowl.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, and rectum.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity.
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E in the blood.
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs) (Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
46. Sugar causes food allergies.
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
54. Sugar can cause cataracts.
55. Sugar can cause emphysema.
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).
58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.
59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.
60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease.
61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.
62. Sugar can enlarge the liver by making the liver cells divide.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
64. Sugar can enlarge the kidney and produce pathological changes in it.
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.
75. Sugar can cause depression.
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
81 High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body's ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer's disease.
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become under active and others become overactive.
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increase platelet adhesion.
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
92. Sugar feeds cancer.
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
100. Sugar is an addictive substance.
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
111..IVs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
116. In Intensive Care Units: Limiting sugar saves lives.
117. Sugar may induce cell death.
118. Sugar may impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in living organisms.
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
120. Sugar can cause gastric cancer.
121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
122. Sugar can cause gum disease.
123. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.
124. Sugar can cause low birth-weight babies.

Clinical studies and findings regarding the raw food diet and lifestyle

Uncooked fruits and vegetables pack more of a nutritional punch than their cooked counterparts. But how much of a difference can an all-raw diet really make?

Researchers have found that a diet rich in raw vegetables can lower your risk of breast cancer, while eating lots of fruit can reduce your risk for developing colon cancer, according to a study published in the May 1998 issue of the journal Epidemiology.

And including fresh fruit as part of your daily diet has been associated with fewer deaths from heart attacks and related problems (by as much as 24%, according to a study published in the September 1996 issue of the British Medical Journal): http://chidiet.com/news/clinicalstudiesandfinding.html.

Plant compounds continue to challenge Science

The one thing on which all nutritionists seem to agree is that consumption of vegetables and fruit helps fight many chronic diseases.

"It is often said that phytochemicals are to the twenty-first century what vitamins were to the twentieth. Just as the intensive study of vitamins led to a new understanding of nutrition, so research on phytochemicals will lead to a new science of prevention through diet," said AICR Nutrition Advisor Karen Collins, RD.

Perhaps the best known function of phytochemicals is elimination of free radicals that can cause DNA damage leading to cancer. In fact, phytochemicals act in at least eight different ways we know of to reduce cancer risk. These ways range from causing spontaneous cancer cell death (apoptosis) to regulating hormones: http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/15953/.

[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!]

USDA finds fruits and veggies to be best for antioxidants #rawfoods

Red and Blue Jewels of Summer Are Also Excellent for Your Health. Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center have ranked blueberries No. 1 in antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables. The mighty little berry contains powerful phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, the bluish pigment that gives blueberries their color.

Blueberries are associated with numerous health benefits, including protection against urinary-tract infections (along with cranberries), cancer, age-related health conditions and brain damage from strokes. They may also reduce the build-up of so-called "bad" cholesterol, which contributes to heart disease and stroke:
http://www.bonitanews.com/news/2006/jul/25/lenore_greenstein_red_and_blue_jewels_summer_are_a/?around_swfla

[source: Veggies in Motion News]

Who has the slimmest waists? Vegans. #rawfoods

Who has the slimmest waist? Meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians, or vegans? According to a new study, vegans do: http://www.realage.com/news_features/tip.aspx?v=1&cid=17025.

Clinical studies and findings regarding the raw living foods lifestyle

Clinical studies and findings: http://chidiet.com/news/clinicalstudiesandfinding.html.

Consumer Reports on Health praises vegetarian diets

Another widely read publication is singing the praises of a plant-centered diet: Consumer Reports on Health had this to say in their October 1995 issue:

"Judging by the ever-growing number of scientific reports confirming the health benefits of a vegetarian diet, it's the devoted meat eaters who look a little out of touch these days."

Some of the highlights:

An unpublished study of 25,000 Seventh-Day Adventists (many of whom eat a vegetarian diet) finds that Adventists have a 40% lower death rate from cardiovascular disease than the average American. Meat is loaded with iron, a "pro-oxidant" that may increase the risk of coronary disease in some people.

- Male Seventh-Day Adventists have about half the cancer death rate of other American men, and female Adventists have about two-thirds the rate of other women.

- Vegetarian diets have low levels of the amino acid homocysteine, recently linked to increased risk of heart disease. Plant foods are rich in folic acid which reduces homocysteine levels.

- Vegetarians are at reduced risk from diverticulitis, hemorrhoids and constipation.

- Meat eaters have higher levels than vegetarians of certain digestive acids that may help cause colon cancer. Some research suggests that animal protein may fuel the growth of cancerous tumors.

Source: "No More Meat?", Consumer Reports on Health, Oct 95, as cited in EarthSave News, Winter 1995-96.

[While lots of us know that Raw Living Foods are an improvement upon the cooked vegetarian diet, I couldn't pass up the quotation, "It's the devoted meat eaters who look a little out of touch these days." - The times, they are a changin'. - Jim]

Raw food vegans thin but healthy, study finds

(Reuters) WASHINGTON - People who adhere strictly to raw food vegetarian diets are thin but have surprisingly robust bones, U.S. researchers reported (Victoria Boutenko's family was part of this study): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7317449/.

Update - While the above link has disappeared from MSNBC, I found the article still available here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/diabetes/news/article.cfm?c_id=174&objectid=10117603

Thanks, Emily, for letting me know.

Jim

Sunlight helps raw food vegans

Although nutritionists and the food industry have cautioned that a diet devoid of dairy foods can lead to the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, scientists found that those who stick to raw food vegetarian diets (vegans) have surprisingly strong bones, even though they avoid meat and dairy products.

But how can raw food vegans, who believe in eating only plant-derived foods, have strong bones? The answer: Sunlight.

Vegans' Strong Bones

Scientists compared 18 patients (ages 33-85) who had maintained a strict raw food vegan diet (including unprepared foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts and sprouted grains) for more than three years with people who ate an average diet. The study showed that raw food vegans had an average body mass index (BMI) of 20.5, compared to a BMI of 25 in the average diet group.

Additionally, the vegans had low levels of C-reactive protein (linked to diabetes and heart disease) and IGF-1 (connected to breast and prostate cancer). The most important finding, however, was that vitamin D levels among those in the raw food group were significantly higher than average.

Vitamin D is made by the skin when the body is exposed to sunlight and the key to keeping bones strong.

Scientists explained that the raw food vegans involved in the study were clever enough to expose themselves to sunlight in order to increase their vitamin D concentrations.

Archives of Internal Medicine March 28, 2005;165(6):684-689  http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/165/6/684?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Fontana&searchid=1112118954209_2199&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&journalcode=archinte

Reuters, March 28, 2005 (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7317449/).

Healing and Living Foods, Raw Pasta and Guacamole on Grassy Roots this week

This week on Grassy Roots TV Beth Overgaauw and I talk about the scientific basis of the plant-based, raw living foods lifestyle.

In the kitchen we make raw pasta, sauce, and a veggie kraut in the kitchen, and show a short video of Dr. Ann doing the same.

In honor of Spring, Beth visits an organic farmer in Kentucky and gets some organic gardening and fertilizer tips.
Catch this one hour show online at http://grassyroots.com/index.php/this-weeks-show.html.

Jim Carey

Twitter me: http://twitter.com/rawdoctor
Facebook me: [email protected]
MySpace me: [email protected]
YouTube me: chidiet

Large Study Links Processed Meat With Cancer

World cancer experts have finally declared what NewsTarget readers learned nearly four years ago: That processed meats cause cancer, and anyone seeking to avoid cancer should avoid eating all processed meats for life.

Hundreds of cancer researchers took part in a five-year project spanning more than 7,000 clinical studies and designed to document the links between diet and cancer. Their conclusion, published in the World Cancer Research Fund's report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective (2007), has rocked the health world with a declaration that all people should immediately stop buying and eating processed meat products and that all processed meat should be avoided for life!

Processed meats, the report explains, are simply too dangerous for human consumption. And why? Because they contain chemical additives that are known to greatly increase the risk of various cancers, including colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, brain tumors, pancreatic cancer and many more. The report, published at this DietAndCancerReport.org website also recommends that consumers:

• Avoid all sugary soft drinks for life.
• Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
• Get lean and fit, without becoming underweight.
• Limit consumption of ALL meats (even fresh meat).
• Breastfeed all infants for their first six months, avoiding infant formula.

Sadly, the WCRF still does not recommend that consumers use nutritional supplements to help protect themselves from cancer, indicating that the group still has a lot to learn about the role of medicinal mushrooms, sea vegetables, microalgae, Chinese herbs, rainforest herbs and superfood extracts in preventing and reversing cancer. But at least the group's recommendation that consumers now avoid all processed meat products is a huge step in the right direction.

It is the first time that any internationally-recognized cancer organization has found the courage to make a partial proclaimation about the health hazards of the chemicals found in processed meat products. It's almost as big a deal as when the American Medical Association, after years of taking millions of dollars from tobacco companies, finally admitted that smoking causes lung cancer and heart disease. (A decade after the scientific evidence was irrefutable, of course, but then again, the AMA was making money off Big Tobacco by running tobacco ads in JAMA...)

Processed meat products include:

• Bacon
• Sausage
• Pepperoni
• Beef jerky
• Deli slices
• Hot dogs
• Sandwich meat (including those served at restaurants)
• Ham
• Meat "gift" products like Christmas sausages
• Meat used in canned soups
• Meat used in frozen pizza
• Meat used in kid's lunch products
• Meat used in ravioli, spaghetti or Italian pasta products

... and many more meat products.

What are the dangerous chemicals in processed meats?
Sodium nitrite is one of the most dangerous chemicals added to processed meats. Please be aware:

• You MUST read the ingredients list to find the sodium nitrite! Meat product companies do not list this ingredient on the front of the package.

• Even ORGANIC meat products and NATURAL meat products can still contain sodium nitrite. So read the labels to be sure, and avoid buying any meat product made with sodium nitrite.

• Be especially careful of food for kids! Virtually all packaged food products containing meat and marketed to children contain sodium nitrite! (Read the ingredients to protect your children.)

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a second dangerous chemical found in virtually all processed meat products. MSG is a dangerous excitotoxin linked to neurological disorders such as migraine headaches, Alzheimer's disease, loss of appetite control, obesity and many other serious health conditions. Manufacturers use MSG to add flavor to dead-tasting processed meat products.

Essentially, dead meat products look and taste dead (because they are), so meat companies use the following three ingredients to make them look fresh and taste interesting:

• Sodium nitrite makes the meat look red and fresh. (But it promotes cancer.)
• MSG makes the meat taste savory. (But it causes neurological disorders.)
• Processed salt makes the meat taste more interesting. (But it causes nutritional problems and high blood pressure.)

On top of these three chemical additives, processed meats also contain saturated animal fat that is often contaminated with PCBs, heavy metals, pesticide residues and other dangerous substances.

Read more at NewsTarget.com.

A Closer Look at Cancer in US Hispanics/Latinos

Cancer affects Hispanic and Latino people in the United States differently that it does non-Hispanic whites and other ethnic and minority groups, according to the new American Cancer Society report: http://health.yahoo.com/news/166481.

Vitamin D sunshine still under attack

Amazingly there are still 'expert' delusional physicians in the U.S. who oppose the healthy use of sun exposure: http://www.mercola.com/2006/jul/18/vitamin_d_sunshine_advocate_still_under_attack.htm.

Debts and Health linked in study

Holiday sales are calling, but your health may be better served by creating a gift budget.

Staying out of debt -- you know, the high-interest kind that seems to go along with using plastic -- could be a boon to your body as well as your wallet. Researchers have found that the more credit-card stress people have, the more health problems they report. So make a list, check it twice, and resist those impulse buys: http://www.realage.com/news_features/tip.aspx?v=1&cid=17466.

Making healthy food even healthier

Researchers at Ohio State University paid about a dozen people to eat salads (this is America, you've got to PAY people to eat salad) with or without avocado, one of the healthiest sources of fat, and then measured the amount of carotenoids that made it into everyone's bloodstream. Those eating a salad including half an avocado absorbed about 10 times more carotenoids than those eating the fat-free salad!

The other salad enhancement study recently took place at the Universitia di Urbino in Italy. With the understanding that it's the antioxidants that give fruits and vegetables their anticancer, antiviral, and anti-inflammation properties, scientists experimented with adding different fresh herbs to salads and measuring their resultant total antioxidant content. They found that adding just a single sprig of fresh herbs (the weight of 3 paper clips worth of thyme, sage or marjoram--a kissing cousin of oregano) literally doubles the antioxidant power of a bowl of salad. It's almost like eating two salads for the price of one!

The researchers conclude: "We stress the need to introduce aromatic herbs as a seasoning supplement in the diet of every age group." Read more: http://www.drgreger.org/june2005.html.

Rejuvenation with Raw Foods and Enzymes

Enzymes are protein molecules found in all living cells. Enzymes are the spark of life that catalyze and regulate all bodily biochemical reactions.  Approximately 2,700 different enzymes in the human body can combine with co-enzymes to form approximately 100,000 biochemical substances that enable us to see, hear, feel, move, think, reproduce and digest our food.   Raw foods provide the most natural source of one of the most important elements of our well-being – enzymes.  All raw foods - vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, meat and dairy - provide in the very food itself, specific enzymes for the body to fully digest it.

Dr. Max Wolf of Columbia University who researched enzymes and hormones from the 1930's through the 1960's, concluded enzyme production in humans diminishes after age 27.  The vital force provided by an abundance of enzymes in a young person ensures recovery quick from illness and injuries and provides flexibility, agility and energy to accomplish great feats.  As we age, depending on our lifestyle, diet and inherent enzyme potential, digestive difficulties may develop, the immune system must work harder, degenerative diseases may appear, and strength, flexibility, endurance and mental acuity decrease.

There are three types of enzymes: digestive enzymes, metabolic or systemic enzymes produced by the body, and food enzymes which must be obtained from the live foods that we eat.  Digestive enzymes are secreted by the digestive system to break down food into nutrients that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. They are also used to eliminate waste. The human digestive system secretes the proteolytic protein-digesting enzymes protease, trypsin and pepsin, fat-digesting enzymes lipase and cholesterol esterase, and enzymes that break down carbohydrates, including amylase, sucrase, maltase, lactase, and ptyalin. Humans don't produce cellulase, an enzyme necessary for digestion of fiber that is present in raw plant foods. But micro-flora in the intestines can manufacture cellulase if enough of these beneficial bacteria have been established by eating fermented foods. 

Fermentation is a natural way to preserve food and substantially enhances the enzyme content of the food. This is why most raw foodists eat plentiful quantities of fermented sauerkraut and other plant based fermented foods.

Nature did not design us to make all of the enzymes necessary for digestion, but intended us to ingest most of our enzymes from live, raw foods. For thousands of years our ancestors ate mostly raw and fermented meats, dairy and plant foods and had few if any of the health problems we have today.  Even today, the native Eskimos who still eat this "primitive origin" diet are recognized as some of the healthiest people on Earth.

Heating food above 105 degrees F destroys the vital enzymes in food, forcing us to rely on our own enzyme reserves to complete the job of digestion.  This dietary situation presents a real problem for modern man, since cooked food dominates our eating.  Plant enzymes are most abundant in vine-ripened fruits and vegetables that are just picked. In a matter of days after picking, natural enzyme levels typically drop by 50%.  Considering that most produce travels an average of 1,200 miles to get to our table and is often picked unripe to survive the trip, enzyme levels throughout even our organic food supply are deficient.

Systemic enzymes work throughout the body in every system and organ. Delivering nutrients to the cells and tissues for nourishment and regeneration, they initiate and speed up chemical reactions within the cells for energy production and detoxification. Systemic enzymes provide the necessary energy we use to rebuild muscles, cells, nerves, tissues, bones and glands. These enzymes also are instrumental in balancing our hormones, regulating our immune system and producing the neurotransmitters that modulate our emotions and enhance mental clarity. Systemic enzymes reduce inflammation, activate healing and relieve pain.  Enzymes clear our blood of undigested food particles and pathogens. And they also dissolve excess arterial plaque, strengthen blood vessels and prevent blood clots. These very same enzymes dissolve scar tissue, adhesions, tumors and cysts.  Finally they regulate metabolism to maintain optimum weight, and they rejuvenate aging muscles, joints and skin.  That's a lot of work to do everyday!!!!

Systemic enzymes are produced by every living cell. However, the liver, pancreas, gall bladder and other organs play a vital role in their production.  Some of the enzymes used for digestion also perform other important functions in the body. When we are deficient in any of these enzymes due to depleted reserves and insufficient dietary intake of raw foods, there are not enough enzymes available in the body for other functions.  Health problems ensue.  More than likely, there will not even be enough enzymes available to completely digest our everyday food.  By eating raw foods and/or taking digestive enzyme supplements with our meals and systemic enzymes between meals, many health conditions can be reversed and healed.

Enzymes and Raw Foods
All raw food enzymes are destroyed by heat.  Most raw food, like our body, is quite perishable. When raw foods are exposed to temperatures above 105 degrees F, they rapidly break down, just as our bodies would if we had a fever that high.  Enzymes, sensitive and yet powerful, help us digest our food, are proteins that break down as easily.  A three dimensional protein structure, enzymes, once they are heated much above 105 degrees F, structurally, molecularly change.

Once raw food enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed. Non raw foods contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is damaged.  This damage requires the body to create enzymes to process the food. The digestion of cooked food uses valuable metabolic enzymes in order to help digest your food. Digestion of cooked food demands much more energy than the digestion of raw food. In general, raw food is so much more easily digested that it passes through the digestive tract in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time it takes for cooked food.

Eating dead foods places a burden on the pancreas and other organs, overworking them.  Eventually these organs become exhausted and disease progresses. Many people gradually impair their pancreas and progressively lose the ability to digest their food after a lifetime of ingesting processed foods.

In 1930, under the direction of Dr. Paul Kouchakoff, research was conducted at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry in Lausanne, Switzerland. The effect of food (cooked and processed versus raw and natural) on the immune system was tested and documented.

Dr. Kouchakoff's discovery concerned the leukocytes, or white blood cells. It was found that after a person eats cooked food, his/her blood responds immediately by increasing the number of white blood cells. This is a well-known phenomena called 'digestive leukocytosis', in which there is a rise in the number of leukocytes - white blood cells - after eating.   

Since digestive leukocytosis was always observed after a meal, it was considered to be a normal physiological response to eating. No one knew why the number of white cells rises after eating, since this appeared to be a stress response, as if the body was somehow reacting to something harmful such as infection, exposure to toxic chemicals or trauma. However, the Swiss researchers at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry made another remarkable discovery. They found that eating raw, unaltered food did not cause a reaction in the blood. In addition, they found that if a food had been heated beyond a certain temperature (unique to each food), or if the food was processed (refined, chemicals added, etc.); this always caused a rise in the number of white cells in the blood.

Kouchakoff's researchers renamed this reaction 'pathological leukocytosis', since the body was reacting to highly altered food. They tested many different types of food. Time and again Kouchakoff and his researchers found that if the foods were not refined or overheated, they caused no reaction. The body saw them as 'friendly foods'. However, these same foods, if heated at too high a temperature, caused a negative reaction in the blood, a reaction found only when the body is invaded by a dangerous pathogen or trauma.

Kouchakoff's researchers found the worst offenders of all, whether heated or not, were processed foods which had been refined (such as white flour and white rice), or pasteurized (a process in which milk is flash-heated to high temperatures to kill bacteria), or homogenized (also seen in milk where the fat in milk is subjected to artificial suspension), or preserved (chemicals are added to food to delay spoilage or to enhance texture or taste).

To ensure continued good health, raw foods gift the human body nutrients and enzymes it requires. For illnesses raw foods provide the human body the necessary nutrients and enzymes it requires for healing. All raw foodists agree: when it comes to radiant health, de-aging and overall well-being, raw is the law! If you must cook your food, the best way to cook food is to lightly steam, stew, or use a slow crock cooker. Eat as few over-processed and over-cooked foods as possible. The body has a difficult time digesting fried, pasteurized, barbecued, dried, and other over-processed and over-cooked foods which you find in boxed and processed foods. Consume at least 50% of your food raw, living and enzyme rich. A good vegetable juicing program will easily help you reach the volume necessary to achieve the 50% raw foods percentage.

For more information on how to begin your enzyme-rich, living foods life, please contact BodyByBliss ™ for your free consultation @ www.bodybybliss.com or Anne @ [email protected].

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Anne Kaspar, C.A.P.H
Wellness Consultant

BodyByBliss (TM)
5 Bisbee Court
109-58
Santa Fe, NM 87508
1.888.4A.BBBliss
C: 505.690.0169
O & F: 505.588.9010
www.bodybybliss.com
www.bodybyblissmedia.com
[email protected]
[email protected]

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.

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.]

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.

Broccoli Better than Sunblock

Broccoli Better than Sunblock
from – Acres U. S. A.
January 2008 issue
Vol. 38, No.1

A team of Johns Hopkins scientists found a chemical compound in broccoli sprouts, sulfurophane, that can disrupt the cancer – causing effect of ultraviolet Light.

According to Professor Paul Talalay, sulfurophane does not absorb UV light to prevent skin entry, but instead works inside cells by boosting production of a network of protective enzymes that defend cells by boosting production against UV damage. 

External application of sprout extracts increased protective enzymes in the skin two to four times.  In addition, its effect lasts for several days. 

The report was published in the October 23 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Antioxidants may Fight Fat

The benefits of antioxidants found in many fruits, vegetables, nuts, tea, and wine may include tinkering with fat cells in a way that curbs obesity and helps the heart.

A new study shows that, in test tubes, antioxidants called flavonoids and phenolic acids ... didn't kill fat cells or slash the number of fat cells in the test tubes. Instead, they made fat cells cut their production of triglycerides, which are a heart hazard. The antioxidants did that by curbing an enzyme needed to make triglycerides, according to the study...

Meanwhile, reams of research support eating a healthy diet rich in produce...
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20071102/antioxidants-may-fight-fat?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Humans Designed as Starch Eaters

DNA TESTING PROVES HUMANS ARE DESIGNED AS STARCH EATERS

Researchers reasoned that starchy foods, like tubers, were crucial to the successful evolution of early humans, because starches offer important advantages. Their abundant, readily-available calories provide for the energy required for the evolutionary enlargement of our brains...

Proponents of meat-based diets preach that the introduction of meat into the human diet was responsible for the evolutionary development of the human brain. One of this study’s principle authors said this theory is improbable. Nathaniel Dominy pointed out, “Even when you look at modern human hunter-gatherers, meat is a relatively small fraction of their diet.

They cooperate with language, use nets; they have poisoned arrows, even, and still it's not that easy to hunt meat. To think that, two to four million years ago, a small-brained, awkwardly bipedal animal could efficiently acquire meat, even by scavenging, just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.”...

Through the modern science of DNA we have discovered an essential truth locked in our genes: humans are starch eaters. The failure to abide by this truth has resulted in unprecedented human disease due to malnutrition from over-nutrition, and an impending environmental collapse from the livestock industries supporting Western people’s perverse diet.

Applying correct information about human nutrition results in miraculous cures of dietary diseases (for example, obesity, type-2 diabetes, inflammatory arthritis, and the ravages of atherosclerosis). The eventual return of humans to their starch-based diet will be a huge step in solving our environmental crises, as well.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/oct/fav5.htm