A guideline for regaining and maintaining excellent health.
Whole(in its natural state), organic (little or no pesticides), no chemical fertilizers (herbicides), raw (live/uncooked), plants.
Processed (taken out of whole form), genetically altered (anything hydrogenated, mutated, or crossed with other plants) inorganic(doused with pesticides/poor soil), dead (cooked, baked, pasteurized, or heated up passed 105 degrees) and on and on and on and on and on and blah blah blah-too much.
The vast amount of low quality food available to Americans has been made so convenient, it is particularly difficult to believe that the majority of our options are quite harmful and do not completely cooperate with the body’s way of digesting, absorbing nutrients and passing food and have direct and indirect strain on many of our systems.
Well at this point, you should have a fairly good idea on what foods are good and bad. However, there are still many misconceptions of what is or isn't healthy. Take a look at "Bad Foods". Many people still don't know what "bad" actually is. Here are some common misconceptions of good and bad. Lets start with sugar, shall we?
Sugar has one of the biggest misconceptions pertaining to health. Do not confuse refined sugar with naturally sweet fruits. People think that since you can have too much table sugar, then you can overdose on fruit as well. NOT TRUE! White granulated table sugar is processed by man. First dissolving the raw sugar (taking out of its natural state), then "purifying" it with phosphoric acid, then further "purified" by filtering through activated carbon or bone char (charred animal bones). Anti-caking agents, such as sodium aluminosilicate, is often used to prevent clumping.
Riddled with man made chemicals, sugar drastically suppresses the Immune System. A "normal" breakfast, Raisin Bran, Milk, and OJ, has around 27 teaspoons of refined sugar, suppressing the Immune System 95% for up to 12 hours. Fruit does not have these effects on the body so eat up and enjoy natures sweetness. Also, the fiber in fruit slows the absorption of sugar vs. refined sugar which is a concentrated chemicalized assault on the body, forcing it to react much quicker than nature intended.
A good way to look at it is..."Who touches it before I eat it"? Try to keep the amount of people who touch your food before you do, as low as you can.
Search the USDA NATIONAL NUTRIENT DATABASE to find all the nutrients in all your favorite fruits and veggies. Just click the link and type in your food.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower has many anti-cancer phytochemicals which also increase the liver's ability to detoxify in addition to having slightly more Vitamin C than an Orange.
Broccoli
Oranges are great but Broccoli has double the amount of Vitamin C. Broccoli also shares some of the same potent phytochemicals as Cauliflower.
Almonds
Calcium anyone? 8 oz of Almonds has more than double the amount of Calcium of an 8 oz glass of milk and its bioavailable (usable by the body).
Avocado
With more potassium than a banana, Avocados are high in essential fats and rich in vitamins B, E and K.
Banana
An excellent source of complex carbohydrates, high in potassium, and rich in vitamins A, B, E & K.
Spinach
Calcium, vitamins, protein, potassium, spinach is a great replacement for iceberg lettuce.
Sprouts
The nutrients in sprouts multiply anywhere from 100 to 800 times in order to grow a new plant. They have an extremely high nutrient and enzyme density.
Products
Raw Almond Butter
Amazing on apples
Ezekiel 4:9 (bread, wraps, & cereal)
Have the cereal with almond milk, sliced banana and a little agave nectar. Its so good, crying will ensue.
Raw Agave Nectar
An incredible replacement for sugar, agave nectar goes nicely with tea, cereal, and what ever you want it on.
Bragg Amino Acids
With all the essential amino acids, spray Bragg amino's on salads, nuts, and wraps to increase nutrition and enhance flavor.
Celtic Sea Salt
I'm not telling you how to use salt.
Websites
www.sunfoodnutrition.com
www.goraw.com
www.communityofhigherliving.com
Juice
Juice is no better than dairy. Since it is pasteurized, there are no live enzymes & with high amounts of added, processed, refined sugar to suppress the immune system, juices have little benefit.
Yogurt/Cheese
People love their yogurt & cheese. I did too. Its dead though. Enzymatic activity tests are performed to ensure enzymes are dead so the product lasts longer. Also, proteins in dairy are too complex to be digested properly and end up being stored in your tissues.
Canned Foods
Everything from Hydrogenated oils to MSG to harmful chemical preservatives to enzymatically inactive (dead) to high fructose corn syrup, canned foods defy the word health. No healthy foods have a shelf-life of more than 2 weeks, let alone 20 years. Try not to ignore your common sense.
PBJ & White Bread
Hydrogenated vegetable oil, sugar and preservatives spread between two pieces of refined wheat stripped of all its nutrients usually washed down with a tall, dead glass of indigestible proteins (milk), makes a great snack for your kids. But not really.
Its funny, the average person would drop a fresh raw peanut on the floor then throw it out. However they have no idea what their eating when they pop open a jar of peanut butter.
