As a peaceful warrior, I would choose when, where and how I would behave.
With that commitment, I began to live the life of a warrior.
~Dan Millman

Monday, April 05, 2010

Six Nutritional Sins

Nutrition and cleansing are constantly interacting to attain normal body function. Structure is related to function, and structure of our bodies is based on what we feed it. With that in mind, and according to Dr. Bernard Jensen, these six nutritional sins are the root of most health problems and health breakdowns.

Inadequate consumption of fiber: As a rule, in the U.S., our nutritional habits do not allow us to keep our bowels in proper working condition. Fiber reduces toxic waste build-up by stimulating the bowel to move things along more quickly. Twenty to thirty grams of fiber per day are recommended.

Consuming too much fat and the wrong kinds of fats and oils: Either we have fallen prey to the fast food and processed food lifestyle which is very high in hydrogenated and/or saturated fats known as “bad” fats, or we avoid fats altogether thinking they are “fattening” and “unhealthy”. The “good” fats are critical to proper functioning of the body and as a rule, the average American is getting nowhere near enough of them. Good fats and oils include flax, avocado, raw nuts, fish, goat’s milk, and seeds such as flax.

Excessive consumption of pasteurized, homogenized dairy products: Pasteurized and some homogenized products consist 25% of the American diet, where a healthy amount of dairy products should be closer to 6%. Cow’s milk is one of the greatest mucus forming foods and also a major cause of allergies and immune system responses. Alternate recommendations are goat’s milk and/or freshly made nut-milk.

Excessive consumption of inorganic salts: Organic ionized salt contain two of the most important electrolytes in our body, sodium and chloride, which are able to transfer electrical energy. It serves to neutralize acetic, butyric, lactic and fatty acids in the system, all by-products of the intake of excessive fatty foods, starches, meat, butter, potatoes, oily nuts, etc. Inorganic salt, on the other hand, is manmade and does not react in the body the same way. Instead, it increased the risk of hardening of the arteries, increases blood pressure, increases risk of stroke, etc.

Excessive consumption of sugar and wheat. In the 1940s, people consumed 16 pounds of sugar a year. Now it is close to 125 pounds a year! Refined sugars do not meet the body’s needs. They provide empty calories along with tooth decay. There is also a buffering process that takes place as a result of eating refined sugar that leaches calcium and phosphorous from various areas of the body causing a multitude of problems. It can cause various conditions such as hypoglycemia, blood sugar disorders, and malnutrition. Wheat and dairy together account for 54% of the average daily food regime. Dairy is approximately 25% and wheat 29%. The appropriate percentage for wheat should be closer to 6%.

One factor that is of grave importance is that wheat contains gliadin (gluten), which is highly intolerant to a large portion of the population, even though they may be unaware of it. Gluten is sticky, and as such, sticks to the bowel causing problems in the small intestines. This breakdown of the mucosal barrier (lining of the small intestine) then leads to malabsorption issues. With the inner terrain now being out of balance, this in turn invites pathogens to set up residency in your GI track, including yeast (candida), parasites and bacteria. There are saliva tests available to determine if you have such a gliadin intolerance, and whether your GI tract is healthy or compromised as a result.

While I am not 100% with each and every morsel here, I agree with the high 90% of this valuable information. Take a moment at least to read through and see where your habits fall under the nine laws according to Dr. Jensen. ~j

Nine Dietary Laws
To maintain optimal health, the following nine dietary laws should be adhered to:
  1. The law of natural, pure and whole. What God made cannot be improved upon. He gave us whole foods. Whole foods build a whole body. Organically grown, in mineral rich soil, unprocessed.
  2. The law of proportions. This law applies to the 6;2;1;1 rule. That is that each day we should eat 6 vegetables, 2 fruits, one protein and one starch (a non-gliadin starch). With the right foods and the right proportions, the body will show improvements day by day, and in 6 months, you will have a better body.
  3. The law of acid-alkaline balance. The diet should contain 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acidic forming foods. Vegetables and fruits are alkaline, whereas proteins and starches are acid forming. The alkaline foods neutralize the acid forming foods.
  4. The law of variety. Our diets need to have variety, that is we should eat different fruits and vegetables, starches and proteins. Do so day-by-day, week-by-week, don’t eat the same things two days in a row. Eating produce from different areas also offers you the mineral content from various soils.
  5. The law of raw foods. Sixty percent of our diets should be comprised of raw foods, in a natural, and raw form, supplying the best source of vitamins, minerals and live enzymes. That includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Juices and nut butters are also great. Raw foods supply lots of good fiber.
  6. The law of natural cure. Nature will cure, when given the opportunity. Repair and replacement of tissues is reliant upon a good intake of nutrients and a good mind/spirit life. Only when tissues are replaced will the healing become complete.
  7. The law of moderation. Eating one of a few foods to excess causes nutritional deficiencies due to the lack of the other foods. Overeating causes imbalance, obesity, health problems such as diabetes, heart conditions and circulatory problems. That includes the three major food categories; proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
  8. The law of deficiency. If we do not eat the right foods, we will not be supplied with the right nutrients and will become deficient. Every disease is associated with some kind of nutritional deficiency.
  9. The law of food combining. Certain starches and proteins should not be eaten together (i.e. meat and potatoes). Melons are to be eaten separately from other foods. When ill or tired, it is best to practice the law of food combining as this will remove some of the stress from the digestive organs. Once health is restored, and good digestive function exists, there can be less emphasis on food combining.
Resource: Dr. Bernard Jensen

2 comments:

JeffO said...

I always told people that a pinch of lettuce will cure acid indigestion better than an antacid tablet. This post shows it wasn't my imagination.
Great info. Now where can I get nut-milk?

Unknown said...

Hi Jeff!

Nut milk can be found at your local grocery these days, but just as easily made at home as well.

Almond milk has become a staple for many recently from vegan to paleo and everyone from Safeway to Wild Oats to Whole Foods has quite a stock on hand.

Here are a couple of resources...I prefer the soaking method, but play around with it a bit...

http://paleofood.com/nmilks.htm
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=18223.0
http://www.all-creatures.org/cb/r-milkalt.html