Healthy Food Options
Natural, Therapeutic
Untitled Document
INTRODUCTION
Consumer awareness is increasing, and millions of Americans are now seeking
plain, old-fashioned, natural food. Even many doctors, who have traditionally
been long on drugs and short on proper nutrition in their practices, now
recommend whole foods to their patients. The continuing increase in cancer,
heart disease, colitis and other diseases linked to the junk food diet of
too many of our citizens has finally gotten our attention.
People are not only finding that they feel better when they eat natural foods,
but that such foods taste better as well. School systems are kicking out junk
food vending machines and providing fresh fruit and other natural foods in their
place. In Fulton County, Georgia, the number of students eating in the cafeteria
has increased dramatically since natural food “nutra lunches” were made
available., people are changinYes, people are changing their minds and their diets. An increasing
number have concluded that junk food is bad for them and their children. The
question is:
“How do I go about changing to a better diet?”
Addiction, you see, is not easy to whip, and junk food really is addictive.about an easy, step-by-step plan to conquer junk food? This book will not present
a fanatical program, nor a “cold turkey” approach to getting unhooked from junk
food. Instead, the following pages will direct you on a gradual transition into
healthful eating—an adventure in eating the best.
WHAT IS JUNK FOOD?
Before detailing a withdrawal plan from junk food we must answer the question, “What
is junk food?” In my view junk food is characterized by being (1) dead, (2) refined,
and/or (3) adulterated.
- Dead Food (vs. Living Food)
You may ask, “Isn’t all food ‘dead’?” Not really. Life diminishes in fruits and
vegetables in direct proportion to the time since picking. We really do not fully
comprehend what “life” is, but it definitely involves vitamins, minerals, enzymes,
fatty acids, and other nutrients. Man originally ate food living—that is, right
after picking (somehow I cannot imagine a TV dinner or a bag of potato chips in
the Garden of Eden!). Even as little as 20 or 30 years ago, people obtained much
of their food from their own gardens and livestock. ‘Tis not so today.
Dead food is devitalized of nutrients. Don’t misunderstand—it will fill
your stomach, but…it will not nourish your body and bring health. Dead food produces
death; loving food produces life. The choice is yours.
2. Refined Food (vs. Whole)
The Creator in His wisdom made food whole. All the essential nutrients for health
are found in the various foods, including the nutrients necessary to each food’s
proper assimilation. On the other hand, man refines food, taking out certain nutrients
in the name of enhancing flavor, appearance, or shelf life. Therefore the refining
of food destroys God-intended value of the food. How can a given food be assimilated
when refining has robbed it of vitamins, minerals, or enzymes necessary to assimilation?
Let’s look at some examples.
Take sugar for one. In its whole form, sugar cane is a rich source of vitamins and
minerals, but in its refined form B-vitamin deficiencies. Russell Wilder, M.D.,
of the Mayo Clinic notes that a diet normally adequate in B-vitamins becomes deficient
with increased consumption of sugar.1 The same could be said of flour. In its whole
grain form bread really in “the staff of life,” rich in vitamins and minerals. However,
in the refined form, with 80% of the B-vitamins and other nutrients missing, even
the rats won’t eat it. Could it be that they are smarter than some humans?
- Adulterated (vs. Pure)
Somehow God managed to make food without any chemical additives. That seems almost
a miracle when we realize that man seldom makes foods without additives. Chemical
additives alter food from its natural form, usually intentionally, but often incidentally.
“Intentional” food additives include flavorings, coloring, preservatives, and the
like. “Incidental” additives refer to pesticides, drugs, and various poisonous chemicals
that remain in food by accident.
Such adulterated food logically results in ill-health. Food was created to nourish
the body, but synthetic chemicals just do not meet that need. Chemical additives
are harmful in at least two areas. First, they require the organs of detoxification
and elimination to work harder, since such synthetic substances are foreign to the
body. Secondly, additives may directly poison the body causing diseases, such as
the food colorings butter yellow and red dye #2 which cause cancer.
One can summarize the effect of junk food simply by saying:
Dead food produces death.
Refined food produces deficiencies.
Adulterated food produces toxicity.
Now that you know what junk food is, let us look at one of its greatest hazards.
THE PROBLEM OF ADDICTION
Since junk foods are not the right “fuel” for our bodies, they cause “breakdowns,”
trips to the repair shop (hospitals), plus decreased performance. One resulting
problem is addiction. Millions actually become “hooked” on junk food. There is even
a song out about a “junk food junkie.” Thought this addictive factor appears with
many over-refined foods, white sugar probably heads the list.
“SUGARHOLICA”
The average American consumes over 110 pounds of refined sugar per year. Nearly
all commercially processed foods, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, and meats,
contain sugar either as a flavoring or preservative. It seems almost impossible
to buy anything in a supermarket that does not contain sugar or a sugar substitute
that may even be worse. The Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs
received testimony that if sugar were being proposed as a new additive today its
“metabolic behavior….would undoubtedly lead to its being banned.”2
Just what is this harmful metabolic behavior? After ingesting sugar the blood sugar
rapidly rises. In this process the pancreas is over-stimulated resulting in too
much insulin going into the bloodstream to control the sugar. This causes the bloodstream
to control the sugar. This causes the blood sugar level to plummet. After that the
“sugarholic” needs another “fix” to raise the blood sugar again, so he goes and
gets a donut and a cup of coffee perhaps. A seesaw develops with the lows getting
lower while it takes more sugar to get to the same high. Does this sound like the
experience of someone on heroin or other hard drugs? Yes, there is a striking similarity.
However, when sugar is the “drug,” we don’t call the victims mainliners, but hypoglycemics.
Are you a “sugarholic” or a “junk food junkie?” If so, you need a gradual withdrawal.
I would not recommend a “cold turkey” withdrawal—trying to change completely from
junk to natural food overnight. That kind of cure might be worse than the disease
since withdrawal symptoms even from junk food can be quite sickening. Your body
needs to gradually adjust back to nutritious eating. Even more hazardous than the
physical effects of sudden withdrawal would be the psychological. Completely changing
your diet overnight often leads to feeling of deprivation, nervousness, anxiety,
and fear of failure. More than likely you would give up in total frustration.
Using the simple withdrawal program that follows you can get unhooked from junk
food the same way you got hooked—gradually. You did not become a junk food addict
overnight, neither will you get unhooked overnight—but you will get unhooked!
JUNK FOOD WITHDRAWAL PROGRAM
STEP 1
ADOPT THE CORRECT WITHDRAWAL ATTITUDE
Before your withdrawal can succeed, the proper attitude is necessary. Here are some
thoughts to place uppermost in your mind:
- Withdrawal won’t be a breeze, but won’t be impossible either.
- I desire so strongly to live in good health for a long life that I want to get off
of junk food.
- I want to glorify God with my body which He desires as His temple.
- Only with God’s help and strengthening can I succeed. With this I cannot fail.
- I am leaving harmful, health-robbing foods for the most delicious, strength-building
foods in the world.
- After making the transition from junk food to natural food, I will enjoy eating
like never before.
STEP 2
MAKE NINE EASY FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS
Instead of merely junking your junk food, you can substitute nutritious counterparts
that also taste good. This makes withdrawal fun instead of agony. Try these nine
substitutions:
- For sugar—substitute raw, unfiltered honey, blackstrap molasses, agave nectar,
fruit juice, stevia, sorghum molasses or maple syrup
Practically any sweetening you are now doing with sugar can be accomplished as well
with these healthy substitutions. I don’t have to convince you that honey tastes
great, but you may be a bit wary of blackstrap molasses. Don’t let the strong taste
of blackstrap discourage you. After your taste buds get re-educated in a few weeks,
you will relish its hearty flavor. When using blackstrap molasses in a baking recipe,
the taste is scarcely detectable (though the nutrition is there). As you become
accustomed to the taste, substitute blackstrap for pancake syrup sometime. Raw,
unfiltered honey may likewise be used. It can also serve as a sweetener for hot
or even cold herb tea.
For uses that absolutely require a crystalline sweetener, try date sugar. This is
a more natural sugar that brown or so-called “raw sugar,” which has little nutritional
value over white sugar. Don’t forget that most fruits and other foods which are
naturally sweet don’t need additional sweetener. Eat them the way God provided them—tasty!
- For white flour—substitute whole wheat flour
When talking about eliminating white flour I am referring to all the products containing
it, such as—crackers, pasta, noodles, and of course white bread. Many people are
astonished to discover that each of these products has a whole wheat counterpart.
There’s even whole wheat spaghetti and lasagna! Whole grain products work essentially
the same in recipes while providing heartier, more satisfying taste. Baking with
whole wheat flour normally requires more liquid than baking white flour. If you
have heard that baking bread with 100% whole wheat flour is impossible, don’t believe
it. Home grain mills and bread mixers can produce excellent 100% whole wheat breads.
- For refined grains and cereals—substitute unrefined
In this step you get to do away with white rice, degerminated corn meal, and almost
all packaged breakfast cereals in favor of brown rice, stoneground corn meal, rolled
oats (not instant), granola, farina, millet, rye flakes, what flakes, soybean flakes,
cracked what, bulgur, raw wheat germ, wheat bran, and other whole grains, beans,
and seeds. You will experience a satisfaction with your appetite that refined cereals
can never provide.
One word of caution—beware of grocery store granolas. Normally they are loaded with
brown sugar making them as much a junk food as the regular packaged cereals. Such
overloading with sugar outweighs the advantage of having the whole grains. Read
labels carefully, choosing only granolas sweetened with honey, or better yet make
your own! (For an easy, delicious granola recipe, see my book. EAT, DRINK AND BE
READY listed in the Recommended Reading.)
- For salt—substitute kelp powder or herb seasonings
Salt is added to almost all commercially prepared foods in the same way that sugar
is. Due to its inorganic nature, salt cannot be assimilated by the body. By carefully
reading labels on the food you buy, you can avoid a lot of harmful salt. For your
cooking and table use, kelp and herb seasonings provide flavor without salt. In
addition, they contain sodium and trace minerals in the organic form your body needs.
- For refined oils—substitute unrefined oils
Included in refined oils are shortening, lard, and all products containing them
(such as breads and pastries). Unrefined oils are processed without excessive heat
and potentially toxic chemical solvents. Since unrefined oils by definition still
contain harmless impurities, they will smoke at a lower temperature when used for
frying. Unrefined safflower oil seems least susceptible to that problem. Remember
to refrigerate unrefined oils after opening—they are a living food and therefore
are perishable.
While we are talking about oils, let me interject a word regarding butter. In recent
years a barrage of anti-cholesterol propaganda has caused people to shy away from
butter. The truth about cholesterol is that 75% of it is produced right in your
own liver—only 25% comes from your food! If dietary cholesterol is decreased, guess
what the liver does? It merely produces more to compensate. If your serum cholesterol
level is too high, the problem is not that you’re eating too much cholesterol but
that your body is not properly metabolizing it. A person who is properly metabolizing
fats can eat an almost unlimited amount of cholesterol rich foods without raising
his serum cholesterol level. Adequate intake of certain B-vitamins and overall good
nutrition is the best solution to that problem.
Butter (with the exception of its added salt) is a good natural food high in vitamins.
It is a naturally saturated fat. On the other hand margarine is artificially
saturated by hydrogenation, a process that destroys the nutrients in the original
oil. You can have the nutrients in the original oil. You can have the nutrients
of better and unrefined oil plus the spreadability of soft margarine by mixing softened
butter with an equal quantity of unrefined safflower oil and then refrigerating
the mixture. Try it—you’ll save money too.
- For pasteurized, homogenized milk—substitute certified raw or cultured milk
products
Raw cow’s or goat’s milk, of course, is used just as pasteurized. Kefir or buttermilk
may be substituted in recipes for milk, though they should be thinned with water
to milk consistency. Even yogurt may be thus watered down and used as a milk substitute.
You may be wondering what qualifies pasteurized, homogenized milk as a junk food.
Pasteurization converts raw milk from a wonderful living food to a dead one. The
process destroys all of the enzymes and at least 50% of the other nutrients. Pasteurization
renders the essential amino acid lysine unavailable making the milk an incomplete
source of protein.3 Homogenization, pasteurization’s infamous partner, alters the
character of milk fat globules. Dr. Kurt Oster has stated that this is one of the
causes of atherosclerosis.4 Frank A. Oski, M.D., a pediatrician, and department
head at New York State University, in his book, Don’t Drink Your Milk,
notes links between milk and iron-deficiency anemia, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea,
allergic reactions, asthma, skin rash, and bronchitis.5 What refining is to sugar,
flour, and oils, pasteurization and homogenization are to milk.
Though raw milk is good, cultured milk is better. Nature teaches us that milk is
an infant food. The enzymes necessary for its digestion are often not present after
infancy. However, cultured milk products, especially kefir and yogurt, are predigested,
alleviating this problem. Also interesting is the fact that most of the long-lived
cultures in the world have some form of cultured milk as a major constituent of
their diets.
- For canned and frozen fruits and vegetables—substitute fresh or dehydrated
The canning and freezing processes destroy much of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables.
Fresh is best and the fresher the better. When you cannot get fresh fruits and vegetables,
dehydrated are the next best since there is little nutrient loss in dehydration.
One way you can have fresh produce year round is to have your own greenhouse or
indoor hydroponic gardening kit. If that seems extravagant, there is another way
to have fresh vegetables year-round that anyone can do—sprouting. With a fruit jar,
some nylon netting, and a rubber band you’re in business to sprout mung beans, alfalfa
seeds, garbanzo beans, lentils, and many others. Sprouts contain more nutrition
for the money than probably any other food. (For more about sprouting refer to my
book, EAT, DRINK AND BE READY.)
- For additive-laden foods—substitute natural products
You need to become a “licensed label detective” to survive in a junk food world.
Refuse to buy foods containing preservatives, realizing that those same preservatives
enabling food to stay on the shelf unspoiled for months also stay undigested in
your body for months. Look for “no preservatives” labels on products you buy. (See
chapter 9, “Embalming the Living…” in EAT, DRINK AND BE READY for more
detail on food additives.)
- For coffee, tea, cocoa, and soft drinks—substitute fresh juices, herb teas,
and distilled water
The above caffeine drinks have been linked to everything from genetic mutations
to cirrhosis of the liver to cancer. By contrast, fresh fruit and vegetable juices
provide the ultimate in nourishment as well as flavor. Herb teas likewise provide
a delicious and nutritious beverage. If you’re hooked on coffee, try dandelion root.
No kidding! Tea made from roasted dandelion roots tastes almost identical to coffee,
though it is much more healthful. What if you’re a hot chocolate addict on those
cold winter nights? Instant carob powder supplies the delectable chocolate flavor
without the caffeine.
With juices and herb teas you have hundreds of new exciting beverages to try. And
don’t forget the best drink of all—pure water. For the ultimate in safely and health,
make sure it’s distilled.
So much for easy food substitutions. Knowing about dietary changes will not help
if you do not apply them. With the next section you will do just that and make the
transition gradually into a new adventure in eating.
STEP 4
BEGIN A 12 WEKK
WITHDRAWL PROGRAM
Remember I said earlier that you cannot make all these changes in your diet overnight.
That might prove too great a shock on not only your system, but also your psyche.
A gradual week-by-week program will accomplish your objective easily, though admittedly
more slowly. Further, you will be less likely to get frustrated and quit. The following
schedule details a 12-week initial withdrawal. Some may prefer to go more slowly
treating each one week period as two weeks or even more. Regardless of the time
interval you choose, the schedule provides the order of your transition to natural
food. Each week’s diet changes stand as building blocks going on top of each other.
Therefore once a change is made, it is continued from that week on. The food substitutions
instituted the second week will be added onto those made the first week. The objective
of the program is to accomplish dietary changes in twelve areas by adding them one
week at a time until you incorporate them all.
Week #1—Emphasis: whole wheat bread
Instead of buying white bread at the store this week, buy 100% whole wheat with
no preservatives, no white flour (including unbleached), and no sugar. Most health
food stores carry such a bread.
Week #2—Emphasis: granola and whole grain cereals
Substitute granola or whole grain hot cereals for the packaged
cereals you would normally buy. You can also begin to use granola this week as a
between meal snack for both adults and children.
In the hot cereal department try good old fashioned rolled oats, 7-grain cereal,
or cracked wheat cereal. To improve the taste and nutrition of your cereal, cook
some soybean flakes with them, maybe in a 1:4 ratio. Their flavors go well together,
but more importantly they form a complete protein food.
Week #3—Emphasis: brown rice
I believe you will fall in love with brown rice as a staple in
your new natural food diet. Begin by serving it a couple of times as a side dish
with butter on top. Then make a casserole with it from one of the many delicious
recipes in the Deaf Smith Country Cookbook or The Simpler Life Cookbook
(see Recommended Reading). As you continue the transition, try other whole
grains such as millet, bulgur, stone ground corn meal, and others for variety.
Week #4—Emphasis: unrefined oils
Since you are still probably getting used to the changes made in the first three
weeks, I’ll make this week simple. Buy a quart of unrefined, un-hydrogenated safflower
oil and use it in cooking and for salads. Health food stores have many varieties.
One test to make sure the oil is truly unrefined is that there should be a warning
on the label to keep refrigerated after opening. Essentially there will be little
noticeable difference in using the unrefined oil. Also this week you may begin using
the butter-safflower oil spread mentioned earlier. By the way, if you have some
leftover refined oil on the shelf now, it’s great for removing tar from the body
of your car!
Week #5—Emphasis: fresh fruits and vegetables
From here on you will be walking past the canned goods section and freezer compartments
at the grocery store and spending more time in the fresh produce area. Instead of
buying cooked vegetables (canned) and taking them home and cooking them again, you
will now buy them fresh and cook them once. Better yet, this will now give you the
option of eating them raw and getting even more nourishment. Carrots, celery, potatoes,
green beans, peas, and others are very tasty uncooked.
If you shop shrewdly, this change will cost only slightly more. Fresh fruits and
vegetables in season are generally less expensive than their canned or frozen counterparts.
What an opportunity this provides for variety, as you enjoy these different foods
in their season. In comparison to canned and frozen foods, you now have so much
more variety available. For example, have you ever seen canned kiwi fruit? How about
canned beet greens? Frozen pomegranate, perhaps? No, I am afraid not.
Sprouting, as mentioned earlier, ranks as the ultimate in fresh vegetables, since
you can grow your own year round indoors. This week buy some alfalfa seeds, sprout
then, and use them in salads and on sandwiches as you would lettuce. The most delectable
sandwich I know of combines natural cheese with avocado strips and a bed of alfalfa
sprouts between slices of whole wheat bread. Try it this week.
Here’s how to make your own sprouts:
- Obtain a one quart jar, a piece of nylon netting and a rubber band.
- Measure the correct amount of seeds into the jar. (See Simpler Life Cookbook on
Sprouting.) For alfalfa about one tablespoon in plenty; two tablespoons for small
beans such as mung beans or lentils; one-half cup for larger beans such as garbanzo.
- Use the rubber band to fasten the netting over the jar.
- Fill the jar with water and let it soak overnight inside a cupboard.
- Drain off the water though the netting the next morning.
- Rinse seeds with more water, drain thoroughly, and return to the cupboard.
De not refill with water
- Rinse and drain 3-4 times per day for 3 days of until sprouts have reached the desired
length (1-2 inches long for alfalfa and mung beans).
- After sprouts are the correct length you may place them in the sun for a few hours
to develop chlorophyll which increases nutritive value.
- Store in the refrigerator until using (covered).
Week #6—Emphasis: preservative elimination
In addition to the changes you have made in the first five weeks of junk food withdrawal,
this week shop for foods labeled “no preservatives.” Want a good rule of thumb for
getting preservatives and additives out of your diet? If you can’t pronounce the
ingredients listed, don’t buy it. That is usually a sure test for chemical additives!
Here are some names in particular to watch out for:
Calcium or sodium propionate (bread)
BHA, BHT (oils)
Carageenan
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
Benzoic acid
Sodium Benzoate
Sodium nitrate or nitrite (meats)
Artificial colorings and flavorings
Week #7—Emphasis: cultured milk
If a supply is available in your area, begin this week by using raw milk instead
of pasteurized. As discussed earlier, our digestive systems after infancy are not
very well suited to milk unless it is cultured, and the best cultured milk is made
from raw milk.
The ultimate of cultured milk products are kefir and yogurt, both of which are carried
by most health food stores. Beware of grocery store yogurts, since they are often
full of additives and sugar, which would outweigh the beneficial effects. For the
best transition start with the flavored kinds of yogurt and kefir; then change to
plain and flavor it yourself with fruit or honey. Eventually you will actually prefer
it straight. Either kefir or yogurt makes an excellent between-meal snack.
Cheese (not processed), cottage cheese, and buttermilk are also good cultured milk
products. Preferably they should be made from raw milk for the greatest nutritive
value. Watch out for preservatives. Remember to use watered-down yogurt, kefir,
or even buttermilk in recipes calling for milk.
Week #8—Emphasis: honey
Refined sugar is bad; sweetness is not. If there were anything
wrong with sweetness, the Creator would not have made so many naturally sweet foods.
He did not create white sugar…man did. Though we want to get the refined sugar out
of your diet, there are other ways to keep a healthful, natural sweetness in. Raw,
unfiltered honey ranks as one of the best ways to accomplish this. Generally speaking
this kind of unprocessed honey is unavailable in most supermarkets. Grocery store
honey, after being heated to high temperatures in extracting from the comb, is filtered
in such a way that most of the nutritious pollen is removed. This kind of honey
offers little over white sugar. Health food stores stock many varieties of unprocessed
honey.
Beginning this week you can throw away the sugar bowl and just use honey wherever
you would have normally used sugar. This might include on cereal, in recipes, and
in hot drinks such as herb teas. Initially you may use some date sugar (or brown
or raw if date is unavailable) for cold drinks or other uses in which honey does
not work as well. To really eliminate white sugar, you need to examine the labels
of everything you buy, since sugar flavors or preserves almost all commercially
processed foods.
How about a real treat? Remember, I said we were not going to take all the sweetness
out of your life—just the refined sugar. This week you are going to make the most
delicious cookies you have ever tasted. They contain neither white sugar nor white
flour, being made with honey, whole wheat flour, and other healthful ingredients.
This recipe is called “Sesame Squares” and is found in the Simpler Life Cookbook.
Many other wonderful cookie, cake, and dessert recipes using natural ingredients
are found in the Simpler Life Cookbook and the Deaf Smith Country Cookbook.
(See Recommended Reading).
Week #9—Emphasis: blackstrap molasses
Now you are ready to add to your repertoire of good food the most nutritious sweetener
I know of—blackstrap molasses. It stands among the best sources of calcium, iron,
B-vitamins, and other nutrients. Just knowing this will help you appreciate its
taste. Though stronger than honey, the taste in scarcely noticeable in baking or
cooking use. Try a pancake recipe (made from whole wheat flour and honey of course)
from the above mentioned cookbooks. Instead of artificial syrup from the store,
use blackstrap molasses (sparingly) for syrup. It gives a very hearty flavor with
whole wheat pancakes.
Week #10—Emphasis: kelp powder and herb seasoning
After getting rid of the sugar bowl the past two weeks, you might know that the
salt shaker would come next. Actually you can keep the salt shaker—we’ll just replace
the salt. Now in case you are hesitant about eliminating table salt from your diet,
keep in mind that it is an inorganic chemical which cannot be readily used by your
body. Your body does need sodium which it obtains adequately from an organic
source in the vegetables that you eat. (For more complete discussion of table salt
see chapter 9 of EAT, DRINK AND BE READY.)
What you need is a good flavoring for food that is healthful, not harmful. There
are many excellent herb seasonings sold in health food stores—no salt, but great
flavor. You may also wish to use kelp powder, dulse and similar sea vegetables rich
in important trace minerals.
After being off salt for awhile, you will find that the taste buds rejuvenate, you
begin to taste the natural flavor of foods that salt often covers up and you don’t
want as much seasoning as previously. More and more is being learned about the ill-effects
of salt in our diets, particularly with heart disease. This dietary change alone
could bring great improvement to your health.
Week #11—Emphasis: herb teas
Herb teas stand ready to substitute as healthful alternatives to coffee, tea, and
soft drinks. The health-giving properties of various herbs have been known for centuries.
They provide a fascinating study, with which many good books can help you (see Recommended
Reading).
Let’s talk about coffee a minute. To attack coffee is almost like attacking motherhood
since this drink is so ingrained in American culture. But if you really want to
get unhooked from junk food, you need to swallow some hard truth. Though coffee
contains tannic acid, a stomach irritant which causes liver cancer in rats6, I want
to focus on the problem of caffeine.
Caffeine is no harmless substance—it is a stimulant drug. Coffee, tea, cocoa, and
colas all contain it in significant amounts. Drinkers of caffeine drinks are addicted
to this drug. Someone having 10-12 cups of coffee a day ingests 2 grams of caffeine—enough
to throw a cat given the same dosage into convulsions for a week according to former
President Ford’s physician.7 A corresponding amount of caffeine fed to other animals
has caused birth defects—cleft palates, missing digits, and malformed skulls.8 Now
if I can introduce you to some taste tingling but healthful beverages, will you
give up the coffee?
Withdrawal gradually from caffeine drinks. If you go “cold turkey,” you will experience
caffeine withdrawal symptoms—headache, nausea, and the like for 2 or 3 days. Instead
of going that more painful route taper off by just drinking less each time you normally
have coffee—one cup when you used to have two; one-half cup when you would have
had one. Take a week or two to taper off altogether.
As you begin to withdrawal from caffeine drinks, begin using herb teas. There are
over 80 to choose from. Some you’ll like, some you probably won’t care for. Let
me recommend some herb teas that almost everyone likes the first time. Outstanding
herb teas are chamomile, peppermint, spearmint, papaya-mint, dandelion root, and
lemon grass, all of which are readily available in health food stores. One note:
Not all herb teas are totally caffeine free—(though most are). Trying different
herb teas will be fun—and will occupy you for months.
Week #12—Emphasis: less meat
In many cases meat, or at least certain kinds of meat, qualifies as a junk food
due to additives, drugs, diseased animals, slaughtering methods, etc. Our goal this
week is to improve the quality of the meat you are eating while also reducing the
quantity. Most long-lived people eat meat (if they do at all) in great moderation.
If you visit Hunza or similar cultures, you certainly will not observe people eating
meat three meals per day like the average American. In order of quality eat fish,
then poultry, then beef. Quantity-wise, eat meat no more than once a day.
ADVANCED WITHDRAWAL SUGGESTIONS
The preceding 12-week schedule provides a foundation for transition into healthful
eating. After completing that final week, you have really come a long way—but there
is more. Better nutrition and health is a life-long process as you learn more about
what your body needs. As you become ready for further changes, here are
some areas to move into:
- Begin a natural food supplement program
Many assume that if they eat such a good natural food diet, they don’t need vitamins
and mineral supplements. Several reasons stand out to the contrary, however. First,
there is nutrient loss in all foods. Cooking even the best foods may incur significant
losses, and even food eaten raw has proportionately less nutrients than when it
was harvested. You really never know what you are getting from your food. Quality
varies as widely as the soil, the fertilizing, the rainfall, and numerous other
factors. Another reason for taking supplements is contamination or pollution. Even
if you grow most of your own food, you will occasionally eat food with pesticide
residues. Many vitamins, though especially vitamin C, play an important role in
removing such toxins from the body. Then we have the problem which nutritionist
Roger Williams, Ph.D., refers to as “biochemical individuality.” Different people
have different hereditary needs for certain vitamins and minerals. A diet that would
satisfy your needs might leave me deficient. Regardless of heredity, we all have
different nutritional needs according to where we live, where we work, what kind
of stress we’re under, and so on. Supplements are the best solution to this problem.
Natural vitamins are preferable over synthetic. Basically, a natural vitamin is
nothing but a highly concentrated food such as yeast, alfalfa, parsley, fish liver
old, etc. Natural vitamins contain nutrients in the same proportions as certain
foods and contain trace elements necessary to health, most of which scientists have
not even isolated. Synthetic vitamins are chemical copies of vitamins we have isolated
in foods. Though the synthetic vitamin may be chemically identical the
natural, it is not biologically equivalent. Numerous experiments have been
conducted showing the greater response of natural over synthetic supplements.
Okay—natural supplements are needed, but what kinds and how much of each kind? Though
it is beyond the scope of this book to thoroughly answer this question, here are
some general guidelines. Start with a natural vitamin-mineral supplement. Upon this
foundation, as you desire and feel the need, you can add vitamin C, a B-complex
supplement, vitamin A and D, vitamin E, lecithin and perhaps others. Make the transition
into this area of junk food withdrawal gradually, too. Know what you are taking,
its source (natural or synthetic), and why you are taking it. So much for supplements.
- Drink distilled water
Distilled water ranks tops in purity as well as in its cleansing effect on the body.
Buying your own water distiller will save you money and pay for itself in a year
or less. Good spring water is a worthwhile buy if it is available.
An activated carbon filter will remove chlorinated compounds from city water.
- Make your own bread
Much of the nutrition of whole wheat flour is lost within hours of milling. To get
the most nutrition from your grains, you need to grind your own flour and make your
own bread. That process does not require the agonizing work it once did, however.
Electric grain mills, and bread mixers make bread-making quick and easy. Since making
your own bread will cost you one-fourth or less of what buying it in the store would,
this is another investment that will soon pay for itself
- Make your own juice
Buy a good juicer. Juice your own carrots, celery, beets, parsley, and other vegetables
plus fruits for between-meal refreshment. Fresh juices rank at the ultimate of nutrition.
5. Buy and grow organic
If you eat meat, try to get organically grown (animals raised in
a natural environment without drugs). Newspapers (especially weekly advertisers)
can direct you to sources. Larger health food stores often carry organically grown
meat as well. Buy organically grown fruits and vegetables (free of pesticides and
synthetic fertilizers) wherever possible as well. If you have trouble finding a
supply of organically grown meat and produce, consider raising your own cattle or
organic garden.
STEP 4
BODY DETOXIFICATION
THROUGH FASTING
After spending years as a “junk food junkie,” you need more than withdrawal and
changing to a natural food diet. With the accumulation of additives and other harmful
substances in your body, a detoxification program should be implemented. Natural
foods, especially fruits, vegetables, and their juices possess a considerable detoxifying
effect. The same could be said of vitamin C and other vitamins. However, fasting
has thousands of years of reputation as the ultimate in detoxification. Let us look
briefly at what fasting does and how it can help your health.
When I speak of fasting I mean abstaining from food, but not water, for a set period
of time. In fasting, since no food is being converted into energy, the body lives
off itself, a process called autolysis. Nothing is harmful about that, since you
can go for as much as several weeks burning up dead cells and fatty tissue (where
toxic chemicals often accumulate). Dr. Yuri Nikolayev, director of the fasting unit
of the Moscow Psychiatric Institute, states that, “fasting is an internal operation
without a scalpel.”9 Here is another way to look at fasting. When the diegestive-eliminatve
systems shut down in fasting, more energy is available for detoxification and repair.
For this reason, one’s energy is normally greater at the third day of a fast than
it would be when eating normally.
Many have found fasting one day per week an excellent adjunct to health. This abstaining
from two or three meals allows a kind of a “weekly housecleaning” inside your body.
Longer fasts of three to ten days every three or four months are also recommended
by many fasting authorities in addition to the weekly fasting.
Though fasting can be extremely beneficial to health, care must be exercised as
well. Keep in mind some guidelines:
- During fasting the detoxification will often initially produce headaches, nausea,
or tiredness. This is normal and simply indicates that you are eliminating harmful
substances. These side-effects show your need for fasting and disappear after the
second and third day.
- Work into fasting gradually. Start with a one day per week fast skipping two meals.
Later on skip three meals on your weekly fast. After several months of this kind
of fasting gradually your body can handle a two or three day fast if you desire.
Definitely do not begin with a long fast.
- After routinely fasting on a one day per week basis, you will experience little
discomfort due to the successful elimination of most of your accumulated toxins.
- Do not fast if you are pregnant or a diabetic. If you have a chronic disease condition,
consult a nutritionally oriented doctor before fasting.
Fasting is one of God’s greatest gifts for man’s health. Coupled with our other
steps, it will greatly aid your withdrawal from junk food.
STEP 5
RE-PROGRAMMING YOUR MIND
The “junk food junkie” has more than a physical problem in eating the wrong things.
Addiction is psychological as well as physical. Habits are mentally ingrained. Apart
from re-programming your mind to natural food, your withdrawal may only end up an
attempt. A new self-image must be adopted believing that:
- I am not going to sacrifice health, enjoyment of life, and spiritual service for
junk food,
- After my transition I will enjoy delicious natural food much more than harmful junk
food.
Best wishes in your new Natural Food Adventure!
FOOTNOTES
- William Longgood, The Poisons in Your Food, Simon and Schuster, New York,
1960, p.199.
- Allan Cott,, M.D., Fasting: the Ultimate Diet, Bantam Books, New York,
1975, p. 29.
- “Certified Raw Milk—A Natural Food Without Additives or Preservatives,” Alta-Dena
Dairy, Industry, California 91744.
- Ibid.
- “Medic Warns: Don’t Drink Milk,” The Oregonian, August 21, 1977, p. A13.
- E. Cheraskin, M.D., et. al., Diet and Disease, Rodale Books, Emmaus, Pennsylvania,
1971, p. 230.
- U.S. News and World Report, November 10, 1975, p. 57.
- Los Angeles Times, February 3, 1976, p. 1-5.
- Allan Cott, M.D., Fasting: The Ultimate Diet, Bantam Books, New York, 1975,
p.6.
RECOMMENDED READING
- Monte L. Kline and W.P. Strube, Jr., Eat, Drink and Be Ready (For Tomorrow You
Will Live), Harvest Press, 1977
- Ford, Hillyard and Koock, Deaf Smith Country Cookbook, Macmillan, 1973.
- Frank Ford, The Simpler Life Cookbook, Harvest Press, 1974.
- William H Hylton, editor, The Rodale Herb Book, Rodale Press, 1974.
- Jethro Kloss, Back to Eden, Lifeline Books, 1972.
- Raymond Bridwell, Hydroponic Gardening, Woodbridge Press, 1972.
- Sunset Guide to Organic Gardening, Lane Books, 1971.
- Bernard, Jensen, D.C., Seeds and Sprouts for Life,Bernard Jensen
Products.
- Beatrice Trum Hunter, Fact Book on Yogurt, Kefir, and Other Milk Cultures,
Keats Publishing, 1973.
- Arthur Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast, Christian Literature Crusade, 1968.
- Roger J. Williams, Ph.D., Nutrition Against Disease, Pitman, 1971.
- John Yudkin, M.D., Sweet and Dangerous, Peter H. Wyden, 1972.
- John Kirschmann, Nutrition Almanac, McGraw-Hill, 1973.
- Carlton Fredericks, Ph.D., and Herman Goodman, M.D., Low Blood Sugar and You,
Constellation International, 1969.
- William Dufty, Sugar Blues, Warner Books, 1975.
- C.S. Lovett, Jesus Wants You Well, Personal Christianity, 1973.
- Frances Moore Lappe, Diet for a Small Planet, Ballantine Books, 1971.