HEALING INFORMATION

Concepts Of Healing: Nutrition

Proper nutrition is an essential component of basic health. Getting enough calories is not a problem in the industrialized nations. The problem is in getting enough high quality foodstuffs. Being overweight in the USA is a combination of lack of exercise and eating huge quantities of foods with little food value. These foods have copious amounts of carbohydrates, fats and protein but little in the way of vitamins, cofactors and other essential nutrients. As I have stated earlier, the current manufacturing practices account for this fact. This is the reason that vitamins & other essential nutrient additives and labels with food composition have been added to our foods. None of the experts or anyone in the public seems to have questioned the effect of manufacturing practices on food quality. Manufacturers want it to taste great and be well preserved so as to be able to sell more of their product and do so without spoilage returns.

An example, in the middle 1950's the public was "sold" on the idea of using oleo margarine instead of butter. "It is cheaper and it tastes just the same", is what we were told. Forty years later we are told that it is better for your health to eat butter as not so much of the fats are saturated. Saturated fats have been found to increase the incidence of plaque formation in the arteries that leads to hardening of the arteries and an increase in the number of heart attacks in the general population. Again, the population was used as an experiment for getting rich by some slick food chemists and the company they work for. This is but one example of many and the main reason why health foods stores have increased in number and sales volume in recent times.

You MUST realize that the US government is not interested in you other than as a means of acquiring income as taxes. The programs touted to protect the public are in reality in place only to cover their rear ends, just to show that it is doing its mandated tasks. Is your memory so short that you do not remember the numerous cases of after the fact belated changes in governmental policy due to eventually perceived damage to the public health? "Caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) holds just as much today as it did in past times. Consequently, let us discuss each food group in turn as to attributes to look for in purchasing your food items. Then we will discuss general issues.

Oils are very important in the formation of the membranes that surround the cells that make up our body. They need to be unsaturated and un-oxidized. Do not eat rancid oils! Olive oil is the only oil that is closest to the oil composition of human breast milk. It is the oil of choice. Oils are important in any plans for dieting. If you do not include high quality oils in your "diet" foods, you will not lose weight. Your body thinks that you are in starvation mode and will hold on to all the fat in your body. You do not need much oil every day, ½ to one teaspoon depending upon your overall weight, is enough. The book entitled "Your Miracle Brain" is an excellent source of information concerning oils in your diet.

Seasonal choice of the oils you consume help you to acclimatize to the changes in weather. At the Atumnal equinox, be sure to begin consuming mostly olive oil, walnut oil and other "light" oils. At the Spring equinox, be sure to begin consuming mostly butter, grape seed oil and other "heavy" oils. The reason is that you want the fluidity of your cell membranes to change with the change in mean temperature. Light oils for the Winter and heavy oils for the Summer. Those whom consume mammalian food products throughout the year will get the oils contained within the foods derived from the animals living at the outside temperatures when killed. The only problem with this is that the shelf life of non-fresh products is extended by food additives and you never know when/what was added.

Protein is another essential foodstuff. Meat has all the required amino acids necessary for your metabolism. Some 20 odd amino acids are essential, as you do not have the ability to make them yourself. Vegetable combinations are ingrained in cultural dishes such as corn and beans. Neither corn nor beans have all the essential amino acids in themselves but in combination yield a complete source of amino acids. Just as you cannot do without good quality oil, you cannot do without a complete amino acid source. You will breakdown your own muscle mass to feed your brain if you do not get enough protein. Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Since cholesterol is not absorbed across the intestinal mucous membrane it is not of concern. You can eat all the eggs you want. Fish is getting scarce. Shore fishes and seafood have lots of contaminants. Eat only deepwater fish and seafood. Fowl are a good source of protein and have few parasites that infect man. Thoroughly cook all reptiles and amphibians before consumption as their bodies are loaded with parasites.

Carbohydrates are again cultural in scope. Different grains for the ecosystem humans inhabit, rice in the tropics and wheat in the plains. Plantains, squash, corn, potatoes, legumes and various fruits depending upon the ecosystem are staples in their respective cultures. Grains are highly refined for use and provide many low food quality calories in the industrial nations. During the First and Second World Wars, the general health of the nation went up due to the fact that grain for bread was not milled to save electricity for the war effort. Brown bread in better for your health as is brown rice. Today we have many different grains from all over the world to choose from.

Essential nutrients are provided by fruits and salad greens: bioflavanoids, anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and cofactors to name a few. The books "Your Miracle Brain" and "The Immune System Cure: Optimize Your Immune System in 30 Days--The Natural Way!" both have much information that will assist you in boosting your energy and fine-tuning your mind-body relationship. These books will steer you to the foods you need to eat and briefly explain why they are necessary. Try a variety and discover which foods are for you and which to avoid. We all have different genetic backgrounds and the foods our bodies need is a reflection of our heritage and the needs of the moment due to changes in our physiology as it accommodates the changes in our environment.

An excellent series of books concerning foods to eat according to your blood type; "O", "A', "B" or "AB"; based upon the work of Dr. Peter J. D'Amado, N. D. are excellent and should be required reading for everyone concerned with their health. I personally can testify to the efficacy of the information provided! They are best sellers and may be acquired at all bookstores.