I’ve mentioned many times in this venue how raw, living food is what will allow the body to heal.  Not cooking your food keeps enzymes, oxygen and water content in your food, and therefore making it better able for your body to absorb.  Heating destroys nutrients and your food’s enzymes.  Heating also destroys water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and all the B vitamins.  I still eat a small amount of cooked food, but it just doesn’t taste the same anymore.  I’m eating more vegan food as well as high raw foods.  The past couple of weeks, since I’ve been moving around a lot, I’ve had a cucumber for breakfast almost every day. I know vegetables for breakfast?  Yes, and you can too.  It’s all about changing your patterns.  Fresh organic produce has been easy to find these days.  I am in the Adirondacks in New York State taking advantage of the local farmers markets every week. 

If you want to get good at anything, you have to focus, learn and invest some time in learning how it works, right?  Everyone needs to learn about taking care of their body because everyone has a body.  In addtion to your “day job”, you need to make the time to learn the basics of taking care of your body.  The reason we believe what the drug companies, media, agricultural and food and beverage companies have to say is because we are nutritionally ignorant.  So let’s learn a little bit more about the food we cook on a daily basis.

When you cook food on a grill, stove top, oven, camp fire or a microwave, you are changing the molecular structure of the food and change the nutritional content and digestibility.  This structure becomes denatured, deranged and degraded, and the molecules are changed into new chemical configurations and carcinogenic byproducts are formed, thereby promoting a broad spectrum of allergies, infections and degenerative diseases..  Certainly the degree to which this happens depends on the cooking time, temperature and method of cooking.  Heating food above 105-120 degrees F, destroys all enzymes and lowers the concentration of vitamins and minerals.  You body can produce the enzymes necessary for digestion and absorption of food, however this process requires a great deal of energy that would otherwise be used for  the process of elimination, fighting disease, and allowing you to function at an optimal physical and mental level. 

In cooked foods, fats are carcinogenized, carbs are caramelized, and proteins are coagulated and become virtually unusable by the body and fiber becomes barely usable in the colon.  Heating food also creates toxic byproducts.  Here’s a few of these dangerous byproducts:

Acrylamides:  Cancer causing byproducts of cooking carbohydrate food such as breads, potatoes, pastries and any other kinds of starch.  The FDA acknowledges on their website the perils of acrylamides, but the processed and fast food industry would rather you don’t know about these.

Epoxides, Hydroperoxides, unsaturated aldehydes:  These three are generated when you cook the fat from meat, milk, eggs and fish.  From Wikipedia, “An epoxide is a cyclic ether.”  The rest of the definition on Wikipedia was not even understandable to me.

Furfural/furans: generated when sugars are heated.  Wikipedia states, “Except for occasional use in perfume, furfural remained a relatively obscure chemical until 1922, when the Quaker Oats Company began mass-producing it from oat hulls….When heated above 250 degrees, furfural decomposes into furan and carbon monoxide, sometimes explosively… Furfural is also used as a solvent in petrochemical refining….” 

Nitrosamines:  When nitrogen oxides in the gas flame from gas ovens or barbecues interact with fats, these toxins are created.  Nitrosamines are chemical compounds of a chemical structure, some of which are carcinogenic.

Polycyclic Hydrocarbons:  These carcinogens are generated from the charring of meat. From Wikipedia,  ”PAHs occur in oil, coal and tar deposits, and are produced as byproducts of fuel burning….as a pollutant, they are of concern because some compounds have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic….PAHs are also found in foods.  Studies have shown that most food intake of PAHs comes from cereals, oils and fats.  Smaller intakes come from vegetables and cooked meats.”

Hydrogenated oils and Trans fats:  These are man-made.  They are also called hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and were specifically developed to allow processed foods to sit on the shelf longer without going rancid.  Many of today’s common foods are now cooked in these trans fats.  Consuming these fats can lead to obesity, heart disease, an increase in bad cholesterol and lowering of the good.  Also keep in mind when you heat common cooking oils, the heat denatures the oil molecule and causes the oil to turn rancid.

Are you still asking yourself what happens to you if you eat cooked foods?  Digestive leukocytes is a term that refering to when your body produces an increase of white blood cells, indicating the body is on the attack.  This response also happens when you eat cooked food.  However it does not happen when you eat raw foods.   A build up of toxic, acidic waste materials, often referred to as “free radicals”, accumulates in the skin, liver, nervous system and brain when you consume large amounts of cooked food.  When you don’t get the proper nutrients in your diet, your white blood cells are always on the attack mode.  Toxic waste are circulating in your weak and overworked body, allowing it to breed common ailments such as allergies, headaches, sinusitis, diabetes, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, depression, arthritis, osteoporosis, and various cancers will thrive.  Unfriendly flora build-up is also a byproduct of cooked foods.  Unfriendly bacteria take over the colon, feeding on thick, undigested and uneliminated cooked food putrefying in the intestines.  This flora will give off a waste product that is a food for cancer cells.  Eating a plant based uncooked diet will decrease the toxic load on the colon and will also decrease unfriendly bacteria and its dangerous byproducts.

Not cooking your food will have the following benefits: Weight stabilization, increased energy, more restful sleep, radiant skin, enhanced mental clarity, increased immune function and prevention of illness.  You don’t need to eliminate all cooked food from your diet to have these benefits.  How about just substituting one meal a day with raw food for starters?  Or if you are already doing that, how about increasing to one day a week eating nothing but uncooked food?  Most people believe lunch or dinner is their best bet for raw.  Large salads with every veggie in the fridge, juicing a meal or sandwiches with sprouted grain bread (these breads are usually available in the frozen section.  They are baked at low temperatures to retain the nutritional content of their ingredients). Top your sandwich with all raw ingredients, like veggies and sprouts.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, just make it colorful.

Be proactive about your own health.  Stay informed.  It’s your job.

As always, consult your primary physician if you have questions regarding your specific circumstances.

I’m all about giving you new reasons to eat healthy.  New ways to make your trip to the grocery store more interesting.  New things to think about.  Well this next post may sound weird, but I believe it.  And if I believe it, it must be true, right.

We’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat”, right?  Well here’s a list of new reasons to eat your way to health.  Again, it’s not all about what you put in your mouth, as much as what you are NOT putting in your mouth anymore.  The body knows how to heal itself.  But with our unhealthy eating and living habits, the body spends too much energy trying to process and digest.  How about we make it a little easier on ourselves?  

There was once something called “The Doctrine of Signatures”.  This philosophy has been an idea of herbalists and alchemists for centuries.  It is the idea that God has marked everything He created with a sign that was an indication of the purpose if was created for.  A similar belief was held by Native Americans and Oriental cultures. This doctrine did not become a part of the medical thinking until the middle of the seventeenth century.  Colors and shapes of plants remind us of the body part where they would do the most good.  Every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or function.  I’ve listed below a short list of some whole foods and their function.

Grapes:  This fruit hands in a cluster shaped like the heart.  Grapes look like a blood cell and research shows that grapes also are a heart and blood vitalizing food.

Carrots:  A sliced carrot looks like the human eye.  Science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to the eyes.

Tomato:  A tomato has four chambers and is red.  The heart has the same features.  All research shows tomatoes are heart and blood food.

Kidney beans:  These beans actually look like our kidneys.  They help to heal and maintain kidney function

Walnuts:  These nuts look like a little brain.  Left and right hemisphere and upper and lower cerebellums.  We know that walnuts help develop over three dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Celery, Rhubarb and Bok Choy:  These look like bones.  Bones are 23% sodium and these are also 23% sodium.  We now know that if you don’t have enough sodium in your diet, the body will pull sodium from your bones, and make them weak.  Eating these foods will replenish the skeletal needs of your body.

Eggplant, Avocado and Pears:  Are you getting the picture? Have you guessed what these target?  Female health!  Research shows that if a woman eats one avocado a week, it will balance hormones, shed unwanted birth weight and prevent cervical cancers.  These look just like the womb and cervix of the female.  It takes nine months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.  Interesting, huh?  There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each of these and modern science has studied about 141 of them.

Figs:  These are full of seeds and grow in groups of two.  They increase the motility of male sperm and will increase the numbers of sperm. 

Sweet Potatoes:  These look like the pancreas.  They actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives:  Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.  Enough said?  Ok, here are some more…

Grapefruits, Oranges and other citrus:  They look just like the mammary glands of females and assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions:  They look like body cells.  Research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all the body cells.  They will also produce tears which wash the eyes.

Whew!  That was a lot of information.  Take it one at a time.  Take the list with you to the grocery store.  Eating these veggies in their raw state is even healthier for you.  Keep the enzymes in your food!  Allow your body to heal by eating raw.  Raw food is easier to digest.  Less work, more healing.

Take care of yourself. 

The statements in this blog are for nutritional purposes only.  Please talk to your primary doctor if you have concerns before making any major changes in your  dietary lifestyle.

One of the chemicals used to make Teflon is called PFOA (ammonium perfluorooctanoate), also known as C-8.  I decided to do a little more research into C-8, when one of my readers sent me a link to an article about babies being exposed to hundreds of dangerous chemicals in the womb (thanks Taylor).  Before I even began to think about getting pregnant over 20 years ago, my parents had already supplied me with enough information regarding toxic chemicals in products I use on my skin, not to mention what I eat.  I knew that what I ate or put on my skin would make it into my unborn baby.  I started changing a lot of things back then and just continued that.  Now I am blessed with the opportunity to tell all of you some of the things I’ve known for some time. 

How are our unborn babies getting exposed to toxic chemicals?  Here’s a quote from the article I mentioned above, “…according to a new study commissioned by the Environmental Working Group…..laboratory tests of the umbilical cord blood taken from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in U. S. hospitals…..revealed a total of 287 chemicals….The blood…collected by the Red Cross after the cord was cut, harbored pesticides, consumer product ingredients, and wastes from burning coal, gasoline, and garbage.  Of these chemicals, the researchers say, ‘we know that 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous systems, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests’.”  Mmmmmmm….I think I’d be concerned if just ONE of these chemicals were found, let alone 287!  Some of these chemicals were mercury, fire retardants and the Teflon chemical known as C-8 (PFOA).  In 2009, a study at the University of California found a strong link between levels of PFOA in blood and infertility in women of child-bearing age.  This chemical has also been found to alter hormone levels, affect the immune system and cause dangerously high cholesterol.

Toxic chemicals are far more dangerous to a fetus or developing child.  Here we have a product, Teflon, being advertised as making life easier, but it is poisoning us and our children.  This product is also used in carpet and clothing cleaners and in cosmetics and food packaging.  C-8 has been linked to cancer, organ damage and other health effects in laboratory animals (I do not believe in animal testing).  Two to five minutes on a stovetop and cookware coated with Teflon can exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and starts to emit toxic particles and gases linked to hundreds of pet bird deaths and an unknown number of human illnesess each year.  C-8 is not only in cookware, but also clothing.  “According to the Environmental Protection Agency, some of the highest C-8 levels were found in children”.  DuPont claims that the substance is completely safe.  That C-8 is in everyone’s blood.  And inhaling the chemical may get you flu-like symptoms that are reversible and last only a couple of days.  A warning is on the DuPont website, but not on their pans.  Time to take a second look at your cooking products?  No?  Ok, then I’ll give you more.

In birds, when inhaling the toxic fumes, their lungs hemorrhage and fill with fluid, leading to suffocation.  DuPont has never studied the incidence of fever among users of their non-stick pots and pans. 

In 2001, residents living and working around a Teflon plant and landfill, filed a class-action lawsuit against DuPont for withholding information about contaminated water, air and bodies by the chemical C-8.  C-8 was originally produced by the 3M Company. 3M stopped their production due to concerns about toxicity. C-8 accumulates over time and never breaks down in your body or the environment.   Local residents were drinking the water and breathing the air.  Children were exposed to this chemical.  Residents also worked at the plant and were lied to.  DuPont has never volunteered any information.  Residents are also being denied health insurance coverage due to their exposure to a toxic chemical.  Cancer and birth defects are high in this area. 

What else?  Did you know that recent FDA studies revealed that 20% of PFOA levels in human blood may come from the leaching of PFOA coating from the lining of microwave popcorn bags? 

Here’s some good news: In 2006, the EPA entered into an agreement with 8 major makers of PFOA to eliminate virtually all sources of this chemical in the environment by 2015.  Could it be too little too late? 

Make your own choices.  Read labels.  Breathe.

I remember eating salad growing up.  I remember carrots and potatoes placed beside the meat on my plate.  I remember tuna added to the spaghetti sauce.  I’m sure we had vegetables.  My brother had a garden in our backyard.  I remember pictures of him tending to it.  Most of my knowledge about vegetarian and living food comes from my parents, but not when I was a kid.  I learned most of it later on in life when they both started their own vegetarian/living food lifestyle. 

The body requires electrically charged foods.  This energy comes from sunlight and many veggies are a prime source of chlorophyll.  Chlorophyll is vital for photosynthesis, which is what plants use to obtain their energy from light.  The body needs vegetables to aid in the making of essential nutrients.  Leafy greens are a high alkaline food.  They contain protein and important amino acids used in breaking down protein.  Past eating habits have built up highly acidic environments in our bodies. 

Broccoli-all parts of the broccoli are highly nutritious.  An antioxidant, it also contains potassium, calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, magnesium, beta-carotene and Lutein.  Great for dipping, lightly sauteing or blanching.   You can also make a raw broccoli soup by putting all parts of the broccoli into your Vitamix blender, combined with water, onion and any spices that float your boat.

Cauliflower-contains calcium, potassium, sulphur and silicon.  Try juicing the leaves and the flower for a highly beneficial drink.  You can also eat raw, make a mock mashed potato either cold or cooked, by adding garlic, olive oil and onion.  Cauliflower also has sulforaphane which enters your bloodstream and helps your antioxidant defense systems.

Celery-mmmmmmm. A highly nutritious, alkaline veggie.  Juice it with the leaves on or eat raw with almond butter topping.  Celery can reduce blood pressure and help with appetite control.  It contains chlorine, sodium, potassium and magnesium.

Kale-a favorite of mine for making green smoothies.  Kale has phytochemicals high in sulphur and aids the body’s detoxification enzymes.  It contains sulphorapahne which comes out when kale is chopped, chewed or juiced.  Other nutrients in kale are calcium, iron, Vitamin A, C and K, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, with are known to help protect against molecular degeneration.

Beets-Ok, this in one veggie I haven’t gotten my daughter to eat.  I think they taste like apple and absolutely love them either raw or lightly cooked.  Victoria Boutenko says eating beets should not turn your urine red.  Juiced beets can have a high sugar concentrate.  Sugar beet juice was used in Chicago to help prevent ice build up on the roads (just a little tid bit for you).  Beets are a very good source of betaine, potassium and folate and can help to replenish iron that is lost during the menstrual cycle.  It is good for the liver and heart health.

Red Bell Pepper-source of Vitamin A, C and Potassium, it also contains Lycopene.  Red is better than green when it comes to peppers.  Green peppers can be hard on the digestion.

Avocado-another yummy veggie.  High in heart healthy monounsaturated fat, it also contains Vitamin E and glutathione.  We need fats in order for the body to work.  Make guacamole by adding tomatoes, sea salt, and onion (optional).  Dip other veggies like carrots, cucumbers, or mushrooms into it instead of chips. 

Put a salad together with all the above ingredients and add flaxseed oil, a dash of any seasonings that you enjoy.  You can also add apple cider vinegar or liquid amino and top with any sprouts you found at the local market. 

How can you get your children to eat them if they won’t?  First, keep trying to add different veggies to their plate.  Babies have taste buds not only on their tongue, but on the sides and roof of their mouth.  This means they could be very sensitive to certain foods.  But as they grow, the taste buds disappear from the sides of the mouth.  As you get older, your taste buds become less sensitive and you will most likely be able to eat foods that you didn’t when you were younger.  Change it up.  Add color and mix veggies in with pasta or soup, or use veggies to dip into their favorite dressing.

Enjoy your veggies!