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I am convinced that
alimentation is of most importance for one's health. Always I had kept
in mind the saying that one's food should be one's medicine... And I had
thought that I had fed myself quite healthy all my life. But I got sick
- and pretty much. In a way that I thought that now my life will soon end.
But 'something' pushed me not to give up and in spite of the lack of energy
and the pain all over I started to research more profound about the different
diets and looking for ways to include a favorable diet which could help
to heal myself. I have come to the conclusion that there is not one diet
that can be followed that will lead to optimal health. Each individual
has a different ancestry, lives in different geographic areas, has different
blood types, and may also have developed allergies to specific foods. What
can be said with certainty is that what we give our body as fuel, is the
fundamental basis that our body uses to keep the whole system functioning.
If we constantly deluge our body with toxins or eat nutrient poor or low
fiber food, then there will eventually be reactions or symptoms of illness
as some system in the body becomes impaired. Over time if these symptoms
are ignored or suppressed the body will react in a strong way, with a categorizable
'disease'. If there is a build up of toxins or not enough nutrients then
the immune system itself becomes jeopardized, getting weaker fending off
toxins in it's own body, and then as the toxicity grows, less nutrients
are able to be absorbed by the system, causing even further weakness. Known
as 'auto-intoxication' of the body.
This leaves the immune system in a fragile position, no longer having the
capability to fend off invading viruses and bacteria. From this state of
affairs, then a major disease appears, having at it's root an attacking
virus or bacteria, which was allowed to multiply, because the immune system
itself was taxed. So it is pretty clear that giving the fault to viruses
is just to short of view and ignores the complexity of the system.
There is no single
diet that will suit everyone. Each of us must take it upon ourselves to
explore what foods are good and suits. This requires individual investigation,
noticing how our body reacts to food that we take in. This step obviously
requires that we become more aware of our body and how it responds to what
we take in. Of course not only on the body level: One needs to be aware
on all levels of one's system and this 360o around - inside
and outside! And not only this: I am now convinced and this more than ever
before, that 'Fibromyalgia' and for sure other diseases as well, require
for one's healing a step 'beyond the level of one's personality'! About
this later more. There are necessary steps one has to take, to learn how
to keep oneself healthy or recover from disease. My suggestions on this
road of discovery at the moment are these:
12
Steps of Food Awareness
1.
Find out if you have allergic reactions to specific foods by following
an elimination diet program.
2.
Find out what blood type you have and learn about which foods agree with
that blood type. (Blood
Type Information)
3.
Certain foods are known to harm the body, and should not be consumed, or
avoided as much as possible:
Meat, fowl, fish
A small amount of fish
occationally might be beneficial.
Soy products. See: Controversy
over soy
Refined Starches
White flour, sugar in
any form (except raw honey), white rice, etc.
Milk, Cheese, and Eggs
Saturated Fats
Animal fats and some vegetable
oils (coconut, cocoa butter, palm oil, and tropical oil ). See: The Oiling
of America - "Why vegetable oils are bad for you."
Hydrogenated fat and trans-fats
See:
Know
your fats
Coffee (caffeine)
Soft Drinks
In addition to caffeine,
phosphoric acid and sugar wreak havoc on the body. See: Would
you like a glass of water or a Coke?
MSG, artificial preservatives,
artificial coloring, and other additives
Salt. The only type of
salt that is recommended is natural sea salt, in moderate amounts.
Drugs
Alcohol, Nicotine, - all
illegal and legal drugs should be avoided.
4.
Learn about proper food combining: If one combines the wrong foods
together in a single meal, the body is required to process incompatible
substances at the same time. This results in incomplete digestion, discomfort,
and putrefaction. Eating meals as if they were a smorgasbord can only lead
to disaster.
5.
Learn how to improve digestion, for example by chewing food thoroughly.
If the food is not properly masticated it will enter the stomach in a condition
where it is not fit for complete absorption and undigested food is passed
through and may, through the action of Candida, enter the lymph or bloodstream
and cause a lot of trouble.
6.
Try to eat food which is closest to it's natural state, as unprocessed
as possible. If it comes in a bottle, bag, box or other carton, it probably
has been over processed and contains little nutritional value, as well
as being chock full of additives, hydrogenated fats, etc.
7.
Nearly all dietary research has indicated that if the body is too acidic
then this sets the stage for disease to develop. Learn about which foods
are acid causing and which are alkaline causing in the body and how to
monitor your pH. Try to keep your body on the alkaline side. For more information
read Importance of Balancing pH.
8.
Try to find food which is truly organic. Most food today offers little
nutrient value, because the seeds have been altered over many generations
to produce vegetables and fruits, whose main intent was not nutritional
content. The main intent was bigger, shinier, disease resistant etc. Another
factor is current agricultural practices for growing food today, which
is with too much artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and also
with too much water, and finally the vegetables and fruits are picked when
they aren't yet ripe, then they may be fumigated with gas to quickly ripen
them after transport, or micro waved or some other process. As a consequence
the vegetables and fruits that we buy today have much less nutritional
value that what our grandparents grew and also are loaded with toxins.
Find out if the vegetables and fruits that you can get, even if organic
are grown with heirloom seed stock... Even if it says 'organic', you must
question this and do your own investigation to verify the facts. Everything
is 'said' to sell an item... For more information about this read: 'Why
you need vitamins'. If you can't get food with sufficient
nutrient value, then you may need to add supplements
to your diet, or these may be needed if you already have an existing deficiency.
9.
Because of the poor state of the food supply and probably the difficulty
for you to really get a 100% supply of organic food, the next best bet
is to eat one's food raw as much as possible.
Over-cooking and processing food removes essential
enzymes
and nutrients available in them to start with, so we end up with a deficiency
in essential vitamins and minerals no matter what we eat. Make fresh fruit
and vegetable juices as often as possible. If you are sick then you should
go to a 30 day food program , with
nearly 100% of it being juiced vegetables and fruits. Many people have
been able to recover by following this type of diet, because it allows
maximum nutrient intake, and minimal energy required to digest, giving
a big boost in energy that the body can use to start to heal itself...
There are other diets that may be indicated for healing, if one has a preexisting
disease condition, such as following the Candida Diet for Candidiasis.
Make your own sprouts, there is an excellent article about "Primaldiet"
which you should read and then practice.
10.
Try to eat in season with the foods naturally available around you as much
as possible, this attunes your body to the climatic changes. Also, I am
convinced that by eating abundantly from the variety of what is grown around
where one lives, this ensures a balanced level of essential vitamins and
minerals.
11.
There are some diets that can be beneficial, but probably none strictly
adhered to will be correct because each individual is different. Inform
yourself as much as possible from the sections above then read about the
different selected diets in our links on the left. For contrary viewpoints
on nearly any diet see the web site: Beyond
Vegetarianism.
12.
Grow you own wheatgrass: Article
13.
Develop your intuitive sense what your body needs and reject what doesn't
feel right.
Does
the solution for all our problems with alimentation - included the world
hunger - lays in going beyond the body need of material food? This might
be too far ahead of the momentary state of evolution of mankind, but without
doubt worth to be investigated... Sungazing
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