Live Food Doctor

Women Go Raw!

2009-08-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

Women’s Health In the U.S. Today:
1 in 3 women will get breast cancer.
250,000 women will die of heart disease.
10 million women are living with Diabetes Type II.
2.1 million women of child-bearing age are infertile.

What real cure are we racing towards?
Is there a way for women to not only live in the absence of disease, but also experience vibrant, optimal health?
Can a raw vegan diet really make a difference?
How have thousands of women in this country already changed their health and their lives by eating a raw food diet?

Let’s explore the power of possibility!
Starting in September, a physician will explore these questions…
Dr. Ariel Policano, naturopathic physician will be researching the impact that a raw food diet can have on a woman’s health by traveling and speaking with women all over this country!
Scheduled interviews include women who have:
Lost up to 200 hundred of pounds of weight.
Reversed Diabetes Type 2.
Ended a lifelong battle with depression.
Healed from a life threatening illness.
Regained their sense of purpose, creativity and joy in the world!

Join the fun! Watch our daily video blogs! Host an event!

Learn how easy it is to get started with raw foods…

Embrace the fastest, most powerful way to change your health…

This Fall…Women Go Raw!

www.womengoraw.com

3 Minutes to Raw Dessert!

2009-07-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

My assistant and I were moving through some projects when that 90 minutes of Bikram yoga and no lunch finally hit me...I grabbed the food processor and the fastest, closest ingredients:

1 cup almonds, soaked
3 mejool dates, pitted
1/2 tsp lacuma powder
1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract
dash of himalayan sea salt
1 tsp raw chocolate
1 Tbsp goji berries

Add almonds and dates to the food processor. Give them about 30 seconds...add the rest of the ingredients...about 30 seconds - 1 minute. Roll ingredents into small balls or bars...if you have shredded coconut...roll them in it. Back to work/play in no time. Delicious and the perfect mid-afternoon energizer!!!

2009-06-25T15:01:00.001-07:00

100% Raw! 100% Joy!

2009-06-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Yours truly, the Live Food Doctor, has been anywhere between 50-80% raw for well over 10 years. But now I have been sustaining 100% raw quite easily. There are a few tweaks that have made this possible. The #1 reason that I believe it has been so easy has been the addition of enzymes to my raw plan. I am now taking about 5 Multiple Digestive Enzymes (www.live-food-doctor.com.ncpweb.com) 3 times a day. Basically, I am taking 15-20 enzymes per day. I also have been wearing a very special zapper for well over 3 weeks now. I can only tell you that the download I have gotten about the parasitic problem has been beyond powerful.

I believe that when we harbor parasites inside of us, we are also under the influence of their energetic field. We under the influence of the physical effects as well as those that affect our mind and spirit. As for the physical, the parasites consume our food and then release their waste products into our bloodstream. What kind of a considerate guest is that?

I think that it may be very, very difficult to break free of negativities, of fears, and of persistent patterns without completely clearing the creepy crawly critters from our body and energy field.

My own personal experience has been revolutionary. Everything seemed to shift after wearing the zapper for about a week. I felt much more like myself and less under the influence of some persistent fears and negativities that feel as if they have haunted me for a lifetime! I instantly experienced more energy and a renewed sense of enthusiasm for my work. I also felt that it was easier than every to be 100% raw.

Then...the enzymes. Though my radio show, Food Awakenings, I reconnected with raw food master Lou Corona. Being in touch with him and learning about the medical grade enzymes took me through another powerful shift. I suddenly realized how I had cheated myself for all those years on a partially cooked diet. I just got it in the blink of an eye. It is the ENZYMES, ENZYMES, ENZYMES! The enzymes in our food or in high grade supplementation form are THE KEYS TO POWERING BRAIN, BODY, LIFE FORCE, LONGEVITY. Even if you are 100% raw, I HIGHLY recommend taking enzymes with each meal. My own experience is that with the enzymes I feel rejuvenated, crisper, more tuned in.

The enzymes are deeply missing from our food supply, EVEN IF IT IS ORGANIC. Unless you pull the fruit or vegetable out from the land and send it right into your waiting mouth, you are probably enzyme deficient. The food loses its god-given enzymes from the moment it is plucked form the tree and continues to quickly lose the enzymes from that time on...imagine trucked in fruit and veggies...they are so depleted!!!

You will utilized every Superfood, every Superherb, and all the good raw food you consume so much better with the enzymes. I am so much less hungry and so much more satisfied. Imagine, it may be the first time in YEARS that I am breaking everything down completely and still having energy to power up all my cells, my mitochondria, to oxygenate and cleanse my body! The enzymes should be considered FIRST before any herb or superfood or supplement. Don't take my word for it...try this for 30 days for yourself!

Take Enzymes - Yes, Even When you are 100% Raw!

2009-06-20T08:18:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, I attended a seminar with Lou Corona. Lou has been 100% raw and vegan for 36 years. He is now 57 years old. One thing that impressed me about Lou is that he still takes 5 enzymes 3 times per day for maximal health. He feels that the soil and the foods are enzyme deficient, so that even if you are raw you are not receiving enough enzymes from the food to power up your body, eliminate waste, and keep you from premature aging. It is true, Lou looks great and even younger than when I first met him in 2003. He stays in great shape, even though he doesn't do more than simple stretches in the morning. He is also able to execute very advanced yoga postures as demonstrated in this video.

I have probably tried every enzyme out there. Because I have access to the best supplement companies in natural medicine, I have tried them all out. Some are not vegan, some are expensive, and some plain do not work. Many are cut with fillers like silica or magnesium stearate, etc. However, I have tested Lou's enzymes personally and they are everything he says they are and more. There isn't one enzyme out there that is as effective. I felt immediate results right away. A palpable surge in energy over the week that I began to take them. I noticed that my chronically sore left hip...well, I forgot that it hurt. I have been having much more mental acuity. Overall, very fast results and pretty amazing ones at that.

The enzymes that I am taking are Multiple Digestive Enzymes. I take 5 enzymes with each meal. I recommend that you get the 500's if you are going to go for it. Enzymes are available at www.live-food-docotor.ncpweb.com or to get right to those enzymes
http://live-food-doctor.ncpweb.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?prodid=107&cid=104

Cultured Foods: Crucial on a Raw Diet..or any diet!

2009-06-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

Cultured foods are a part of every traditional diet around the globe. In the U.S., the need for cultured foods is immense. This is because of the consumption of some of the strangest factory formed foods on this earth, but also because the food processing industry really changes for the worse the small number of fermented foods that we have. Sauerkraut is cooked and treated with regular table salt, which is basically harmful to the body. (Sea salt is the best...) Commercial yogurt has been pasteurized. This kills many of the enzymes and beneficial bacteria that comprise the very reason to consume yogurt!

Why cultured foods?
Cultured foods are foods that have been fermented. The fermentation process causes the production of enzymes and strains of bacteria which are beneficial for human health. Enzymes are big stars ultimately responsible for sustained human health and should be given a front row seat in any discussion on nutrition. Enzymes help us to completely break down any food that we consume. What is often forgotten is that they also help us to build everything up as well. Enzymes are important in digesting food, but also in powering all the other chemical reactions in the body. I believe that when enzymes are in abundance in the body, they also play a role in removing metabolic waste on a regular basis. This type of waste, if not cleared from the body, could eventually become problematic. By increasing your consumption of enzymes from your diet you give the body much more to work with for all of these important functions.

Why are enzymes so important?
In his absolutely groundbreaking book, Enzyme Nutrition, Edward Howell talks about how important it is to preserve the body's supply of enzymes. His scientific studies of the function of enzymes in humans revealed that the pancreas has a limited ability to produce digestive enzymes over a lifetime. He strongly felt that a key to longevity is the supplementation of enyzmes through a living food diet, cultured foods and/or actual supplementation of dietary enzymes. These add to your own enzyme "bank account" and assure you that you will have plenty of enzymes to run all the functions of the body and take care of important housekeeping tasks.

So, what about "cultured" part?
Consuming raw cultured foods means getting a phenomenal blast of enzymes! You will likely notice that your digestion will improve immediately. Cultured foods that are raw are easy to prepare and taste amazing. I want to send you over to Andrea Livingston's website for a very well done lesson in making your own coconut yogurt!!! Crazy yum and amazing enzyme content. Check out her video on this at www.phytofoods.blogspot.com.

And...
Let's not forget about the probiotics in cultured foods. Probiotics could be right up there with the impotance of enzymes. Probiotics are another way of saying friendly bacteria and we are just full of it! In a healthy person, the bacteria that is beneficial to human health literally outnumbers the cells in our body. Despite having trillions of cells, we still have a greater number of gut bacteria. Perhaps we exist only to provide a warm home to these guys! Friendly bacteria is important also in breaking down food completely. One thing about bacteria like acidophilus is that it can neutralize the effects of poisonous wastes that can form from the breakdown of food, or the harmful fermentation of food in the digestive tract.

For example, meat is known to breakdown into such lovely substances as cadaverine. Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. This substance is the end result of putrefaction or the rotting of meat in the intestines. This harmful substance can be rendered much less harmful by friendly bacteria. Along with the enzymes, the probiotics are assuring that our body has completely broken food down and neturalizes hearmful substances and eliminates waste.

These benefical organisms protect the lining of the intestines. Ever heard of leaky gut syndrome? Without beneficial bacteria, the lining of the intestines, call the mucosa can become inflammed. This may allow proteins that normally stay inside your stomach, small intestines and large intestines to enter your blood...Not good! This causes many different reactions including increasing your immune response to many foods and perhaps to pollens and other environmental allergens. You can prevent this leaky gut syndrome by consuming cultured foods each day. The probiotics contained in these cultured foods will coat the mucosal lining and protect your health.

Consume some cultured foods EVERY day. You will feel how your body is supported by the increased enzymes and probiotics. Your digestion may instantly improve. Even if you don't have any isntantly increased feelings of wellness, you will be doing your body a world of good. When people tell me that they do not feel well on a raw, organic vegan diet, I ask them about the consumption of these 3 crucial nutrition groups!!!

1) Cultured foods.
2) Enzyme rich foods (ok, cultured foods go in this category too!)
3) Greens, greens, greens.

I will talk more about this in future posts, but if people will increase their consumption of these, it is likely that their fatigue or digestive problems will decrease. Many natural medicine practitioners will do a knee-jerk reaction of telling their raw food patient that they just need to "eat meat". I think there are other places to search for the remedy for deficiencies in energy and the 3 groups above are important pieces of the puzzle!!!

Cultured foods are delicious...your body will tell you to have more!
Enjoy cultured foods like Coconut Yogurt, Kombucha or raw sauerkraut and much more. The benefits that you are receiving from your raw food diet will increase dramatically. Enjoy and let me know your favorite vegan yogurt or kefir recipe!!!

Chocolate Coconut Smoothie - Pure Nirvana

2009-05-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to get the raw chocolate thing going in my morning superfood smoothie, but it just hasn't tasted good...Too bitter, too watery, etc. After a couple of Detox Foot Baths this weekend and a constant dose of the Terminator Zapper, my mind cleared and the heavens opened! OK - I might have missed the obvious all along. I took coconut water PLUS about 1/4 cup of coconut flesh from the Young Thai coconut that I just opened...I believe that smooothies with a healthy fat base allow for a more complete delivery system of the "medicine" (superfoods and superherbs) that you put in the smoothie. Hemp seeds, hemp oil, and flax oil are alternative ways of achieving this.

Here is the recipe for a Superfood Smooothie with incredible taste:

1 Tbsp. Cacao - I like Vivapura Raw Chocolate from Ecuador
2 Tbsp. Goji Berries
1 Tbsp. Revitaphi - Elements for Life (www.noblelifeelements.com/livefooddoctor)
1/4 cup coconut flesh
1 cup coconut water
2 droppersful Maitake - I like MycoHerb
3-4 ice cubes

Blend in VitaMix. Enjoy!

To learn how to open a Young Thai coconut, which is available at most Asian Grocers, check out Andrea Livingston's Raw Food blog www.phytofoods.blogspot.com!

Raw Chocolate and Your Teeth

2009-05-23T22:37:00.001-07:00

I've known about biological dentistry for many years. I had all my amalgams removed, some in '95 and the rest in '98. I have continued to have some dental issues, and I am convinced that the previous dental work has given way to the new problems. In David Wolfe's lectures of the past couple of years, he has been developing his new longevity paradigm. This paradigm focuses on the eradication of nanobacteria from a person's system.

The nanobacteria are like barnacles in a way. They are the root cause of the buildup of calcifications throughout the body. What is the harm of calcifications in the body? Think atherosclerosis, the narrowing of the blood vessels. This could result in heart attacks or strokes. Think kidney stones. Think chronic pain or stiffness. When you look at an older person who appears stiff, struggles to move quickly, this is the end result of many years of calcification in the body.

Now, back to dentistry. David's contention is that nanobacteria live on dental instruments and that they are not autoclaved, so these bacteria are then passed from one patient to the next. Lovely thought, eh? This introduces it right into the bloodstream. etc. My mentor in naturopathic medicine explained that each time you drill into the tooth, you significantly weaken it. Our teeth are meant to remain in our mouths; can you believe it? One of the largest contributors to dental issues is most likely the chronic, and tragic, mineral deficiencies in our soil and consequently in most of the people living in the U.S. Each tooth in our mouth is related to some part or organ of the body. By losing the tooth, we may have effects on the organ itself. Keep every tooth and as much of it as you can!

David is radical enough to say that he will not have one more dental procedure. He uses essential oils, neem, and ormus gold to keep his teeth healthy. He claims that he remineralized a chipped tooth to actually grow back some of the tooth.

I don't know if this is possible, but I find his comments on dentistry very compelling. I am nursing a filling that fell out, and each dentist appt I have tried to make here in Tucson has been cancelled or referred to the next dentist. Then, David was in town and he talked extensively about the above in his talk. Should I perhaps take the hint? It was also recommended to me to try magnesium oil.

The final thing that David mentioned about tooth health did astound me. I have been in on the raw chocolate information for a while. I know it is high in magnesium, vitamin C, electrolytes and much more. However, it wasn't until I actually saw the cacao beans all lined up in the fruit itself. That blew me away. It truly looks like two rows of brilliantly pearly white teeth. Should we remember the doctrine of signatures? A little joke that the creative forces play on us, or just gentle "duh" reminders! That is to say...the walnut looks just like the cerebrum and is great for brain function. The tomato looks like the 4 chambers of the heart the tomato is sliced in half, and it is good for the heart. Chocolate, it turns out, is beneficial for tooth health...Raw chocolate that is very light in the sweetener content, of course...

Thyroid Imbalances

2009-05-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

The more I see patients and talk to particpants of my cleansing program, the Body Bliss Cleanse, www.bodyblisscleanse.com the more I become aware of how many women are experiencing low thyroid function and do not know it. Here are some of the things women are typically report that makes me think of thyroid suppression:

1) Fatigue
2) Dry skin
3) Can't lose weight no matter what. Eat a raisin, gain 10 pounds.
4) Foggy thinking.
5) Crave coffee and can't get through the day without it.
6) Heavy menses, painful menses, cramps, irregular cycles.

There are several issues that we need to talk about in consideration of low thyroid function.

1) Iodine, iodine, iodine. The % of Americans low in iodine may be close to 90%. There may be serious health conditions that could be avoided just by proper iodine supplementation.
2) Protect yourself from radiation and the effects of EMF's.
Use a BioPro chip on your phone, Wear a Q-Link, and get "earthed" through a Barefoot Pad and mattress cover that keeps you grounded to the earth.
3) Balance your cortisol levels. Handling the EMF situation will help quite a bit. Go to bed the same time each night, get up in the morning the same time. Imbalances in cortisol, which come from stress, consuming caffeine, or sleeping irregular hours or even poor sleep really disrupt the thyroid. They cause inactive thyroid hormone to be converted to a useless form of active thyroid hormone, called reverse T3.
3)Selenium. Use FOOD AS MEDICINE! I recommend brazil nuts (5-7 per day) and Goji Berries are a source of selenium as well.
4) Beta-Carotene is very important for thyroid function. 2 carrots per day will do the trick. Remember also that kale, collards and all the greens are rich in beta carotene.
5) Tyrosine is another crucial nutrient for the thyroid. Avocodos, bananas, almonds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds are all high in tyrosine.
6) Consume young thai coconuts. Particularly the coconut flesh is excellent for people with low thyroid function.
7) Leave out the soy products!!!

Upcoming Cleanse & Superfood Programs in Tucson, Arizona

2009-01-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

There are 2 upcoming classes that I am doing in the Tucson area. If you want to rejuvenate your health, improve your energy and sense of well-being, then doing one or both of these programs will make a tremendous and easily noticeable difference.

Cleanse for Health - Begins April 7th and runs for 3 classes

Cleanse for Health is a 3-week class plus all the supplements and supplies to do a 14-Day cleansing program. The results have been life changing and powerful, and you can read about them at www.bodyblisscleanse.com.

Week 1 - The basics of a cleanse, how to get ready, shopping tips, recipes, foods that cause pain, foods that relieve pain, why a cleanse helps with weight loss that otherwise seems impossible!

Week 2 - How to do a juice cleanse (optional), why it is imperative to cleanse your liver, how to do a liver flush, digestion basics, colonics: yes or no?, group support, juice demonstration and more.

Week 3 - "I feel great, now what?" How to keep what you attained during the cleanse, whether it is more energy or weight loss or a beautiful complexion. Find out the secrets of everyday wellness!

When: Tuesday, April 7 at 7pm
Where: A Rich Experience
6814 N. Oracle, Suite 220
Tucson, AZ 85704

Call: (520) 577-5422 to register
$50 deposit to reserve your spot!
Investment in health: Regularly $249. Special for January - $199 includes classes, supplements, supplies, naturopathic support.

Individual Biofeedback sessions are regularly $150. Have an individual assessment of your need for vitamins, minerals, amino acids and much more for $125 while you are doing the 2 week cleanse.

Body Cleanse Foot Spas are also available during the cleanse for $35 (regularly $45).

SUPERFOOD TASTING!

Wow! The most incredible potential for health exists and is available to us right NOW. Nourish your body with enzymes, minerals, carotenoids, flavinoids and essential fatty acids that make pain disappear, weight come off more easily, improve your mood, and remarkably increase your energy. The time is now! Listen to Dr. Ariel lecture on each of these superfoods. She will create a delicious smoothie for you while she talks about the superfoods that will literally change your life!!!

What are the Superfoods that Dr. Ariel will teach you about?

- MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON - rich in minerals, carotenoids, chlorophyll and DHA and EPA.
- MACA - amazing for libido, sexual health, hormonal health, energy, and immune support
- HEMP - perfect essential fatty acid blend of omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9, excellent amino acids.
- NONI - so rich with 140 enzymes to activate and cleanse the body. Noni is rich in sulfur to clear out pain, stagnation, build-up and more. Noni also has polysaccharides to support the immune system.
- MACQUI BERRY - Off the charts antioxidants. Twice the amount of antioxidants as compared to acai.
- SACHA INCHI - greatest amount of plant-based essential fatty acids around! Incredible support for energy.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 18th at 7pm
WHERE: A Rich Experience
6814 N. Oracle Rd., Suite 220
Investment: $12 includes recipes and smoothie tasting
Call: (520) 577-5422 to register!
What: Learn about incredible superfoods. Experience a power-packed super smoothie, get recipes and suggestions for using superfoods, and notice a difference in your life within a few days!

SUPER FOOD MIRACLES: HOW BERRIES FIGHT CANCER & AGING!

2008-11-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

FOOD AWAKENINGS is Dr. Ariel's weekly radio show about live foods, superfoods, and wild foods! Join us anytime on Thursday afternoons at 4pm Pacific, or anytime on the archives. We take callers on the show if you have questions. Here is the link:

www.blogtalkradio.com/healthandharmonynetwork

Blueberries are just one example of the many foods out there containing flavonoids. Other flavonoid rich foods include grapes, cherries, blueberries, plums and other colored fruits. They are also found in onions, kale, broccoli, greens, citrus fruits, tea and apples. There is growing evidence that these foods protect us from cancer, from the effects of aging, including the onset of Alzheimers. These amazing substances can improve the immune system, reduce cholesterol, and may help to heal or improve conditions like diabetes, macular degeneration, hypertension, strokes and much more. Join us as we speak with Dr. Nita Bishop, naturopathic physician who has studied and researched flavonoids extensively. Dr. Bishop strongly believes that food is our medicine. She has spent time in the Amazon rainforest and promotes education and research of other superfoods like maca as well as a musculoskeletal pain reliever called copaiba oil.

Stomach Acid Saver

2008-11-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

Is your stomach acid too low? Do you get reflux? You probably have an issue with stomach acid that is too low, not too high. Does food sit in your stomach after a meal? Do you have a tendency toward constipation? Do your nails have ridges in them? Do you find that you are often tired? I have found that low stomach acid is very common in for people who consume a standard american diet and/or are under moderate to high levels of stress. Here is a simple drink to improve stomach acid:

Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 tsp.
Raw Honey - 2 tsp.
Water - 6-8 ounces

IMPORTANT! THE ONLY APPLE CIDER THAT I RECOMMEND IS BRAGG'S! BRAGG'S IS A RAW APPLE CIDER, SO IT STILL HAS ENZYMES. IT IS CLOUDY IN CONSISTENCY, WHICH IS A POSITIVE THING. DO NOT USED APPLE CIDER THAT HAS BEEN HEATED TO HIGH TEMPERATURES.

Apple Cider Vinegar appears to "prime the pump" that produces stomach acid. My experience has been that patients have improved their digestion in a very short time. Some have even found that they crave the apple cider vinegar after taking it for a few daya.

Drink this 10-15 minutes before each meal. Make larger batches if you wish, but only store them in glass, never in plastic.

Green Juice that knocks your socks off!

2008-11-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

3 organic medium-sized apples - chopped
(ALWAYS USE ORGANIC APPLES
AS STUDIES SHOW THE CONVENTIONAL
ARE LOADED WITH THE MOST HARMFUL
PESTICIDES!)
1 cucumber - chopped
5 stalks celery - chopped
6 leaves kale - chopped
1/2 lemon - juiced
Optional: Handful of sprouts

This juice will be mixed in the vitamix FIRST. This process allows all cell wall of each plant to be carefully broken down, which releases all of the precious nutrients that are typically locked into the cellulose wall.

Then, use a nut milk bag or a cheese cloth and strain the juice in order to separate it from the pulp. Now, add about 4 cups of purified or even distilled water to this juice.

You can compare this type of juicing to the use of a Jack La Lanne or even a Champion. I think you will find this to be a more energizing and potent juice.

ENJOY!

How To Get Your Flax Cracker to Taste Good!

2008-10-31T22:41:00.000-07:00

THE SECRET IS THE SWEET!
Most dehydrated crackers have the savory but not the sweet, and that will leave you feeling as if something is missing. So, check out this recipe. Also, you must add lots and lots of seasoning. The dehydrating process most likely seems to dissipate the effects of the aromatic oils of the spices. So, you have to use much more than you would imagine. I do not use any Bragg's or Nama Shoyu in my crackers due to the effects of heating soy which appears to create an MSG-like substance.

3 cups flax seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
SOAK THE SEEDS FOR 24 HOURS.

ADD WATER TO FLAX SEVERAL TIMES
TO KEEP IT HYDRATED!

1 medium onion
1/2 cup chopped peppers
1 Tbsp. Herb de provence
4 Tbsp. Fajita seasoning
2 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning
2 Tbsp. Garlic Herbs
2 Tbsp. Agave
1 tsp. Sea Salt

There are several steps, but once you get the
hang of it you can vary these with any seasoning,
nuts or seeds that you enjoy!

1) Soak all nuts or seeds for 24 hours.
2) Keep the flax hydrated.
3) Discard all water that was used for soaking.
4) Use 1 cup flax and a bit of the sunflower seeds
and the pumpkin seeds. Grind these in a food processor
or a Vitamix (I prefer the Vitamix).
5) Now mix everything together in the largest
bowl you've got! That's right hand mix
everything together.
6) Cover your dehydrator trays with Teflex sheets,
the new Silicon sheets, or parchment paper.
I DISCOVERED THAT MY CRACKERS ARE READY MUCH
FASTER WHEN I PREPARE THEM ON PARCHMENT PAPER!
7) Use a small ice cream scooper or a dessert tablespoon
and place a small scoop of the cracker mix on the sheet.
Scoop as many on each sheet as you can, leaving room in
between to flatten them.
8) Flatten your crackers if you like them thin, or
give them a gentle press if you would like them thicker.
Option: Make larger crackers that are very thick and they
become like a piece of bread that you can place pate, sprouts
vegetables in between!
9) Remember to put love into your crackers!!!
10) Dehydrate for 10 hours (approx) and then flip
your crackers over. When flipping the crackers, remove the
parchment paper, or Teflex sheet. Place your "flipped"
cracker on the bare tray. Yes, it dehydrates better
this way.
11) Dehydrate for another 6 hours.
12) Enjoy!!!

Raw Honey Lemonade - Morning Glory!

2008-08-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderful way to begin your morning! To cleanse, clear the body of mucous and waste, to improve stomach acid and digestion. It is simple. It is refreshing. It tastes good!

1 tsp. Really Raw Honey
1 lemon - put through the juicer, as in a Champion or Jack La Lanne Juicer. Remove the outer portion of the lemon, or "peel it" then run the rest of it through the juicer.
8 ounces water
3 ice cubes

Place ingredients in Vitamix (preferred) or blender. Blend for 30 seconds. Enjoy!

Benefits of your Raw Honey Lemonade:

- Alkalinize your body.
- Improve your production of stomach acid.
- True raw honey does not promote the growth of fungus and yeasts the way other sugar and processed honey tends to.
- Really raw honey contains the bee pollen and the propolis - two highly treasured superfood supplements rich in amino acids.
- Honey contains fatty acids that stimulates peristalsis, the movement in the digestive tract.
- Lemon juice is an amazing internal cleanser and helps to mineralize your body.

Beginning your day with this drink will give you energy and boost the cleansing and assimilation cycle that your body is naturally going through at this time.

For more information on the product that I use in this recipe, go to

www.reallyrawhoney.com

Product review: I have tasted almost no other honey like Really Raw Honey. After all the craze about agave in the raw food world, I am now suspecting that this sweetener is not all that it has been promoted to be. There are reports that the increased production of agave has caused unscrupulous companies to add high fructose corn syrup or process in such a way that the fructose % is increased, and this is not a positive change. So, I am tending to recommend honey more and more.

When you taste Really Raw Honey, or even smell it, you will think that you died and want to Honey Heaven! I feel like this really puts to shame the honey that I consumed most of my life. There is an incredible top layer that is beautiful to look at. It is described as "crunchy bits of honeycomb, pollen and propolis that speckle the top in hues of brown, gold and amber." Remember that bee pollen and propolis are highly nutritious superfoods. They are rich in a full array of amino. They also supply a great deal of energy, and promote longevity.

Watermelon Cleanse - Updated - FREE

2008-08-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Lovely Raw Foodists, Cleansers, and Joyous Beings!

I will be publishing my complete E-Book soon...for now, you get this information for FREE. Here is the first part of the E-Book and contains all you need to know for your 3-Day Watermelon Cleanse! More will be avaialable soon, so check back. I will go into the incredible effects that watermelon can have on your kidneys, your liver, your colon, and even your heart!!! For now...enjoy a slice for me!

Introduction:
Watermelon is a powerful food. Consider first the size of watermelon! How incredible that this fruit can grow from one tiny seed! It is a wonderful representation of miracles and the abundant gifts of nature. Outside it grows strong and tough. Within the tough rind is beautiful flesh that is the perfect relief to an unbearably hot day. What beautiful representation of abundance and fertility are the plentiful black seeds that play gorgeous contrast to the pink, white and green coloring within. Just meditating on the mighty watermelon brings forth the medicine of this generous fruit. And there is so, so much more. The nutrition contained within each part of this melon will amaze you. Health benefits have been described as aiding the kidneys, bladder, stomach, colon, heart, liver, skin, and so much more. A watermelon cleanse seems almost decadent, like getting to have dessert as the main meal! There is real health improvement that awaits you in interacting with this humble but mighty fruit. Let’s begin!

Cleansing with watermelon is easy to do, delicious and extremely effective. There are several ways to do a watermelon cleanse. There are some specific watermelon cleansing recipes that you can use during your cleanse. The healing benefits of each of these will be discussed. Every part from flesh, rind and seed can be consumed with some benefit. A watermelon cleanse can be used to shed a few pounds in a short time. The extreme heat of August can be released through the cleansing power of watermelon. The body will break down the waste from proteins more efficiently in the liver. The colon is cleansed by watermelon. Watermelon can act like a blood tonic and therefore be very regenerative. Here is all you need to know to enjoy one of the most enjoyable cleanses yet.

3-Day Watermelon Cleanse

Pre-Cleanse

I strongly recommend that before you do your watermelon cleanse, you give yourself 3 days to “pre-cleanse”. Because watermelon is one of the most cleansing foods you could eat, it is best to prepare the body to minimize detoxification reactions. An easy way to achieve this is simply by changing your diet. By reducing foods that are toxin to your system, or put stress on your system, or create toxic by-products, you will start the cleansing process immediately. You liver and kidney will have less waste to clear out and they can do more of their housekeeping tasks. If you take in more fruits and vegetables, you will also begin to clear out the colon. For this effort, you will be rewarded! Your watermelon cleanse will be much more pleasant with fewer cleansing reactions.

Here are foods to take out of your diet for the next 3 days, before you proceed to your juicy watermelon phase.

Dairy Products Milk, eggs, butter, yogurt, cheese. Anything dairy derived including cow and goat products.
Wheat Containing Foods All products containing wheat flour like bagels, muffins, pastas and breads. Wheat is a highly hybridized grain. It is also highly overeaten! Try other grains and get fewer allergies and more nutrition.
Red Meat Chicken, turkey and fish are allowable. You will get maximum cleansing benefit from a no meat diet.
Fried Foods Very stressful to the liver!
Sugar Avoid refined sugar
Artificial Sweetener Avoid any sweetener that comes in a pastel package. Joke! No aspartame (Nutrasweet), saccharin or sucralose (Splenda).
Peanuts Peanuts are a highly allergenic legume. They also contain aflatoxin.

Before bedtime on each of the evenings before you go to sleep, consume 3-4 soaked prunes. You also may want to take 2 Capsules of Dr. Ariel’s BON VOYAGE, which can be ordered online at www.bodyblisscleanse. These act as a mild laxative. They contain Cape Aloe and Wormwood in the capsules. You can take them each night of your pre-cleanse and during your watermelon cleanse for excellent results.

Increase the fiber in your diet. You can take 1 tsp. of Dr. Ariel’s BROOM in 8 ounces of water twice per day. This is available at www.bodyblisscleanse.com Eat a large salad with both lunch and dinner. Eat at least 2-3 fruits each day, particularly apples. Increasing the fiber in your diet will begin to clear your colon, and will also cleanse your liver.

You may want to do an enema or a colonic at the end of each day of your watermelon cleanse. You can order an enema kit online at our website. It is not absolutely necessary to do an enema, but you will feel better at the end of the day if you clear out the toxins that your body has been busy releasing from the cells.

If you have completed your 3-Day pre-cleanse, or decided to skip it, you are now ready to begin your cleanse.

Now you are ready to begin your watermelon cleanse!

Upon rising:
6 ounces of juiced watermelon (This will require about 3-4 cups of watermelon.)
½ lemon, juiced with the watermelon

Optional: Add grated ginger, then mix in blender. You can also juice the ginger and mix with watermelon juice.To juice the watermelon. Place watermelon in blender. Blend well. Use a cheese cloth or nut milk bag to strain the watermelon. Mix lemon juice and watermelon together.

Mid-morning:
Squeeze the juice of ½ lemon into 8 ounces of water. Drink.

Watermelon smoothie.
2-3 cups chopped watermelon.
1 tsp. grated ginger.

To prepare watermelon smoothie: Place 2 cups of watermelon in blender or Vitamix. Blend for 30 seconds or until watermelon is well mixed. Drink!

Lunch:
3-4 cups chopped watermelon.

Enjoy slowly. Take time to chew each piece and appreciate the flavor.

Option: Add lemon or lime juice by squeezing the lemon or lime over the watermelon.

Yum!

Mid-Afternoon:

Optional: Take 3-4 ENERGIZE capsules to keep your energy strong, and blood sugar stabilized.

Evening:
Watermelon Soup.

This isn’t really a “soup” per se, but something that can be mixed up and consumed as part of a watermelon fast.

4 cups watermelon, seeded and cubed
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped.
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped or minced
1/8 tsp ground cardamom

Place 3 cups watermelon in food processor and blend until smoothie. Dice up the remaining 2 cups of watermelon into very small pieces and add to the puree. In a separate bowl, combine the lime juice, mint, ginger, and cardamom. Add this to the other mixture and stir well.

If possible, have your evening watermelon soup before the sun goes down. Drink 3-4 cups of herbal tea for the remainder of the evening.

Evening:
Take a relaxing Epsom Salt Bath. Add about ½ cup Epsom salts to a nice warm bath. Try a few drops of lavendar in your bath. Absolutely heavenly!

Repeat your schedule for the next 2 days. Yum! Slowly transition back to your regular diet, taking a few days to introduce heavier foods like dairy products or meat, if you consume these.

Watermelon Detox - Additional Drink

2008-06-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

I am continuing to work up some detox juice recipes for my watermelon detox, which is described in two other posts on this blog. Here is an awesome one to have during your 3-Day Watermelon Detox:

4 Cups Watermelon, Chopped.
(Remember to cut watermelon right down to the rind to get the maximum benefit of the watermelon. Also, whenever possible, get organic and seeded melons. You do not have to remove the seeds for this recipe. They are beneficial and will be blended up in your drink.)
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated.
1/2 lime, juiced
8 Blackberries, organic (frozen)
Few ice cubes.

Add all ingredients to a blender or my preference, a Vitamix. Blend for 30-60 seconds. Enjoy this cleansing and refreshing drink.

Water Alkalinizers - The Latest in Water Purification

2008-06-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, whoa is we. We are living in a conundrum of tremendous proportions. How do we get good water???? If we drink tap water...OK, get real, we all know that isn't an option. There is the toxicity of the chlorine and other contaminants and heavy metals. If we buy bottled water, we drink in the plastics from the bottles and we overload landfills with the bottles themselves. On top of all of that, the water from any of these sources may have an acidic pH. When the pH of the water is acidic, it can be harmful to your health. Most people are already too acidic as a result of eating processed foods, too much meat, alcohol, coffee or other foods or drinks that deplete the minerals in the body.

Let's say a person really has a week where they just go crazy with fast foods. On top of that, they have coffee in the morning and soda pop in the afternoon. As a result, the pH of their system becomes more acidic. The pH of our body, specifically our blood is naturally more alkaline (ph of about 7.4). The human body cannot survive in an acid environment. The enzymes that make the body work simply do not function at an acid pH. Since we are hardwired for survival, if we foolishly fill our bodies with these acid forming substances, the body fights back. It will use calcium and magnesium stored in the body as a way to buffer the acid. Think of taking a good ol' alka seltzer to buffer an acid stomach. The biochemistry is similar to that. So, what would happen if you were constantly buffering with calcium from your body? Perhaps osteoporosis? Exactly. Acid forming foods are a much more likely culprit for the leaching of calcium from the bones than a dairy deficiency in the American diet.

Back to the water situation. It turns out that much of the water, be it tap water or even bottled water has a slightly acidic pH. This is really counter to what we want to do in order to alkalinize the body. Think of alkalinization as a method of purifying or detoxifying the body. So, the latest and the greatest in water purfication systems these days is WATER ALKALINIZERS! They add calcium and magnesium to the water making it better absorbed by the body.

The type of water alkalinizer that I recommend is the Akai Ionizer Plus from High Tech Health.

Here are the reasons that I like this system so much:

- It has a carbon filter to remove chlorine and other chemicals such as heavy metals

- It has an ultraviolet light to destroy bacteria and viruses in the water.

- It has the system that makes the water more alkaline. It does this through electrolysis. From High Tech Health:

"Electrolysis is the process that concentrates the minerals thus making the water more alkaline. It accomplishes this by passing the water between two electrodes, one with a positive electric charge, the other with a negative electric charge. The minerals in the water then become reduced to their ionic form. Minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium have a positive electric charge and are attracted to the negatively charged electrode. This water, alkaline in nature, is then separated from the water attracted to the positively charged electrode."

The effect of drinking this type of water is profound. The cells may be better able to receive nutrition and oxygenation as a result.

In summary, what an alkalinizer may do for you:

- Improve the pH of the body, making it more alkaline, a desirable goal.
- Help to oxygenate the body better.
- Improve the functioning of antioxidants like Vitamin C in your water.
- Aid in the elimination of toxins from the body each day.
- Turn minerals into their ionic form for better use in the body.

Now that I have been using the Ionizer Plus, I definitely would not want to be without an alkalinizer in my home. There are other brands out there, and you can research them all. I found this one to be superior in quality and very competitively priced. I also did not find that the other alkalinizers on the market had the carbon filtration and the ultraviolet purfication feature. Check it out for yourself at www.hightechhealth.com

You can use the acidic water that comes from the unit as a wonderful astrigent for your skin! I have been using this every day now and it works wonderfully as a facial rinse.

Angel's Health Food Institute

2008-06-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in learning more about live foods? Would you like to immerse yourself in this education away from your busy life and the stresses that go with it? Would you be interested in spending time on 20 acres of beautiful land in the Pacific Northwest? If you answered yes...you must check out Angel's Health Food Institute in Gold Hill, Oregon. www.angelshealthfoodinstitute.com

Peggy McDonnell and Ken Brown are the founders of the institute. They are incredibly dedicated to the upliftment and education of participants. The program is thorough with lots of time for rest and reflection. This is an excellent place to learn how to transform your health, maintain your wellness, and have a break from your everyday life in order to take stock of the priorites.

The first two weeks covers the basics of why a living foods diet is superior for optimal health. The last week includes a chef certification program with lots and lots of hands-on work. The food was beyond delicious. AHFI uses much of the food they grown themselves in their garden and greenhouse. They use ocean water to mineralize the fruits, vegetables and wheatgrass. The effect of the ocean water is profound. The wheatgrass is so sweet! The vegetables are absolutely gorgeous and so colorful.

Peggy and Ken and all of the staff at AHFI are so generous with their time and their knowledge. I hope you get the chance to check out AHFI or go their for an extended stay to study the living food lifestyle. It will definitely be worth every moment that you are there. I will keep you posted about upcoming programs and events going on there, or check them out at www.angelshealthfoodinstitute.com

Wheatgrass & B17

2008-04-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

Check out Edward Griffin's World Without Cancer. This is a stunning video with powerful information about nitrilosides in food (aka B17) and their ability to prevent cancer, and possibly help the person who already has cancer. My interest in this video is because wheatgrass contains Vitamin B17! The vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll and so much more that is contained in wheatgrass makes it truly a gift from the angels. Yes, the humble grass. In nature, perhaps what appears most gentle is actually what contains the most strength. Grasses are so filled with nourishment and the ability to oxygenate, cleanse and protect humans and animals that one can only be in awe of these unexpected qualities. Why doesn't every oncology ward have trays of wheatgrass to juice? The information is known. There is excellent research as discussed by Edward Griffin and others.

I will be doing several other posts about the nutrition of wheatgrass. Along with sprouts, the algaes like spirulina and blue green algae, wheatgrass is among the elite in terms of powerful nutrition for your body. It is worth every second that you take to juice it.

I do not know how Dr. Ann Wigmore was able to intuit and discover so much information about Wheatgrass. In The Wheatgrass Book, written over 15 years ago, she mentioned the laetrile as well as a vast array of enzymes including Superoxide Dismutase as well as Absisic Acid, which also seems to have anti-cancer qualities, and before reading Dr. Ann's book I had never heard of. It was never mentioned in any nutrition book that I have come across, and no one in naturopathic school ever talked about it either.

Rejuvelac Triumph!

2008-04-23T16:52:00.001-07:00

After many years of trying to get the Rejuvelac to be something besides water and grains that sat out on your counter for 3 or more days...success! This Rejuvelac, which is made from sprouted Barley grains, is tart, delicious, and has a lemonade-like taste. Rejuvelac is a fermented drink, made from your choice of grains (typically Soft Wheat Berries, Rye, Barley and others.). It is rich in enzymes, probiotics (not from supplements, and not from a dairy source, wooohoooo!), as well as B-Vitamins.

Ann Wigmore was the inventor of Rejuvelac. She had a very upset digestive system after self-testing foods that had been irradiated! The story goes that she simply asked Spirit...what do I do for this? She felt guided to use grains, sprout them and ferment them. She recovered quickly after drinking her newly created Rejuvelac.

I know that since Gabriel Cousens' Book Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine was published, many have had concerns about the mold in grains. One way to remedy this is to soak grains in Vitamin C powder before using them in your Rejuvelac. Soaking for 15-30 minutes is sufficient. Then rinse and begin your sprouting and fermenting.

How absolutely wonderful to consume enzymes, probiotics and B-Vitamins that do not come from synthetic supplements! It is pretty sweet to create no waste except for compost from your beautiful sprouted grains.

How to make Delish Rejuvelac:

Choose Soft Wheat Berries, Rye or Barley, preferably organic.
(Two good resources for bulk grains and seeds - Hippocrates Health Institute, and Optimum Health Institute)
Use 1/2 cup of one of these grains.
6-7 cups of spring water or purified water

This will give you about 2 quarts of Rejuvelac

Soak Grain for 10-12 hours.
Rinse 2-3X daily
Sprout Grain for 3 Days in Sprout Bag.
Here is the true secret to making great Rejuvelac. My sincere thanks to Steve Meyerowtiz and his excellent book "Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook".
USE A BLENDER OR VITAMIX TO LIGHTLY, LIGHTLY BLEND THE SPROUTS SO THAT THEY BREAK OPEN BUT DO NOT OVER-BLEND.
Place the sprouts in a larger glass jar, like a mason jar and fill to the top with water.
Your future rejuvelac needs to now just sit and wait. Place the jar on a countertop, cover with your sprout bag ONLY.
STIR THIS THREE TIMES A DAY!
In 3 days, you will have some amazing Rejuvelac. Enjoy!

Live Food Puppy: New Blog

2008-04-20T20:50:00.001-07:00

Do you eat a raw food diet? What about your pet? As I searched for information about raw diets for pets, not all of them meshed with my education in the "human live food movement". My dog does eat raw meat. However, he also consumes wheatgrass, blue-green algae, goji berries, rejuvelac, raw grains and much more. We need a forum to discuss and promote this hybrid raw diet for dogs. Too many dogs are suffering from the terrible degenerative conditions that can be attributed to the unnatural foods available in the typical supermarket, pet store, and even the health food store or "holistic" pet store. Check out www.livefoodpuppy.blogspot.com and please submit any information or stories you would like to share.

Wondering about Soy

2008-04-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is a piece that I did a while back for Herbivore magazine about the ongoing soy controversy. Those who have done my 14-Day Cleansing Program often ask about "to soy or not to soy" and so I thought it would be helpful to post this article on the blog.

I recently read an article in Mothering magazine that had some really negative things to say about soy and soy formula. I also have seen some web sites on line that say soy could be harmful. Is there any truth to any of this? - P.A., Seattle, Washington

What in the world is up with soy these days? For the past twenty or thirty years soy has been the darling of the health food world. Who could possibly say anything bad about soy? Well, the Weston Price Foundation, the Gerson Institute, and now Kaayla Daniel, PhD, CCN, to name a few. Daniel's new book is titled "The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food." Thinking about the dark side of soy is like thinking about the dark side of Gandhi...or Mother Teresa. C'mon. It's crazy talk! Or is it?

The strange and unnatural things that are done to soy may be your last connection to pop food culture. Not Dogs and breakfast sausage are special to you, I know. And what the hell are you supposed to put in your coffee besides soymilk? Certainly not watery rice milk! Okay. Calm down and think this soy controversy through.

Let's review some reasons we turned to soy in the first place:

• It results in lower cholesterol levels than consuming meat, and as a result prob- ably contributes to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• It provides a high protein alternative for vegetarians and vegans.
• Several studies have supported the posi- tive effect on soy for menopausal symp- toms including hot flashes.
• Studies show soy may help to improve bone density in post-menopausal women.
• Soy consumption could facilitate weight loss because of its high protein, low fat content.
• Some studies have shown that soy is helpful in controlling blood sugar levels, again because it is a high protein, low carbohydrate food.

So, soy is irrefutably a superfood, right? Well, not so fast. For many a vegetarian or vegan, soy has become a major staple in the diet. Aren't there some days you look back and realize you have consumed it for breakfast, lunch and dinner...oh, and maybe it was even in the soy ice cream or vegan dessert that you had? The potential problems of soy are more likely to occur when the consumption is daily, in relatively large quantities, and over a long period of time.

So, now that we have seen the charming list of some soy virtues, let's take a look at the negative press that soy has been receiving recently. I have read much of this information on the internet and very little is actually referenced for source. I did some Medline searches on each of these topics and found some to be substantiated by a few studies, which are referenced here. Ultimately, you will have to make your own decision about whether soy belongs in your diet, and if so, how much.

Soy contains a chemical called phytic acid. This chemical, which is not removed in the cooking process, could reduce the absorption of some minerals. These include calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. There are several studies that seem to confirm reduced mineral absorption of iron and zinc. They don't indicate the amounts of soy necessary to do this, or exactly how much absorption it would affect.1, 2

Soy contains protease inhibitors. Proteases are enzymes that digest proteins. If soy does contain protease inhibitors, then it could possibly interfere with the proper digestion and assimilation of protein. Again, there is some research that confirms the existence of these enzyme inhibitors. What it doesn't indicate is how long these enzyme inhibitors stay active, or what the effects on health might ultimately be.3

To complicate matters further, an article in Circulation, the journal reporting on cardiovascular health, states that both phytic acid and the trypsin (a type of protease) inhibitor may be important mechanisms of action in lowering LDL cholesterol.4 This seems to be a stretch to believe, but it is referenced as having support. My first guess about why consuming soy helps to reduce the "bad" form of cholesterol is that it has as much to do with what you are not eating with as what you are eating. If you are consuming more soy, then it is likely you are substituting that for more saturated fat-containing foods. This change alone would help to lower serum cholesterol.

Soy contains phytoestrogens. While some studies indicate that it is the phytoestrogens that have the protective effect in cancers, other studies are less favorable. The problem may be that these phytoestrogens may bind to estrogen receptors in the body, causing negative effects, just as exogenous estrogens from synthetic hormone replacement therapy may cause harm. This may, then, actually increase the risk of breast or uterine cancer. The literature is mixed, with studies supporting both sides of the argument.

The American Cancer Society recommends that cancer survivors consume a moderate amount of soy. For example, some tofu in a stir-fry a few times a week may be harmless, but they should consider avoiding soy supplements in capsules. This also has to do with a study that concluded that the more processed forms of soy, like isoflavones, actually stimulated breast tumor growth in animals, while the consumption of soy did not.

Soy is a goitrogen. A goitrogen is a kind of food that suppresses the functioning of the thyroid gland.5, 6 The literature here is also mixed. The information comes from studies done on animals and it says that the studies reduced the function of the thyroid, but not enough to cause significant changes in blood values like TSH. TSH is a measure of thyroid function, and the major medical determinant as to whether a person is hypothyroid.

Soy also may be implicated in higher incidences of autoimmune disease in infants who consume soy formula.7 There is much controversy also about the safety of soy formula in general. One thing that emerges again and again is that the concentrate forms of soy (like isoflavones) have an estrogenic affect, which could potentially affect men or women. None of these ideas has had adequate research on humans.

A recent article in the Journal of Nutrition states that based on a review of the current information available about soy, that soy formula is safe. This article, which claims to review the "current evidence" available also seems to have been sponsored by a major manufacturer of soy formula.8 There's a surprise!

After reviewing the research in preparation for this article, I have to admit I am unclear as to what conclusion to draw. It seems ridiculous to imagine banning all soy from the diet, or to think about soy as being as harmful as fried food or barbecued meat. On the other hand, the "more is always better" mentality that we have in our culture doesn't seem to serve us when considering soy either. The answer, then, seems to be moderation. Here are some thoughts about the soy issue, based on some of the basic principles of natural medicine:

Soy is a highly processed food. It goes through quite a bit of heating. In the processing of tofu, the soybeans are heated to a high temperature and go through a solvent extraction process to remove the oils. This brings up another issue. In the course of processing, the naturally occurring essential fatty acids and carbohydrate portion of the soybean are removed. Soybeans themselves are also incredibly difficult to digest, probably because of the naturally occurring trypsin inhibitor. There are two types that can be digested: the black soy bean and the type which is still in the pod, also known as edamame (I love the tag line I saw recently shaping the image of this type of soy. It read, "Try edamame- the gay man's peanut." Very creative!)

The following is the process for making commercial soymilk. To remove the naturally occurring trypsin (protease inhibitor), the beans are first soaked in an alkaline solution, and then heated to 115 degrees. This denatures (destroys) the proteins. They are further processed to produce the pretty milk we all enjoy from those aseptic containers.

Soy is also one of the top food allergens. It ranks right up there with dairy, wheat, egg, peanuts, and citrus. It is typically included on any food allergy test panel that tests for the IgG immune system reaction in the blood. This reaction may be asymptomatic, causing chronic inflammation in the body. It may also cause symptoms like digestive distress. Some people eat soy for several years, and then notice that they are starting to react to it.

In fact, the top food allergens are those that people consume again and again, day in and day out. The body loves variety. The best way to protect yourself from the negative effects of any food would be to add variety to your diet. Read the labels! In the quest to find prepared palatable foods for vegetarians, I have seen many foods that contain some variation on soy, even when you wouldn't have expected to find any in the product.

Definitely avoid any soy product that does not specifically indicate that it is a non-GM (genetically modified) product. Food producers are not required to disclose if they use GM soy. However, most manufacturers want to let you know if they don't use GM soy, so look for that disclosure. Much of the soy now being produced in the United States is GM soy. Soy is in many products that the non-veggie population consumes as well. Remember Hamburger Helper? It's Texturized Vegetable Protein that helps to "extend the meat".

I would recommend considering moderate soy consumption. If you eat tofu or soy a few times per week, or one time per day, that seems reasonable. If you, however, have come to depend on soy as your main source of protein, then I suggest that you begin to consider some alternatives. I recommend raw nuts and seeds as at least one other alternative source of protein for vegans. These can be made into great milks, "mock tuna" or other faux dairy or meat dishes (e-mail Dr. Ariel at Herbivore for recipes). They contain protein as well as essential fatty acids. These EFA's have been removed from many soy derivatives as a result of the processing.

References:
1 Hurrell RF, Juillerat MA, Reddy MB, Lynch SR, Dassenko SA, Cook JD. "Soy protein, phytate, and iron absorption in humans." Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Sep;56(3):573-8.

2 Egli I, Davidsson L, Zeder C, Walczyk T, Hurrell R. "Dephytinization of a complementary food based on wheat and soy increases zinc, but not copper, apparent absorption in adults." J Nutr. 2004 May;134(5):1077-80.
3 Miyagi Y, Shinjo S, Nishida R, Miyagi C, Takamatsu, Yamamoto T, Yamamoto S.," Trypsin inhibitor activity in commercial soybean products in Japan." J Nutr Sci Vitaminol 1997 Oct:43(5):575-80

4 "AHA Science Advisory: Soy protein and cardiovascular disease: A statement for healthcare professionals from the Nutrition Committee of the AHA." Circulation. 2000 Nov 14;102(20):2555-9.

5 Divi RL, Chang HC, Doerge DR. "Anti-thyroid isoflavones from soybean: isolation, characterization, and mechanisms of action." Biochem Pharmacol. 1997 Nov 15;54(10):1087-96.

6 Doerge DR, Sheehan DM. "Goitrogenic and estrogenic activity of soy isoflavones."
Environ Health Perspect. 2002 Jun;110 Suppl 3:349-53.

7 Fort P, Moses N, Fasano M, Goldberg T, Lifshitz F. "Breast and soy-formula feedings in early infancy and the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease in children."J American Coll Nutr, 1990 Apr; 9(2):164-7

8 Merritt RJ, Jenks BH. "Safety of soy-based infant formulas containing isoflavones: the clinical evidence."
J Nutr. 2004 May;134(5):1220S-1224S.

What a bodybuilder eats

2008-04-12T20:00:00.001-07:00

From a live plant-based enzyme rich philosophy, this is one of the most frightening videos I have seen. This is a great way to gain muscle and send a person to an early grave. The stress on the kidneys alone is staggering, of course, with 300-500 mg of protein taken in each day. Do people really still train this way? The depletion of enzymes, precious and limited enzymes is also nearly unbelievable. It would be very interesting to do a pH analysis of the blood and saliva to see how acidic this diet makes someone. The one upside: 3-4 pounds of broccoli consumed every few days. The rest of the diet:

Large portion of steak, 3X each week. About 8 or so chicken breasts per day, and many eggs (whites only, that makes it better, right). My goodness, the impact on the planet from one person doing this to themselves. Amazing!

Diving Into the Mystery

2008-03-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking much about why live food is so significant, not just that it is healthy and this can actually be backed up now by much research but why consuming live food is actually significant, important to us in other ways. Here is part of it. The consumption of food, our choice of food, can take us to the highest high or the lowest low. My meditation teacher once spoke of heaven and hell as taking place right in the body. We can eat foods that elevate us, uplift us, even give us a sublime experience of bliss. We can consume foods that make us depressed or that deplete us or take us toward illness. In a way, our diet itself can a path to enlightenment, to self-awareness.

I was moved by Michael Pollan's observation in the Omnivore's Dilemma that the act of eating causes us to interact with nature at least 3 times each day. That really struck me because we have at times gotten so very far away from nature. And yet, to truly survive, we must have that connection not once a month or once a week, but 3 times or more each day.

The mystery I wanted to talk about is the food world itself. Or maybe I should say, the plant world. I think that eating live food is valuable because we are more inclined to contemplate the mystery of food itself. For example, let's look at the mighty watermelon. Watermelon has an outrageous and surprising array of nutrition. It has tryptophan and glutathione, 2 amazing amino acids. It is rich in minerals, it is a wonderful kidney and colon cleanser. But we can go deeper. Look at the beautiful shape of the watermelon. Round or oval, it is full, abundant, actually an amazing feat of growth! The little seed, growing to a size thousands times larger, with this tough protective shell, and this sweet delicious fruit inside. Victoras Kulvinskas said in Survival in the 21st Century that fruit is the only karma-free food that we can consume. In other words, nothing had to die for us to fill our bellies for that meal. Not true with lettuce, spinach, kale, etc. And finally, what about the seeds? We receive the resonance, the energy signature of the plant as well as all of the nutrition. We are receiving a beautiful energy of abundance, fertility, creativity! That is why I always recommend SEEDED watermelons! What a terrible affront on nature to genetically modify fruits to not bear seeds!!! We do this so that we do not have to be bothered spitting out the seeds? arrrrggghhhh! Our entire purpose in being the fruit eaters on the planet is to consume the fruit with the seeds, recycle them out the back end and keep the planet fruit filled forever!

But seriously...our connection with food, real food, live food, takes us deeper into a connection with ourselves. We can have a deeply spiritual relationship with the food we are consuming. We can even experience ecstasy in recognition of the mystery that is contained in each fruit, in each vegetable, nut, seed, herb and more. We receive this both intellectually in knowing but also within ourselves in the appreciation, observation and even assimilation of live foods. The plant world has so much to teach us! How exciting!

Lemon Goji Berry Dressing

2008-03-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Check out a new recipe from our Rejuvenation Kitchen:

1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 Tbsp. Goji Berries
1 tsp. Agave
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp. sea salt
dash of cayenne

Goji Berries are an amazing superfood. They are very high in vitamin C, also contain iron as well as 18 amino acids. They have high antioxidant value as well. They mix up nicely when blended and give this dressing a beautiful color.

Place in Vitamix, blender or Magic Bullet. This is a small serving size, so feel free to double or triple this!

Enjoy

Do you take your soy unleaded? Techron? Premium?

2008-03-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

If your soy is not marked 100% USDA Organic, you may be getting more than you bargained for. I have written about various soy controversies before. Putting that argument aside for the moment, let's remember that producing soy is actually big agribusiness. The largest producers of soy are Dupont, the producer of the lovely teflon pan (and where is the Teflon that used to be where the scratches are in the pan?), ADM (supermarket to the world and global oppressor), and Cargill (have you seen the documentary King Corn? See it!).

So, here is the deal. Soybeans are pressed en masse with Hexane, an industrial solvent that is a by-product of gasoline. The 3 agribusinesses mentioned are the largest producers of hexane-processed soy protein isolate to "natural food" brands offering soy bars and protein powders. Can you imagine all the menopausal women taking soy isoflavones in capsule form? If these are not made from USDA ORGANIC soy, then these women may be getting gas from the beans, but of a different variety indeed. All joking aside, hexane is a major greenhouse gas that contributes to "climate change."

Be careful! If the product says that it is "made with organic soy" or "NON-GMO" SOY, it may still include non-organic soy protein isolates that are processed with hexane!

I have long recommended that you vary your protein intake. If you are cooked food vegan, don't depend on soy for all your protein needs. Hemp is a great alternative. I have amazing organic hemp seeds available at www.nwrejuvenate.com (click the link on the upper right hand at the site for my store)

Source: www.organicconsumers.org

Milk Breakdown

2008-03-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

During the first week of my 14-Day Total Body Cleansing Program, I explain that the during the cleanse, it is important to avoid dairy products of any kind. Of course, this includes milk and milk-products. Many participants want to know "so what's so wrong with a little milk? What about cottage cheese? Just a dollop of yogurt...please? It is absolutely vital to understand that if milk at one time, raw, organic in pristine environmental conditions, had some value...that small nutritional benefit is now far outweighed by the health risks that come with a food filled with antibiotics, hormones, blood, pus, bacteria, viruses, dioxin. See below for every reason to avoid milk, and all the nutritional information you need to get truly bioavailable protein and calcium in a much safer form for good health!

Why avoid milk? This entry explores some of the concepts about milk. Got pus? Got bovine leukemia? Got yuck?

To begin to discuss the concept of whether we should consume milk or not, we have to ask ourselves. Why do I consume milk? Why do I want to continue consuming milk? Do I need milk to survive.

What is in American Milk?
“One cup of wholesome milk cannot contain more than 50 million pus cels. That’s 200 million pus cells per quart (liter)…A dairy cow filters 10,000 quarts of blood through her udder each day and uses dead white blood cells to manufacture her milk. These dead cells are pus cells. Dairy scientists are aware that when one quart of milk is tainted with 400 million or more pus cells, some 35% of the milking cows in the herd are infected with mastitis. Udders bleed, discharges, including bacteria and blood drip into the milk.” From the website, www.notmilk.com.

They go on to describe the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance:
“Occasional milkborne outbreaks still occur, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance at every stage of production, processing and pasteurization and distribution of milk and milk products.”
“Milk has the potential to serve as a vehicle of disease and has, in the past, been associated with disease outbreaks of major proportions.”

Do we need milk to get calcium?If not milk, then what?

“How many people hear the real protein story, which reveals that the average person living in a modern society consumes enough excess protein every day to cause a mineral imbalance? Protein actually washes calcium from the body into the kidney system, leaving calcium-deficient bones and an increased risk of kidney stones.” John McDougall

“Calcium deficiency of dietary origin is a myth and is virtually unknown in humans, even though most people in the world do not consume any milk after weaning. The whole truth is that dairy foods are the most harmful of the traditional four food groups. They are high in fat, protein, and environmental contaminants and deficient in fiber and carbohydrates. What carbohydrates they do have are poorly digested by most adults and results in diarrhea, gas and stomach cramps. Dairy products are also the leading source of food allergy, causing a wide range of problems from headaches to bed wetting, stuffy nose and even death.” John McDougall

“The consumption of dairy products has been found by researchers to be a leading caus of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes...the high fat of dairy products have been implicated as the culprit in contributing heavily to heart attacks, strokes, and atherosclerosis. The high-fat dairy products are also those that are most likely to contain unsafe levels of environmental contaminants including pesticide residues and dangerous radioactive substances.” John Robbins

“The modern-day Bessie is bred, fed, medicated, inseminated, and manipulated for a single purpose-maximum milk production at a minimum cost. One result of these unnatural conditions is that the modern dairy cow is highly prone to stress and disease.” John Robbins

“The official testing method sanctioned by the FDA and used by most states to screen milk for drugs, called the BS (Bacillus sterothermophilus disc assay is unable to detect residues from most of the medications used in the dairy products today.” John Robbins, Diet for a New Planet

“Four different surveys of our milk supply were conducted by independent researchers between 1987 and 1989. The results were not comforting unless you like antibiotics and other veterinary drugs in your dairy products. The studies found between 63 - 86% of the milk samples to contain sulfa drugs, tetracyclines, and other antibiotics.” One of the sulfa drugs, sulfamethazine is a suspected human carcinongen.” John Robbins, Diet for a New Planet

So what if there is bacteria in the milk. It’s pasteurized, right? “The largest outbreak of salmonella poisoning ever recorded in the United States came from pasteurized milk.” (Robbins) 200,000 people in 6 states were suspected of having been infected with salmonellosis! Also, do you really want to consume a product composed of sterilized (pasteurized) pus, bacteria, viruses, and more?

The FDA currently tests 5 milk samples per week (of all the milk processed) for evidence of drug residues.

Vision

2008-03-17T23:40:00.001-07:00

“I believe that food has the most powerful influence on our overall health. What we do each day, what we allow into our bodies, either shapes the most exquisite state of wellness we can achieve or takes us further into pain, suffering and the possibility of a chronic illness. We can learn to make informed choices that bring health to our body. A diet that supports wellness, enlightened consciousness, bliss and the healing of our planet is a combination of vegan foods, live vegan foods, Superfoods and Wild Foods. I will discuss each of these in future entries. I hope to bring to you information and resources so that you can achieve the most excellent state of wellness!”
- Dr. Ariel

SuperGreens Morning Smoothie

2008-03-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a morning greens beverage that I enjoy:

1 heaping teaspoon Spirulina Powder
1 heaping teaspoon Wheatgrass/Barleygrass Powder
3-4 small apples, juiced in Jack La Lanne Juicer, the Juicer I recommend in my 14 Day Cleansing Programs.
Small piece of ginger, juiced.

I juice the ginger and apples, then mix everything in my Vitamix with a couple of ice cubes. Great way to start the day.

Why don't I start my day with a traditional Victoria Boutenko Green Smoothie? The beginning of the day is a time to be very gentle on digestion. The time for assimilation and detoxification is from 4am - 12pm. So, the morning time is a good time to rest the digestive system. The pure juice and greens powder are easier to digest than all the pulp and fiber in a traditional Green Smoothie. I have also found that sometimes the kale or spinach with a mango or other fruit personally spikes my blood sugar too high in the morning. I actually do better with a Green Smoothie in the 3-4pm time, when I need a snack and energy lift.

I also want to mention that that calcium value of wheatgrass, barleygrass and spirulina may do more for building bones than kale, collards or chard. That is only because these also contain oxalic acid. This decreases the absorption of calcium. Additionally, David Wolfe recently visited Portland and reminded us of something very important about greens powders. The simple is beautiful: SURFACE AREA. Yes, think about the surface area of spirulina that can be exposed to our digestive system. This means that we are more likely to absorb and use the nutrients than in kale or collards. It is true, though, that making kale or similar greens in a Vitamix does break them down signficantly, bu the powders will prevail here.

The ginger balances nicely against the coolness of the greens. It also helps to increase the digestion of the greens. Stomach acid needs to be strong to properly digest greens. Interestingly, the chlorophyll in the greens promotes strong stomach acid.

For the love of enzymes...

2007-11-24T14:19:00.000-08:00

"The human race is at least half sick. In a biological sense, there are no completely healthy people living on the conventional diet. Even those young adults who feel fit have health defects. Some have dental caries, thinning hair, approaching baldness, acne or allergies, headaches, impaired vision, constipation, and so on..."
Edward Howell, PhD, Enzyme Nutrition

Dr. Howell is commenting on this strictly looking at the enzyme deficiency contribution to this problem. When we eat as close to nature as possible, it is very likely we will consume raw foods. You know, when you get on your "healthy kick", you start to incorporate more fruits, more salads and so on. Now, thing of Morgan Spurlock in Supersize Me. Here, he consumes nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days. Did he ever try the salad...? If not, he consumed 100% cooked foods for that entire time. It's too bad that a naturopathic doctor was not consulted during the making of the movie. We could have checked for the enzyme point, located just below and to the right of the very lowest part of the sternum.

Imagine the amount of enzymes it would take to digest 1 McDonald's meal...The food is cooked, it is highly processed and so it is looks very complex to the body. In the 100-Year Lie: How food and medicine are destroying our health by Randall Fitzgerald, he mentions that the body is unable to recognize many of the synthetic chemicals that are currently being added into our food system, including pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, food preservatives and more. He explains that these foods actually get "locked" in the liver because the liver simply does not know how to process them. Because of this, it is very likely that the body secretes even more of the precious pancreatic enzymes in order to digest this type of a meal. Imagine people who eat McD's or this type of food every day! What enzymes will they have remaining by the time they are in their 40's or 50's. Imagine that just by supplementing enzymes and eating more live food that you can make a profound difference in your state of health in a very short time!

Dr. Howell continues:

"Nature's plan calls for food enzymes to help with digestion instead of forcing the body's digestive enzymes to carry the whole load...If food enzymes did some of the work, the enzyme potential would not be facing impending bankruptcy, as it is now in the bodies of millions of people on the minus diet - food minus its enzymes. Our enzyme potential has a problem somewhat similar to a checking account which could become dangerously deficient if not continually replenished."

"The heat used in cooking destroys all food enzymes and forces the organism to produce more enzymes, thus enlarging digestive organs, especially the pancreas...Although the body makes less than two dozen digestive enzymes, it uses up more of its enzyme potential supplying these than it uses to make the hundreds of metabolic enzymes needed to keep all of the organs and tissues functioning with their diversified activities."

Live Food 101:Enzymes

2007-11-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

I am going to be doing a few posts on the basics of live foods. I lecture often on the amazing benefits of live foods, and do many live food preparation classes. Let's go back to the basics and explore some of the reasons that foods prepared without cooking make you feel so good! There is also a way to test yourself for enzyme deficiency that I mention at the end of the post.

"The length of life is inversely proportional to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential of an organism. The increased use of food enzymes promotes a decreased rate of exhaustion of the use of enzyme potential."
The Enzyme Nutrition Axiom by Edward Howell

Dr. Edward Howell, who wrote the book Enzyme Nutrition, realized that the body has a limited ability to produce digestive enzymes from the pancreas. If you do not supplement your own enzymes over the course of a lifetime, it is very likely that you will rapidly deplete your own enzymes. As a result, the aging process will be accelerated, and it will be much easier for chronic illness to develop. He said:

"Enzymes represent the life element which is biologically recognized and can be measured in terms of enzyme activity. Our easiest measurement is a lack, for various chemical reactions fail to occur without enzymes: a radiated or cooked potato will fail to sprout."

We absolutely MUST supplement our diet with live foods or go completely live! Please remember that in addition to live foods, fermented foods are also rich in enzymes. So, your kombucha tea, miso soup, sauerkraut and rejuvelac are all good sources of enzymes as well. If you do not, you will begin to show signs of enzyme depletion. These can include fatigue, poor digestion, constipation, a feeling that food sits in your stomach, graying hair, waking in the morning and not feeling refreshed and so much more. You are constantly making withdrawals from your enzyme bank when you consume cooked foods. Like a good savings account that you continue to withdraw from, your enzyme bank account, as abundant as it may start out in life, will begin to go toward bankruptcy. Please don't let this happen!

You can do a test on yourself to find out if your body needs enzymes. Find your sternum, then find the xiphoid process, which is the lowest part, the part where the sternum ends. You can also work your way up from the abdomen and find the xiphoid process. Now, move about 1 inch to the down and 1 inch to the right, by your rib cage. Press with a medium-firm pressure. If you feel some tenderness in the spot, you need enzymes. You need to supplement with digestive enzymes AND you need to eat more live foods or begin to transition to live foods.

Also, ask yourself this: Why do people eating a 100% raw diet look SO GREAT? It's the enzymes to a great extent! If you supplement your enzymes with live foods, which contain their own enzymes, you will allow much more energy for your body to use on repair and rejuvenation of cells! You will look beautful, you will feel beautiful.
For the sake of your health more than anything else, take care of your savings account of enzymes. Either consume a diet of primarily live foods, or be sure to supplement enzymes, or do BOTH!!!

Watermelon Cleanse

2007-08-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

The cooling qualities of watermelon make it ideal for a quick and easy 3-Day Summer Detox. Cleansing with watermelon is easy to do, delicious and extremely effective. The watermelon is a whole body cleanser. It has positive effects on the kidney, bladder, heart, stomach, colon, liver and more! I especially emphasize the benefits derived from this cleanse on the kidneys. I have observed through a test that I run for my patients that the kidneys are under tremendous strain. They may in fact be losing their effective ability to clear toxins in many individuals. Why? Protein, alcohol and caffeine all put strain on the kidney. High protein diets are still common in many patients I work with, as is the regular consumption of alcohol and caffeinated beverages.

The results of the test I run usually reveal beginning of a pattern that may not have been otherwise recognized until many years later. When the diminished ability of the kidneys to clear harmful waste produtcs like urea and uric acid from the body finally appears on a standard blood test, it may be too late. One thing that watermelon does is it helps the liver to process ammonia (waste from protein digestion) into the safer form of urea. This increased effectiveness in production of urea takes some strain off of the kidneys. This is just one of the many benefits of watermelon cleansing.

There are several ways to do a watermelon cleanse. You can use the juice alone, separated from the pulp. You can toss the melon in the blender, then consume it as a smoothie. You can add lemon, ginger or herbs. There are some specific watermelon cleansing recipes that you can use during your cleanse. The healing benefits of each of these will be discussed in future posts. You can get amazing utility from the humble melon. Every part from flesh, rind and seed can be consumed with some benefit. A watermelon cleanse can be used to shed a few pounds in a short time. Menopausal women can use the cleanse to relieve hot flashes. The extreme heat of August can be released through the cleansing power of watermelon. The colon is cleansed by watermelon. Watermelon can act as a blood tonic and therefore be very regenerative. The following is the first of 3 different versions of the cleanse from my forthcoming E-Book - "Juicy Bliss: The Watermelon Cleanse".

3-Day Watermelon Cleanse

Upon rising:
6 ounces of ,watermelon juiced
½ lemon, juiced with the watermelon

Optional: add grated ginger, mix in blender. You can also juice the ginger and mix with watermelon juice.
To juice the watermelon. Place watermelon in blender. Blend well. Use a cheese cloth or nut milk bag to strain the watermelon. Mix lemon juice and watermelon together.

Optional: Use a GreenStar Juicer or Samson Juicer to juice the rind. Drink the juice of the rind.

Mid-morning:
Watermelon smoothie.

To prepare watermelon smoothie: Place 2 cups of watermelon in blender or Vitamix. Blend for 30 seconds or until watermelon is well mixed. Drink!

Optional: Add 2 tbsp. of chopped cilantro and blend along with the watermelon.

Afternoon:
2-3 cups chopped watermelon.

To prepare watermelon smoothie: Place 2 cups of watermelon in blender or Vitamix. Blend for 30 seconds or until watermelon is well mixed. Drink!

Evening:
Watermelon Soup.

This isn’t really a “soup” per se, but something that can be mixed up and consumed as part of a watermelon fast.

4 cups watermelon, seeded and cubed
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped.
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped or minced
1/8 tsp ground cardamom

Place 3 cups watermelon in food processor and blend until smoothie. Dice up the remaining 2 cups of watermelon into very small pieces and add to the puree. In a separate bowl, combine the lime juice, mint, ginger, and cardamom. Add this to the other mixture and stir well.

Before bedtime:
Take a Sea Salt/Baking Soda Enema – Order our special Enema kit from www.nwrejuvenate.com

Digestive Stimulator (Aloe Vera/Wormwood) – Take 2 capsules. Order Digestive Stimulator from www.nwrejuvenate.com

Epsom Salt Bath

How Stress Depletes Precious Stomach Acid

2007-07-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

I want to revisit the topic of stomach acid because it is so crucial to good digestion. Almost every patient that I see has some problem with digestion. For example, bloating after meals, frequent bouts of gas, problems with constipation, difficulty losing weight, food allergies and much more. Stomach acid is absolutely necessary, yet many people have depleted their acid for a few different reasons.

First of all, why is acid in your belly so important? The stomach should have an acidic pH when food is present. It is much more alkaline (about 6.0) when the stomach is empty. When you eat, the acid produced in the stomach should bring the pH to 2.0. This wonderful acidic substance is secreted from cells called parietal cells in mucosal lining of the stomach. The acid is important in protecting us from bacterial, parasites and other microorganisms that might come in to the body in our food supply. The acid also activates enzymes that digest proteins. When proteins do not completely digest the word for this is called putrefaction. Isn't that lovely? They rot in your intestines and the waste products can become poisonous. You also don't get the benefit of a completely digested food. You do not receive the needed amino acids from those proteins. Ultimately, you eat protein, so that it will break down into amino acids that your body will use. If the food will not digest properly, what's the use in eating it?

The ideal cirucmstances for perfect digestion would go a little like this. You begin preparation of your meal with your family by going out to your own garden and picking fresh vegetables. You see the fresh food, the vibrant colors, and completely appreciate all the time and effort that has gone into growing it. Not just your effort, but the plant's effort and the miracle of the sun, the soil, the seed all coming together to create beautiful food. You lovingly prepare the food together. You bless the food first, and eat the food over lively conversation, listening to music that is conducive to good digestion, like classical music, jazz or something similar that appeals to you.

WHO eats this way today? Here's a tasty tidbit of information. 40% of americans eat breakfast in their car. So, I know that this meal situation is something that you strive for, but might not achieve. In that situation, the parasympathetic nervous system is highly stimulated. At this point, all the enzymes necessary to break down the food are released. The stomach cranks up the production of that lovely acid, also called gastric acid or hydrochloric acid. Perfect digestion becomes possible.

If you eat breakfast in your car, take lunch at your desk, or eat when you feel stressed, just the opposite takes place. If you are in a state of stress, worried about work, see the person in front of you slam on the brakes, thinking about financial worries, then you are in "fight or flight" mode. The brain is perceiving danger in an ancient way, thinking that you are facing a life or death situation. Blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate all increase in anticipation that you may need to soon fight for your life. Does this seem like a good time to digest a burger? Not to your body either. So, the body shuts down the production of enzymes, and, of course, your awesome stomach acid. It also sends the blood from the stomach to the skeletal muscles. Remember how mom told you not to swim within 30 minutes of the whole meal thing?

Being in a constant state of stress, or at least stressed out when eating creates a poor environment for digestion. As a result, food stays in the stomach longer. This can create a feeling of bloating. The putrefaction can lead to the creation of gas in the body, which can "express" itself as belching or the lovely flatulence. This prolonged time in the stomach along with the putrefaction can cause organic acids to form. Guess what that makes you feel like you have? Yep. Acid reflux or heartburn. So, what do you take for that? You got it, acid blockers. Tums or your favorite over-the-counter acid blocker. Now, how do you think that will help your already challenged state of low stomach acid? Stay tuned for more information about the benefits of stomach acid, and how to tell if yours is low, and how to improve it.

Every Day Makes A Life

2007-07-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

As I was working the 23rd of 26 poses during 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga, I was thinking back to a couple of months ago. During my first class, I could hardly remain in the room, which is heated to 104 degrees. Now I was finishing the postures with ease. In a short time, I had made so many changes. Chronic shoulder pain - gone. Mild lower back pain - no more. My energy, mental clarity, flexibility were all so greatly improved, my posture better and so much more. I often recommend yoga, tai chi, or qi gong to patients. If you go to the gym every day, you are putting out a long of yang energy, or what could best be described as "go-go-go" energy. Yoga is nourishing and tends to increase yin energy. This helps you to restore energy instead of feeling burned out. I find that this is what people need most.

The postures of hatha yoga have a wisdom that is thousands of years old. The more you study how the postures work on the body, the more fascinating it becomes. These are not just random stretching exercises. Each exercise not only works the body, the muscles, the joints, but also massages the internal organs, improves the health of the spine allowing energy to flow easily through the spine. Yoga postures balance the meridians of the body, and even helps your endocrine system to function better. Many of the compression postures help the thyroid, pituitary, pancreas and other endocrine organs function better. This means that if you have diabetes, low thyroid function, difficulty sleeping or other endocrine issues that they may be helped without any medication, without any supplement, but by doing a specific exercise you can create health within your own body.

When I travel, I realize more than usual how terribly overweight not just the adult population is, but teenagers and children seem to be carrying a frightening amount of excess weight as well. I want to emphasize again how incredibly important it is to exercise EVERY day. If your work life is so busy that you have no time to exercise, then what kind of a life are you living? Movement is crucial, not just to prevent illness, but to feeling truly alive. Each day, you are either improving your flexibility, or you are losing it. You are improving the functioning of your heart, or the heart muscle is becoming weaker. You are forming beta endorphins and other brain chemicals that will help you to feel happy, alive, creative, or your are moving toward depression or mood swings, just from lack of movement! When your hips are tight, your shoulders locked up, when it is hard to get up, take a walk, do exercise, you are losing the very essence of life. You are losing that which makes you most truly you, your brightest, your healthiest.

When your body is conditioned, fit, the muscles are toned, the body is flexible, you feel good. It affects every interaction, your creativity, what you are able to achieve in your life. I highly encourage you to strive for daily exercise, doing activities that you feel drawn to. I do recommend some yoga, tai chi or qi gong. If you do not currently feel that you have time in your life for exercise, let me know. I will work with you to create the space in your life. Everything is possible. Make room for this just like you were fighting for your life. Because, as it turns out, you are.

Are Plastics Into You?

2007-07-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

One of my teachers in Environmental Medicine loved to remind us of the famous line from "The Graduate" where Dustin Hoffman discloses that his post-college plan are to "get into plastics." "But now", Dr. Crinnion would always exclaim with glee, "plastics have gotten into us!" Indeed, he is correct. They are so into us that these miracles of chemistry are causing any number of hormonal imbalances and increasing the risk of cancer. Many people have absolutely no idea how important it is to be aware of plastics in their world. Here are some tips regarding plastics:

- Avoid plastics with the following recycle numbers: #3, #6, #7. These are the most dangerous.
- NEVER heat ANYTHING in plastic. This makes it much more likely that the plastic will end up in your food and then in your body. Most of this heating requires a microwave, so while you are at it, throw out the microwave. If you have any doubt about this, try this experiment. Microwave 1 glass of water and water one of the plants in your home with it for a couple of weeks. Water a different plant with purified water. See the difference in growth in a short amount of time. One participant in my 14-Day Renewal Cleanse tried this, and plant watered with microwaved water actually died, so be aware of that.
- Don't eat anything that is packaged in styrene or styrofoam. Styrene is what is in styrofoam and it is a known carcinogen. You might get a tuna sandwich at a convenience store that is on styrene, you might get soft serve ice cream or yogurt on styrene, and I always wince at this, you might be offered coffee or tea in a styrofoam cup (it is heated, even worse!). I do not recommend drinking or eating from these products. Also, keep in mind that a fatty food is more likely to pick up the styrene. So, tuna with mayo on top of a styrene plate, or 1/2 and 1/2 with coffee in a styrofoam cup. That is a real disaster, between the coffee, the half and half, the styrofoam.
-Store and drink water out of glass bottles or stainless steel containers. A good stainless steel container is the Klean Canteen, which I highly recommend.
-There are many products out there for children that specifically avoid harmful plastics. I will have more information on these products soon. There has recently been a run on glass baby bottles as more families have become aware of the hazards of plastics for children.

Polycarbonate Plastic: It lurks in strange places...

2007-07-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

It is very important to know where you might come into contact with polycarbonate, as I discussed in the last post. You will have to start checking your recycle numbers in the same way that you check the ingredients on food labels. Here are some places, though, that you are likely to find polycarbonate plastic:

-Sippy cups.
-Baby bottles.
-Plastic water bottles at the water cooler.
-Nalgene-like bottles that are used for sports.
-Brita Filter - The plastic pitcher that holds the water is made of polycarbonate plastic. The filter is fine, so just get one that attaches directly to the sink, rather than using the pitcher or the large plastic container that has a spigot connected to it (also polycarbonate).
-Inside lining of most cans. Yes, cans. Your soup can, your tuna can, your can used for infant formula. Have you notices that they now contain a plastic liner inside of them? It is good 'ol polycarbonate plastic, unfortunately.
-Baby toys that are made from plastics. You might have to check with a manufacturer to find out what type of plastic is used. However, you MUST do this. I will be discussing the likelihood that our most vulnerable population for all of this plastic exposure are children who have developing reproductive systems. For this group, these exogenous estrogens may cause the most harm.
-Plastic container of the Vitaminx Blender.
-Tooth colored dental fillings as well as dental sealants.

You might be needing to sit down right now and grab a sip of water. Just be sure you are drinking out of a glass. Seriously, we need to demand that these plastic resins are better studied, or studied at all. Many plastics are put into use, with tacit approval from the FDA, which classifies them with a nifty acronym, GRAS. This means it is Generally Regarded as Safe. The chemical companies swear the plastics are not harmful, and there studies appear show that to be true. The studies that were not funded by the industry show that Bisphenol A (BPA) can cause hormonal disruption, pre-dispose a person to reproductive cancers, especially younger people, contribute to insulin resistance as well as Attention Deficit Disorder.

There is actually some good news, though, so stay tuned.

Plastic Blues: How Your Water Bottle Can Make You Infertile

2007-07-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

When I am at the yoga studio, the gym, teaching at a local massage school or just visiting with people around town, I almost always stop in mid-sentence when I notice someone drinking out of a hard plastic water bottle, often a Nalgene or Nalgene-like bottle. Please check your favorite bottle right now. Does it say #7 inside the recycle triangle? If so, it is very likely that it is made from Polycarbonate Plastic. This type of plastic is made with a chemical called Bisphenol A, a plastic and resin ingredient that has harmful effects.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. This is a hard plastic, right? The kind which will not leach. Yes, that is what you were told. However, it is not true. The unfortunate truth of polycarbonate is that the bonds are broken through hydrolysis. Hydro-lysis. Water breaks the bonds. The more that you use your bottle, the more you leach the plastic into the water. This is also true because the polycarbonate plastic begins to degrade over time, so it is easier for more plastic to make its way into the water you are drinking and then into your body.

What happens when this plastic does get into your body? After all, wax coatings on apples simply wash out of the body, why not the plastic? This type of plastic stays in the body. It is quite active. It disrupts hormones by fooling the body to recognize it as the hormone estrogen. This form of estrogen does not have the same effect as a biological form. It is more likely to result in harmful effects. This means that for women, it may increase their risk of breast cancer. In men, it can lower sperm count and contribute to infertility. An exogenous estrogen, as this is called, does not break down after time, as the natural estrogens to. Also, the body tightly regulates estrogen to minimize harmful effects. It does this by increasing sex hormone binding globulin which binds up the estrogens until they are needed. Exogenous estrogens are not reduced, unfortunately, by sex hormone binding globulin. So, low amounts of exposure to the plastic may have larger effects.

I will be discussing where else you might find this harmful plastic, why it is absolutely imperative that children are not exposed, and what alternatives might be useful.

Vegans and Live-Food Vegans: To B12 or not B12?

2007-06-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

Patients that I visit with who are live-food vegans or cooked food vegans often ask me if the should supplement B12 or would like to know why I object to them not supplementing. See the discussion below regarding some of the evidence about B12. Following this discussion are some advantages of eating live food, which I believe far outweigh the need to take a daily B12 supplement.

Are vegans and live-food vegans at risk for B12 Deficiency without supplementation?

Yes, according to Gabriel Cousens in Conscious Eating (revised edition).

He says, as many of us know, that methylmalonic acid is the best way to assess B12 status. For example, he found that some patients with "normal range" serum B12 (486 pg) still had an elevated MMA, indicating that the person was indeed B12 deficient.

He says:
Consistent research over the last decade has shown that vegans and live-food practitioners of all ages have a much higher risk of becoming B12 deficient. There are more than 15 studies on vegans that have substantiated this. The most dramatic was done by Dong and Scott on 83 subjects at a National Hygiene Society conference. 92% of non-supplementing primarily live-food vegans were B12 deficient. There are no studies that show that vegans do not get B12 deficient over time.

---------------

However, in the movie "Breakthrough", the story of a family that has been on live vegan food for many years, (and all the children from birth), they claim that none of their children were found to be B12 defiicient despite the fact that they did not supplement B12.

I would like to err on the safe side, so I do recommend a daily B12 supplement to vegan and live vegan patients.

Yes, one should supplement B12. However, here are some of the substantiated information regarding eating vegan or live vegan foods.

(Also from Gabriel Cousens, in his book Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine)

Compared to meat eaters who are 45-65 years old, lactovegetarians have 3X less heart attacks, Vegans have 10X less heart attacks.

Victoras Kulvinskas, in Survival in the 21st Century, estimates that up to 80% of nutrition destroyed when cooking food.

Most research concurs that 50% of the B-Vitamins are destroyed by cooking.

B1 and B12 losses have been recorded up to 96%, folic acid losses up to 97% and biotin losses up to 72%. Vitamin C losses are approximately 70-80%.

The Max Planck Institute for Nutritional Research in Germany found only 50% bioavailability in proteins that have been overcooked. The study found that cooking changes proteins in to substances that disrupt cellular function and speeed up the aging and disease process.

Research done at Stockholm Uiversity, in cooperation with Sweden's Natural Foods association, showed that the heating of carbohydrate-rich foods, such as potatoes, rice and cereals, creates acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen. The researchers found that a bag of potato chips may contain up to 500 to times more acrylamide than allowed in the drinking water by the World Health Organization. French fries sold at McDonald's and Burger King in Sweden showed 100 times the level permitted by WHO in the drinking water. Acrylamde has been found to cause benign and malignant stomach tumors and to also cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous system. Acrylamde occurs in baked potatoes, French Fries, biscuits, and bread, as well as other high carbohydrate foods.

--------

Cleansing Power of Watermelon

2007-06-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Last night at the 14-Day Renewal Cleanse, I mentioned the incredibly cleansing power of watermelon. One of the participants inquired as to why the watermelon has such a great ability to cleanse. In fact, you could do a 3-Day cleanse just eating watermelon. Juicng the rind, when your melon is organic, has value as well. I think a perfect addition to this is juicing wheatgrass or barley grass througout the day, drinking anywhere from 2-6 ounces.

Here is what Brigitte Mars says about watermelon in her book Rawsome. Brigitte is a wonderful herbalist and always has such a fresh take on nutrition of fruits, vegetables, weeds and other plants. I met her at the Raw Spirit Festival in 2006 and she is just delightful. She took a group of us on a spontaneous herb walk, and the doc (well, that's me) learned alot! Thanks Brigitte!

Watermelon is cold, sweet and refreshing and provides a safe reliable fluid in many desert regions of the world. Watermelon is considered a rejuvenating blood tonic and very alkalinizing. It is also antibacterial, antioxidant, anticoagulating, a digestive aid, diuretic, and laxative. It lubricates the intestines and has an affinity for the bladder, kidney, stomach and heart. Watermelon is a good source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and silicon. It actually has half as much sugar as an apple, yet tastes sweeter, because it is mostly (92%) water. Watermelon contains the red pigment, lycopene which is proving to prevent cancer. It also contains glutathione, which guards against cataract formation. Watermelon helps lift the spirits from depression and has been used to improve halitosis, hangover, mouth sores, sore throat, and urethral pain. Watermelon makes an ideal food during a cleanse.

When the white spot that touches the ground, turns yellow or cream colored, it indicates ripeness. Avoid melons with a green or white belly. Select a melon heavy for its size. When the melon is thumped, it should have a dull, hollow sound. If the skin is scraped with one's nail and it comes off easily, the melon is ripe. Smell for a sweet fragrance. Best to enjoy watermelon alone, but try it with other melons in a fruit salad or juice it. Enjoy a cool watermelon sorbet.

Watermelon rind contains chlorophyll and can be eaten (close to the skin) or run through a juicer for building the blood and strengthening the glands. In some parts of South America, watermelon rind is applied to the temples and forehead to cool a headache. Watermelon pulp is used topically to treat heat rash and burns. The black watermelon seeds are a traditional remedy for strengthening the kidneys. The seeds, juice and pink flesh can all be juiced together. They contain curcurbocitrin which dilates the capillaries. Look for watermelons with seeds and eat them! I promise, a melon won't grow in your belly.

--------

I recommend that your watermelons have SEEDS and that they are organic. Enjoy!

Chasing Symptoms

2007-03-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Recently, a patient called to report another bout of a recurring, painful and bothersome sinus infection. Sheepishly, she was asking me, the naturopathic doctor, to prescribe an antibiotic. As a naturopathic doctor in Oregon, I have prescribing rights to many antibiotics. I think there is a time and a place for them, and I am grateful that I have access to them when needed. I also know that antibiotics have negative effects on the gastrointestinal bacteria. The immediate feelings of relief could ultimately result in decreased overall health in the long run. The decision of what to do next becomes the business of weighing carefully the current condition of the patient but also looking for the ultimate cause of the infections.

The patient recently had a constitutional hydrotherapy treatment and a nutritional IV support treatment. The nutrition in the IV was directed toward improving her immune system. Three days later, the chronic sinus infections reared their ugly head as a new, acute crisis. Was this a sign that natural medicine does not work?
I look for understanding in the words of the traditional naturopathic doctors, those that practiced at the beginning of the 20th century. One great example is Henry Lindlhar. He was a successful business man who turned to naturopathic medicine when he, a 5 foot 6 inch tall man weighed in at 250 pounds and soon thereafter developed diabetes.

Here is his philosophy:

"(Lindlahr) considered most symptoms beneficent and constructive - healing efforts of Nature. He called them crises, and spoke of them as healing crises. He taught his patients to regard symptoms in an entirely different light from that in which they had formerly been led to consider them."

I will be talking much more about the wisdom from Dr. Lindlahr as told by his son Victor Lindlahr in a now out of print book titled, "The Natural Way to Health."
The point here is that this patient was in the process of healing. This sinus infection is actually a sign of success. The body now had the energy to mount an immune response and begin to fight off this chronic, probably often latent bacteria or virus. I recommended that we wait on the antibiotic, always holding it as a possibility if there was a need for it. I prescribed three constitutional hydrotherapy treatments, one each day, with the application of short-wave diathermy. Diet was to consist mostly of broths, like the mineralizing broth that I often recommend. Avoid sugar, wheat, dairy, rich foods.

This allowed the body's natural defense systems to work instead of being shut down. Medicines that can make us feel better instantly may not support our long-term health. However, they do allow us to run right back to work and continue to strain an already impaired system. Which do we really want? True healing and recover take time. Time to rest and time to allow the body's immune system to respond. This is incredibly vital in the quest for optimal health.

Inner Cleansing: Why You Must Cleanse To Maintain Your Health!

2006-12-25T23:43:00.000-08:00

Inner Cleansing: A Crucial Part of Your Wellness Plan

By: Dr. Ariel Policano,
Medical Director for NW Center for Cleansing & Rejuvenation

Why learning and participating in a cleansing program is as important as taking vitamins and getting enough exercise and rest.

“I've been to the doctor, and he says that there is nothing wrong.”

When was the last time you truly felt great? Do you find yourself coping with increasing fatigue and difficulty coping with stress? What about digestion? Do you find that you need to take an acid blocker, or find yourself avoiding more and more foods due to indigestion, bloating or other digestive upsets? If any or even all of these are issues that you have been experiencing, you absolutely must consider a cleansing program. A cleansing program focuses on “cleaning up” the digestion and the liver. By changing this, you affect all the other parts of the body. In naturopathic medicine, I learned that “all disease begins in the gut.” There is another saying that goes, the road to wellness is paved with good intestines.” Clean up your digestion and the liver and watch your energy, focus and feeling of well-being return in a way that you might not have believed. This cleansing process affects the hormones, the adrenals, the metabolism, the immune system and so much more.

“ I take the best supplements, I still don’t feel better.”

There are great quality supplements out there. There is wonderful, organic food that you may choose as well. If you are taking supplements and eating wonderful food without cleansing, you are probably losing a large portion of the nutrition that you paid for! Why? This potential nutrition is not having the same impact because of congestion in the liver and weakness of the digestive tract. It is like laying on a top quality coat of paint before removing all the past layers of paint and carefully cleaning and preparing the surface. When the digestive tract is clean, the food is digested properly and completely absorbed. Then everything you take into the body gets utilized by the body. You can feel the difference that it makes. Often patients tell me they have been on a regimen of good quality supplements, but they did not feel better. I explain to them, do a cleanse first, then you will really start to feel the true effect of that nutrition and natural medicine.

Why is the digestive system related to all these other aspects of health?

The digestive tract includes the stomach, small intestine and large intestine. In the stomach, which is primarily designed for protein digestion. Stomach acid plays a key role. However, most of the patients that I see are deficient in stomach acid. This undigested protein starts to ferment in the stomach. It produces inorganic acids and can sometimes be the cause of heartburn or reflux. Taking an antacid only makes this situation worse because it suppresses what is already too low. If proteins do not digest properly here, then the good food you have eaten can become a source of toxins in the body! The cleansing program helps to correct this with changes in diet and specially designed supplements.

The next part of the digestive tract is the small intestine. Here, pancreatic enzymes and bile from the liver and gall bladder are very important in proper digestion. This is where proteins are further broken down by pancreatic enzymes. Fats are digested with the assistance of bile and enzymes. As well, carbohydrates are broken down to sugars, again with the aid of enzymes. Due to stress and the heavy consumption of complex cooked foods, many people are also low on pancreatic enzymes. The cleansing process also helps to correct this. This correct breakdown of food is very important. You absolutely need complete digestion to get your nutrition. In addition, anything not digested well will ferment or “rot” in this warm, moist environment. These toxins route themselves back to the liver via the bloodstream. We can begin to “swim” in the poisons created by poor stomach acid and low enzyme production. If you feel toxic, you probably are toxic! And we unknowingly did it to ourselves!

The cleansing process helps stomach acid to get stronger and gives the pancreas a rest, so that it can work more effectively. The cleanse also detoxifies the liver and flushes out the gall bladder. This helps to release old, toxic bile that aids in fat elimination. Have you been trying to lose weight without much luck? This might be the reason! Cleaning your digestive tract and liver will help fat to be broken down more easily. Most participants in the cleansing program lose 5-12 pounds in just 14 days!

“The road to wellness is paved with good intestines.”

The last part of the digestive tract is the large intestine, or colon. It is our garbage can, our waste removal system. It is the one part that no one likes to talk about in public. It is so very important in the maintenance of health. Eliminating waste quickly, efficiently and with regularity cannot be emphasized enough! There may be as much as 5 or 6 pounds of old “fecal matter” inside each person eating a “standard American diet”.

A combination of stress, low fiber diets and minimal water consumption have lead to many people being constipated most of the time, and they do not even know it. These waste products may stay in the large intestine and “rot” inside of us. Some of these wastes are so toxic, especially the ones produced from meat consumption that they actually have names like “cadaverine”! You may be dying from the inside and not know it! A very important part of the cleansing process is releasing these harmful toxins from the colon by using special fiber blends, teas and dietary changes.

When the colon is clean, you feel it in every other part of your body. Your colon actually contains reflex points throughout its 5-6 feet in length that touch every other organ system in your body. When people tell me that there hearing or sight seemed to improve during the cleansing program, I let them know that it may be a direct result of this colon cleansing process. However, don’t worry. The cleansing program is specifically designed to be gentle, but effective. You will not find yourself running to the bathroom every few minutes. Yes, you will be able to continue all of your regular activities.

Realize your greatest health now.

A cleansing program touches every other part of your health. To stay healthy in today’s world of external toxins and toxins that may result from poor digestion, a cleansing program absolutely MUST be part of your wellness plan. Yes, good vitamins, nutrition, exercise and rest are things that you have realized are important. Now, add to your plan the new wellness practice of the 21st center. Place on your calendar now a time to do a 14-day cleansing program twice per year. You will feel the difference on the inside, and everyone else will notice our this inner health shines on the outside as well.

Stomach Acid: Too Low or Too High?

2006-10-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

Quick, answer this. When you have heartburn, or acid reflux, it is because your stomach acid is too high, right? That is why you take your favorite acid reducer, proton pump inhibitr or other acid blocker, right? Wrong. Almost every patient I meet with has compromised levels of stomach acid. Their stomach acid is too low!

I know what you're thinking. OK, so why do I feel better when I eat those antacid chews or the acid blocker? If your stomach acid is low, the food you eat will not digest properly. When this happens, the food, especially heavier meals, will begin to ferment, or may become described by another lovely word, putrefy! At this point, this lovely fermenting food begins to produce its own organic acids. This creates the burning sensation. Of course, reducing acid will make this feel better.

So, how do you know if your stomach acid has become depleted?

Take the following test:

Does food tend to sit in your stomach for a long time after a meal?
Do you tend to belch after a meal? Or have gas?
Do you have bowel movements that feel "incomplete" even with a good amount of fiber?
Do you have constipation?
Do you have bouts of diarrhea?
Is your stool hard, dry, or difficult to pass?
Do you use laxatives frequently?
Have you been through long periods of stress in your life?
Do you have difficulty losing weight?
Do you have deep ridges in your nails that run the length of the nail?
Do you have white marks that run across the nail?
Do you have halitosis (bad breath)?

Have you answered yes to 3 or more of these? Then, you most likely have low stomach acid.

If your stomach acid is already low, what do you think will be the implication of taking an acid reducer? It only makes the situation worse! You absolutely need stomach acid to absorb iron, calcium and other important minerals! You need stomach acid to efficiently break down proteins completely. And finally, you need stomach acid to help to destroy pathogens, or what I affectionately call "creepy crawly critters" that come in through the food supply. You would be amazed at how many positive tests I get back for giardia and amebiasis, parasites that live in your gastrointestinal system, that people did not even know that they had! It is because of this deficiency in stomach acid.

Would you like to improve your stomach acid? Go now to my website www.nwrejuvenate.com and order Dr. Ariel's Total Body Rejuvenation Cleanse. The cleanse is designed to dramatically improve your digestive health in just 2 weeks. Each part of the cleansing program will help to make your digestion and stomach acid get back to normal. Order it today, and get back that important, powerful, life-saving stomach acid!

Living Foods Retreat!

2006-09-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

I just returned from the Living Foods Retreat just outside of Portland, Oregon. It was fantastic! Presenters included Brigitte Mars, Herbalist, Nutritional Consultant and Raw Chef, Gabriel Cousens, MD, and the pretty impressive Victoria Boutenko, author of 12 Steps to Raw Foods and Green For Life. Green for Life is Victoria's latest book and includes the groundbreaking Green Smoothies!

Victoria did some very interesting research. She looked at the eating habits of chimpanzees. Chimpanzees have DNA that is startlingly similar to humans. She noted that the chimp diet was in large part composed of fruit and greens. She cited that work of Jane Goodall who saw the chimps grab some greens and roll a fig inside as a handy snack to munch on! A quest for a more complete nutritional program led her to the development of her wonderful recipes for Green Smoothies. Generally, these drinks are about 60% fruit and 40% greens. Here is one of her recipes:

Minty-Thrill
4 ripe pears
4-5 leaves of kale
1/2 bunch mint
2 cups water
Yields: 1 quart of smoothie

Once Victoria began consuming these healthful drinks, her cravings for heavy foods like nuts decreased. She had discovered that her stomach acid was very low, and that drinking all the greens actually improved lack of stomach acid. This is something I am very familiar with in naturopathic medicine. I have observed that a majority of my patients have some degree of hypochlorhydria, which means low stomach acid.

Stomach acid functions best at a pH between 1-2. This is a very strong acid! Foods are best digestes at this pH. If you have bloating after eating, or gas, discomfort, heartburn, or feel as if the food just "sits" in your stomach, you have symptoms of low stomach acid. When this happens, it will be very difficult to digest your food and it will be even more difficult to absorb all the wonderful vitamins and minerals that your body needs from food.

You might be thinking, how could heartburn come as a result of low stomach acid? When stomach acid is low, food sits in your stomach, begins to ferment (lovely, isn't it) and produces acids. These acids are what causes the burning sensation. So, what do you take as a result? Antacids! These make your symptoms better, but ultimately your situation gets worse, as you are suppressing what little acid you may have.

If you have heartburn or these other symptoms, you may want to contact me for a consultation. It is important not to miss complications like ulcers, or to find out if you have a bacteria in your stomach called Helicobacter Pylori. This bacteria is in some ways responsible for making the stomach produce less acid. In my office I run a test that checks for bacteria in the stomach, small intestine and large intestine (colon.) You would be shocked how many people have parasites like giardia or amebiasis or have the Helicobacter Pylori bacteria. Be sure to ask about this test, called a GI Health Panel, if you are concerned about those stomach upsets or tummy pain.

Back to Victoria's Green Smoothies. These drinks contain high amounts of chlorophyll, which will help to improve your stomach acid! I highly recommend her book, Green for Life. You can get the book and read more about her at www.rawfamily.com

I will be lecturing more with details about greens and nutrtion, and I will be doing a Green Smoothie demonstration class coming up in September. Just to give you a little extra incentive to join us, I will also demonstrate a recipe for an absolutely delicious almond milk that contains raw cacao and carob with some delicious natural sweeteners!

The Living Foods Retreat was a great success. It was great to connect with other people interested in living foods, to hear the latest developments, and to taste some incredible recipes.
If you enjoy the taste of food, I would like to recommend generous sponsors of the retreat, Blossoming Lotus Cafe, www.blossominglotus.com in the Pearl District. They served us a 5 course meal that was out of this world! You wouldn't have to have an affection for raw food to have loved this incredible feast.

Check on my website at www.nwrejuvenate.com for the LIVING FOODS PREPARATION classes coming up in September!!!

Could You Be Deficient In Iodine?

2006-08-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

In the second edition of Dr. Brownstein's book, Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It, he states that out of 3,000 patients tested for Iodine deficiency, 95% were found to be deficient. He has been treating many different conditions from hypothyroidism, chronic headaches, fibrocystic breasts and fibromyalgia, and finding that iodine deficiency was the "missing link" to leaps and bounds toward their healing. He tested them with and iodine loading test. When he established their deficiency, he supplemented appropriately, and the cures seemed nothing short of miraculous. I am currently running the iodine loading test in my office. If you have any of these conditions, or questions about the functioning of your thyroid, please go to my website www.nwrejuvenate.com and contact me with your concerns.

The iodine loading test is a test to see if you are deficient in iodine. You take a high dose of iodine, and then the test is to see how much your body holds on to for the next 24 hours. If you hardly excrete any in your urine, you are deficient! An individual with healthy levels of iodine will release some 90% or more of the iodine ingested in that high dose. However, many people are keeping that iodine in their body like a sponge! They are only releasing about 20-40% on average, showing that their body did not have sufficient amounts.

So, are you running for the salt shaker, thinking some good iodized salt would be the answer to your troubles. Stop! Iodized salt is not the healthies form of salt. Unrefined Celtic Sea Salt is a whole food rich in minerals and would be a much better choice. Many people, though, have been avoiding the salt shaker. Therefore, they are taking in little iodine. Do you eat handfuls of sea vegetables (sea weed) every day? Do you eat a diet that includes fish daily? Most likely, your intake is deficient!

To compound that, there are things we are exposed to each day that deplete our body of iodine. One of those things is bromine, which is used to preserve various baked goods. Another is chlorine, which is in the water, the swimming pool, the shower, and on and on. If you are concerned that you may be deficient, consider reading, Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without it, by Dr. Brownstein. Or contact me for more information about testing at www.nwrejuvenate.com

The Doc's First Post

2006-08-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Thanks for checking in here. I am creating this blog because I thought it would be interesting and informative to see some of the discoveries I am making about health. I am committted to this journey, and I am constantly reading new books, journals, updates, and attending seminars about the latest in natural health. I remain incredibly curious about what makes us heal, even though I have been studying all of this for 15 plus years. My areas of focus are nutritional breakthroughs, cleansing programs, living foods, functional imbalances that go undetected like thyroid or sugar imbalances. So, you get the latest newsbreaking information about health as I get them! Some topics I will be blogging about: Iodine deficiency may be more common than we could imagine, Portland Living Foods Retreat, pH Assessment and Cleansing Programs.

Some books I have been reading:

Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It, 2nd Edition
David Brownstein, MD.

Salt Your Way To Health, David Brownstein, MD

The Hundred Year Lie, How Food and Medicine are Destroying Your Health, Randall Fitzgerald

As for a little more about me, the naturopathic doc. I became interested in much of this in 1989. My father had AIDS, my sister chronic depression and an eating disorder. I lost both of these members of my family in 1990 and 1991. During this time, I started reading the books of Norman Walker, Paavo Aairola, and Ann Wigmore. I became fascinated with natural healing and how it was different from conventional medicine. I learned in a class at Baruch College, where I was studying accounting of all things, that the AZT my father was taking was toxic to his bone marrow and could cause liver cirrhosis. Later I learned that the Pentamidine my father was taking to prevent Pneumocystis Carinii was incredibly toxic. Why would good doctors prescribe these toxic medications? What else is out there?

My sister had anorexia, bulimia, and depression. As far as I can recall, nutrtional counseling was not ever part of her treatment plan. She was shifted by medical professionals, including medical doctors and psychiatrists who could not find help for her all over the state of New York, and finally down to one of the best hospitals in the country in Maryland. Her daily diet? It included several diet sodas, non-fat yogurt and cigarettes! Looking back now, large doses of B-Vitamins would probably have made a profound difference, along with an array of homeopathics and herbal formulations. These experiences were really a spark set me in motion on a journey. I have studied nutrtion in foods, traveled to Ashrams and cleansing centers, read many different philosophies on health.

Today, my enthusiasm has not waned! The more I know, the more that I want to know and the more I realize how much there is to learn. So, if you too are interested in the very best in health and are interested in healing yourself or optimizing wellness, check in here for Doctor Ariel's postings!