"Organic food is even more nutritious, of course, if you enjoy it raw, with all the fresh, whole nutrition intact and no toxins created by cooking!"

Organic food IS more nutritious, especially if fresh, and eating it is vital to good health; let those who claim otherwise try to prove their case! I still see articles in reputable magazines stating that there is no nutritional difference between organic produce and regular supermarket food. I've even repeatedly received this erroneous information from Agricultural Extension offices and Professors of Agriculture at "reputable" State Universities...although one Professor, probably safely tenured, told me in hushed tones that "of course, most of our funding comes from chemical companies." Here's how I found the truth. In May of 1995, when I thought I was pretty healthy, a business acquaintance talked me into trying an unusual food supplement. After some misgivings I did, and became astounded at my improved health...lowered weight after a 30 year losing battle, more energy, loss of a chocolate addiction, and additional pleasing results. Testimonial tapes from different food supplement companies disclosed that others claimed similar amazing results.

This quite unexpected situation led me into an ongoing research into "why" and a continuing study of the links between soil fertility, plant nutrition, and animal/human diet and health. I'm now to the point where I can argue with "experts" and often win. Here's the proof that organic produce is more nutritious and necessary for good health...let's build the case step by step:

First, Dr. Westin A. Price, DDS, of Cleveland, Ohio, wondered about negative trends in dental cavities in the late 1930s. He examined 14 native tribes in places like Africa, the far North, New Zealand, Australia, South America. Dr. Price found that where original native diets were followed there was very little evidence of dental cavities. BUT, when modern white flour, white sugar, and canned foods were introduced, not only did dental cavities increase markedly, but the next generations of these people developed poor bites, restricted nasal breathing, cavities, and often other physical deformities. These findings were implicit evidence that malnutrition even negatively affects DNA! The original native diets varied from sea oats, to fish, various plant crops, insects, animal blood, etc. and they were richly natural, organic, and not polluted with pesticides. The Price-Pottinger Foundation was formed to republish Price's 1939 book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, from time to time, until the world wakes up to its message. The last updated 1989 publication carried endorsements from leading authorities, one of whom, Dr. H. L. Newblood, MD, said, "This is the most important book ever written." However, as the age of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) salt based fertilizers became dominant, and wonder drugs turned medical schools away from nutrition - from post W.W.II to the present - this information fell by the wayside according to Dr. A. Hoffer, MD, Ph.D. He added "Recent research has shown that, on a uniformly poor diet, the offspring of each generation deteriorates more and more. Unless we begin to take the message [of Dr. Price] seriously ...I think we are in for major health catastrophes."

Second, in 1948 a remarkable study was sponsored by Reader's Digest, and conducted at Rutgers University by a team led by Dr. Firman Bear. This was before the age of "organic gardening" and examined the differences in nutritional content of commercially raised snapbeans, tomatoes, cabbage, spinach, and lettuce as grown in 10 different states covering South Carolina to New York to Colorado. Findings: trace mineral and nutrient content vary considerably, are affected by geography, climate, fertilizing and liming practices, and that the "variation is of considerable significance to [the health of] animals and man." Third, during WW II, Prof. William Albrecht, one of the greatest soil scientists ever known, then a department head at the University of Missouri, analyzed 70,000 US Navy dental records as a function of where in the US it was that the sailors were born and raised. Findings: Sailors from the topsoil rich midwest had far fewer dental cavities than sailors from other parts of the US where the soil was more eroded and less rich in nutrients.

Fourth, more of Dr. Albrecht's work showed how animals like cows and sheep would naturally seek out more nutritious pasture...areas where overgrazing had not occurred, where a mound of hay had been left to rot, adding nutrients back into the soil, etc. Albrecht made a film "The Other Side of the Fence" demonstrating this information.

Fifth, in 1993, Doctor's Data Lab, in Chicago, did a study published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition, Vol. 45, Issue #1. For over two years, researchers collected specimens of similar variety and sizes of apples, peas, potatoes, corn, etc. from Chicago area organic food stores and supermarkets, just as would a local shopper. Their lab test results showed that organic produce had TWICE the nutritional element content of regular supermarket produce, on a fresh weight basis (how else would one buy fresh food?!) and far less of the dangerous heavy metal residues; aluminum, lead, and mercury.

Sixth, also in 1993 came the book Genetic Nutrition: Designing a Diet Based on Your Family Medical History, by Drs. Simopoulos and Herbert, and B. Jacobson. They showed that as ancient man settled in different parts of the world, dietary practices and natural selection led to adaptations such as Eskimos easily eating high fat/fish diets but having trouble assimilating carbohydrates, Finns and many European peoples adapting to dairy products while Asians easily able to eat fish and rice had a lactose intolerance. However, I found the authors did not comment on the link between soil fertility, plant nutritional content, and animal/human health. So, I wrote to Dr. Simopoulos and received a most cordial reply including a copy of her article published p. 1412, The New England Journal of Medicine, Nov. 16, 1989. It showed favorable fatty acid levels to be far higher in chicken egg yolks from wild purslane and range fed chickens than from commercial supermarket eggs.

Seventh, in 1993 came the book Super Nutrition Gardening by William Peary and Dr. William Peavy, an understudy of Dr. Albrecht. The authors show that a one-acre planting yielding one ton of tomatoes will remove 800 pounds of the soil's mineral nutrients, the rest of the weight coming from air and water. With 23 elements essential to human health being taken out of the soil, obviously just fertilizing with NPK, and perhaps calcium, hardly replaces what is withdrawn. (16 elements are declared essential for crop growth, according to the Soil Science Society of America, which is oriented toward farm crop yields and not primarily your health.) Further, excessive NPK fertilizing displaces the absorption of other minerals, AND even produces nitrate forms of nitrogen within the plant tissues, not good for human consumption. Zinc, selenium and other minerals are already known as in severe shortage in both soil and human health. The authors show how to analyze your soil, add rock dust and other needed nutrients, and produce food rich in nutritional elements. MDs S. Davies and A. Stewart are quoted, "the quality of (regular commercial) food is often so poor that the actual nutrient intake in terms of vitamins and minerals is inadequate and can produce disease."

It is NOW, when more and more lay persons and health care professionals are becoming frightened over soaring health care costs, increases in degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart problems, and the increase of antibiotic resistant strains of killer "bugs," that attention is coming back to the vital role played by nutrition. Strong immune systems tend to fight off diseases. The immune "system" is basically the health level of each of the body's trillions of cells. And, the best cellular health can only come from sound nutrition, including the all important micro-elements.

Eighth, famed medical researcher, Dr. M. Colgan, in his 1994 book, The New Nutrition, says about iodine, "About 50 micrograms (millionths of a gram) per day is sufficient for most people. This is still an amount so tiny you could hardly see it on the head of a pin." About Vitamin B12, where only a few micrograms per day are needed, "without it one declines into pernicious anemia, leading to blindness, insanity, and death."

CONCLUSION:

There is sufficient authentic and legitimate research, along with common sense, that shows your best nourishment AND HEALTH comes from obviously more nutritious organic food, much of it eaten fresh and raw to assure live enzymes and vitamins. So, grow your own soil enriched organic food and eat it freshly picked. It is even smart to grow your own sprouts, especially in winter, first soaking the organic seeds in a liquid kelp type fertilizer, and then spraying them with same while they grow. Next best: buy certified organic produce, from local organic farmers when possible. Given the practicalities of travel, urban living, etc., it is also wise to take an organic whole food supplement. Stay with whole foods to keep your body in balance, unless competent testing by a licensed health care practitioner discloses a specific need in addition. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. The proof IS there! The odds favoring your having a long healthy life depend upon your following the organic food pathway. Social critics like John Robbins in his books Diet for a New America and Reclaiming Our Health..., and Charles Walters in his acres USA publications, describe the wrongs coming from reliance on vested interests surrounding America's allopathic medicine and agribusiness industries. Our degraded health as individuals and as a nation are described. Certainly change is needed. We should all legislatively push for open competition in the health care field, and more small organic farms. But massive change takes time, and one needs to be aware of the dilemma of poor old Dr. Semmelweis, who went insane 100 years ago trying to get Doctors to wash their hands before traveling from examining a cadaver to delivering a baby.

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This article was first published in the November 1997 edition of the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients.

Bob Heltman is President of Leading Edge Products & Services Co., and is an independent scholar and freelance author who has published in numerous magazines. You may reach him on Internet: bobh@ioa.com

It's been a very interesting 8 months! As you may know I've been focusing exclusively on raw, whole foods and have avoided most everything else including raw 'junk food'. This includes high fat avocados, dehydrated foods, processed foods, sauces, oils, bars and other foods that contain raw ingredients but have been processed. Basically I've eaten locally or organically grown fruits and veggies with a very limited about of nuts or seeds.

There have been many benefits to this but the one thing that stands out for me has been the ability to feel how everything I eat affects me.

I was fascinated with what I've learned.

Read more...

As one transitions to the raw/vegan lifestyle, the tendency to overeat fats, mostly in the form of nuts is quite common.

It's understandable to eat large amounts of nuts when transitioning... they are more "filling" than fruits and vegetables and satisfy the hunger as your body adjusts.

In the long term, this can lead to many problems. In his book, The Raw Secrets, Frederic Patenaude describes this in detail and offers alternatives to avoid the difficulties and make the necessary adjustments. A full review of his book is coming up.

Many leading raw food proponents recommend a 80/10/10 ratio... 80% carbs, 10% protein and 10% fats.

In my experience, the urge to eat larger amounts of fat diminishes over time. Eating an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables along with seeds makes up most of your daily intake, satisfies you and lets you happily keep your intake of nuts to a minimum.

Keep it healthy and raw!

Mark
The Vegan / Raw Diet

A new study of over 55,000 Swedish women who ate little or no meat were less likely than their meat eating counterparts to be overweight.

On average, vegans had the lowest body mass, followed by vegetarians and then meat eaters.

This study again confirms that a plant-based diet leads to better health and less disease. Obesity is one of the top two conditions that lead to disease and death.

Just another reason to consider moving to a plant-based diet.

Read the full article at Yahoo Health.

All the best for your health!

Mark
http://vegandiet.blogspot.com

I struggled with my weight for almost 20 years and overeating was a regular experience. I most often ate to 'feel' a certain way, or because I felt a certain way and wanted comfort. This is not uncommon, most of us eat emotionally, due to lack of nutrition and as a result of addictions to foods.

Now I follow the 'have I earned my hunger?' question and feel satiated naturally without a temptation to overeat. Of course, it does happen occasionally, most often when out at a social gathering.

The following article by Paul Nison explains this concept in detail and how we can break the 'overeating' habit.

This month my article is about overeating. I chose to write abut this topic because, even though most people overeat all year, they especially overeat around the time of the holidays.

I have found that people do not eat and drink for nourishment only. Most people go way beyond their nourishment needs. Their need for nourishment becomes a pleasure to fulfill their addictions. How many people have heard that too much pleasure can be a bad thing? That is very true, and indulging in the pleasure of eating and drinking too often has left our world full of sick people, crying for help but not willing to give up their pleasers that are causing the problem. Many people do not even know that overeating is the cause. (Drink is not limited to alcohol, today many people consume many different beverages simply for pleasure, coffee, soda, energy drinks, etc.)

People are treating their own body as waste dumps, stuffing as much food and drink in as possible. Overeating might seem harmless, and a person can seem to get away with it for many years, but it is slowly leading to disease inside the body. Nothing takes more energy from the body than dealing with too much food. It drains our energy, creates disease and intoxifies our blood stream, leading to many deadly problems.

My good friend Dr. Fred Bisci has this to say about overeating:

Overeating creates havoc in the body, causing improper digestion and improper elimination. When the large intestine retains food longer than it should, harmful bacterial action occurs. The result is that gases and toxins are formed. They are absorbed by the tiny vessels on the walls of the bowel and poison the entire bloodstream. This is known as auto-intoxication.- Dr. Fred Bisci

It is so sad that people are conditioned to over-consume food. More money is spent on food each year than gas and medical care combined. These people who are overeating are also using more gas driving to and from the doctor and medical facilities, resulting in more money spent on medical care when they overeat.

"Man lives on 1/3 of what he eats. The doctor lives on the other 2/3's"
Why do people eat so much?

Most people eat for false hunger. It is important to learn the difference between hunger and appetite. Most people have never felt true hunger, but they say all the time, “I’m so hungry.” This is just your programmed appetite kicking in. It usually happens when you see or smell something you like. Many times food was the last thing on your mind until you see a commercial or billboard with an advertisement for food. Once people start, they just can’t seem to stop.

People in most of the civilized world don’t eat out of hunger; they eat for pleasure. There is nothing wrong with a little pleasure. A little pleasure has never hurt anyone. However, a lot of pleasure has killed many. Learn to control your pleasure. You must gain control. It’s fine to experience the pleasure of food, but overdoing it turns into overeating. Learn to insure that all your nutrient needs are met while reducing your caloric intake to the amount needed. The right number of calories is different for everyone, but you can be sure that the higher the quality of the food (the closer it is to nature), the fewer the calories needed.

Boredom is another major reason why people overeat. Keeping busy is a great way to avoid thinking about food. The body can last for weeks without food. It is very rare for anyone to reach the point of true hunger.

If one doesn’t reach true hunger, how does he or she know when it is time to eat?

The answer is to eat when you feel you need food for its value, and not for emotional reasons. And then, when you consume food, limit it only to what you feel your needs are, not your appetite. Most people could reduce their meals to half of the current amount, and their health would improve.

I suggest each person figure out their own nutritional needs not on “how they feel”, but on a simple occasional blood profile. A simple blood test will show any differences if anyone is not getting enough, but just about everyone (who is healthy) can cut down to two high quality meals a day of fruits, vegetables, nuts and/or seeds. Once you figure out what you need, have set meal times to help yourself not eat more than your body needs.

As people consume more and more food, they usually look for more and more stimulants and condiments to relish their food. The best way to get out of this habit is to give your digestive organs a rest and stop consuming all foods for a certain amount of time. This is also known as a fast or fasting.

One of the major health secrets when it comes to eating is moderation and also occasional abstinence. Going one day a week without food is something I recommend to every person. Yes, fasting one day a week to give the body a complete rest is extremely beneficial. This can be done with water or green vegetable juices.

Most people overeat, and once they get started they just can’t seem to stop themselves. Before eating, ask yourself, “Do I need to eat, or do I want to eat?” If the former, enjoy your meal, but be true to yourself. Your wellness will depend on it.

To your best health,

Mark

Ran across a very helpful web site for vegans and vegetarians looking to eat out and shop at veg-friendly restaurants and shops.

The site offers world-wide coverage, although most of the reviews are for locations in North America.

Nice site design makes it easy to use and you can review and suggest your favorite places. Many listings include pictures and links to a map - very handy! Looks like my local favorites are well represented

http://www.vegguide.org

Enjoy - go vegan!

Mark
http://vegandiet.blogspot.com

I've just returned from a 9 day vacation with my daughter... a road trip from Arizona to the mid west and back. It was her first driving trip and we both had a ball enjoying the scenery, time together and visiting family.

I noticed much about our society along the way as well as how easy it is to eat a healthy diet on the road while traveling.

First I noticed how unhealthy most people we ran across looked. It's no wonder with the type of food available at highway stops... fast foods like hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, tacos, ice cream and the like. In fact we joked (kindly) that many people looked just like the fast food they were eating (think big and super-sized). We made good use of McDonalds and Taco Bell's along the way... they had clean and mostly empty restrooms! While visiting a McDonalds for a restroom break we decided to walk into the restaurant to see the highway below (a great view) and noticed most folks eating there overweight and weren't very happy. Interesting.

We decided to stop at Whole Foods before leaving and packing a large cooler with freezer packs and food for 2-3 days of meals. My daughter does eat some cooked food and we brought some pre-made soups for quick meals for her along with plenty of organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. I brought my Vita-Mix blender (won't leave home without it!) and we started each day with a fresh blended fruit smoothie, more fruit throughout the day, a soup for my daughter and a larger salad for me and a smoothie for dessert.

There were 2 Whole Foods Markets along the way not far from the highways we were traveling on, and we stopped at both on the way there and back to stock up and sit down for a fresh and healthy meal. We noticed each store had different locally grown fruits and vegetables and made sure to try them all.

We both felt great throughout our trip, had nice picnics in scenic areas off the highway and thoroughly enjoyed our fresh and organic meals. Fun!

I believe one of the important parts of getting back to a natural diet and lifestyle is to spend time with our children, families and loved ones. Away from televisions and many of the modern technologies we have grown accustomed to in our society today. Time in nature, noticing the flowers, mountains, creeks, fresh breeze and beautiful sunsets. We experienced all that and more on this trip, and it was priceless.