what to eat
In case you are starting from scratch, here are some ideas to experiment with to see how food affects vitality and listen to what the body has to say.
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fruit |
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any comfortable amount of fresh fruit |
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most fruits are better fresher |
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many are better tree ripened |
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not too much dried fruit - if over 100 grams then spread out over the day |
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any amount of fresh green vegetables |
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mostly raw if possible – all raw is better - fresher the better |
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any comfortable amount of cooked or processed green vegetables |
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any comfortable amount of root vegetables |
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try soaking or sprouting |
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try soaking or sprouting |
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vary grains to avoid getting into a dependent or allergenic relationship with just one of them especially spelt, wheat, rye, and barley which are high in protein, particularly gluten proteins. corn, millet, rice, oats, buckwheat and potatoes can be substitutes. |
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use different kinds of bread. rye is not as acid forming as spelt and wheat. |
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no bread is better. |
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a few nuts – not too many – they are high in fats and proteins |
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try soaking or sprouting |
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a few a day |
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use seeds as condiments |
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Nomadic people have words and stories for the quality of water wherever they go. Finding good drinking water is not easy. Water can contain minute particles, micro-organisms, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, dissolved salts like nitrates, phosphates and carbonates, elements like oxygen, chlorine, radon or metals. |
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distilling gives a pure but nutrient-free water |
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boiling kills most harmful organisms and releases dissolved gases like chlorine. |
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mined water and spring water is often relatively safe depending on the source. |
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filtering removes larger micro-organisms and particulates. |
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rainwater from urban roofs may have to be boiled and filtered. |
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minimize addictive additives |
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no coffee |
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no alcohol |
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weak tea – no milk |
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make your own soft drinks |
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none is best – dairy is high in hard fats, allergenic for most people and dangerous for many. There are a few quality real cheeses made using traditional processes from other ingredients, and more on the way. |
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no cheese or else a little low fat cheese with no or low salt |
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no milk or a little low fat milk |
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no butter |
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what's the point? – they are high in protein and fat - cholesterol is dangerously high. they are a digestive load with marginal benefits unless you live somewhere like mountain tropics where protein is scarce. |
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as little as possible |
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there are lots of replacements in cooking |
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none is best – plant protein are better – there is plenty in plants |
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preferably boiled braised or roasted with the fat decanted or run off |
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the sense of fullness from eating animal products comes initially from hard fats slowing the metabolism and later the digestive load of fats and proteins. |
fresh
How old is it? How long has it been in transit and storage . How has it been packed and handled? At what temperature? How far has it travelled? The provenance of local food is usually available from a retailer or written on packaging.
The fresher the fruit and veg the more nutritious and palatable. The less needed to satisfy hunger. An apple fresh off the tree is more satisfying than an old one. If they are cooked spiced and sugared, satisfaction might be reached when the stomach is too full to take any more. Nutrition is probably not achieved.
organic
Organic food is generally more nutritious and satisfying although some narrow measures of nutrients like residual ash don't show much difference from conventional foods.
Some conventional and minimum spray fruit and veg. although not certified is carefully grown in good soils without chemical treatments. Its just a matter of researching the growers.
local and seasonal
Its worth taking advantage of local food in season. It's cheaper and fresher. It hasn't been through toxic quarantine treatments. It doesn't have to travel as far or wait around as long. It usually leaves a lighter footprint on the planet.
A seasonal change of diet is interesting and gives the body a break from foods that might otherwise become addictive and provides a wider range of nutrients. Eating seasonally provides the kind of variety we evolved to live with. In season food tends to match the needs and tastes of the season.
checking the origins
At first glance those packages in supermarkets and fast food chains seem to contain food. It's worth a closer look. If it's packaged or processed it may not be be worth investing the time and energy to digest.
Some additives are natural and not known to be harmful. Others are toxic synthetic chemicals that cause mental and physical dysfunction and even permanent disability. You can look up their code numbers to find out what they are and check the known side effects. Just because it was on a supermarket shelf or has a heart or cancer charity tick of approval does not mean it is safe. In fact those are red flags. Check them extra carefully.
Commercial varieties bred for size, long shelf life, pest resistance, appearance and resistance to bruising are obvious by their dreary taste. If they are unsatisfying they probably don't have much nutrient value.
Has it been irradiated or sprayed or soaked in pesticides? Codes for Australian pesticide treatments for shipping fruit and vegetables across state borders are on the cartons.
The long term effects of Genetically Modified ingredients or additives are unpredictable. Some have reduced nutritional value. Others contain genetically inserted pesticides or are bred to be pesticide resistant and then treated with pesticides.
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checking the labels |
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a magnifying glass may be needed to check for toxic and poor quality ingredients |
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refined salt |
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refined sugar |
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refined flours |
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hydrogenated fat or oil |
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addictive ingredients |
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pesticides, fungicides |
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bleaches |
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preservatives |
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flavours |
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dyes like tartrazine coal tar dyes. |
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flavour enhancers like glutamates |
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mineral buffers and anti-caking agents |
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emulsifiers |
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stabilisers |
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Bio-balance Health |
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Food for the Brain |
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Nutritional Healing |
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WHO |
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Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine |
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Diseaseproof Vegsource |
copyright (C) John Brasted 2008
updated 06/11/11
