The following is taken from an old book (published in 1971), yet
still indeed very up to date for the most part. The author Paavo
Airola, Ph.D., N.D. was at the time a world-famous Nutritionist.
He lays out the IDEAL way to eat, which for a lot of us would be
hard to follow, but many things we can do IF we take a little
time and effort.
the book the following is taken from is called "ARE YOU
CONFUSED?"
QUOTE:
High or Low Protein Diet Which Is Better ?
This is the most controversial question among American health
authorities and health-conscious people. No other issue of
nutrition is affected more by personal likes and habits than the
issue of animal proteins. Many of America's most respected health
writers have recommended a high-protein diet as a must for
optimum health. During my lectures the question of proteins
brings the most heated arguments.
A high protein requirement is the absolute must of any
"respectable" American health system. We are so brainwashed by
this "high protein-low carbohydrate" myth that even a mere
suggestion of possible erroneousness of this premise would
jeopardize one's credibility. Yet, practically all of Who's Who
in the European health field are unanimous in their endorsement
of a low protein diet, particularly low animal protein diet, as
the diet most conducive to good health and long life. The
empirical evidence in support of the low protein diet is equally
impressive.
HIGH OR LOW PROTEIN DIET - WHICH IS BETTER?
Why the high-protein craze?
The scientific fact that your body is made mostly of proteins may
be largely responsible for the high-protein myth. It is true, of
course, that proteins are vital nutritive elements and are
absolutely necessary in your nutrition. But the present
recommendation of "lots" of protein in the diet is based on
antiquated research of the 19th century. Most of the advocates of
the high-protein diet repeat in a parrot-like fashion the
erroneous conclusions made by the 19th century German researchers
Von Liebig, Von Voit, and Max Rubner. These scientists came to
the conclusion that man's minimum daily requirement of protein
was 120 grams. Although these conclusions were based on very
primitive and unscientifically conducted research - where, for
example, no distinction was made between animal and vegetable
protein, or between raw and cooked protein - much of today's
argument for a high protein intake is based on the calculations
of these German scientists. Nutrition courses in our universities
and medical schools today are teaching the protein requirement
tables made by these 19th century men. This in spite of the fact
that the latest research from various parts of the world shows
that our actual protein need is far below that which it was
previously believed to be.
Of course, the commercial motive even here has played a decisive
role in building up the high-protein cult. There are huge
economic interests - the multibillion dollar livestock, dairy and
meat-packing industry - involved in promoting the high-protein
diet. These industries sponsor most of the protein research. And
through the powerful advertising in every media, including the
"Beef for Health" stickers on automobile bumpers, they see to it
that you never forget that you need "lots of protein" for health.
We have been brainwashed by the high protein propaganda from
every possible direction for half a century.
How much protein do you actually need?
During the last few decades, a growing number of independent
researchers have been showing that our present beliefs in
ARE YOU CONFUSED?
regard to protein are outdated and that the actual daily need for
protein in human nutrition is far below that which has long been
considered necessary.
World-famous Swedish nutritionist, Dr. Ragnar Berg, whose works
on nutrition are used as text books in many medical schools, made
an extensive research on protein and concluded that 30 grams of
protein in the daily diet is a generous allowance.
Finnish scientist, Dr. V. O. Siven, arrived at the exact same
amount - 30 grams. American scientist, Dr. R. Chittenden, found,
in his extensive experiments with athletes and soldiers, that 30
to 50 grams of protein a day is sufficient for maximum physical
performance. He also demonstrated that physical performance in
sports and heavy physical work is better on a low protein diet.
Dr. D. M. Hegsted, of Harvard University, found that 27 grams a
day is the average person's daily need for protein. And research
made by Dr. William C. Rose has shown that only 20 grams a day of
mixed proteins (of which only about 2/3 are so-called complete)
is sufficient for our needs. The recent studies by German
Professor, Dr. K. Eimer, showed that athletes' performance
improved after they switched from a 100 gram-a-day animal protein
diet to a 50 gram-a-day vegetable protein diet. And, finally,
recently a Japanese researcher, Dr. Kuratsune, showed that 25-30
grams of protein a day is sufficient to sustain good health.
Based on all this recent research, and taking into consideration
great variation in the protein need of each individual, the
generous conclusions would be that 40 to 50 grams a day of
protein, up to 2/3 derived from vegetable sources, is sufficient
for optimum health.
Can you get too much protein?
Yes, indeed.You can get too much of fat and carbohydrates,
although they are essential nutrients.Even too much of certain
vitamins or minerals is harmful and may cause ill health. And so
it is also with proteins. As essential and important as they are,
too much protein in the diet, especially cooked animal protein,
can cause serious health disorders.
Proteins in excess of actual need can not be stored by the body,
and are only burned as a fuel for energy. As an energy food,
however, proteins are inferior to carbohydrates or fats. The
digestion of proteins in excess of the actual need leaves toxic
residues of metabolic waste products, which contribute to
self-intoxication and consequent disease.
Here is a partial list of what too much protein in your diet can
cause:
Toxic residues in the tissues. Professor Kofranyi, of famous Max
Plank Institute for Nutritional Research, said, "More protein
than needed builds only more toxins."
Biochemical imbalance in tissues and resultant overacidity.
Accumulation of uric acid, urea and toxic purines in the tissues.
Diminished strength and endurance. Drs. Chittenden and Fisher
concluded that uric acid, urea, and purines of meat poison and
interfere with muscle and nerve function.
Intestinal putrefaction and resultant constipation and
auto-toxemia.
Vitamin B6 deficiency.
Arteriosclerosis, heart disease and kidney damage.
Arthritis. Recently, Dr. Gerber, professor at New York
University, said that "faulty protein metabolism" may be one of
the contributing causes of arthritis.
A good rule to follow in regard to protein is: enough but not too
much.
Meat protein versus vegetable protein
You have been told that "you need animal proteins for optimum
health." You also have been told that "only animal proteins are
complete, and vegetable proteins are incomplete." Both statements
are false. Again, in all probability they are based on antiquated
research. Dr. Thomas, in 1909, coined the term biological value
of protein.Proteins are made of amino acids.Of 20 or so amino
acids, eight are considered essential. That is, they can not be
produced within the body and must be supplied by the food you
eat. Not all foods contain all the amino acids.Foods which
contain all the essential amino acids are called the complete
protein foods. Those which lack one or more of the essential
amino acids are called the incomplete protein foods.
Until very recently it has been assumed that only animal proteins
- meat, fish, eggs and milk - contained complete proteins, and
that all vegetable proteins were incomplete. Recent research has
proven this assumption to be erroneous. Research from one of the
leading institutions for nutritional research in the world, the
Max Plank Institute in Germany, showed that many vegetables,
fruits, seeds, nuts and grains are excellent sources of complete
proteins. This is corroborated by research from many other
research centers. Soybeans, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds,
almonds, potatoes, and most fruits and green vegetables contain
complete proteins. Furthermore, recent research has established
two extremely important facts, hitherto unknown to science.
1. Vegetable proteins are higher in biological value than animal
proteins. For example, proteins in potatoes are biologically
superior to proteins in meat, eggs or milk.
2. Raw proteins have higher biological value than cooked
proteins. You need only one-half the amount of proteins if you
eat raw vegetable proteins instead of cooked animal proteins.
Potatoes, a stepchild of American nutrition, are actually
excellent health food and a good source of superior quality
proteins. In Germany, ten per cent of the average dietary intake
of protein is obtained from potatoes. It has been demonstrated
that people have lived on potatoes as the sole source of proteins
as long as six years and enjoyed excellent health. All green
vegetables have complete proteins of highest biological value.
"Where do you get your proteins?"
This is the most frequently asked question by heavy meateaters as
soon as they find out that I do not advise meat eating. Did you
ever wonder where the wild horse, who builds a magnificent body
in a couple of years, gets all his proteins? From the grass he
eats, of course.And where do about one half of the world's
population, who do not eat meat for religious or other reasons,
get their proteins?
The answer is that our Creator in his wisdom, knowing how
important proteins are for man and animal, made them a part of
every naturally occuring food. Every plant, every vegetable,
every fruit and every seed contains some protein. It is
virtuallIyimpossible not to get enough protein in your diet
provided you have enough to eat of natural, unrefined foods. The
proponents of a high protein meat diet often refer to the
big-bellied, starved African children as an example of protein
deficiency. These children suffer from protein deficiency not
because they eat a protein-deficient diet, but because they are
starving. The diet of raw vegetables, fruits, seeds, grains, and
nuts plus milk and cheese - so-called lacto-vegetarian diet, as
described in the next chapter - will supply in abundance not only
all the proteins you need but also with all the other nutritive
substances, such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fatty
acids, enzymes and trace elements.
Let me re-emphasize that the proteins in vegetables, fruits and
many seeds and nuts are biologically superior to animal proteins.
And your protein needs can be satisfied by one half the amount of
proteins if you eat them raw instead of cooked.
Common fallacies about protein
You have been told that "you need lots of protein each day. "
This is a typical example of half-truth. It is true that your
body needs proteins each day for its vital functions and
new-building of cells. But you don't have to eat proteins each
day. Your body can exist without any food, and consequently
without any proteins, for weeks and months, as evidenced by
prolonged therapeutic fasting. It is a general observation that
the protein level of the blood (serum albumin reading) of fasting
patients remains constant and normal during the whole fasting
period, in spite of the fact that no protein is consumed. The
reason for this is that the proteins in your body are in the
so-called dynamic state: they are constantly changed from one
form to another, being decomposed and resynthesized from blood
plasma amino acids. Amino acids from the old and broken-down
cells are not wasted, but are re-used for the building of new
cells. Thus the body is using and re-using the same proteins
again and again where they are needed. This shows that you don't
have to eat high-protein meals every day, although your body does
need protein every day.
Another common misconception about protein is that "only complete
proteins can satisfy your protein needs. " It is a well
established physiological fact that foods with so-called
incomplete proteins will complement one another, rendering their
total available protein content biologically complete. Tortillas
and beans, or a whole-wheat bread and cheese sandwich are good
examples. Corn, wheat or beans are, seperately, incomplete
protein foods, but eaten in the above combinations the proteins
become complete.
Are meat eaters healthier than vegetarians?
Some popular health writers (who apparently would rather be
popular than truthful) tell you that lots of animal protein is a
must for optimum health.
They will tell you that meat eaters are healthier than
vegetarians. Haven't they ever met Seventh-Day Adventists? There
are a million of them, mostly living right here in the United
States. Seventh-Day Adventists supply grand-scale scientific
evidence supporting the low-animal protein diet.
A recent study conducted by several medical doctors. show that
Seventh-Day Adventists, who do not eat meat for religious
reasons, have:
40% less coronary disease
400% less death rate from respiratory diseases
100% lower mortality rate from all causes
1000% lower death rate from lung cancer
50% less dental caries among their children
These statistics speak for themselves. They repudiate clearly the
myth perpetrated by the meat-eating propagandists that meat
eaters are healthier than vegetarians. The above is an
extraordinarily remarkable scientific study made by reputable
medical men and reported in the Journal of the American Medical
Association which shows that a large group of people, who live in
the United States under seemingly the same conditions as the rest
of us, but do not eat meat, have such superior health compared to
the rest of the Americans!
There is no better way than the empirical way to prove any
nutritional theory. If one can put the theory into practice or
see what results it has produced through the centuries, even
milleniums, of actual application - then it is worth more than
bookshelves of scientific reasoning and laboratory proofs.
Such empirical evidence of the superiority of low animal protein
diet is easily available. Here are a few convincing facts:
l. The Hunza people, living in an isolated kingdom in the
Himalayas,are considered "the healthiest people in the world" by
all researchers who studied their health condition, including,
famous British physician Dr. R. McCarrison, who lived among them
for years. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, rheumatic diseases,
high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, arthritis and many other
diseases common to western countries, are unknown in Hunza. Their
longevity and endurance are legendary. They live up to 90 and 100
and are virile, strong and active after they reach 80 and 90. All
researchers who studied them agree that their diet is the major
factor in their unusual health and longevity. The Hunza diet is a
high natural carbohydrate-low animal protein diet! Their staples
are grains, such as wheat, barley, buckwheat; fruits, mostly
apricots, apples and grapes; assorted vegetables, eaten mostly
raw; and very little milk, mostly goat milk. They eat few eggs,
and very little meat, only on festive occasions, not more often
than once a month.
2. In the last few years, researchers discovered two primitive
tribes, in different parts of the world, who lived in total
isolation from the civilized world for more than a thousand
years. One was a Yemenite tribe of Semitic origin; the other,
Maya Indians of Yucatan. Scientists who studied these people were
amazed at their phenomenal health condition, long life and
freedom from diseases. They also discovered that the diet of
these primitive people with superior health was a low animal
protein-high natural carbohydrate diet! Yemenites ate meat
occasionally and sparingly, but the Maya Indians were 100%
vegetarians, their main food being corn, beans, and vegetables.
3. Russians are known for their good health, longevity and
endurance. They have seven times more centenarians per million
than the United States. They are low protein people. 78.5% of
their protein need is derived from vegetable sources, and only
21.5% from animal sources.(In the U.S., 29% is vegetable and 71%
is animal protein!) Futhermore, a suprisingly great number of
Russia's 21,000 centenarians are total vegetarians! Russia's
health records are far better than America's. Their mortality
rate is 7.3 per thousand as compared to 9.4 in the UnitedStates.
The life expectancy of the Russian male is 70.1 - the American
male's is only 66.7 years.
4. Bulgarians are among the healthiest peoples in Europe. They
are the tallest people in south Europe and they possess great
vitality and longevity. There are more centenarians in Bulgaria
than in any other country in the world - 1,600 persons, 100 years
or over, per million of population, as compared to only 9 persons
per million among heavy meat-eating Americans. Bulgarians eat
very little meat. Their diet consists largely of black bread
(most whole rye and barley), vegetables and soured milk in the
form of yogurt and kefir. One study made by a Swedish doctor
showed that of 158 Bulgarians,.100 years or over, only 5 ate meat
regularly.
High or low?
The scientific and empirical evidence presented in this chapter
clearly shows that the diet most conducive to optimum health and
long life is not the high protein, but the high natural
carbohydrate-low animal protein, diet. Americans eat more meat
and more proteins than most other nations in the world .
Americans also lead the world in cancer, heart disease,
arthritis, obesity, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis,
mortality rate, miscarriages and birth deformities, and other
degenerative diseases. Heart disease is our greatest killer. By
the way, studies have shown that a low protein vegetarian diet
can prevent 97% of coronary occlusions, or heart disease.
This presentation should, however, not be misconstrued to imply
that you should minimize the importance of protein in your diet.
You need, to be sure, good protein in sufficient amounts for the
proper functioning of all your organs, and for the maintenance of
good health. But because proteins are so important it does not
automatically follow that you can eat unrestricted amounts of
them.
Low animal protein-high natural carbohydrate diet holds the
greatest potential for optimum health, prevention of disease ,
greater vitality and extended longevity.
This is not a theory, hypothesis or wishful thinking, but a
firmly established scientific conclusion, based on the latest
research and empirical facts.......
THE SEVEN BASIC RULES OF SCIENTIFIC VITALIZING NUTRITION FOR
OPTIMUM HEALTH AND LONG LIFE
1. EAT ONLY NATURAL FOODS
Your body is a living organism, a part of a complex universe and
subject to the laws of nature. It must be nourished by natural,
organic food elements in their natural, unaltered state in order
to survive and function in good health.
What are natural foods? Foods grown on fertile soil under natural
conditions, and consumed in their natural state are natural
foods. Foods grown in depleted soils with the help of chemicals
and processed by heat, irradiation or chemical treatment, are not
natural foods.
Here are some examples:
Eggs laid by hens running outdoors in sunlight and eating grass,
seeds, insects and worms - and in the company of roosters! - are
natural, fertile eggs, with dark yolks and full, nutritional
value. But eggs produced by "cooped-up" chickens in an "egg
factory", by hens who never see daylight or rooster and are fed
only synthetic medicated mash, are not natural eggs. Such eggs
are infertile, they will not produce chickens, their yolks are
pale, their chemical composition is altered, their vitamin
content is lower and their total nutritional value is way below
that of a natural egg. Among other things, eggs produced by
coopedup chickens contain twice as much saturated fats as the
natural eggs do.Such eggs can not possibly sustain the health of
those who eat them.
Natural, raw, unpasteurized milk has more vitamins and enzymes;
the proteins and minerals of such milk are easily digested and
assimilated by the body. Pasteurization reduces the vitamin and
enzyme content and makes minerals, fatty acids and proteins less
assimilable and digestible.
Natural fruits, vegetables and grains should grow in healthy,
humus-rich soils, without chemical fertilizers or toxic sprays.
Natural foods contain more protein, more vitamins, more minerals
and other nutrients, particularly the vital enzymes, than the
canned or packaged, unnatural or processed foods bought at your
supermarket.
It should be kept in mind that our knowledge of food composition
is very incomplete. Scientists who tried to feed test animals a
synthetic diet composed of all the nutritive substances known to
science, have found that animals could live in seemingly good
health, and even have reproductive capacity. However, from the
second and third generation, animals lost their power to
reproduce and the whole strain gradually died. Also, their health
condition and the growth rate were adversely affected by the
synthetic diet. These experiments prove that natural foods
contain more than just all the known or discovered nutrients.
When you eat natural, unprocessed and unadulterated foods, you
will get the benefit of all these undiscovered, but vital,
substances as well.
That your health and your longevity are in a direct relationship
to the naturalness of the foods you eat is a well-established
scientific fact. Dr. Weston A. Price, Vilhjalmur Steffansson, Dr.
McCarrison, Arnold DeVries, and many others, who made extensive
travels and studies of diet habits and their relation to health
and longevity of practically every "primitive" people in the
world, have found that when the diet was made of natural, fresh,
unprocessed foods, grown in their own environment, the people had
no disease or tooth decay. Conversely, where they discovered
people subject to dental decay and various other degenerative
diseases of civilized man, they invariably found that they ate
denatured, cooked, processed foods, and that white flour, canned
foods, and white sugar had made their way to them from more
"civilized" countries.
Moreover, regardless of the composition of the diet - whether it
was exclusively vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, predominantly meat
or largely dairy-product diet - as long as the foods were
natural, unprocessed, and largely eaten raw, the people
maintained vibrant health, lived long, and enjoyed youthful
vitality. Arnold DeVries has studied the historical records of
the North and South American Indians, Eskimos, Asians, Africans,
Australian aborigines, New Zealand Maories, and people living on
Pacific and Atlantic islands, and found that all of them enjoyed
glowing health, great fertility and almost incredible endurance.
Diseases were almost unknown. Women had fast and painless
childbirths, and were usually back to their work in the fields an
hour later. Men could run all day without fatigue. There was no
tooth decay, or loss of sight or hearing, or gray hair. Although
statistical life expectancy was low because of the poor
sanitation, most of those who survived lived to be 100 years or
over. DeVries also found that as soon as "civilized" foods were
introduced to these people, their health began to decline.
Childbirth became painful and prolonged; tooth decay made its
impact; vitality and endurance abated; and they gradually became
subject to all the diseases of "civilized" people.
Synthetic, denatured, altered and devitalized foods will not
sustain health, but will inevitably bring about a degeneration of
normal bodily functions and ultimately disease and premature
aging.
2. EAT ONLY WHOLE FOODS
Whole foods are simply foods which still contain all the
nutrients nature has put into them - not less and not more! -
complete, unfragmented, unrefined, neither fortified nor
enriched. Whole wheat bread, potatoes in jackets, brown rice,
sugar cane, oranges - are whole foods. White bread, instant
potatoes, polished rice, white sugar and orange juice - are not
whole foods. They are fragmented, concentrated or refined foods
from which important nutrient factors have been processed out,
destroyed, or removed. More than 90% of all the foods on the
average American table today have been tampered with in one way
or another, and most of the vital nutrients have been either
taken out of them or destroyed.
Breakfast cereals, processed oils, fruit juices, all products
made with white sugar and white flour are typical examples of
such fragmented, devitalized and adulterated foods. Every time a
natural substance is removed from a food, the natural balance is
disturbed. Every time a chemical is added to the food, the
natural balance is also disturbed. Every time food is refined or
fragmented, such as extracting sugar from sugar cane or sugar
beets, or separating the wheat endosperm (from which wheat flour
is made) from the whole wheat kernel - the natural balance is
disturbed. When you eat such fragmented foods, they disturb the
normal bio-chemical and metabolic processes within your body.
It took thousands of years for your body to adjust its
bio-chemical processes to the composition of natural foods. When
suddenly the composition of foods is altered, your body is not
able to re-adjust its chemical processes.This causes havoc in the
body chemistry with disease as the ultimate result.
The two worst examples of fragmented foods are white sugar and
white flour - these two nutritionless monstrosities, disguised
under the name of food, are responsible more than anything else
for the deterioration of health in civilized countries. During
World War II, in European countries, the consumption of white
flour and white sugar was sharply reduced due to rationing. The
statistics also showed a sharp reduction in the incidence of many
degenerative diseases during these years, notably a sharp
decrease in diabetes. Note, that although the use of refined
carbohydrates decreased, the consumption of whole, natural
carbohydrates, such as whole grains, actually increased during
the war.This proves that natural, whole carbohydrate foods are
health-promoting, whereas refined carbohydrates are detrimental
to health.
Whole wheat, for example, is a good source of vitamin E. But it
would take more than 200 slices of white bread to secure a proper
daily requirement of this vital vitamin, because most of it has
been removed with the wheat germ in processing. The same goes
with the B-vitamins, minerals, best proteins and the natural oils
of the wheat. If you eat enriched bread, do not think you get
these nutrients anyway, since they allegedly have been added to
the bread. None of the vitamin E, oils, minerals, or proteins
have been added; and from more than 15 vitamins of the B-complex
that have been removed in processing, only 3 have been returned
in insignificant amounts. If this is enrichment, I d like to know
what is impoverishment!
The American housewife, brainwashed by T.V. commercials, feeds
her family "enriched" white bread, believing that it will help to
build "stronger bodies in ten different ways". But in the
refining process, the white bread has lost 65 to 75% of all the
important natural vitamins and minerals, and only a few of them
have been replaced with inorganic, synthetic chemical vitamins
that lack the nutritional resemblance to the organic life-factors
that were removed. Gene nutritionist said that such "enrichment"
is similar to robbing a man of his wallet, watch and glasses, and
giving him a bus token to get home on! Because vitamins are
synergistic in their action, when part of a complex, such as one
or more B-vitamins, has been removed, serious deficiencies are
likely to arise. Enrichment may actually do more harm than good.
The value of whole, unrefined foods was dramatically demonstrated
on a grand scale during the First World War. Denmark was plagued
by a serious food shortage. The government assigned Dr. M.
Hindhede, the director of the Danish Institute of Nutrition
Research, to design a program for protecting the nation from the
hunger threat. The first action of Hindhede was to increase the
whole-grain production by limiting the livestock production and
curtailing the sale of meat, and thus saving grain for human
consumption. Production of alcoholic beverages was banned for the
same reason. Also, grain processing was stopped and only
whole-grain bread and cereals were allowed to be sold. Farmers
were directed and encouraged to produce more grain, green
vegetables, fruits, milk and butter, instead of meat.
These simple, but from a nutritional standpoint revolutionary
changes in eating habits, resulted in spectacular and rapid
changes in the health condition of the whole nation. The death
rate dropped over 40% in one year. Diseases that affected other
European countries, including the dreaded influenza epidemic,
by-passed Denmark. In only a few years, Denmark became the
healthiest nation in all of Europe!
In those regions of India where polished white rice is the staple
food, the incidence of diabetes and peptic ulcers is much higher
than in the other regions, such as Punjab, where instead of rice
the dietary staples are coarse wheat and corn.
In Africa, where natives eat large quantities of sugar cane,
there is virtually no diabetes or dental caries. When these
natives, however, move to the cities and begin to eat white
sugar, they rapidly develop caries, diabetes, ulcers and other
diseases of civilization. Dr. John Yudkin, of London University,
has conclusively demonstrated that white sugar and white flour
products are the major cause of heart disease.
Whole foods are an absolute must for optimum health. Whole foods
contain not only complete nutrition, but also all the enzymes and
other factors necessary for the proper, effective digestion and
good assimilation of each particular food. When some of the
vitamins, minerals and enzymes are removed, as in the case of
white sugar or white flour, as well as other refined or processed
foods, the digestion and assimilation is incomplete - with
nutritional deficiencies and disease as the ultimate result.
3. EAT ONLY LIVING FOODS
Dr. Robert Bell hit the nail on the head when he said, "Man is
the only creature upon this earth who spoils his food before he
eats it." Man's slow degeneration to the present inferno of
diseases started with the discovery of cooking. Since then man
seems to have been using his creative imagination and unlimited
inventiveness for devising newer and newer means of ruining the
nutritional value of his food. The latest of these devices is
irradiation. Now you can buy potatoes, yams, onions, and other
vegetables that do not sprout and will keep "fresh" forever. What
this irradiation with atomic rays does to the lifesustaining
power of the food nobody really knows, as yet. The only thing the
processors are concerned about is, of course, the marketing
convenience and the longer shelf life.
Cooking destroys enzymes 100%. Enzymes are vital catalysts,
absolutely essential for the proper digestion and assimilation of
the food, as well as for all other functions in your body. Nobel
Prize Winner, Professor Virtanen, from Finland, has demonstrated
that in the process of chewing raw foods, new active substances
are formed in the mouth with the help of enzymes. It is estimated
that about 600 various enzymes are essential for human health,
but all enzymes in foods are destroyed in cooking. In addition,
cooking destroys many of the vitamins. Watersoluble vitamins B
and C are particularly vulnerable to the effect of heat and
cooking. Minerals also are depleted by cooking and are usually
thrown away with the cooking water.
Prolonged storage, freezing, drying, salting and canning, are all
more or less destructive to the nutritional value of the food.
Fresh vegetables stored at room temperature for only one day lose
up to 50 per cent of their vitamin C. Blanching and freezing
destroys vitamins B1 and B2. Since the average American diet
consists up to 90 per cent of cooked, frozen or otherwise
processed foods, it is no wonder that half of the population is
suffering from various degrees of vitamin deficiencies and
malnutrition.
Raw, living foods contain all the nutritive elements in the right
proportion and balance. Contrary to the popular notion, most
foods in their raw state are easier to digest than the same foods
in their cooked state. This is particularly true of all fruits
and most vegetables and grains.
Even moderate heating destroys nutritional value of foods.
Pasteurization of milk destroys some of the vitamins and all of
the enzymes. Lewis J. Silvers, M.D., says that at least three
factors in milk are destroyed by the process of pasteurization:
an anemia-prevention factor, an ulcer-prevention factor, and an
arthritis-prevention factor.
The therapeutic value of raw foods is well known. In most
European biological clinics raw foods are used in healing of many
common diseases, such as cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis,
etc. The famous Gerson cure for cancer is based primarily on raw
foods and raw juices. In animal tests, arthritis was
experimentally caused by feeding animals cooked foods
exclusively.
Raw, living foods are equally known for their prophylactic (or
disease-preventive) value. Furthermore, raw foods act as a
cleansing agent on the digestive and eliminative systems and are
the best preventive measure agains constipation.
The aging-preventive and rejuvenative property of raw foods was
scientifically demonstrated and explained in European and
Japanese research. Raw plant foods increase the micro-electric
tension in cell tissue, as was discovered by the Viennese
scientists investigating cell permeability. Increased
micro-electric tension in the cell tissue improves cell
oxygenation, stimulates cell metabolism, increases the cell's
resistance to aging, speeds the process of cell renewal - in
short, improves the cell's metabolism and prevents biochemical
suffocation. Japanese researchers at the University of Kyushu
have shown that raw plant foods contain substances that help the
body in its fight against disease-producing agents.
In terms of application, many would find eating raw foods
exclusively too difficult. But you should make an effort to eat
fresh, raw foods as much as possible. At least two thirds of all
foods eaten should be in their natural, raw state. Practi- cally
all fruits and vegetables can be eaten raw. If cooking is
absolutely necessary, food should be cooked as little as
possible, preferably steamed with little or no water. All broth,
of course, should be used also.
Eat all nuts raw.You will discover that they are much tastier and
easier to digest in their raw state, than when they are roasted
and salted. Many seeds and grains can be eaten raw, especially
when they are Sprouted.* Raw, unpasteurized milk is available at
better health food stores.
Remember, cooked food is dead food. Only living foods can build
healthy bodies.
4. EAT ONLY POISON-FREE FOODS
I must admit that it is much easier to give such advice than to
follow it in today's poisoned world. Poisons in food are the
greatest menace to health today. It is almost impossible to
obtain food stuffs that are free from poisonous residues and
additives. Fruits and vegetables contain residues of dozens of
poisonous pesticides, waxes, bleaches, artificial colorings and
preservatives. Meat, milk, butter and poultry contain, in
addition to DDT and other insecticides, residues of hormones,
antibiotics and other drugs used to speed animal growth.
Processed meats, bread, cereals, and canned foods and drinks are
loaded with some of the nearly one thousand different chemicals
which are now used in the food-processing industry. And many of
these have never been tested for their possible toxicity!
There is a growing concern among world scientists that mankind is
committing slow suicide by poisoning himself with all these
foreign substances in his food and his environment. Many of the
newest diseases are directly related to the poisons in our foods.
The growing incidence of birth deformities is one of the most
conspicuous diseases attributed to the poisonous drugs and
residues in foods.
The American public is becoming more and more aware of the
dangers of DDT, malathion, parathion, and other pesticides in
foods. The beginning of a new decade, the seventies, brought one
hope of a nation-wide awakening in regard to the environment. DDT
was banned in several states in 1969, and in 1970 the Federal
Government took action of restricting DDT use in the whole
country. But one of the gravest dangers to our health, of which
we only seldom hear, is a gradual but universal leadpoisoning. In
Europe, scientists are alarmed at the incredible speed with which
lead is poisoning our environment. Lead comes to the atmosphere
mostly from the automobiles which burn gasoline treated with
lead.It pollutes the air, settles in the soils and is absorbed by
the fruits and vegetables. Tests made in Germany show that some
of the vegetables, especially carrots, contain deadly amounts of
lead. Many poisonings from eating lead-containing carrots were
registered. Lead has a degenerative effect on the central nervous
system and affects genetic forces, as found by Russian
scientists. Even in small amounts it causes degenerative changes
in the liver, kidneys, heart and other organs.
Every effort, therefore, should be made to obtain poison-free
organically grown foods. They are often available in health food
stores. If supermarket-quality vegetables are used, they should
be washed carefully or peeled. Cucumbers, green and red peppers,
tomatoes, celery, carrots, apples, pears, grapes, and cherries
can be washed and brushed in warm water with soap or mild
detergent, then rinsed well several times and finally rinsed
under cold running water to remove the traces of soap.
Remember, just rinsing produce in cold water will do no good;
most sprays and waxes are oil-soluble and plain cold water will
not remove them at all.
5. EAT HIGH NATURAL CARBOHYDRATE-LOW ANIMAL PROTEIN DIET
You have learned in the previous chapter that the diet with the
greatest potential for optimum health and long life is a high
natural carbohydrate-low animal protein diet. This is contrary to
what you have read and heard from present-day nutritionists and
"authorities". Even the most respected nutritional advisors and
health writers in the United States have been so misled by the
high-protein propaganda and by the misleading protein research,
sponsored by the meat-packing and dairy industries, that they
also fell prey to this high-protein myth. They continue repeating
the well-established lie that "we can never get enough protein",
This, in spite of the following facts:
• Americans, who eat more protein than any other nation, are also
the most disease-ridden people in the world. All nations known
for their good health and exceptional vitality and longevity live
on a low animal protein-high natural carbohydrate diet.
Now, before you misunderstand me on the carbohydrate issue, let's
make it clear that I am speaking of natural carbohydrates. Of
course, what you have heard about the harmfulness of a high
carbohydrate diet is true - if you mean refined carbohydrates
such as white sugar and white flour products.. In fact, of all
the underlying causes of ill health in civilized countries, I
would list the refined carbohydrates, such as white sugar and
white flour, and all foods made with them, as the number one
cause. When I recommend a high natural carbohydrate-low animal
protein diet I mean that the emphasis in your diet should be on
fresh natural fruits and vegetables and unrefined, whole seeds
and grains - all natural carbohydrate foods. These foods are the
staples of the healthy and long-lived Hunzas, Bulgarians,
Russians, Central American Indians, etc., as you have seen in the
previous chapter.
The most perfectly balanced diet is a diet rich in organically
grown fruits and vegetables and raw or sprouted whole grains,
seeds and nuts. Lacto-vegetarians can use raw unpasteurized milk,
yogurt and homemade cottage cheese from organically raised
animals. Fortified with such foods as cold-pressed vegetable
oils, honey, wheat germ and bran, brewer's yeast, kelp, and dry
fruits, this high natural carbohydrate-low animal protein diet
will supply you with all the required nutrients - vitamins,
minerals, trace elements, enzymes, proteins, fatty acids,
carbohydrates, and other vital substances - in a natural, pure,
and easily assimilated form.
6. SYSTEMATIC UNDEREATING AND PERIODIC FASTING
Would you like to learn the two most important health and
longevity secrets? Here they are: 1) systematic undereating, and
2) periodic fasting (see Chapters 8 and 9 on Fasting).
Not only what you eat but how much you eat is of vital importance
for your health. The latest scientific research shows that
overeating is one of the main causes of man's ills, and that,
conversely, undereating is singularly the most important health
and longevity factor.
Russian statistics show that one common characteristic of all
Russian centenarians is that they are all moderate eaters and
have been such throughout their lives. Dr. C. M. McCay, of
Cornell University, has shown that overeating is the major cause
of premature aging. Systematic undereating, on the other hand,
increases longevity and decreases the incidence of the
degenerative diseases.
Recently, scientific studies involving earthworms, conducted by a
recognized educational institution, showed that fasting worms
periodically, every other day, caused them to live 50 times as
long as usual!
Food eaten in excess of actual bodily need acts in the system
as a poison. It interferes with digestion, causes internal
sluggishness, gas, incomplete assimilation of nutrients,
putrefaction, and actually poisons your whole system. Compulsive
gluttons - overeaters - are usually always hungry because they
are undernourished. "Overfed, but undernourished", as so
correctly expressed by H. Curtis Wood, Jr., M. D.
Poor digestion and assimilation of nutrients caused by chronic
overeating causes nutritional deficiencies. Although the
compulsive glutton is fat, his body craves food because it is
starving for minerals and vitamins and other needed substances.
The less you eat, the less hungry you feel, because the food is
more efficiently digested and better utilized. Unbelievable? But
true - try it! And see the difference in the way you feel.
7. CORRECT EATING HABITS
It is important not only to select and prepare foods properly,
but to eat them properly as well.
Slow eating and good mastication are essential for good health.
It is far better to skip a meal than to eat it in a hurry. Good
chewing increases assimilation of nutrients in the intestinal
tract and makes you feel satisfied with a smaller amount of food.
Saliva contains digestive enzymes; therefore, well-chewed and
generously salivated food is practically half-digested before it
enters the stomach......
...............
Entered on Keith Hunt's Website July 2003
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