It is through the mouth that we nourish and hydrate ourselves, as well as through which we are able to communicate with each other.  Keeping these functions in mind, this article will examine some ideas for proper mouth hygiene so that we all can have both the beautiful smile we hope for and the health benefits of a clean mouth.  If you have been reading our Darin’s Naturals blog articles, you are well aware that we favor simplicity and effectiveness.  The things that we recommend in our blogs are methods that we practice in our own lives and that we willingly share so that you may try them out for yourselves and draw your own conclusions.

Our first recommendation for a clean mouth references a topic we discuss constantly, microorganisms.  The teeth are the only non-shedding surfaces in the body and bacterial levels can reach more than 10¹¹ microorganisms per mg of dental plaque.  With this said, it is important to realize that microorganisms play a significant role in mouth health. Few people realize that tooth decay is largely due to the creation of certain acids generated by bacteria.  This is created through the conversion of food material stuck between the teeth after eating.  Often this problem escalates when one’s diet contains high volumes of sweets and simple carbohydrates.

In order to combat tooth decay, I recommend consuming foods rich in probiotics and prebiotics.  Our ancestors did not have the benefit of buying exotic foods from their farmer’s market.  Instead they ate a wide range of accessible, fiber-rich foods to serve as their probotics, as well as foods cultured serve as their probiotics.  For us, there are plenty of available, inexpensive choices, including kefirs, yogurts, kimchis, sauerkrauts, etc. Darin’s Naturals hopes to promote a proactive approach by our readers.  In other words, although you can buy these foods from a high quality, reliable source, we always recommend making foods like yogurt and kimchi for yourself.  “There is nothing like the real thing, baby,” and making your own whole foods is as real as it gets!

We are conscious that there are people who do not have the time to make their own prebiotic/probiotic concoctions, yet still seek good health.  Udo Erasmus has a line of products called Udo’s Choice and I have been consuming his essential oil blend for quite some time now and have nothing but praise for it.  I’ve become increasingly interested in one particular of his, the Super 5 Oral Lozenge, due to its peculiarity and wisdom.  I found this product to be so unique as it was the first I had encountered that could be sucked on and allowed to dissolve in the mouth for the purpose of introducing and subsequently promoting the colonization of friendly bacteria inside the mouth.

My second recommendation for mouth health is a high quality mouthwash.  One of my personal favorites, which I honestly credit with saving the integrity of my teeth and mouth, is Dr. Schulze’s Tooth and Gum Formula.  This can serve as your mouthwash at any given time of the day, preferably as you wake up and before you go to sleep.  This wonderful formula contains powerful herbal antiseptic and circulatory and immune stimulant, while also proving being very effective for pain-relief and breath freshening.  Tea tree oil, habanero pepper, Echinacea, and a wide range of other organic herbs are used in this formulation.  Generally I am quite hesitant when it comes to recommending products, but I am truly confident in the benefits of this mouthwash.

My third recommendation for proper mouth hygiene is to use a tongue cleaner.  This is another one of those easy to use, easy to clean, cheap yet effective products. It took me some convincing to begin using a tongue cleaner, since I believed that simply brushing your tongue worked just as well.  I am so grateful to have given this a chance and now I wouldn’t consider going back to basic tongue brushing.

Ancient Chinese and Indian cultures have practiced tongue cleansing for hundreds of years.  The Indians practiced it as a daily to remove toxins they called AMA.  Tongue cleansing devices are designed to clean the bacterial build-up, food debris, fungi, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue. The bacteria and fungi that grow on the tongue are related to many common oral care and general health problems.  Additionally, decaying bacteria produce volatile sulphur compounds on the rear of the tongue; these molecules account for 80 to 95 percent of all cases of halitosis (bad breath).

Arguments arise when considering which is the best type of tongue cleaners.  Some suggest using brushers, while others prefer scrapers.  Personally, I always recommend a stainless steel U-shaped cleaner.  Never the less, in some cases this can be too harsh on the tongues of certain people.  If this is the case for you, try other varieties as new cleaners appear on the market frequently.  Tongues, like any other part of the human anatomy, are unique to everybody, so what works for one person might not be helpful for another.  Be mindful of this and do not give up if your first purchase of a tongue-specific cleansing devise doesn’t work for you.

As surprising as it may seem, mouth care may be somewhat closely related to a person’s overall health.  Recent studies have found that there could be links between an unhealthy mouth and issues with heart, pancreatic, and fertility health.  Local osteoporosis has been identified as a result of periodontitis lesions exhibiting gingival inflammation, as well as destruction of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. This leads to bone loss and apical migration of the junctional epithelium, resulting in the formation of periodontal pockets.

In recent articles, it has been proposed that periodontitis may affect the host’s susceptibility to systemic disease in three ways: by shared risk factors, by subgingival biofilms acting as reservoirs of gram-negative bacteria, and through the periodontium acting as a reservoir of inflammatory mediators. Subgingival biofilms constitute an enormous and continuing bacterial load. They present continually renewing reservoirs of LPS and other gram-negative bacteria with ready access to the periodontal tissues and the circulation. Systemic challenge with gram-negative bacteria or LPS induces major vascular responses, including an inflammatory cell infiltrate in the vessel walls, vascular smooth muscle proliferation, vascular fatty degeneration, and intravascular coagulation. LPS upregulates expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules and secretion of interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and thromboxane, which results in platelet aggregation and adhesion, formation of lipid-laden foam cells, and deposits of cholesterol and cholesterol esters.

The proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, gamma interferon, and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) reach high tissue concentrations in periodontitis. The periodontium can therefore serve as a renewing reservoir for spillover of these mediators, which can enter the circulation and induce and perpetuate systemic effects. IL-1β favors coagulation and thrombosis and retards fibrinolysis. IL-1, TNF-α, and thromboxane can cause platelet aggregation and adhesion, formation of lipid-laden foam cells, and deposition of cholesterol. These same mediators emanating from the diseased periodontium may also account for preterm labor and low-birth-weight infants.

In this article we have addressed some, but not all of the potential systemic threats of poor mouth hygiene.  As with most of the body’s biochemistry, the process bridging poor mouth hygiene and potential systemic disease is extremely complex, involving genes, lifestyle, and other external and internal factors.  While it may be possible to live a long fruitful life of over 100 years without exhibiting proper mouth hygiene, it is not the norm, meaning that preventative care is extremely important.  A healthy mouth remains an integral part of an overall healthy body.

Thank you for reading about this often-forgotten topic.  We appreciate and delight in your thoughts and comments!

REFERENCE

1. Harold C. Slavkin, DDS; Bruce J. Baum, DMD, PhD I (2000). “Relationship of Dental and Oral Pathology to Systemic Illness”. JAMA -The Journal of the American Medical Association (284(10):1215-1217).^
2. Raul I. Garcia, Michelle M. Henshaw, Elizabeth A. KrallI (February 2001). “Relationship between periodontal disease and systemic health”. Periodontology 2000 25 (1): 21–36. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0757.2001.22250103.x.^ http://www.tau.ac.il/~melros/publications/current.html^ New Directions in Dentistry by Gordon Christensen, DDS, MSD, PhD, ScD Dentistrytoday.com Issue Date: February 2002, Posted On: 8/26/2005   
3. Christensen GJ (August 2005). “Special oral hygiene and preventive care for special needs”. Journal of the American Dental Association 136 (8): 1141–3. PMID 1616137
4. Li X, Kolltveit KM, Tronstad L, Olsen I (October 2000). “Systemic diseases caused by oral infection”. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 13 (4): 547–58. PMC 88948. PMID 11023956.
5. Li X, Kolltveit KM, Tronstad L, Olsen I (October 2000). “Systemic diseases caused by oral infection”. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 13 (4): 547–58. PMC 88948. PMID 11023956.
6. Review of the Oral Disease-Systemic Disease Link. Part I: Heart Disease, Diabetes Canadian Journal of Dental Hygiene, November–December 2006, 40(6):288-342
7. ORAL-SYSTEMIC HEALTH (YOUR ORAL HEALTH AND OVERALL HEALTH) American Dental Association – Oral Health Topics
8. PERIODONTITIS AND OSTEOPOROSIS FACTA UNIVERSITATIS Series: Medicine and Biology Vol.12, No 2, 2005, pp. 100 – 103
9. Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease Division of Periodontology, Department of Dentistry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, School of Dentistry, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
10. Ensslen SC, Riedel HH, Bieniek KW, Hafner R (1990). “[Male subfertility and oral bacterial diseases]” (in German). Zentralblatt Für Gynäkologie 112 (13): 823–5. PMID 2238984.
11. K.J. Joshipura, E.B. Rimm, C.W. Douglass, D. Trichopoulos, A. Ascherio, W.C. Willett (September 1996). “Poor Oral Health and Coronary Heart Disease”. Journal of Dental Research 75 (9): 1631–1636.
12. V. Karhunen, H. Forss, S. Goebeler, H. Huhtala, E. Ilveskoski, O. Kajander, J. Mikkelsson, A. Penttilä, M. Perola, H. Ranta, J.H. Meurman, P.J. Karhunen (January 2006). “Radiographic Assessment of Dental Health in Middle-aged Men Following Sudden Cardiac Death”. Journal of Dental Research 85 (1): 89–93.
13. The Myth Behind Tongue Cleaning Healthy Forever: To Scrape Or Not To Scrape

Most slogans have a time and space to impact us, depending on a variety of factors affecting us at any one moment. Usually, however, these catch-phrases pass unperceived through our conscious thought and quickly find their way into our subconscious trash bin. “Make food, not war,”struck a cord with me, partly because it is continuously becoming more apparent that there is little interest in the kitchen. We have become distracted with our daily chores, some of us feeling like we do not have the calling for the kitchen and others simply do not care for it. The result of this estrangement is the near elimination of the kitchen altogether. Though some of us might find it unimportant, I believe the kitchen holds a magical power beyond practical influence on our daily lives. While generally we have come to think of the kitchen just as a room where food is prepared, most of us also have warm memories of the kitchen. Those memories hold a special meaning and have helped to define who we are. If one acknowledges not just the practical uses of the kitchen, but the spiritual moments within the kitchen, it is easy to determine that such a s space is extremely important within the home. Cooking itself has a life of its own. When diaspora brings ethnic groups to new countries or continents, it has been proven that while the language is the first to be lost, food is among the last elements of culture to disappear, if it ever does.

Once I was invited to have dinner at an Italian-American friend’s house. Typically I do not tolerate Italian food well; the starches make me sleepy and overall my body rejects what is served. Though reluctant at first, I agreed to attend. My friend’s father and mother were both fourth generation Italian-Americans, neither of whom spoke Italian. The members of the family long forgot many customs and were not particularly devout followers of the Catholic faith. Yet, to my surprise, I was greeted with an Italian feast! The food was superb and erased all of my assumptions about Italian food as being primarily a redundant simple carbohydrate free-for-all. I did not feel as if Iwas in a fourth generation Italian-American house, as the food seemed to transport us all back in time, especially me. The whole ambiance changed, the food was the nucleus of this gathering and the elements around this nucleus where also just as fascinating. The father took to the head of the table, followed by my friend, the eldest son, to this right, the youngest following him and the mother to the left, when she was not cooking or serving. The way the food was served seemed to have the gallantry and hand coordination of a symphony conductor. Though one was created to feed your ears and the other your stomach, both certainly held the power to feed the soul. Nobody was in a rush to devour the food, as dinner was treated as an experience, not just the consuming of a meal. One moment everyone was carrying on about their own hectic lives and the next everyone was eating in unison, discussing their days with a joke here and there. The father had decided to give me a culture class regarding the magnificence of Italian food. He began by instructing me on the proper pronunciation of the dishes before explaining how they should be prepared and how using fresh ingredients is of the utmost, critical importance. This was how I came to understand Italian food as an exquisite art form. Italians are passionate people. The cultural hand gesturing and patterns of speech are passed from Italian-born parent or grandparent to their children, then to their children’s children, and so forth. American-born generations of Italians carry their ancestor’s passion for all aspects of life, especially food. Through eating a traditional Italian meal, I came to truly understand the power of food and the more than important influence it holds within our social, cultural, and familial structure.
When I was young my my parents provided mostly fresh and homemade ingredients for food. As I grew older, however, my parents worked long hours to raise their four children and we often resorted to fast food as a faster, easier, and more economical choice. Often my siblings and I were received dollars to buy 2 “Whoppers.” To our pre-teen eyes, the Whopper looked like a mountain of a hamburger and we were drawn to the taste and the seductive television commercials that aired during all of our favorite shows. We fell for the propagandist ads and, of course, the collectible toys you could get when you purchased a combo meal.

While eating fast food kept us fed, it did not keep us healthy. My family experienced illness more and more frequently, and although my parents assumed being sick was part of being young and interacting with other kids, our diet would soon come into question. It wasn’t until one Sunday when a small-framed individual walked to the front podium at our church that the answer was made clear. “Don’t you know God does not want you to be sick? You ask for miracles, but then stuff your face with crap, so naturally you are going to feel like crap!” I was very young but even as a kid those words made complete sense. My mother was quick to approach this man whom we learned was named Garavito. She asked for him to come to our home and give us a consultation. He agreed and the first thing Garavito did was head to our kitchen and began tossing things out. I remember the cereal boxes were the first thing to go because, at the time, Frosted Flakes had been my favorite breakfast. He went on until about 80% of our “food” stock was reduced, and though my entire family was somewhat shocked, we simply stood in silent disbelief.
Later in life, as I studied under David Christopher, the son of the famous herbalist Dr. John Christopher, he told us a story of his father. Once he was requested to visit a family which lived deep in the back country, hours away from the nearest town. The family suffered from poor health and given that they were unable to keep up with the farm work in their poor condition, the burden which began as physical was now economical as well. Dr. Christopher made his way to their house to evaluate the situation. He was shocked to discover that despite the fact that he was on a farm, the kitchen was stocked with non-fresh foods. Though Dr. Christopher explained the situation as best he could, the farmer was reluctant to accept diet as a major factor of his ill health. After all, what difference does it make if the corn is fresh or canned? Finally, in a moment of inspiration, Dr. Christopher took a can of food in his hand and looked out the window at a bunch of cows grazing. He asked the farmer how important the cows were to him and his family economy. Needless to say, they were vital and as he looked at these cows mow down the green grass of the prairies he proposed something to the farmer. Dr. Christopher asked for him to eat the grass for 1 week, to which the farmer simply laughed. Additionally, the proposition included that as he and his family ate the grass, they in contrast feed the cows the canned food he and his family typically ate three times per day, every day. The farmer’s facial expression changed and shouted “ ARE YOU CRAZY, IT WILL KILL THEM!” The Dr. looked at him smiling and the farmer understood his earlier point. As my family and I looked at how our kitchen stock was being tossed out. I felt kind of like this farmer, in total disbelief that my favorite ¨food¨ was being scrutinized.

What all these stories have in common is the disassociation all of these characters had with the kitchen. The case of my Italian-American friends was much different in comparison to the farmer’s family and my own. Their constant connection to the kitchen maintained part of their heritage and added a down-shift to their accelerated lifestyles. As Michael Polland explains in his lectures and quite often points out in his book, food and the relationship we have with food presently is being guided by the elites. The elites are the scientists, the FDA, and nutritional gurus who decide what is good for you and then, as an omnipotent dictator, bring down the laws by which all society must abide or else, they say, you are at risk of being malnourished. Culture, however, has guided humans throughout history, before we even knew a vitamin existed or what a makes something a carbohydrate. Culture has always existed and I make strong argument that it should be an important guide in the increasingly complex nutritional landscape. This is where the kitchen can help us reconnect with our roots. I find it intriguing how once you decide to surrender to the experience of cooking, be it for pure need, curiosity, or something else, you tend to gravitate inadvertently, yet almost certainly, to the foods that have been handed down your family lineage for generations. Even Dr. D´adamo tracked down and tested according to your blood type which foods your body recognize as suitable for your specific biochemistry and assimilate better than other foods. These foods would be whatever your ancestors ate in the all the regions of the world they inhabited. This could be a reason why we tend to lean towards what could be considered “comfort foods.”
From a more biochemical perspective, cooking or preparing your own foods assists you in taking full control of your life, after all ¨we are what we eat¨ says the old adage. If we really knew how most of the food we eat was grown, handled, and treated most of us would think twice before eating it. Preparing your own food is the best way to eliminate the middle men who pretend to know what is better for us. When you start doing so, you will find that you reconnect with your body and you begin to understand your body´s needs to custom tailor a proper diet to fit.
Food preparation provides us with the creative tool with which to generate a masterpiece, even if the masterpieces is just a salad. After all, salads are to be ingested by you, so it´s worthwhile to put some love and imagination forth during preparation. Besides the many factors as to why our ancestors and still many people around the world don´t suffer from the chronic obesity epidemic, have you thought of the physical energy that goes into cooking? Food preparation burns plenty of calories. Have you ever tried making a cake by hand? My arm was sore for about two days afterward! There is no doubt that if we implemented preparing our own foods you would burn as many, if not more, calories during the preparation than what we consume, depending on what we eat, of course.
So there are many reasons why food preparation plays a key role in your health. Heribert Watzke talks about the brain in your gut and details how our prehistoric ancestors had to forage for food, many times on the run and not necessarily because they were late picking the kids from soccer practice. Food was scarce so they had to do with whatever they could find. This included foods which, by today’s standards, most of us would not even touch. At the time their digestive system had to be adapted to that unique food landscape. Their stomachs where larger in order to properly digest the rustic foods they encountered. As humans evolved a farming and husbandry system, their digestive systems adapted to not just the foods they domesticated but the ways it was prepared. During their preparation phases, foods usually high in lectins, phytic acid, oxalic acids etc, were transformed to be rendered more easily digestible. Thus the digestive system of our ancient forefathers was reduced in size and became more efficient as a result. Mr. Watzke has transformed an old Latin proverb to say ¨cocos ergo sum¨ which translates to ¨I cook therefore I am.¨

I am certain that nobody will be running to their kitchens ecstatic to start preparing food on solely the basis of reading this article. Most of us have a distant relationship with our kitchens and like with most damaged relationships, healing takes time. Healing also requires a good reason to do it. As humans, we act on the basis of a set of values and what those values permit us to do depends on if we consider something to be important or not. This is the premise by which I would like for each person reading this article to take a moment to consider the following points:

1. Food security – When you delegate food growth, production, and preparation to industries, you will generally find that their greatest interest lay in profit margins. This often results in culture, the environment, and ultimately our health being compromised.
2. Food transparency - When you take the time to purchase, stock, and prepare the foods you and your family consume, you are far more in control of exactly what goes into your mouth (and ultimately your cells). This is something which does not hold true when you purchase pre-made or take out food.

1. Food safety – Once food preparation takes a prominent place on your value list, you will find that the ingredients in your kitchen must be scrutinized. You will begin to realize that not all products are created equally. Quality will promptly be of high regard to you, as such, you will begin to look for the best possible products available within your individual possibilities. The food safety aspects take effect when you consider the options and wisely select locally-grown, seasonal, environmentally-friendly products as a result.
2. Health – The above three points eventually lead to one of the main reasons why over time we have come to consume certain foods and the reason why whole careers such as “nutritionist” have been developed. This reason is that foods are our medicine and healthy foods translate to a healthy individual. The reason I mention this as being one of the possible main reasons, rather than the main reason is because food and food preparation have not always been solely for health reason. Food as health is a more or less new western view of food. In many parts of the world, leisure, fraternizing, negotiating, romance, communion, devotion, even settling disputes are among the various other worthwhile reasons why people prepared and ate the fruits of their labor. Traditionally the emotions that went in to the handling, preparing, and eating of food were also important, often relating to feelings of respect, grace, and love. This influenced the writing of whole food laws which are still practiced in the Islamic and Jewish laws of Halal and Kashrut. It should be noted that when we are driven by proper reasons and with the proper emotion, health is often an imminent result.I make a stand for making food an important part of our daily lives. It all boils down to what we consider important. Our forks are, in truth, the most important tools in helping to shape our mental and geographical landscape. It is in the interest of ourselves that we eat, not in the interest of food manufacturers. The energy we invest in choosing and preparing our food can change our internal and external landscapes. It is your choice to choose wisely!

Indispensable Kitchen Utensil 1: Sprouter

I always recommend starting with the most basic tool and avoiding spending unnecessary money on fancy, more complex automatic sprouters.  This can be achieved by using a simple glass jar, preferably a new one.  If you want to start with a used jar, make sure you sanitize it properly to ensure that you do not contaminate your seeds.  Proceed to find a ring which fits perfectly around the mouth of your jar as well as a cheese cloth.  You need one jar per variety of sprout, so in other words, if you are intending to sprout lentils and broccoli sprouts you would need two jars, each with its individual ring and cheese cloth.  I highly recommend if you are a single person to start with a quart-sized jar.   If you are preparing food for two or more, use a glass jar with at least a ½ gallon wide mouth. Depending on the variety of sprout and temperature of the region you live in the shelf life after sprouting could vary from a few days to a few weeks.  The best indicators of condition are smell and taste.  If sprouts appear soggy, dark, moldy, or smelly you are better off composting them.  I suggest http://www.sproutpeople.org.  The good people contributing to that site are truly passionate about providing you with everything you need to get started!

On their web page you will find absolutely everything to get you going, from the jars I spoke about to the cheese cloths, and, naturally, they also provide you with any known seed which can be sprouted.  As the great Dr. John Christopher used to say “Anything that can be sprouted, SHOULD be sprouted.”

This is my first recommendation as an indispensable kitchen tool to help you get fresh, bioactive, potent foods into your system all year round.  It is easy, inexpensive, and it is not time consuming.  Kids love sprouting and it´s a fun way for them to be part of the miracle of life, from seed to plate.  Sprouting can be a great family activity as well as an important step to improving household health and nutrition.  The joy of sprouting awaits!

So what is a whole food anyway?  What is it that compels Darin and his team to venture to the lab and test familiar and exotic fruits and plants?  Eating for life requires more of us than simply eating.  We must be committed to educating ourselves on the latest research, but we must also be willing to listen to  our inner voice.  That voice itself will direct you to certain foods over others.  For example, it doesn’t take an herbalist or student of nutrition to know that an apple is better for you than a soft drink.  Even if each of us possesses an internal barometer, pointing us in the direction of nutrient-rich foods, it is easy enough to convince oneself to silence that knowledge or convince oneself that it is either inaccurate or irrelevant.

All of this considered, self doubt can be a dangerous obstacle on your path to a richer, fuller life.  For our purposes, this issue can be combated by frequently going back to basics.  When we think logically and rationally about what food is supposed to do for our bodies, it becomes obvious that eating whole foods is essential.  But what exactly is a whole food?  Can I buy them at my local market?  Can I afford them on a budget?  And if whole foods are just that, whole and complete, does that mean other foods are incomplete?

A whole food is a food in its complete form, without being processed or isolated into fractions.  In nature, each fruit or plant is made perfectly.  There is a perfect balance of minerals and nutrients to support absorption rates and create beneficial chemical reactions inside the human body.  While maintaining a strict vitamin supplement regimen may sound helpful, the isolated forms of minerals that are found in supplements will function differently in the body than when those minerals are introduced in a natural form in the company of a variety of other minerals.

Whole foods are all around us, including on the shelves at your local market.  Fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and anything that fits into the definition listed above can be considered to be a whole food.  There are still rules to choosing optimally amongst these items.  Always buy organic when possible in order to avoid unsafe pesticide exposure and try to buy foods in season.  Don’t assume!  Always check ingredient labels.  Nuts, seeds, and dried fruits often have unwanted additives so make sure to check for anything undesirable before making a purchase.

The question of affordability is unfortunately a common concern in the whole food industry.  Some people think twice about paying high prices for organic produce.  There is an easy answer for who are unsure the higher prices are worth it.  It is absolutely worth it!  The nutrients received from whole foods will improve your body’s overall functioning.  Processed foods with added sugars and other chemicals may be cheaper, but they offer nothing for your body, except harm.   The non-whole foods that may be part of your diet are considered bulk foods.  They are literally designed to trick the body into thinking it’s full, when in reality it is starving for nutrients and possibly storing unnecessary bulk as extra body fat.

Similar to the essential minerals themselves, the debate over price cannot be completely isolated or put into a box.  There is a relationship between quantity, quality, and pricing that can even out the discrepancy between whole and non-whole food prices.  Since the feeling of fullness after eating bulk foods is mostly a facade, you will most likely end up consuming more quantity, thus paying more overall than you might if you were eating more whole foods.  If you also consider the positive effects of whole foods on your body, the inherent value of the whole food versus the bulk food can help neutralize the belief that whole foods are unaffordable.  There is enough evidence against that argument that concerns over affordability alone should not be reason enough to eat poor quality foods.

After reviewing the definition of a whole food, perhaps you will eat more consciously today.  Eating consciously today could lead to eating consciously tomorrow.  Good choices lead to good choices because your body is grateful for the nutrients you provide it with.  The next time you are food shopping and asking yourself what you should buy, take a moment to access your inner voice.  Get rid of everything you’ve been told, and simply look at, touch, and smell the foods around you.  Your true self will never steer you wrong!

-As told to Emily Stein by Darin Olien

“But now I will speak to you of mysterious things, for I tell you
truly, the humble grass is more than food for man and beast. it hides its glory
beneath a lowly aspect, as it was told of a ruler of old that he visited the
villages of his subjects disguised as a beggar, knowing they would tell many
things to such a one, but would fall down in fear before their King. So does
the humble grass hide its glory under its coat of humble green, and the Sons of
Men walk on it, plough it, feed it to their beasts, but know not what secrets
are hidden within it, even those secrets of everlasting life in the heavenly
kingdoms.”

The Essene Gospel of Peace, Book 4 Page 20

With these words, let us discuss something that may leave you puzzled upon your first visit to the health food store.  You might notice a plot of grass sitting smack in the middle of the juice bar.  In my case, this is exactly what I saw at Follow Your Heart, one of the true jewels of the alternative health movement in the San Fernando Valley.  When I first walked into the store and saw a plot of grass sitting between the fresh produce and pulses I had no idea if the grass was mere decoration or there for another purpose.  Several minutes passed and an employee was called over the loud speaker to attend a customer, who stood waiting in front of this patch of grass.  The employee kindly greeted him and asked ¨How many shots?”  While I don’t recall the customer’s answer, this was how I realized what the grass was for.   The employee used a knife to chop off a chunk of grass, he then put it through a press which squeezed out the juice and served it up in a glass.  I later came to know that this was wheat grass, not regular lawn grass, and although intrigued, I for a long time I never took a shot.  I was very young and naïve, with much to learn and research.  After years of study I was still somewhat unaware of the power of the humble grass. When I started working at a supplement store which had a very active juice bar, wheat grass was and probably still is one of their superstars.  The shots flew.  I tried it every once in a while, though it made my stomach turn, reminding me why I was not a big fan of the product.

Time passed and I found much of my meals to coincide with visits to friends and relatives, many of who had less of an interest in cooking and nutrition than I.  Since rejecting food that is offered is considered rude in most cultures, I realized I had to find a way to get as many whole foods in on my own time as possible.  The information I encountered about wheatgrass always sounded like a sales pitch, which made it easy for me to pass it over in favor for other products I knew more about.  Here I will begin to explain how and why I came to consume wheatgrass more consciously.  Let this article also serve as a way for those that already consume the product to do so with a deeper understanding of the magic within it.

Wheatgrass, as the name very clearly states, is the sprouted common ¨bread wheat¨ (triticum aestivum).  It actually isn’t a full grass, but rather a cotyledon. Cotyledons are a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant.  Upon germination it becomes the first embryonic leaves. In other words, when you sprout a soybean, the first white, translucent shoot with the little leaf which emerges is a cotyledon.  In wheatgrass it is the first blade you see that is the cotyledon.

Oddly enough, the first uses of the wheatgrass were not for human consumption.  During the 1930´s an agricultural chemist by the name of Charles F. Schnabel began to investigate the possibilities of using cereal grasses to nurture sick hens.  The result of introducing the wheatgrass not only healed the hens, but brought forth superior egg quality than from the hens not consuming wheatgrass. Highly motivated by this discovery, Mr. Schnabel began to promote his discovery to anybody in the food industry who would listen.  Eventually Schnabel marketed this information to two large food companies; American Dairies Inc. and Quaker Oats began investing millions of dollars to investigate the full potential of the product.  By the 1940´s, a powder of wheatgrass could be found on sale across the nation.

The popularity of the fresh juice and the dehydrated juice powder have been on the upswing since the 19030’s.  Wheatgrass is one of the most common products found in to any juice bar across the United States or Canada. It is also one of the most common
traditional whole food supplements consumed today in both powder and capsule form.  The wheatgrass craze is becoming
quite popular all over the world.  Many curious, health-conscious individuals have begun to sprout their own grass indoors, given the ubiquity of the wheat seeds and the simplicity in growing them.  It is important to note that consumers should still be wary of seemingly profound claims, such as those that say wheatgrass cures cancer.  No one product is going to cure everything that ails you; however, skepticism of outlandish claims does not mean that one should entirely avoid a product with as many benefits as wheatgrass.  The product is extremely high chlorophyll content; some claim that chlorophyll makes up as much as 70% of the grass. Chlorophyll is great for the creation of red blood cells and alkalization of the blood.  Other molecules found in wheatgrass that have added to its popularity are CoQ10, octacosanol, and the mineral germanium.  Consuming wheatgrass on a continuous basis can improve skin, hair, and nail quality as well as increase detoxification, energy, etc.

Whole therapies have been built around consuming almost exclusively wheatgrass juice.  These extreme measures are usually undertaken by what Dr. Richard Schulze refers to as “medical rejects” or those that have been deemed hopeless by the medical establishment.  In cases where nothing or almost nothing is consumed for days or weeks, the body’s will to live will happily accept any nutrient provided in wholefood form.  This is not to discredit the wheatgrass or therapies based around it, but rather to be rational in our approach to health.  One would likely agree that it is more desirable to avoid severe illness altogether and not need such strict forms of therapy to return to health.  That said, I have met individuals who were brought back to health from severe illness by doing juice fasts, body work, and supplementing several ounces of fresh wheatgrass juice into their health routines. There are thousands of testimonies which claim the marvelous benefits of wheatgrass, simply be cautious of overly exaggerated claims that have yet to be substantiated in double blind, critical studies.  Also recognize that wheatgrass is not a traditional food whose long history can be cited for its contribution to human nutrition.  For our ancestors, wheat was consumed primarily in fermented form, as the ancients understood the power of fermentation and made drinks and sour dough.

One thing that must be taken into consideration is that in order for blades of wheatgrass to possess their potential nutrient content, they need to be biologically transmutated from the growing medium. Mr. Schnabel, who I mentioned previously, would grow his wheatgrass outdoors for 200 days before harvesting.  The typical wheatgrass we consume today is grown inside greenhouses for a mere 10-14 days before distribution.  The short growing time and poor soils used for growing can heavily compromise the nutritional matrix in the plant.   I address this topic not to attack wheatgrass, but to continue encouraging a curious, introspective approach to health and nutrition.  One must recognize that not all products are created equal and that generalizing products as good or bad is rarely adequate.  Learning the traditional methods of product handling, harvesting, processing, storing, and preparation provides us with a tangible source of wisdom that has survived since times when mankind was more at harmony with its food.  Similarly we can apply this logic to support our hypothesis that Schnabel’s 200-day grown wheatgrass, planted in organic soil, yielded a different product than what we are getting using different growing procedures. It is also clear that returning to the original way of wheatgrass growing would completely destroy the market and financially hurt the juice bars that carry wheatgrass, as well.

There are ways to ensure some amount of quality control for your own consumption.  Be informed.  Ask your local juice bar where they get their wheatgrass, how it is grown, and ask that they provide pictures, if possible.  When I worked in Malibu, we had a person by the name of Randy who brought us top-notch wheatgrass.  He used liquid kelp and rock dust on the seeds and sprouts to enrich their medium with high quality organic nutrients.  He also used the leftovers from the veggies and fruit juices we made at the juice bar to make compost for the grass.  He employed several other practices in addition to these, ensuring that the wheatgrass had as many nutrients as possible to incorporate into the leaf.  Good practices lie these show honor and respect for the staff of life, as the Bible refers to wheat.

Now I will continue with my personal story of searching for an alternative, reliable food source among the traditional lacto-refined flour-meat food culture here in Argentina. At my local ¨dietetica,¨ or bulk health food store, I searched for something new to sprout.  I came across whole wheat after sprouting other products from the store successfully.  This meant the store carried relatively good quality products, considering that most products which have been treated with agro-chemicals  and/or are GMO don´t sprout well.  I was excited to start sprouting and, sure enough, after 14 days I had my own patch of wheatgrass growing. It was beautiful-looking and I did not even want to cut away. I enjoyed watching the blades with the sunshine in the background and tiny spots of water still clinging to the blade. I did not have a wheatgrass juicer so I ate the grass raw.  I remember feeling a little it like a horse, but then as I bit down and the juice touched my tongue, it was pure bliss.   A feeling of well-being ran through my body, as if my body was thanking me.  This was the moment I became a real believer in the power of the humble grass.

A wise man once asked me, “Do you know what the most important book to read is?” The Bible was the first book which came to mind, since it is the most purchased book in history.  Before I could answer, the man looked at me with a grin on his face and I knew the answer would be something obvious that I had overlooked.

I tried to think simply.  “No book?”  I asked.

“The book of NATURE,” he replied, “It is all around us trying to teach us something every moment; yet, we are too busy or simply uncaring of is teachings.”

As Jesus said, wheat is the staff of life, yet he did not say we have to consume it in any particular way. So I figure the book of nature should have the answer, as seeds and nuts are nature’s containers to protect the young plant from pest, environment, and unfavorable soil. In a poetic passage from the book of nature, once favorable conditions are met, the sprouting process begins and a new shoot reaches out victoriously.  This struggle between the life and death of the plant is not so unlike our experience as humans.  Once favorable conditions are met, we can grow in health and glory like a newly sprouted shoot.

It was when I came upon SOD (superoxide dismutase), an enzyme which is created in sprouts and greens, that I began to understand truly and deeply the amazing power in wheatgrass. SOD is a catalyst for the dismutation of peroxides into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, thus heavily benefiting the antioxidant defense mechanism within the body or the plant. I had often wondered if all of the chemicals that protect the seed are eliminated, what is there to protect a defenseless new shoot? It comes to no surprise, SOD levels are created within the matrix of the new shoot to protect it from environmental stressors.  Catalase, glutathione paroxidase, and methionine reductase are other important enzyme/antioxidants are also created during this growing process. As the new shoot starts to develop and the photosynthesis becomes more prevalent, electron transport chains start becoming more involved, leaving space for ¨leaks¨ to occur.  This can translate to a free radical friendly environment, unless there are molecules to make sure all is kept in check.

The humble wheatgrass might seem as an ordinary grass, do not be quick to judge it.  The feelings of well-being and effects of its nutrient profile will inform you that this product is anything but ordinary!

¨Only healthy, mineral rich soil produces healthy mineral rich plants¨

Dr. Bernd Neugebauer

References

http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/Plant-Remedies/wheatgrass.htm

http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/WheatGrass.htm

http://www.ncahf.org/articles/s-z/wheatgrass.html

^ab
Murphy, Sean (2002-10-13). “Wheatgrass, healthy
for the body and the bank account”. ABC Landline. http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s689970.htm.
Retrieved 2006-10-06.

Meyerowitz, Steve (April 1999). “Nutrition in Grass”. Wheatgrass
Nature’s Finest Medicine: The Complete Guide to Using Grass Foods & Juices
to Revitalize Your Health (6th ed.). Book Publishing Company. pp. 53. ISBN 1878736973.

To understand vitamin C, we must understand some basics first of all the name Ascorbic Acid comes from the Latin A(no) Scorvutus (Scurvy) so basically you have simply an agent which helps to fight off scurvy as it was understood due to the constant scurvy epidemics which plagued sailors.  Later to be offset by the consumption of lemon juice which was brought on board in the form of whole lemons which where sucked on through out the day, simply put Ascorbic means against scurvy. It is also important to understand as stated before that since this important nutrient cannot be synthesized in the body, in contrast to various other life forms such as single cell organisms, most birds, reptiles, most fishes and most mammals can synthesize it either in their kidneys or liver via an intricate system which converts glucose to ascorbic acid mediated by the enzyme L-gulunolactone oxidase.   There was an important observation from a physicians on the reasoning for scavengers such as crows who live out of eating rotten meat yet have no side effects from doing so, and it came to be known that part of this reason is the high amounts of ascorbic acid that they can synthesize in their system to counter attack the nauseating effects that can come about through the ingestion of rotten meats.

Nobody can argue against a whole food source for our nutritional needs, it is the way we have been fulfilling our requirements and how our bodies have evolved for thousands of years, and vitamin C is no exception.    Oddly yet not strange enough scurvy was well known since ancient times, Hippocrates wrote about is 400BC and it was thought that it came about due to the lack of not eating enough fresh plant foods, now a day as it is the case with most nutrients it is being synthesized from glucose through a 2 step fermentation procedure.  It was known that certain sea captains where able to spare their sailors using the traditional methods of local indigenous groups through out the various regions of the world, such is the case of French explorer James Cartier.  While exploring the St. Lawrence river and having most of his crew struck with scurvy following the instruction of local medicine men he boiled the needles of some local trees which when later examined where shown to be highly rich in ascorbic acid.  Adding to the common knowledge that it is in whole food that we find the wisdom of nature and all of her gifts to give, maintains, strengthen and in some cases even come close to resuscitate life.  Here are the words of Dutch theologian, writer and scientist Johann Bachstrom ¨scurvy is solely owing to a total abstinence from fresh vegetable food, and greens, which is alone the primary cause of the disease.¨ this was said in 1734, we don´t need to proceed with explanations as to how important this nutrient is and how important it is to obtain it as close to it´s natural source as possible.  However it is quite interesting to evaluate the possibility of where these sources are from and what other potential important roles they can play in our well being.  Today it is well publicized the various ailment attacking us on a constant basis and since a bit over a decade ago there has been a culprit which seem to be condemned by every expert and individual, this being oxidation brought about by unbalanced molecules known as free radicals.  Which just seem to run rampant across our system creating all sorts of mayhem on their way, these nasty little molecules are being held as main players in the offset of various ailments from wrinkles to cancer and everything in between.  Though I am not here to make a case for them, much less defend or create a debate as to the legitimacy of the claims, we can all agree that the less we have of them the better off we can be.  As well as the more likely we will live long healthy lives, so now come the heroes which we have come to know quite well as antioxidants and we can´t seem to get enough of them in everything we drink, eat and even what we apply to our hair, face, skin etc.  These allies of ours in the fight against oxidation, are always being sought after and tried to be isolated and synthesized in the pursuit of the more effective of them all to try and sell us on the idea that we can basically come close to be disease free, though there is no magic bullet and no isolated or as I read on a wonderful book named ¨the life bridge¨ a naked molecule, can be completely relied upon for our health´s integrity.    Once again however we can all agree that by today´s standards and the toxic environments we are all subject too, having a wide range whole food antioxidants can´t hurt and is a wise decision.  Having discusses slightly the rampant fear we are being lead to believe of free radical oxidation, and how an ample natural supply of whole food source antioxidants is a great way to help offset the potential damages which could occur.  We can probably understand now why Vitamin C is such a ubiquitous known nutrient, as it has been proposed by such well respected scientist and doctors such as discoverer and nobel prize laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Dr. Matthias Rath and Dr. and master herbalist Dr. James Duke of the vital importance vitamin C has in various critical biological functions and how even going further more to proposing how it can even cure diseases.    The highly recognized and another nobel prize laureate Linus Pauling, proposed a methodical supplementation of vitamins in the body in his theories of what eventually came to be known as orthomolecular therapies.  One which I personally don´t identify myself with, yet respect and come to understand that these great luminaries of their respected fields understood the power of the elements which nature endowed in it´s infinite wisdom the foods we consume.

So now we understand a bit about vitamin C, now let´s look at the goldmines which nature has blessed us with regarding this very important nutrient.  As we already mentioned when we think vitamin C we think citrus immediately as a source of vitamin C, lately this has been changing as the world around is shrinks and more exotic and strange named fruits, nuts, seed, vegetables make their way in to the western mainstream we begin to understand that what we had believed we knew happened to be just the tip of the iceberg.  Especially when these wide arrange of foods make their way from rich biodiverse regions of the world like South America and Asia primarily.  Products such as Acerola (Malpighia emarginata), Aamla Berry, Rose Hip, Goji Berry, Guava and so forth, yet out of the ones mentiones no one comes close to the Camu Camu fruit (Myrciaria dúbia) this fruit is worthy of a Indiana Jones film all to it self.  As it grown exclusively along the river banks of the Amazon river, a small tree like which bears cherry size fruits with pinkish, reddish, purplish tones.  Darin and I had come to know this super vitamin C storehouse back a couple years ago when it was but a mystical fruit which peculiar name was thrown around yet nobody really was using it as the commercial aspect of the fruit was still in it´s infancy.  Upon our first visit to Peru we walked in to a local market, with the whole cultural colors and smells in full vibrancy.  Along side whole death chickens, pork heads, herbal mixtures with names you could not begin to pronounce and basically a blend for anything and everything under the sun, along side famed psychotropic concoctions of san pedro and ayahuasca there we found a vendor who specialized in Amazonian treats, one of them was camu camu.  So Darin and I felt like kids in a candy store and we purchased a bag full of all sort of fruits the more weird the more exited we where to try them, so off we went in to our hotel room and we could not get there fast enough.  We ripped open the plastic bag and started tasting the various fruits most where exquisite and we debated as to if what two American known fruits where to have a child it would taste like the Amazonian fruits we where eating.  Finally we tastes the camu camu and we have to say that you could not get any two known fruits to marry to get the taste of camu camu basically camu as we call it for short, is a super citrus on steroids A LOT OF THEM! The taste was so overwhelming it.  The closest thing I could assimilate it to was having a super citrus grenade go off in your mouth, so we knew there was extreme potential and every one in the market from the vendor to curious passers by told us what we already knew that camu was God´s vitamin C powerhouse.  Yet we knew we where not going to make many friends by providing the fresh fruit which we where not interested in or a pulp, as there where already tries to commercialize acerola which pales in comparison to the extreme taste of camu yet in it´s own right it is a powerful nutrient loaded fruit.  Acerola was being brought in to the states as a pulp, yet it was being saturated with so much sugar be it organic or what you  may still we believed it was diluting the real potential of the fruit.

Camu Camu like many other fruits has been consumed for thousands of years by local humans and animals alike, no real traditional documentation of alternate uses besides nutrition can be found.  Though the most common characteristic which makes camu camu so sought after is it´s above average vitamin C content, yet as more interest grows for this product more and more research is being carried out to understand this humble cherry like fruit.  Universities in Brazil and Peru have taken the task to further evaluate the chemical makeup and potential beyond vitamin C benefits which can be found in this fruit.  Needless to say the results up to now are nothing short of amazing.   The institute of biotechnology in La Molina University in Lima, Peru have uncovered the broad range benefits beyond the vitamin C and as a matter of fact a natural process was encountered which  makes complete sense due to the extreme humid and hot conditions natural of a rainforest such as the Amazon.  When the fruit is being created and through out it´s vegetative phase until it becomes ripe, it´s vitamin C content is at it´s highest preventing oxidation due to the extreme weather condition and the myriad of potential candidates from microorganisms to humans and everything in between which would want to consume it, the extreme acidity of the vitamin C would be intended to ward of potential consumers until it is fully ripe.  Once it is entering the final stages of ripening oddly enough the vitamin C content drops, paving the way for a tradeoff where other phenolic compounds are created such as anthocyanis, flavonols and flavanols.    With new research done in both Peru and Japan where the in vivo studies are being carried out to evaluate the potential benefits this could generate when consumed.  At the cardiovascular and renal medicine department of Saga university in Japan, in vivo studies where done on 20 male smoking adults to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory aspects of camu camu.  Camu Camu juice extracts where consumed by random chosen individuals while other where treated with a synthetic vitamin C dose, those who consumed the Camu camu after only 7 days showed great results in contrasts to their peers.  Oxidative stress markers and inflammatory markers where analyzed in both groups, both of these markers where reduced significantly while there was no change in the non-consuming group.  The Japanese scientist have yet to determine exactly what it is in camu camu that created these results, as the exactly same amount of vitamin C, from a synthetic source was given with no effect at all.  It is needless to say that it is in the wisdom of nature and the compatibility of whole food to the human body that generates the benefits in contrast to isolated ¨naked¨ molecules.

There is no doubt that more research is needed to understand more the potential of this still exotic and unknown fruit.  However given the results emitted from the Japanese university the prospective seem very positive, it has been our experience that unfortunately this fruit does not travel well, as it oxidizes quite easily.   Hence the reason you have not and probably will not see it fresh in your local farmers market, also the Amazonian conditions under which it grows make it very difficult to be grown in other tropical regions of the world, coupled with the biopiracy legislation that surrounds the fruit from being grown in other countries such as tropical Asian or African countries and rightfully so.  As a matter of fact it is our dear friend who is the head of biopiracy department in Peru, told us that it is in fact camu camu out of all the potential biopirated products which is being more zealously followed since already various cases of cultivation with out permission have sprung around the world.  This leaves us with the variants which up to right now are either pulps, juice concentrates or extracts or powders which have been making their way through out marketed as  ¨superfood¨.   Camu is with out a doubt a magical product which can provide many benefits, however be weary since the production is very scarce, always ask where the source of this product is coming from and request proper documentation to verify the claims.  It has been our experience that sometimes the product is watered down to increase profit, also poor local families who collect the fruit in hot humid mosquito filled river banks get paid close to nothing for their hard work so it is our duty to make sure this is not the case as well.  Not always a fair-trade certification is validation enough that these practices are not being carried out as the executives are not living with the communities 365 days a year and legislation and well as cultural practices are very different in most countries in comparison to the States.  Therefore again the question stand, is it worth looking in to Camu camu? You bet! I honestly think this is one of the most exiting fruits out there what we kind of know now is exiting enough what we still don´t know and might never know is even more exiting, yet again with any possibility especially to make money there are always dark spots to fill in.  Multinationals are already attempting to mass cultivate this marvelous crop, and Brazil in their haste to continue growing and becoming part of the global capitalist movement are lending a blind eye to this while Peru is doing a much better job as keeping this mass plantations still under control.  Yet nothing is certain and might never bee until you as the consumer start asking questions and demanding transparency we owe it to nature, to our fellow grower friends and to yourself.

So to finalize I would not recommend taking a bite off a camu camu fruit, unless you are in to the hardcore experience then go for it.  Try to evaluate and look at the reference below which will give you further detail in to the fruit and let your senses guide you to taking the decision if it´s worth trying this product or not, again the truth is simple to detect cause it makes sense.

Reference

Wilson, LG (1975). “The clinical definition of scurvy and the discovery of vitamin C.”. Journal of the history of medicine and allied sciences 30 (1): 40–60. PMID 1094060.

^ Armstrong, Alexander (1858). “Observation on Navel Hygiene and Scarvy, more particularly as the later appeared during the Polar Voyaje”. British and foreign medico-chirurgical review: or, Quarterly journal of practical medicine and surgery 22: 295–305. http://books.google.com/?id=7VJYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA295.

^ “Myrciaria dubia (Kunth) MCVAUGH – Myrtaceae”. Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. http://sun.ars-grin.gov:8080/npgspub/xsql/duke/pl_act.xsql?taxon=1241. Retrieved 2009-09-21.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6R-4XSTD9H-5&_user=10&_coverDate=06%2F15%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=37e03fbe592b3ecf0339b2943c379dcc

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18922386

Much is being done to propose the use of this plant.  It is commonly considered to be a weed because it competes for moisture and water with range grasses which are meant for cattle and other herds. It has shown an extreme resiliency to counter actions against it, including efforts for its complete removal from certain regions.

The plant’s durability is primarily due to its long taproots which tend to extract water from deep water tables, while also being able to extract from top level water sources.   Mesquite works efficiently to switch between mechanisms of drawing water in order to accommodate the harsh desert conditions which it lives under. The tree also can regenerate from a small piece of root left in the soil, which makes its complete removal quite difficult.

The importance of this tree as a source of nutrition as been widely recognized among desert dwelling Native American groups, such as the Pima, Tohono O´odham, Zuni, Raramuri, Mayo, Seri etc.  The name by which we recognize this food is a derivative of the original name given by the Aztecs, ¨mizquitl,” the etymology of which I have yet to find.  Presently communities living in the southern United States have started a revival of the consumption of the species prosopis glandulosa, better known as honey mesquite, as well as Prosopis pubescens (screwbean), prosopis velutina (Velvet) and prosopis juliflora.

Wood, dye, medicine, and other functions were given to the whole tree. It has recently been used as a source of delicious mesquite honey. The most important thing to note here is the variance that exists in the market’s mesquite products. Not all mesquite is made equal and not all mesquite is actually mesquite! The common most popular ¨mesquite¨ in the market is actual prosopis nigra, alba and pallida.  Both come from South America, the first two primarily out of Argentina and the latter from Peru. These were baptized by the name ¨algarrobo¨, algarroba being the name for the actual fruit or pod which grew from the tree.  These “mesquites” share most of the same characteristics: desert to arid growing condition, leguminous, nitrogen fixer, source of food for native fauna and human colonies. The name algarrobo came from the similarity of the fruit to the better known European Carob.  What does all this mean?  Although Algarrobo is extremely similar to mesquite, the two are different.  Algarrobo products that are called mesquites in the market are not properly named.

Mezquitl has a unique taste due to its specific ecological conditions and its resulting nutritional constitution.  The fact that one group finds itself enclosed in the area surrounding northern Mexico and Utah in the United States, thousands of miles away from the Algarrobo varieties found in Peru, Chile, and Argentina leads us to believe that a common ancestor might be shared among the genus.  Central America has almost no proposes, except for proposis juliflora, which is found there, but only due to recent introduction.  Despite the possibility of a common ancestor between the similar plants in North America and South America, its adaptation to different environments, though both grow in arid locations, can cause slight to sever differences to the fruit yield.  Much like the Cacao (theobroma cacao L.) tree, which has it made its way across the tropical Americas, its morphology, biochemistry, and organoleptic properties change from place to place. We can deduce that the same is true for the prosopis varieties.  This is evident in the shape (leaf, pod), taste, morphology (whole tree), and taste of the different varieties.

In short, the idea is not to make a statement on whether North or South American varieties are superior. Rather, a clarification of the nomenclature being used in the commercial, organic industry is appropriate for honoring the integrity and unique composition of all varieties of this plant.

Mother earth in her ever changing states, from pre historic times to the present has adapted to the myriad of fluctuations.  These fluctuations have severely influenced the flora and fauna, which exists in every corner of the planet.  Altering their properties and physiologies to a certain extent which are quite impressive.  This is the case for all of the known and unknown foods we supply our diets with.  A certain group of these foods have evolved to such an degree that they tend to metabolize with in their physical constitutions higher than average volume of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, phytochemicals. Etc.) Given the unique circumstances which they might be exposed too, due to environment, location, topography, human manipulation/domestication etc.  These have been baptized by some as superfoods though no actual medical, nutritional references exist to accept the term.  Though there are actual references to citations in the Oxford English dictionary dating back to the 1915´s stating “a  food considered especially nutritious or otherwise beneficial to health and well-being,”

Though, it has become a household name do we really understand the meaning and is the meaning we are being offered mean anything at all?  Certainly we can make the case for extremely higher than normal, nutritional profiles and health benefits through a myriad of complex phytochemicals and other ¨mystical¨ power interactions with in the human body.  Under the basic common sense that their benefits are SUPERior to other foods, that makes sense as to why call a certain food a superfood.    But is that all there is to it?  Why does it always seem the most exotic looking and the place of origin, the more SUPER it makes it?  And what place do the non-superfoods have in our diet?  Should we just go for broke and spend our whole earning we would usually spend on ¨regular¨ food and spend them on superfoods, since we will get ¨all¨ the nutrients we will ever require? It all makes sense, at least superficially until you start thinking outside the lines the marketing of certain companies lead you to believe.

Some food for thought

As we stated earlier, the general idea of a super food is one packed with nutrients and that digests easy.  In earlier history such common products like vinegar, salt, wine, peanut butter, soy milk where consider along the lines of what we now think of a super foods.  Which I can recall today being marketed as the ¨fountain of youth¨, ¨youth from X place in the planet¨, ¨natures whole food multi vitamin¨etc.  Such products like Noni, Goji berries, Maca, Quinoa, and Açai just to name a few of the ever growing list of exotic super foods.

Contrary to popularized pretenses that they served as staples in the common diets of indigenous groups around the world, such claims are ill founded given that generally most of these cultures lived on a diversity of foods which we are just now beginning to uncover, historically some crops where lost due to being ¨un-holy¨ or of ¨lower nutritional value¨ as stated by European colonizers mainly in the Americas.  Also it is now known that most of these cultures lived on what by today standards would be quite unpleasant or unaccepted like dog, lizards, insects (including their eggs), worms, fungus, yeasts, plants, etc. how about that for a super food?  In extreme and seasonal times they would live almost exclusively out of certain foods given the circumstances.  Think most carried out no written records, most had no writing at all those that had hieroglyphs or other means of keeping records where wiped out along with any trace of what really happened in their societies including nutritious wise.  The depictions of what went on in the eating habits back then is just now being puzzled together, most of what we know are watered down versions. Also they commercialized them as being sacred to these cultures and thus known to be endowed with some sort of magical aura of hyper-nutrition.  Here the word sacred is loosely used as there is no vaguely similarity at least in the Native American languages for this word.  Rather a Christian European based introduction to depict the high reverence and respect the natives showed for their crops, their whole cultures depended on them yet given their high superstitious nature and lack of in-depth understanding of the chemical processes by today agronomical standards at work they tended to have a different relationship with these foods, almost spiritual.  Together with the mythological sometimes allegoric stories presented for some of these products, we have to understand most if not all of these culture had no actual written languages and believed in a energy which moved through all living things thus personalizing their foods no different than they personified all living and non living things around them, since in their Cosmo-vision there was no essential difference.

This is food for thought, so we are aware of the typical commercial tools being employed to make something more interesting and enticing.  Not intended to discredit any product, rather present a non bias opinion not on the actual products, rather on the superfood hype.

SO WHY BOTHER?

As stated earlier here the idea is not to slander any particular product or company.  We need to be clear and informed on the whole concept of superfoods, which tend to run loose and create a misconception of the up to date understood facts.  Then we can be creative and carry out personalized educated choices, out of our own free will not out of impulse to consume.

We need to rescue and expand that nature blesses us with it´s bounty and this bounty tends to adapt to certain extreme to abnormal natural conditions.  Creating a different nutritional profile, which tends to take shape in the most beautiful of ways to attract pollinators, protect it self from pests, environmental hazards, competition from other plants, etc. this in the form of pigmentations (colors) shapes, densities, etc. it is, it´s reason to be.  To give and propagate, we tend to pay attention to the main ones these being protein, minerals, vitamins, and recently lipids and quite over exaggerated antioxidants.  The late Dr. Christopher had a quote which I loved and he states:

¨we eat apples because of their vitamin A, and B and C but also we will find in time, their richness in vitamin W, Z and X the integrity of which is what provides the benefits¨

What this amazing man, tried to elegantly present to us is the fact that we are just barely scrapping the top of the surface in nutrition.  That the biological chemical constituents found in ordinary every day foods, have a potential to create and maintain health is incredible.    Though science is working at understanding metabolic pathways and how nutrients really work with in the body, the truth of the matter is the body is like the universe we will never understand it completely.  Further more most studies are carried out under isolated, reductive principles.  Taking in to consideration the vast and incrompehensible resiliency of the body, the way it disassembles and reassembles nutrients in innumerable ways is mind boggling.

Every product has it´s place and well worth appreciating it´s gift, being critical of the superfood hype is essential in order to be non-categorical regarding common more ordinary foods.  Implying there exists super foods, would also imply there are normal and sub-normal foods which is not the case.   Diversification of flora and fauna is critical for global well being; diversification in your diet is critical for your well being.  So introducing exotic foods is certainly not a bad thing,  a good thing; you could be helping a local economy, saving a potentially endangered species, saving a piece of a rainforest, a culture, way of living etc.  But don´t forget your local farmer at your famers market providing you with those wonderful products.

Certain European countries are actually enforcing laws, where companies are held accountable for naming a product ¨super¨ requiring them to provide insight as to what makes it super.  There is no denying the magnificent qualities of certain products, and here both companies and consumer are held responsible for their role in the commercializing and consumption of a product.

To sum things up, you will always have people to glorify and others to criticize a product.  So take both sides of the story in, don´t give in to the marketing propaganda on one side and don´t give in to the fear and reductive induce propaganda on the other.  Rather educate yourself, be sensitive to the product, try it out if you feel is worth it, give it some time and if you feel it works for you then great, incorporate it to complement  your life style and balanced nutrient intake,  If it doesn´t give thanks and move on.  Always listen to your body and what you require!   Most important erase the whole superfood concept out of your mind, when you think about the fact that plants are about 2-4% earth minerals and 96-98% condensed sunlight and gases you believe that all of the plant creation is super.

Visit this website for some good information on elemental nutritional brake down of some common fruits, above you will see links to vegetables, nuts and seeds to go and observe nutrient charts on some common and not so common ones. This is to give you a rough idea of your nutrient intake. Though I would make a very controversial point to not limit your nutrition to what the experts say, we have over the past 30 years shifted our focus from food to nutrients it seems now the actual food holds no value unless we get the biochemist, nutritionists, and other scientists to dissect the food we are about to eat.  Now it seems the antioxidants and fiber, protein and whole spectrum of macro and micro nutrients has the upper hand and it´s becoming quite confusing, not to mention expensive and unsustainable.  We but have to view the landscape: we have more food scientists, experts, gurus than ever before we have the most sophisticated instruments, the fastest way to send and receive information yet we have the ever soaring expenditure on health and our collective health on all areas (mental, spiritual, physical, emotional, connective) does not seem to optimistic on the short run.   So I propose to you, more so I dare you! to be in ¨the know¨, be ¨informed¨ but don´t exagerate to the point you are crunching numbers before your meals.  Refocus on food and the magnificence of nature and it´s gifts

http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/fruit-nutrition-chart.html

For reference on the bio and culinary diversity of the ancient cultures where most actual ¨superfoods¨ originate please visit the following links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_cuisine

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodmaya.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_cuisine

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/fruitscommon.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Mesoamerica

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11763&page=R5

http://crosstree.info/Documents/Veggies%20ID.pdf

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/frtfacts.html

http://crosstree.info/Documents/Fruit%20ID0.pdf

Sacha Inchi

Now that we are back from the holidays and had our share or tummy aches (weather these where from eating too much, not enough or anything in between) I figure, it would be nice to kick of 2010 with an article on Sacha Inchi.

We all have been almost forced to adapt these strange words coming from all over the globe in the form of the new cure for what ails you.  Which it seems the more obscure, difficult to obtain, exotic the better it serves certain groups to market.  I have seen the Noni, Goji Berry, Açai, and a whole list of other super tonics to assists us in everything from giving you more energy to preventing cancer and a host of other benefits which creates an illusive expectation most of the time. only to be greatly disappointed.  Though I would make a case and valid thousand years in the making arguments for all of these products, they are not the issue here.  For thousands of years they have served as food, medicine and in some times survival sustenance in times of war, famine or natural disasters the empirical evidence to support their reason to be is great.  So I´m not out to crucify any product or company, rather provide unbias information and stir the imagination and conscience of those reading these articles to make personal, common sense decisions to include or exclude there products in to your life style.

However, I do believe these gifts from nature serve a higher purpose than we are lead to believe.  I would go in to more detail eventually in future posts, for now lets return to the matter at hand, Sacha Inchi.

Plukenetia Volubilis, the Latin scientific name of the species we will be talking about today.  Don´t panic you won´t be quizzed on any of these names, this is a perennial plant from the family of the spurge family sharing this family with other plants like manioc and castor oil.  Native to the Peruvian Amazon jungles growing close to the rivers and in some cases up to 1700 meters in altitude, in my mind I do believe this crop became of great importance.  Given the circumstances the Incas found themselves as they had to refuge themselves in the jungle during the last decades of struggle against the Spaniards.  Previous to this, the crop was cultivated by local indigenous communities and probably the great Incas of the time received it as some sort of taxation, collateral etc. but it´s not certain.  What is certain is that they consumed this crop heavily during their stay in the jungles, hence where the name Sacha inchi came from, roughly translated to Sacha Peanut, Mountain Peanut or Inca Peanut.  Contrary to what the common name might lead to believe is not a peanut and not related to one rather is a shrub standing up to 6 feet tall.

Like many other commercial pseudo-ethno botanical, examples of how important certain crops where to local indigenous groups.  Sacha inchi was an important crop, but taking in to consideration the extreme diversity of foods available in the Amazon I don´t believe it was the most important.  So, why is sacha inchi important and why should you care? First of all there is a peculiarity of this nut, that stand out, that is the extremely high concentration of Omega-3 (40-50% of total oil content which could be 35-60% of the nut volume, oddly enough with only 5-7% of these being saturated below what most of the nuts and seeds used for human consumption).  Contrary to what you might be led to believe through altered information, the omega-3 found in vegetable sources is not the same as those found in animal sources.  Those found in vegetable sources come in the form of alpha linoleic acid (ALA), different from the EPA and DHA you are used to associating when hearing omega-3.  The difference here is that DHA and EPA come from marine fish or crustacean, the occurrence here is quite obvious these creatures synthesized from simpler substrates.  To create the DHA-EPA in their bodies for their metabolic uses, in contrast the ALA is a shorter 18-carbon chain, which once ingested the human body is able to convert to DHA(22-carbon chain)-EPA(20-carbon chain) given the correct conditions are available (enzymes, nutrients, coenzymes etc.) most important worth mentioning here is the imperative necessity for the correct balance of the other omegas to be present in order for there to be a harmonious metabolic environment.  Too much omega-3, too less omega-6, too much omega-9 etc. and you are headed to lipid imbalanceville. I will discuss in more detail the differences between fish omega-3 and vegetable sources in future articles, for now don´t panic if you are taking marine sources just be sure to be taking a high quality, trusted company one.  Ask questions, call them up if you have too, and make sure they are transparent and willing to provide you with information especially on their sourcing and processing.

So why do we want fat? All through out the 70´s, 80´s and in to the 90´s fat was demonized as the culprit for all of our ailments, at least most of them.  We where forced to succumb to the mass media, ¨professional opinions¨ and ¨scientific data¨ that fat was not your friend and you should eradicate it from your diet at all cost.  The new millennium came around and the medical field started to rethink, their previous statements.  And correlations between fatty acids and joint lubrication where made, and cholesterol, and hypertension, blood clotting, sexual reproduction, endocrine system, nervous system, muscle tone, brain function and the list went on and on.  Then all of the sudden fat was not our enemy and a new paradigm on fat was created, still much has to be done to erase 30 decades of infamy, but we are making lead way.  I still remember the most loyal friends (I don´t like to use the word client) who would frequent the Vitamin Barn, would be the omega friends.   I still remember clearly the day this gentle old man who looked like he came out of a story book, with a puzzled look came up to me and asked about a brand of omega source.  He commented his doctor requested for him to take it, I was struck and smiled knowing a change was on the way.  He continued purchasing his omega source, every month on the clock, and this was the common pattern for people who ¨got¨ on omega source supplements.  No wonder pill, magic or new discovery, any medical, scientific or biochemical book will tell you lipids are essential nutrients for optimum human health.   Makes sense that when you reintroduce them or balance the amount of them ingested you will start noticing a ¨change.”

So now that we clear a bit the air on fats, let´s go back to Sacha Inchi.  Important to notice the proper balance you find of all of the omegas (40-48% Ω-3 (ALA), 30-36% Ω-6 (Linoleic), 3-10% Ω-9 (Oleic). Saturated fats 4-7% (Estearic & palmitic) this provides with the correct balance for the body to metabolize correctly.  Combine this with the high amount of the lipid-soluble vitamins A and E which act as natural antioxidants, inhibiting rancidity to set in, common in most oils.

Not to out due it self only on the lipid sector, Sacha Inchi is a powerhouse of minerals and complete protein (25-35% by volume) higher than all seeds and most nuts, with it´s amino acid profile proving it´s benefits in protein quality to other available sources.

Mineral wise it´s a great source of Calcium, Copper, Zinc, Phosphorus , potassium and Iodine, given this nutritional components some countries are actually looking in to this crop as a mean of fighting malnutrition (Colombia is seriously considering plans to start it´s cultivation with this objective http://colombiasinhambre.com/educativa_detalle.php?idb=111

So, is Sacha Inchi the next greatest super food? Depends, I never recommend depending on a few foods for your nutrition, especially when it grows half way around the world. I always recommend, never buying in to the hype.  Nobody is remotely identical to another human being so what might work for one might not work for another.  So if you are interested go to your local health food store, request more information on Sacha Inchi if they can provide it.  It is still a pretty new product, if you can go through it and assess if it´s worth it, start with a small bottle.  Note you won´t get quick fix, results in a week sometimes not even in a month, so be patient and give it at least 2 months.  Same as with Fish oil call up the company who provides oil or by product make sure they are transparent and you can have access to information primarily on the processing and be able to identify the source of the raw material.

Is it worth purchasing the oils and by products? If you are a vegan or vegetarian you bet, if you are not, it will be well worth it to add a high nutrient profile (lipids, protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamins)

Sacha Inchi comes in 3 basis presentations, Oil (this oil is to be used raw, not for cooking) gel caps (no burping fishy taste), and meal (obtained from the press cake left after the oil is extracted) a big side note to take into account here is that polysaturated oils by the most part are not meant to be exposed to heat since this alters their whole constitutional biochemistry.  Rendering them pathogenic, through oxidation leading to rancidity .  Much research has been done on behalf of polysaturated exposed to oxidants, as being one of the main dietary reasons for much of the health perils which ill-affects the core of society as a whole more to come on this.  Also is good to know that to understand the nature of fatty acids and know how they present themselves in structure around the environment where they are found is key.  Meaning in hot, humid tropical to sub tropical regions the fatty acids are generally saturated in nature such is the case of Coconut, Palm, Avocado, Cacao, Cottonseed etc.  while in contrast most of the polysaturated high oils are found in the colder climate crops like cereals, sunflower, safflower, linseed, rapeseed, soy this is due to the fact that in warmer climates polysaturated oils tend to oxidize easier.    While in the colder climates this process is reduced, another factor is structure, given saturated fats would benefit the whole plant (especially the fruit or seed) in their composition structure giving it stiffness to cell walls and not succumbing to premature oxidation.

I always recommend giving it a chance, and making your own conclusions.  If you suffer from a terminal or chronic disease, it is wise to verify with your MD before adding any new supplement to your diet.  Better yet if you check with a competent nutritionist, since MD by the most part are not well schooled in nutrition.  Be proactive as well in thinking of the direct and indirect environmental impact, though most of these ¨superfoods¨ are true blessings,  while a blessing for some might be a curse on others.  Think of the carbon foot print it generates due to the distance covered to offer it to you, the processing of the product, warehousing, packaging, then comes the human factor.  How does it affect the local inhabitants? the fauna? are native forest being deforested to make room for this crops? are they monocropping? these are all good questions to take in to consideration, where the simple fact of being organic certified and even fair trade does not really clarify much.  Further more I never recommend diving in and going for broke with any one product no matter how convincing it sound, rather how convincing they make it out to be.  Sacha Inchi is a product to respect as any other product from earth, it does show to have a higher than normal nutrient profile (especially alpha linolenic acid from the omega-3 family) than other whole foods.  Yet engage sacha inchi as a potential health supplement and nothing more, though it might save some ones life, benefit greatly many others and health others more, you are not those others.  Incorporate it as you best see it fit in to YOUR life style, take into consideration the body does need EFA´s but only in small amounts in comparison with the preassumed whole intake of calories in any given day, as stated by Dr. Mary G. Enig that around 4% of your caloric intake should come from the presumed omega-3´s (polyunsaturated).  Naturally companies will lead you to believe this percentage to be much higher, because of the imbalance between the extremely high amounts of omega-6 to 3´s which is rampand in most of the industrial countries today.  The idea here is to return to a more earth-body conscious way of eating rather than a number crunching way of eating, weather is 4% or 40% in the case of some metabolic type or blood type diet enthusiast might like to differ on the percentage offered by Dr. Enig.   I like to propose to those reading this to examine their current diet and state of being, a good indicator would be how to do you feel most of the time.  If your answer is lousy, bad, lethargic, moody, etc. a modification is needed, if ok, decent, so so, is the answer why not good, exelent, vibrant, lucid? fats are just a percentage of the total sum, a piece of the puzzle and nutrition as a whole is only a part of overall health, but it makes sense to become self directed and self actualized to attain the best possible version of one self.

For further information on the benefits of oil (lipids), I highly recommend visiting Dr. Udo´s website http://www.udoerasmus.com/firstscreen.htm this is a man who has dedicated his life to re-educating the world on the importance of lipids.  A true visionary and revolutionist of his field.  As well as Dr. Mary G. Enig another world authority and in her own words ¨at the fringe of current nutrition and views of health from the orthodox potin of view¨ a true visionaire, her books are highly recommended as a must in any health/nutrition interested bookshelf.  Though Dr. Enig and Dr. Udo are experts in their field, not all they present or believe is concrete rock solid true, so still follow your instincts generally what is true makes sense.

Further links……. (NOTE, given the small exposure of Sacha inchi most of the information is still in Spanish, you can copy and paste to a free translator online)

http://www.bvcooperacion.pe/biblioteca/bitstream/123456789/3235/1/BVCI0001681.pdf

http://www.chiasa2f.es/bak/SALUD%20Y%20NUTRICION/Chia%20Vs%20Sacha%20Inchi.html

Lasserre, M, et al, Lipids, 1985, 20:4:227