In order to return for a second visit and continue treatment with the famous Dr. Richard Schulze you must buy yourself a juicer. At first one might consider this to be a strange requirement. Generally the only necessity before returning to visit your doctor is that you pay your bill! It must be clarified that Dr. Schulze is not your common doctor. He is an herbalist and natural healer of the highest order. Dr. Schulze understands that most of his visitors are there because they are desperate and have come to an alternative healer as a last resort. His patients are generally suffering severely, if not dying, from disease so the first step is to provide their bodies with the elemental nutrients to kick-start the healing process. Hippocrates, the ancient healer, said ¨All diseases begin in the stomach.¨ Wise healers of today interpret Hippocrates’ theory to mean that all disease forms as a result of malnutrition and toxic accumulation in the intestines, leading to a compromised digestive system.

Regardless of the food you choose, if your digestive system cannot properly digest and integrate the food into the systemic biological matrix there is little healing that can take place. Juicing has been proven as an efficient method to introduce nutrients and eliminate toxins. Juicing is also easy and great fun since once you get accustomed to it you can start creating your own blends. When it comes to specific juicers, there is usually debate as to the best brand and the best process used to extract the juice. For example, some juicers completely eliminate all fiber while others include it. I think for someone new to juicing, search for something that makes financial sense for you and that is readily available. Remember that you may have a wider selection of product option if you choose to purchase your juicer via Internet or catalog.

Unfortunately for me, I live in Argentina and can only get my hands on the Oster juicer. Still, this is better than nothing. The idea here is to get juicing, later on you can discuss with others if there is a better product option out there. If available to you, I personally recommend the Solojuice Extractor II. I used to use this extractor over at the Vitamin barn in Malibu and it was a beauty! We used to abuse the poor thing since we had well over 200 customers per day requiring shooters of wheatgrass and ginger. Naturally, it would break down from time to time and require a part to be changed. This product can juice basically any fruit or veggie, extracting up to the last drop without stressing the veggie or fruit through extreme heat or pressure. You can also find this product over at the web page given for the sprout people (www.sproutpeople.org) whom I also mentioned in the last article for their sprouting materials. You can find the Soulojuice Extracter II listed on this website under “Sprouting Supplies” by then clicking on “Juicers.” As a note of caution, if you consume very little fresh fruits and veggies, have digestive complications, are diabetic or suffer from any other glycemic abnormality, or simply are new to juicing, it is highly recommended that you start with small quantities or dilute your juice. This is especially important because most people tend to juice the sweetest fruits and veggies at first since they provide a familiar taste. Apples, beets, carrots, and other sweet fruits and veggies, though potent and extremely healing, lose their fiber when juiced, which effectively eliminates the natural buffer to slow down the glucose uptake, thus not spiking your insulin. When juiced the sugars are then concentrated, particularly the fructose which can be problematic for some people.  As a recommendation, start small, use mostly greens with a small amount of sweet veggies or fruits or dilute with clean water. Also, you can add a teaspoon or more of essential fatty acids (EFAs) to help slow down the intake of the glucose.

Now you can enjoy the power and potency of juice!

Stay tuned for the next indispensable kitchen utensil listed in next month’s issue…

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!

Philippines quickly became a place where we saw much and learned a great deal, yet the significant discovery of the trip would be a three hour flight away. After leaving Philippines, we arrived in the beautiful mystical island of Bali, Indonesia. No member of our team was eager to jump on another plane after the initial long trip across the Pacific Ocean, yet we were all exited at the prospect of what Indonesia might hold. Our contact with our Indonesian friends was quite unusual and a last minute arrangement. Arriving on the island, we were surrounded by a thick air of devotion. As those who have visited this part of the world already know, Balinese people live for ceremonies and this significant part of the culture as well as other aspects of daily life were described to us by our local friend.  We were picked up at the airport at night, still a bit jet lagged, and uncomfortable from the constant movement and lack of rest.  Never-the-less, we were in Bali and we were there to make the most out of it! We were energized by the anticipation of what we might discover and learn in this truly unique location.  At this time all of us where suffering from AC syndrome, which is what happens when one is in a tropical country with 90 plus degree weather and 90% humidity outdoors, yet any car, store, or hotel you enter has the AC turned to the maximum, creating a difference in temperature of about 20 degrees.  This was true in Philippines, as is the norm in many tropical places, and Indonesia was no exception. The temperature extremes resulted in plenty of coughing and stuffed noses, but not enough to drive us off schedule.

The first place we visited was the Cacao fermentation, drying, and storing facilities of our contact.  It was , paradise in every sense of the word. As we were close to arriving at the facility, we could see the beach a couple hundred meters away from the road and Darin was quick to ask “Do they have stand up paddling here?”  We arrived to a group of people greeting us. This contact is sure to treat all employees very well and that positivity shined out from everyone we met, leaving quite an impression on me. A young woman, not older than 30, and a couple males of similar age came close to the vehicles to greet us with the already familiar, “Salamat.” Ben, our contact, and the employees at the cacao facility clearly had more of the relationship of family to one another than simply a boss-employee relationship and we were greeted with similar care as family or friend.

Ben gave an impeccable explanation of all the processes that go on at the facility. One might assume there is not much to it; receive product, sort, ferment, dry, package and store it. In reality there are literally dozens of micro-decisions which must be made and dozens of factors which can alter the processes towards a successful, high-quality end product or a spoiled one.  Ben explained with detail, while Darin and Seth took turns asking questions and we sure had lots of them! The more we asked, the more we learned. The more we realized the various layers of complexity surrounding cacao, the more we came to admire it.  We were each provided with a motorcycle, which was more like a scooter, and we headed up the road to visit a close by cacao plantation.

Once we arrived, Seth smirked and said “We should make a video solely on cacao, since it seems we encounter it wherever we go!¨ These simple words stuck in my mind.  He was right, cacao seems to have taken over any region where it can be cultivated, not to mention it has taken over the palates of billions of people around the world. One funny aspect of life I observe where I live in Argentina is that people often complain about the rise of cost of everything, yet nobody dares to utter a sound against the rise in the price of chocolate.  Such is the impact chocolate has on society, exponentially augmented by studies carried out around the world on its health benefits. In reality it is cacao, not chocolate, which lays claim to those positive effects on health. In fairness to chocolate it depends on the way it is made and the raw materials utilized in its creation which determines the health effects of the product.

Cacao is important not only due to the frequency it can be encountered around the world or its general health benefits, but because of the mystical and historical value of the crop. That is why this article is titled “On the Cacao Trail.” I would like to share some information on the history of cacao, which makes it an even more fascinating superfood, especially for all of you cocoa-holics.

There is still much debate as to whether, cacao, as we know it today, originated in southern Mexico-Central America and made its way down to the Amazon basin or if it traveled in the opposite direction.  In any event, it was the city-state ruled by the civilization we know as the Olmec, which dates back to around 900BC, who started using the product in food and trade and possibly were the first to cultivate it. Even more ancient, there are some documented uses of cacao stretching back a few hundred years before the Olmec empire developed.  Later on, cacao was adopted by the emerging civilizations of the Mayans, Zapotecs, Toltecs, Mixtecs, Totonacs and every other group extending from Meso-America down to the Orinico River and possibly even further down.

Cacao was used primarily as a food, but also as currency and medicine. The leaves were smoked and the white pulp surrounding the bean was used to make an alcoholic beverage.  Allegory tells the story of the plumed serpent God Quetzalcoatl, who decided one day to give wisdom to human beings, by providing them with the food of the Gods known as Cacahuatl (Bitter water).  As a result, he was banned from his land by the God Xpoc for introducing the sacred food of the Gods to men.  We can take this at face value and consider it a fun myth and nothing more, yet recent research has elucidated to the compounds found in cacao which benefit cognitive and emotional well being.  These particular benefits among the many others that Cacao offers to those who consume it and are responsible for why the name “food of the gods” goes beyond your typical botanist’s desire to name their research flora so extravagantly.

The Mayans even had their own deity who governed over kawkaw, as they called it.  His name is Ek Chuah and like the Aztecs,kawkaw was said to be a gift to humanity from the plumed serpent God Kukulkan when it was discovered by the Gods in a mountain along with other foods, worthy for the Mayans to consume. Nearly every household had a cacao tree growing in the back yard, as the fruit had a place in their daily lives as well as in their ceremonial lives.

When Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez arrived in Mexico around 1519 he was somewhat familiar with the exotic fruit, as his sailor had come across large canoes in the Caribbean which transported cacao pods and other goods.  Upon arriving at the city of Tenochtitlan, he was received as what most believed was the reincarnation and return of their adored god, Quetzalcoatl, by which reason he was offered the same beverage which he brought to mankind, resulting in his expulsion.  This drink was Xcolatl, from where many believe the word “chocolate” is derived. While Cortez was more interested in other sources of wealth, he soon realized the benefits of Xcolatl.  He wrote back to the King of Spain, Charles V describing how drinking a cup of the beverage would give enough energy to his soldiers for them to work all day. So strong was the response and appreciation for the new drink that the Spanish consumed it constantly and it was renowned for it´s aphrodisiac, regenerative, and energetic benefits.  Hernan Cortez urged for European doctors not to come to Mexico since they believed the traditional medicine of the indigenous nations of the Americas to be at par or superior to European treatments.

Another aspect which is of extreme interest to the scientific community is the drink itself, as cacao was rarely consumed alone, it was always blended into foods and, of course, the drink Xcolatl.  There is more to it than simple culinary expression. It is understood that the PEA (Phenylethylamine), one of the many compounds found in cacao which is being revered and exalted by cacao enthusiasts is denatured in the gut by MAO enzymes, meaning the amount that gets into one’s system is minimal and no real effect occurs. The ancients were quite wise, however. They might not have been educated in biochemistry, but they knew of the alchemy that occurred when foods are blended. The blends they used to make Xcolatl as well as other foods and drinks is still found in mainstream dishes, though usually not prepared by the pre-hispanic methods. Of central importance is the compounds found in these other elements which were blended with cacao.  When analyzed they were found to have the MAO-inhibitors required to allow for the proper concentration and uptake of the PEA in to the body, thus allowing for its proper function once consumed.

The beverage gained popularity in Spain where nobles were exclusively consuming the newly discovered beverage, until smuggling and interception of Spanish ships by other European nations brought the knowledge of the cacao bean to these other nations. The cacao beverage began to be consumed in mass, creating a high demand, resulting in these countries growing the tree in their colonies to secure provisions.  This is the reason why the former Portuguese, British, and Dutch colonies we know to be Brazil, Ghana, Indonesia, and the Ivory Coast are among the primary bean producers in the world. At the time cacao was first being cultivated in these colonies, the cacao beverage was still not being consumed in mass by commoners in Spain.  From there it made a quick ascend to prominence and here we are today, enjoying all of the wonderful and some not so wonderful benefits of cacao and its byproducts. Our friend and colleague, Dr. Bernd Neugebauer, told us of a cacao tree he found in the Soconusco region in southern Mexico which probably dates back to pre-hispanic times and it is still giving fruit!

This trip was defined our experience with cacao so far and without a doubt many more stories will follow. Whichever tropical region we explore where there is a wide range of biodiversity, we will most likely find cacao again.  Cacao has become and will continue to be our silent partner around the world as we continue on and find the most amazing, healing, and holistic gifts from nature to share with all of you, our friends.  Blessings.

References

• Beneficial effects of Cocoa in Perivascular Mato Cells of cerebral arterioles in SHR-SP (Izm) Rats. Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, vol. 44, p. 142-150, 2009 by T. Mato, M. Kamei, R. Ito, M. Sawano, K. Inokuchi, K. Nakata, A. Yamagushi, T. Kouki, U. Mitsuhashi and M. Mato. [PDF: 1288KB] posted May 4 2009

• Effects of long-term administration of a cocoa polyphenolilc extract (Acticoa powder) on cognitive performances in aged rats. British journal of Nutrition, vol. 100, p.94-101, 2008. by J-F. Bisson, A. Nejdi, P. Rozan, S. Hidalgo, R. Lalonde, and M. Messaoudi. [PDF: 142 KB] posted August 1 2008

• Preventive antioxidant effects of cocoa polyphenolic extract on free radical production and cognitive performances after heat exposure in wistar rats. Journal of food science, vol. 72, p. S203-S206, 2007. by P. Rozan, S. Hidalgo, A. Nejdi, J.F. Bisson, R. Lalonde, and M. Messaoudi. [PDF: 105 KB] posted July 3 2007

• Cacao extracts suppress tryptophan degradation of mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol. 122, p. 261-267, 2009 by M. Jenny, E. Santer, A. Klein, M. Ledochowski, H. Schennach, F. Ueberall and D. Fuchs. posted May 4 2009

• The medicinal use of chocolate in early North America. Mol. Nutr. Food Res., vol. 52, 13 pp., 2008 by D. Pucciarelli and L. Grivette [PDF: 398] posted September 29 2008

• Repression of cacitonin gene-related peptide expression in trigerminal neurons by a Theobroma cacao extract. Journal of Ethnopharamcology, vol. 115, p. 238-248, 2008 by M.J. Abbey, V.V. Patil, C.V. Vause, P.L. Durham [PDF: 116 KB] posted February 1 2008

• Effect of dark chocolate on plasma epicatechin levels DNA resistance to oxidative stress and total antioxidant activity in healthy subjects. British Journal of Nutrition doi: 10.1017/S0007114509992698, 2009 by A. Spadafranca, C. Martinez Conesa, S. Sirini, G. Testolin. [PDF: 112KB] posted March 1, 2010

• Neuroprotective effect of cocoa flavonoids on in vitro oxidative stress. European Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 48, p. 54-61, 2009 by E. Ramiro-Puig, G. Casadesus, H. Lee, A. McShea, G. Perry, F.J. Perez-Cano, M.A. Smith and M. Castell. [PDF: 340KB] posted February 25 2009

• Brain blood flow and velocity : correlations between magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial doppler. J. Ultrasound Med., vol. 29, p. 1017-1022, 2010 by F. Sorond, N.K. Hollenberg, L.P. Panych, and N.D.L. Fisher. [PDF: 310KB]  posted August 9, 2010

• Theobroma cacao L., the Food of the Gods: A scientific approach beyond myths and claims. Pharmacological Research, vol. 61 (1), pp. 5-13, 2010 by M. Rusconi, A. Conti [PDF: 200KB] posted February 16, 2009

• Flavonoids and brain health: Multiple effects underpinned by common mechanisms. Genes and Nutrition, vol. 4, p. 243-250, 2009 by J.P.E. Spencer [PDF: 574KB] posted February 16, 2010
• http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/r?dbs+hsdb:@term+@rn+64-04-0
• New Chemical Analyses Take Confirmation Back 500 Years and Reveal that the Impetus for Cacao Cultivation was an Alcoholic Beverage”. Penn Museum. Archived from the original on 2007-12-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20071202095415/http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/news/fullrelease.php?which=306. Retrieved 13 November 2007.
• “Chocolate: A Mesoamerican Luxury 250-900 C.E. (A.D.) – Obtaining Cacao”. Field Museum. http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/history_mesoamerican3.html. Retrieved 2 June 2008.

An acidic pH, meaning low in oxygen, is caused by processes which deprive the cells of oxygen and other nutrients.  Improper diet, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions may be responsible for higher pH acidity.  The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals.  When not enough electrolyte minerals are found, cells become more acidic.  The effects of having an acidic pH can be extreme.  An acidic balance will decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease it’s ability to repair damaged cells, decrease it’s ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumor cells thrive, and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness, creating an environment favorable to fermentation outside the digestive system, causing many extreme and unwanted processes in the body. This favors the overall production of nitric oxide, which is associated to cancer, inflammation and other pathological disturbances.

In American society, diet is typically the culprit for an acidic pH balance.  To maintain health, the diet should consist of 60% alkaline forming foods and 40% acid forming foods. To restore health, the diet should consist of 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods.  As a general rule, one can assume that most fresh fruits and vegetables are alkaline-producing, whereas meat, eggs, dairy, artificial sweeteners, and coffee are acid-producing.  It is important to note that the pH of the food and its effect on the body are not necessarily the same.  Some acidic foods, such as lemons, may be acidic before digestion, however they have an alkalinizing affect on the body. This is called pleomorphism. Similarly, meat is alkaline before digestion, but leaves acidic by-products in the body.  Although it might seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid in the whole food has an alkalizing effect on the system. For example; lemons are acidic in nature, but when ingested as a whole food, has a very alkalizing effect. This is not the case for isolated vitamin c or ascorbic acid as they are acidic outside as well as inside the body when isolated from the whole food as a supplement.

Adding more alkaline-producing components to a diet and eliminating acid-producing foods is a great idea for those individuals seeking to feel more energized or experience improvement in the strength of their immune system.  Having an understanding of alkalinity and acidity, as well as knowing which foods fall in either category, is one way to start feeling healthier today.  Below is a guideline to help inform your decision to consume or not consume various foods and substances:

Extremely Alkaline

Lemons, watermelon, baking soda, sea salt, mineral water, pumpkin seed, lentils, seaweed, onion, taro root, sea vegetables, lotus root, sweet potato, lime, lemons, nectarine, persimmon, raspberry, tangerine, and pineapple.

Alkaline Forming

Cantaloupe, cayenne, celery, dates, figs, kelp, limes, mango, melons, papaya, parsley, seaweeds, seedless grapes (sweet), watercress.

Asparagus, fruit juices, grapes (sweet), kiwifruit, passion fruit, pears (sweet), pineapple, raisins, umeboshi plums, and vegetable juices.

Moderately Alkaline

Apples (sweet), alfalfa sprouts, apricots, avocados, bananas (ripe), currants, dates, figs (fresh), garlic, grapefruit, grapes (less sweet), guavas, herbs (leafy green), lettuce (leafy green), nectarine, peaches (sweet), pears (less sweet), peas (fresh, sweet), pumpkin (sweet), sea salt (vegetable).

Apples (sour), beans (fresh, green), beets, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carob, cauliflower, ginger (fresh), grapes (sour), lettuce (pale green), oranges, peaches (less sweet), peas (less sweet), potatoes (with skin), pumpkin (less sweet), raspberries, strawberries, squash, sweet Corn (fresh), turnip, vinegar (apple cider).

Apricots, spices, kambucha, unsulfured molasses, soy sauce, cashews, chestnuts, pepper, kohlrabi, parsnip, garlic, asparagus, kale, parsley, endive, arugula, mustard green, ginger root, broccoli, grapefruit, cantaloupe, honeydew, citrus, olive, dewberry, carrots, loganberry, and mango.

Slightly Alkaline

Almonds, artichokes (Jerusalem), brussel sprouts, cherries, coconut (fresh), cucumbers, eggplant, honey (raw), leeks, mushrooms, okra, olives (ripe), onions, pickles (homemade), radishes, sea salt, spices, tomatoes (sweet), vinegar (sweet brown rice).

Chestnuts (dry, roasted), egg yolks (soft cooked), essene bread, goat’s milk and whey (raw), mayonnaise (homemade), olive oil, sesame seeds (whole), soy beans (dry), soy cheese, soy milk, sprouted grains, tofu, tomatoes (less sweet), and yeast (nutritional flakes).

Most herbs, green tea, mu tea, rice syrup, apple cider vinegar, sake, quail eggs, primrose oil, sesame seed, cod liver oil, almonds, sprouts, potato, bell pepper, mushrooms, cauliflower, cabbage, rutabaga, ginseng, eggplant, pumpkin, collard green, pear, avocado, apples (sour), blackberry, cherry, peach, and papaya.

Very Low Alkaline Forming Foods

Ginger tea, umeboshi vinegar, ghee, duck eggs, oats, grain coffee, quinoa, japonica rice, wild rice, avocado oil, most seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, flax oil, brussel sprout, beet, chive, cilantro, celery, okra, cucumber, turnip greens, squashes, lettuces, orange, banana, blueberry, raisin, currant, grape, and strawberry.

Neutral

Butter (fresh, unsalted), cream (fresh, raw), cow’s milk and whey (raw), margarine, oils (except olive), and yogurt (plain).

Very Low Acid Forming Foods

Curry, Kona coffee, honey, maple syrup, vinegar, cream, butter, goat/sheep cheese, chicken, gelatin, organs, venison, fish, wild duck, triticale, millet, kasha, amaranth, brown rice, pumpkin seed oil, grape seed oil, sunflower oil, pine nuts, canola oil, spinach, fava beans, black-eyed peas, string beans, wax beans, zucchini, chutney, rhubarb, coconut, guava, dry fruit, figs, and dates.

Slightly Acidic

Vanilla, alcohol, black tea, balsamic vinegar, cow milk, aged cheese, soy cheese, goat milk, game meat, lamb, mutton, boar, elk, shell fish, mollusks, goose, turkey, buckwheat, wheat, spelt, teff, kamut, farina, semolina, white rice, almond oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, tapioca, seitan, tofu, pinto beans, white beans, navy beans, red beans, adzuki beans, lima beans, chard, plum, prune and tomatoes.

Moderately Acidic

Bananas (green), barley (rye), blueberries, bran, butter, cereals (unrefined), cheeses, crackers (unrefined rye, rice and wheat), cranberries, dried beans (mung, adzuki, pinto, kidney, garbanzo), dry coconut, egg whites, eggs whole (cooked hard), fructose, goat’s milk (homogenized), honey (pasteurized), ketchup, maple syrup (unprocessed), milk (homogenized).

Molasses (unsulferd and organic), most nuts, mustard, oats (rye, organic), olives (pickled), pasta (whole grain), pastry (whole grain and honey), plums, popcorn (with salt and/or butter), potatoes, prunes, rice (basmati and brown), seeds (pumpkin, sunflower), soy sauce, and wheat bread (sprouted organic).

Nutmeg, coffee, casein, milk protein, cottage cheese, soy milk, pork, veal, bear, mussels, squid, chicken, maize, barley groats, corn, rye, oat bran, pistachio seeds, chestnut oil, lard, pecans, palm kernel oil, green peas, peanuts, snow peas, other legumes, garbanzo beans, cranberry, and pomegranate.

Extremely Acidic

Artificial sweeteners, beef, beer, breads, brown sugar, carbonated soft drinks, cereals (refined), chocolate, cigarettes and tobacco, coffee, cream of wheat (unrefined), custard (with white sugar), deer, drugs, fish, flour (white, wheat), fruit juices with sugar, jams, jellies, lamb.

Liquor, maple syrup (processed), molasses (sulphured), pasta (white), pastries and cakes from white flour, pickles (commercial), pork, poultry, seafood, sugar (white), table salt (refined and iodized), tea (black), white bread, white vinegar (processed), whole wheat foods, wine, and yogurt (sweetened).

Tabletop sweeteners like (NutraSweet, Spoonful, Sweet ‘N Low, Equal or Aspartame), pudding, jam, jelly, table salt (NaCl), beer, yeast, hops, malt, sugar, cocoa, white (acetic acid) vinegar, processed cheese, ice cream, beef, lobster, pheasant, barley, cottonseed oil, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, fried foods, soybean, and soft drinks, especially the cola type. To neutralize a glass of cola with a pH of 2.5, it would take 32 glasses of alkaline water with a pH of 10.

*Remember that factors other than foods contribute to alkalinity and acidosis.  Drugs and chemicals you may be knowingly or unknowingly exposed to can also influence your pH balance:

Acidifying drugs and chemicals
Aspirin
Chemicals
Drugs, Medicinal
Drugs, Psychedelic
Herbicides
Pesticides
Tobacco
**Our minds and emotions also affect our pH balance.  Practices like meditation and prayer are considered alkaline, as are practices of peace, kindness and love.  Alternately, anger, fear, jealousy, stress, and being overworked have an acidifying effect on the body.

Keep this list in mind when making choices in the future.  A healthy pH is vital to healthy life!

There are many traditional foods around the world which have the same status as Kimchi in its respective country, however there is something about Kimchi which resonates with everything I consider to be a whole food and furthermore, to be a true superfood.

I believe sharing is caring, so I decided to let the experts show you how to make Kimchi. If one invsts the proper time and energy, using the right utensils and tools, the task of making Kimchi is not as difficult as one might assume. I believe cooking or doing anything by that matter with time and love gives you a result which is unmatched. Below you will find an excellent video which I received permission to post and share with you all. The video clearly details the ancient art of making Kimchi.

Now Kimchi, like most ancestral traditional foods, has literally thousands of variants, although the Kimchi museum in Seoul only recognizes 187. As time passes and as new crops are introduced and appropriated by the global community, new variations sprung up. Naturally an element of competition arose, with each family trying to be innovative. Never the less, that is what makes Kimchi also so magnificent! If you don´t like a specific veggie or would like to add a veggie of your choice, there is always room for accommodation.

I would like to share a little about the history of Kimchi. References to this superfood have been found dating back to 3000 years ago. Early on, Kimchi was named Jimchi and was made of beef stock and napa or Korean cabbage only. The distinguishable spicy pepper in Kimchi was not introduced until contact was made with Eurpoeans. Now you can find thousands of variants of the dish, yet you will hardly find one without red chili peppers.

Please find below the video, which was permitted for us to post enjoy

NOTES:

1.  I always recommend using sea salt instead of your regular table salt. Sea salt provides micro minerals and a broad range of other trace elements not found in table salt. Also, the taste is superb!

2.  Most of you won´t be able to find napa or Korean cabbage. In this case, use regular European cabbage and proceed to prepare your Kimchi as show in the video . You might need to let sit in the salt water for less time than suggested since the leaves on American cabbage are a bit thinner than on the Korean vegetable.

3.  Using the rice flour to thicken the paste might not be necessary if you are not willing to do it or have an allergy to the flour. In this case, feel free to use another thickening agent. Manioc, quinoa, amaranth, and mesquite flours all work great and provide a distinct taste. You know what they say, however, “if in doubt don´t do anything”. If you doubt using other flours for thickening the paste, simply don´t add anything. Your paste will be more watery but tasty none the less.

4.  You might want to start by following this recipe as much as possible. When you have succeeded on your first couple of trials, then you may consider playing around with different flours, etc.

5.  You may not succeed on your first try, although this is unlikely if you follow the instructions. Don´t trow in the towel! Try again you will succeed eventually.

6.  Now you might ask, “How do I know when I have succeeded?” Remember this is a fermented food, so the longer you let it ferment, the better. You also want to keep it at a temperature of 70-80F. You will know you’ve succeeded because the taste will be as strong as it is pleasant. Also, smell and color are your indicators of when success is achieved; the smell should be pungent, apple-cidery, yet with a distinctive sweet sent. Dark mold, fuzzy hairs, dark spots and a obvious rotten smell is a good sign things went south. It is vital to maintain a constant temperature, otherwise your chances for failure will be high.

7.   For those of you who can´t stand, dislike or can´t consume spicy foods, you can always skip this.

8.  Once you feel comfortable with making the Kimchi, feel free to really pack it in and bring it up another notch. I like to add sea veggies and Chia seed to add another aspect of nutrition to this already nutrient packed food.

9. Being a fermented food it smells, personally I don´t mind it but most people do. However if you use a good size glass container and place it in the fridge usually this retards the continuous fermentation and gives off less of a smell. Never the less be assure you are going to get some funny faces when you open it or serve it, however if this turns you off, there are variations and other traditional fermented foods which I will try to post soon. Never the less ALL fermented foods give off a smell and you can´t neutralize it completely, if smelling ¨good¨ is more important to you, while your insides are severely compromised due to an imbalance gut flora and not receiving all the blessings from the cultured media. So be it, the choice is yours!

Nutrition-wise Kimchi is like a super tonic and a super food all in one. I remember while working in Malibu, we served a wellness shot, which was ginger juice with garlic and other goodies. Kimchi reminds me a lot of the same shooter, only eaten. When eating a fermented food, you obtain a wide range of newly created metabolic byproduct which the friendly bacteria create during the fermentation process. The elements used in the creation of the Kimchi are now more easily digested and you introduce prebiotics and probiotics in to your gut. More interesting, hardly any friendly flora provider offers a mouth/esophagus/stomach friendly variant. Most are encapsulated to be released in the small intestine, leaving these three aforementioned body parts lacking the benefit of the friendly flora. Eating Kimchi resolves this issue. Hope you enjoy preparing and eating Kimchi. Until next time…

References

^ (Korean) The origin of the etymology on Kimchi from Kimchi Expo 2003 website,

We live in a time when trying to be healthy has become a very complex objective.  We are constantly being bombarded by what has become a very lucrative market which is the ¨health food¨ or ¨alternative healing¨ markets, quite often people end up more confused and puzzled, with more questions than answers.  It is no mystery, that we currently in the United States are suffering from an epidemic of preventable diseases which just seem to run rampant.  It is also no mystery that the same patters is starting to become obvious all around the world, primarily in developed countries as they emulate the American way, not just in their living habit but eating as well.    Though it has always been my intent to educate and persuade the general public in taking health in to their own hands and do their own research, the mass media and most concurred sources for information are generally more inclined to be politically or product marketable correct.

Then we are faced with the literally hundredths of techniques, diets, plans and not to mention the ever expanding list of menaces to health, from the already well established stress, environmental hazards, to the new.  The hundredths of new chemicals created for industry´s, all becomes overwhelming and it has been my experience with individuals who are just flustered by all of it.  Needless to say it is also overwhelming to my self when you sit and have to go through all the ever weirder names for diseases and chemicals coupled with plans and techniques from your Atkins diet to your blood type diet and the metabolic diet and so forth.  I could understand the worry emanating from the collective public, given that on the one hand they want to be informed and in the other they don´t want to be lied too and taken for a ride to have them purchase some multi level product, at the same time that they don´t want to be confused even more.

So this is where I decided to make my stance and say what are we do to? There is no space for debating that we are facing a grim future if thing continue the way they are though there is a considerable portion of society making changes to the best of their abilities to change this.  There is no doubt that there are people & organizations who are making an sincere effort to bring about as accurate information as possible with out the need to be financially compensated first and foremost, yet they often get drowned in the pool of multitude of sketchy information.  There is also no debating that we are facing with issues our ancestors even 2 generations ago where not, which could alter our biochemical processes and thus compromise our health.  The real question here is, ¨we have a problem, how do we solve it?¨  When I studied at the School of Natural healing, our teacher David Christopher once stirred our imagination with the following scenario.

¨Imagine the top scientist of the world discovered and created a machine which when you entered it, it could diagnosed with pin point accuracy leaving do doubt what so ever of the diseases or ailment which stricken you.  Imagine this machine also being able to prognosticate exactly what your future holds if left unattended also imagine this machine was able to formulate and concoct the perfect remedy specifically and exclusively for you! Which with out a doubt work every time! Well this machine exists¨

Naturally people would be lined up with bundles of cash wanting to be first or have a try at this miraculous machine right? People would come from all corners of the globe wanting to be blessed by this technology of the Gods.  Well we where all perplexed by the proposition and where surely intrigued at what would follow.  Well we have been thought to think critically but not simply, we have been thought to troubleshoot but to simply look.  Well we had it coming but we where too ¨astute¨ to see it, the answer was simple when David Christopher answered ¨this machine is called THE HUMAN BODY¨ think about it, does it not do these same processes if left to be? Dr. Schulze and David´s father Dr. Christopher said it plain and simple, ¨if you let the body alone simply nourish it and detoxify it, it will do it´s job very efficiently¨ these are men I quote quite often and needless to say they should be not only quoted but emulated as their thoughts resonate with simplicity and a deep understanding of the respect for the wonders of the universe which is compacted in to each one of us.

So it becomes ever so obvious that all of our answers to our questions for the best possible balance of good health, has always been with in us.  The puzzling array of answers of what we should do, eat, think coming from the ¨experts¨ becomes clearer and obvious, when we bring it back to basics using simplicity and observation with nature as our role model and guide.  True that most of our biological sensors have been severely compromised and misdirected when the general food industries don´t play fair by using all sorts of additives which are meant to instigate desire over a realistic biological need.   Never the less we should known better than to eat these kinds of foods, also we should know better than to believe everything they tell us as we are well aware most agencies political or not are really not out to do and say what is in our best interest.  So the objective of this article is to have us start at the beginning, before we jump in to saturating our body with supplements and drinks coming from some unpronounceable mountain range in a even more unpronounceable country, which taken from a broader perspective more individualized perspective might not be such a bad idea depending on the individual and the situation.  However I believe it is wise to assume that most of us did not learn how to swim in the ocean rather we took baby steps clinging to the side of the pool or splashing our feet at the side of the river.  In the same metaphorical way let´s start by splashing our feet on the side of the river, rather than jumping head on with our knowing how to swim, we might hit our head as the water depth might be very shallow if we don´t take precaution first.

So where do we start?  How about the basics? How about by breathing? Mysterious as it might seem, we don´t do enough of it or we don´t do it at all.  Though as elemental and basic as it might seem generally you don´t have any body really talking or discussing about it, we all do it and debatable as it might be we could say it is our primary and most important nutrient, though this debate goes out the window as we all agree with out it we die.  Just as true as the fact that we are all mammals, we are also aerobic organisms, meaning we need oxygen plane and simple, it is fascinating that our body is very efficient in manifesting when we have inhaled more oxygen than required in the form of hyperventilation.  Currently due to the unconscious way we burn up fossil fuel, we have severely depleted the free oxygen levels there are stimates that if nothing changed we would require 2000 years to replenish it at the current rate of photosynthesis.  So what do we do? Well there are many variables, first one is get your self out to a green area such a large park, forest or alike.  If you are smack in the middle of the city and this is not an option, get out to your garden or the garden of a friend better yet create your garden if you don´t have the actual space by having plants in pots, this will surely help the photosynthesis free oxygen contribution.  I heavily recommend practicing yoga, as this is an ancient art form to say the least, which focuses on breathing properly and consciously.  If this is not of your interest, try simply taking 5 minutes a day to consciously inhale deep and exhale all the air out.  Sometimes people claim they exercise and thus oxygenate their body as the routines force them to breath deeply, true enough though it is not the same to as when you are exercising in that moment you are forced to breath deeply in order to oxygenate the muscles faster and eliminate the CO2 residue, thus eliminating fatigue.  When you breath consciously you allow for a more deeper effect to occur, try it find out for your self.  Breathing stimulates lymphatic movement, digestion and elimination of toxins, purifies the blood, stimulates enzyme activity and did I mention it Is required by EVERY cell in your body for oxidative phosphorylation to create ATP (the currency used in the body as energy). When breathing consciously you massage the whole body, breathing also balances the PH in the body as CO2 eliminated if left behind contributes to acidification.  It´s free, it´s easy and it´s vital.

Our second getting back to basis component is water, that good old H2O.  Water is what we are made of and we can say also that after oxygen it is our second most important vital nutrient.  Depending on your age you could be any where from 70-80% water water is vital for Ph balance and enzyme function, you need water to properly metabolize water soluble vitamins.  Culturally, religiously, mythological, traditional over all human history would be un-existent with out water, agriculture for one, among the primary basis for settlement relies exclusively on water in order to obtain a successful yield.  Cities such as Buenos Aires, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Paris, New York, etc. where build next to large bodies of water, which where and are crucial for their development and prosperity.  It seems any other aspect of life we consider besides health we have really done a good job at understanding and more or less managing this precious resource.  Yet in health we are still a couple steps back, it seems to be it is due to the ubiquitousnes and rather simplicity of the product, we just don´t  seem to get it, even though it is right in front of our face.  Usually when people are confronted with the questions of how their life style is going regarding to their health and a health issues is at hand, as you ask how their eating, physical activity they pass with flying colors then when you ask if they are drinking plenty of clean water they usually draw a blank thinking about it.   When we say water, we mean water not fresh fruit, salads, smoothies, juices, coffee, teas, soups, etc. though very worthy and most serve a benign purpose when not abused.  The fact that they are succulent, liquid or watery seems to make the individual think they are consuming enough water, yet even though I don´t have any true basis for saying the following I still think that basic instinct and logic would indicate that even if it was the case of you obtaining enough H2O from consuming these products, still drinking more pure clean water will not hurt you.  It makes sense to me because, if it has ever happen to you that you are sincerely thirsty and you drink a tall glass of pure clean water the feeling is unmatched.  We can go on for ever and books have been written on the true magic and power of water, we need to but think of the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto to appreciate the magic of water.  However as the title to this article states this should be a basic day in and out, it amazes me how people go on almost with out drinking a drop of water, yet they are still alive (barely) this also proves the body´s resiliency.  Now the question would be what water should I drink? Naturally giants like Pepsi and Coca Cola have jumped in to the business of bottle water knowing very well the state of our tap waters, debates have sprung up quite heated ones too, about which water is more alkaline, gets absorbed better, is more charged, detoxified better, and everything from water treated on all sorts of ingenious apparatus from prongs, tubes, pressure to being prayed on by a monk in Japan have come up.  Though I am not against any of these methods and I am sure they offer something unique, at the end of the day they cost more than a month worth of organic food purchasing.  For me personally, a good reverse osmosis filter using a klean kanteen or glass container work just fine, if you truly feel like buying these exotic waters serve their purpose and feel good to you go for it.  How much would the next question usually which comes up, this is not a science simply drink about 1 more glass that what you think you need, it´s water. 

Our next getting back to basic point, is one that usually we never consider and usually I placing my self in front of the line fall to accomplish.  That is proper body posture or alignment, yes you herd correctly, we usually run to the therapist, chiropractor but when it´s too late after have been suffering from pain for a while, all along that while when your body has been begging for you to consciously address the cause.  Well for most people this point might seem like it´s not a basic need, as much as water or oxygen of course not, yet proper alignment/posture is crucial and wise enough you can usually deduct a persons over all well being by observing their body´s alignment and language.  This was something which completely eluded me like most of us, my girlfriend who is a yoga instructor keep on me like a bad cold.  Observing my body´s tendencies to cheat, by re-accommodating it self by leaning, bending, crouching or doing everything possible to do what it was not mend to do, naturally the obvious thing to do after a life of bad posture habits.  Needless to say at 28, I already suffered from scoliosis, knee pain, neck issues, sciatica and so forth, it sound more like the list of an elderly person right? Well most of us have a list as well, though consciously or not, returning to a materialistic unanimated metaphor, imagine a building as time goes on with a bump here and there due to environmental issues.  If this building is in Los Angeles, a couple earthquakes later the structure needs some attending too, other wise well it will collapse, we can all understand this.  Well look at your framework, usually we are all born with a perfect little body, daily life takes a toil on us even from a young age.  Nothing though have really degenerated our framework much like city life has, with yoga, pilates and other methods focusing on various aspects of physical, mental and emotional health on the rise.   Chiropractors, occupational therapists, Kinesiology, and all sorts of other professionals working on the field of body health, reflect the state of the general structural health.  Though most have been cause of unexpected accident, it is not rare to stop the general individual in the street and ask if they suffer from some sort of musculoskeletal issue for the list to start coming out.  Though various aspects could be at play here, usually you can dilute them down to nutrition and alignment, this last one is the day in and out.  How we sit, how we stand, how we walk, when you eat and are crunched up eating as if some one is coming to steal your food you place unnecessary pressure on your gut, thus limiting the digestive process.    Lack of proper alignment also affect another basic aspect of health which is sleeping, faulty alignment also diminishes muscle tone translating to an errant lymphatic flow. Pinched nerves, muscles, errant circulation, joint, tendon aches, the list also can go on here as with the rest of the point of health issues springing up due to the lack of, however with bad alignment, you will find pain is usually the most common symptom.  Observe and be conscious about your posture on every moment, any slack and you will return back to bad habits, the Pilates system was created around creating a state of proper alignment on every waking second, programming the body to accomplish this.  So is yoga, tai chi, chi kung and there are many other methods out there to choose from, yet these classes only last roughly 1 hour after that you are on your own, so be simply aware of your position and make sure to re align as much as possible.  Though this might seem as a daunting task, due to lack of what exactly is right posture, disinterest or simply not caring, I recommend for a good read to purchase the book FRAMEWORK by Dr. Dinubile as he explains in far more detail exactly the do´s and don´t the importance of proper posture.  As mentioned earlier ancestral methods like yoga, tai chi, and not so ancestral like pilates are also great tools to help you along, however at the end of the day it is your true desire to be aware hour to hour to help you achieve in due time the proper posture.

Our next point is one of those, if you lived with your grand parent like I did, they probably drove you crazy over, and that was to chew your food.   Probably memories of long ago or not so long ago come to mind, when we where scrutinized about how we need to chew our food properly.  One might not think much of it and usually we don´t think about it at all with hundredths of other more ¨important¨ things cluttering our heads, when we eat usually we do it as if we are in a race to finish.  Chewing food is the first step towards proper utilization of the myriad of elements found in the food matrix which your body will hopefully use, as an example imagine the first step of any process being compromised or faulty.  The end product as a result, will most likely not be what is expected, it is quite evident that any step in any process is compromised the final product will be compromised, and if the first step starts with the left foot.  Well we can already conclude how things will turn out, there is really not much to discuss here as this is pretty much a no brainer, yet as with the other points one which is usually not applied.   The usually question is how many times do I have to chew my food? Naturally, every one has an opinion and you will ear anything from 10 to 100 and every thing in between, personally I think as many as it takes to liquefy your food just the same way every one is different, the way we walk, talk, etc. Chewing is no different so there is no actual marker which states how many times you should chew your food, let´s all agree we need to chew it, I would say chew it at least 1 more time after you think you had chewed it enough.  This is not a rule, it´s just a recommendation.

Cleansing is to me a basic point, most of us simply deny or elude to which at the end it always cost us dearly.  I again make the comparison, this time on our cars we known if we don´t change the oil, filters in general give it´s maintenance the car will brake down eventually.  Same goes for our bodies, it was odd to me to see my dogs eat grass as most dog owners will attest to, they do so to cleanse themselves.  Most animals have similar behaviors, it is said that the mongoose in India if bitten by a cobra or similar poisonous snake it would run to search for a plant which provides the blood cleansing property to liberate the mongoose from an almost certain death.  Most religions and ancient cultures, promoted fasting, cleanses with herbs, here in the Americas sweat lodges where heavily practices.  Spiritual connection and communion with the great spirit was the main objective, yet they understood also of the biological benefits it brought about, they would usually combined this with jumping in to rivers or in winter rolling on the snow to create a sort of water therapy (hot/cold contrast would heavily stimulate circulation for starters) the same can be said of purifying ceremonies in some culture even prevalent today which go on for weeks.  In the ancient Aztec world, every 52  years cycle of the ceremonial calendar also called a century or ¨calendar round¨ a giant feast would be celebrated yet in this feast purification was the central theme.  Where cakes of tecuitlatl where consumed, this cakes where what we known as spirulina cakes, which where harvested from the local lakes dehydrated and made in to cakes to be consumed around these celebrations with other light, nourishing drinks and foods.  This same story is repeated all around the world, today this is a completely forgotten practice, we pop more pills when in reality we should be pooping more! The body alone creates enough metabolic waste even if you eating the most pristine diet, add to that all the environmental insults especially if you live in a big city.  Our body has it´s elimination routes, yet by today life style standards most are completely plucked or heavily over burden, so a bit of help won´t hurt at all.  There are many ways to go about this, and some will work and suit some individuals and some won´t, yet don´t desists.  The same way you might not like the service they give you at one particular auto shop, you will like the service they give you at another one the point here is you know your car needs the maintenance, exactly the same way your body needs it.

This point is probably one of the most widely discussed, so I won´t go too much in to it, not surprisingly it is whole foods.  Our ancestors where nourished for millennia on them, it is the currency our bodies evolved to know and understand, it is the wisdom of millions of years of evolution or divine wisdom which ever you believe in packed in to those beautiful containers we have come to know as carrots, eggplants, nuts, seeds, etc.  Our digestive systems have evolved responses, mechanisms and methods to properly digest the foods nature has provide us with, in other words it is the carrot not the beta carotene which we should be ingesting.  The symphony of life plays it´s best music when closest to it´s original state meaning, with out any heat, beat or unnecessary treatment.  There is so much literature and so many reasons why to choose whole foods over processed, so no need to expand this point any further, hoping and expecting that we do the right choice as we are what we eat. So are you whole? Or are you heated, beaten, isolated and treated?

I remember when in High school in my English, class as our teacher pointed out the various conflicts which are generally present in novels.  When ¨Man vs Nature¨ was mentioned it some how did not make much sense to me, though there are severe natural disasters, I some how don´t consider nature to be our enemy.  Though today most do, in the way we treat it, would make you think we are out to erase all trace of it, including us along with it.  The next back to basic point is reconnecting with nature, and I don´t mean hugging a tree, though if you must express your self in this manner by all means.  The point here is we used to be in harmony with nature, we can´t say we are today, this would be equivalent as saying we have a relationship with our family and we never contact, talk or assist any family meeting in reality this would be a very strange relationship.  Pretty much this is the same relationship we have with nature, sad as it might be this falling out is what has lead to much of our down fall primarily in health though in many other aspects of our life as well, given that we live in and around nature, realistically speaking we are part of nature.  I guess we can sum up our relationship with nature as it being the reflection of our inner nature, given that our body is made of all the elements we find in the multitude of shapes and forms we see in nature.  So if we mistreat or simply don´t care for a relationship with nature, we pretty much can assume the same is true for our relationship with our own nature.  This is a very personal relationship, so do what comes naturally and what feels good, usually we are selfish and we build relationships only when we get something in return.  So start by planting something, this way you get a flower or a veggie in return, since nature is not selfish and does not care who or to whom, it simply gives, this will start to spark a deeper more sincere will to have a more realistic relationship with nature.  I heavily recommend planting a tree as you see it grow, so will something else grow inside of you, I heavily recommend the writings and teachings of Masanobu Fukuoka.

This is another one of those presumably no brainers, yet again it is one of those the general public has severe issues with.  Various forces are at play either too worried about the next day or having severely disorders which prevents us from have a good night rest.  Yes the next getting back to basic point is sleep, and boy do we need it, most accident either traffic or industrial or simple trip or running in to something are due to lack of sleep and the foggy feeling we have when we are deprived.   There is also not much to discuss here, as we all very well understand and know how important sleep is, though there are also various factors as pointed out previously which can offset the possibility of a good night sleep.  Mattresses are usually blamed on, and opportunistically enough we are lead to believe we need a futuristic thousands of dollar worth one to help us sleep better.  There is no doubt this can be an issue for some people, yet I think again of the fact that not until the last 50 years we have been having chronic sleeping issues and no matter how comfortable of a bed we have.  Before people slept in mats, and still do by the most part around the world yet it seems only westernized countries seem to have the chronic sleeping issues.  Though I am not an expert in the field, I do know that more sleep equals more productive, happier, healthier days.  So let´s try to address this matter to the best of our possibilities.

This next getting back to basic point is one that as kids we probably disliked as much as broccoli and that was hygiene.  I know at least most boys, playing around at least when I was a kid when kids actually played outside with their friends we would run back home for lunch and have our filthy hands with us and where immediately send of to clean them.  This is a point which is pretty strait forward, Garden of Life actually put together a kit directed to hygiene, I was positively surprised since most companies address every other issues regarding life style except this one.  Though I am not recommending you purchase this kit, it is wise to be more loving toward our body the same way we are towards our material possessions and the same way we spend money in caring for them and keeping them neat and clean, do the same for your body.  Most would already do so, and cheers to you for those who don´t a bit of time spend on your body would be days, months even years added to your life that is a fair trade if you ask me.

We can clearly boil this whole next point in to the following well known wise words ¨move it or loose it¨ here the emphasis being on move it! Life it self is in constant movement all around us, our bodies are no different, could you imagine your circulatory system stopping? How about your nervous or digestive systems? Movement is what makes things work, is life at it´s greatest.  Movement lubricates your joints, cleanses your system, stimulates circulation, lymph, immune system, movement stimulates release of neurotransmitters (predominantly those which make you feel good) activates digestion, spark metabolism, burn calories and keeps you alive.  Again being a basic fundamental point of well being and health, there is not much science here simply standing and walking around stressed out your mind does not count as actual health promoting movement.  In the contrary in these situations you should sit down, today we are more sedentary than ever before, a true contradiction considering we are the most effective and productive societies of all time yet the sickest and most unstable.  So again here the key word is consciously end lovingly towards your body, choose something that makes you move, walking is great for starters just don´t bring up your list of excuses to get in the way again returning to the words that define this point ¨move it or loose it!¨

The last point is a simple one and please make a real effort do to so, I think out of all the point this has to be the most important and that is to enjoy life.  There is a proverb that states that a guru walked passed a man mediating, the meditating man asked the guru ¨how long it would take for him to achieve enlightenment?¨.  The guru replied 5 years, next the guru walked passed a man who was attending to his garden, singing, happy and loving life he greeted the guru as he walked passed by.  Years passed and the guru returned to the same place again he found the mediating man, whom asked again why the years have passed and he still had not found peace and joy why he was still troubled and asked again how long it would take for him to achieve enlightenment, this time the guru replied 10 years.  The man was puzzled and asked why now 10 instead of 5, the guru replied ¨you seem to not comprehend that the reason for us to be alive is to live! ¨ he pointed to the man who was older has the years had passed, but still kept attending to his garden smiling and singing.  The guru said, ¨this man has been living in enlightenment with out even knowing it¨ Most of us get flustered by the day to day, yet we forget that life is intended to be lived, most of us survive through life, not really living it.  So do your self a favor live your life and love doing it.

No doubt there are spiritual, mental and emotional aspects as well which are just as important and fundamental pieces of the holistic health puzzle, though these are much more complex realms ones which I don´t deem to know any thing of.  But I am sure when you connect with any of the point above a certain introspective seed will start to sprout with in you which will open doors of possibilities to better address there other invisible aspects.

References

http://www.obesitydiscussion.com/forums/diet-studies/calorie-reduction-chewing-food-slower-4940.html

http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/govt-study-group-advocates-chewing-food-30-times

^ (1.8 grams/min/person)×(60 min/h)×(24 h/day)×(365 days/year)×(6.6 billion people)/1,000,000 g/t=6.24 billion tonnes

^ ^{a b c} Emsley 2001, p.303

^ Dole, Malcolm (1965). “The Natural History of Oxygen” (PDF). The Journal of General Physiology 49 (1): 5–27. doi:10.1085/jgp.49.1.5. PMC 2195461. PMID 5859927. http://www.jgp.org/cgi/reprint/49/1/5.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-16.

http://www.ergocomfort.com/body_alignment.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Posture

http://nursingcrib.com/tag/proper-body-alignment/

“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.

There exists a man who just seems to be completely infatuated, even enamored with poop! Yes, this is the same poop that could be described as the most taboo byproduct in all of human biology.  Well friends, although this may disgust or repulse you, I learned of this man from a friend who noticed that I was reading Dr. Phillis Balch’s famous book ¨Prescription for Nutritional healing” back when I was 19 years old.  The book, a true classic, was my first purchase on alternative healing and I was pleased to find it bursting with information, which I gladly read and reread for hours.  Trusting this friend who saw me reading Dr. Balch’s book, I accepted his offer of a catalogue along with the warning, “What you might read here is not your ordinary herbal recommendation.  This guy is all-out hardcore.  He might seem unconventional and straight crazy, but trust me, it works!¨ I was captivated before I even opened the catalogue, even though it had a simple yellow and green cover and looked like any other supplement magazine.

Upon opening the catalogue I saw a picture of a partially bald, somewhat overweight man pointing his finger at me in a very, “Uncle Sam wants you,” sort of style.  Surprisingly, his words were both captivating and intimidating.  The information he presented was straightforward without any extra intellectual mumbo gumbo.  His words were penetrative, telling me personally, that I and no one else had to take responsibility for my own health.  His energy leapt from the page, insisting that health was hard word, but it was manageable for anyone.  He stated his message emphatically, “CLEANSE AND NOURISH.”  Page after page, the man’s literature was covered with pictures of decayed fecal material and gunk he claimed to have pulled out of a patient.  This man’s harshness was deeply rooted in his passion, the passion for poop!

I was instantly fascinated by this man.  He was open and bold in regards to something few people are willing to discuss.  Wisely and simply he explained the logic behind his theories and spoke of his travels around the world in search of the perfect poop.  He observed indigenous peoples around the world who ate foods they grew (chemical-free), collected, or hunted.  Members of these villages would eat, digest and depart to defecate within less than one hour or so.  While all of this seemed fascinating to me, what truly captured my attention was a very clever analogy he made.  He compared the bowel to a trashcan.  When the trashcan sits full for two or three days it begins to smell and attract pests.  Our gut is no different, said the man.

Now that the topic of this article has been made clear, you probably guessed that the “B Word” is bowel or the large bowel (large intestine), to be specific.   This final stage of the alimentary canal or digestive track is probably the most neglected part of the body.  As the inspirational man I’ve mentioned has stated repeatedly, the health and functioning of the large bowel is crucial to overall health.  When deeply investigating the bowel and bowel health, there is more to say than the simple analogy realizing the bowel to a trashcan.  There are things we can easy to learn and understand which can help us improve our relationship with the bowel.  Things started making more sense as I read more of this poop doctor’s literature.  He wrote about how often patients would come to his practice complaining of stomach ailments and stomach aches, yet when they pointed to the location of the pains they almost always pointed to the large intestine.  When he would explain this to his patients they would look puzzled since only 1 in 10 of his patients considered themselves to be constipated.

I once believed that food goes in the mouth and finds its way to the stomach and small intestine.  A wide array of juices and enzymes break down the food into a form that can be assimilated by the body as nutrients for the purpose of entering the bloodstream and nourishing the cells.  The rest of the food that is unwanted, indigestible fiber is sent to the colon, along with other metabolic waste and pushed out.  This idea, which I shared with many others, is an oversimplification of a complex process. New discoveries occur all the time, some on the mass scientific level and others are the discoveries that are new to us as individuals.  At one point in time, the colon was believed to be sterile and that microorganisms were always pathogenic and served no beneficial function.  Soviet and Japanese scientists, intrigued by ancient knowledge of the benefits of fermentation, started investigating the reasons for their beliefs.  The work of pioneers like Natasha Trenev, Dr. Shirota, and others opened the doors for the common person to understand more about microorganisms than the simple fact that ancients believed in the power of fermented foods.

Now consider the following: the human body consists of around 100 TRILLION cells, but 3 to 10 times that amount of microorganisms are projected to exist within the digestive system alone. The great majority of these flora and the most diverse varieties of species lives in our colon, making it the body’s most metabolically active organ.  Some of the vital aspects of colonic metabolic action which serve us all is the fermentation and use of non-digestible carbohydrates, which can be used as fuel for gut cells, other beneficial microorganisms, or converted into SCFA (short chain fatty acids) or other gases and acids. Greater absorption of water, reduced count of damaging bacteria, and increased growth of gut cells are other well-known benefits of the symbiotic relationship between gut bacteria and microorganisms.

So as we start to look further, we begin to realize that the underestimated large intestine is more than just a waste dump.  Besides the burden of having to deal with the food, drink, and everything else our body ingests, the intestine manages the waste products of these trillions of cells that must exit your body.  Eliminating waste is an extremely important job within te body.  If waste does not get eliminated through the bowel it will have to find another way to get out of the body.  If you looked inside the human body, you could easily see how compact our organs are inside of us.  Imagine one of those organs being swollen, inflamed, or enlarged and what do you think it would do to the rest of the organs in its vicinity? Most likely it will crowd them up, constricting important oxygen and blood flow, eventually leading malfunction. So even if your body would attempt to try to eliminate waste via your skin, lungs, or kidneys, it will still fall short because the bowel is the body´s main and preferred elimination route. The scenario is not a pleasant one, yet what does not leave the bowel solidifies and compacts, leading to swelling, diverticulitis, micro flora imbalance, and a wide range of local issues. What is more disturbing is the fact that some of this old, putrid waste actually gets reabsorbed back in to our system. I cannot begin to imagine anybody in their right mind reusing tossed away garbage to re-cook it, or wanting having anything to do with garbage at any level.

Let’s talk through an experiment.  The average individual starts eating solid food at age 3 and he/she lives to the supposed 70year life expectancy eating 3 meals per day.  These numbers can greatly vary; however, for the sake of our little experiment we can estimate that this means in 67 years, by the age of 70, the average individual has had 73,365 meals. Due to the current trends in diet and lifestyle leading to low fiber intake, low water intake, heavy medication use, high stress, limited exercise, etc., it is believed that the average American only has 2-4 bowel movements a week, despite our 21 meals eaten in the same span of time.  The gap between meals eaten and bowel movements taken increases drastically as the years go on. We are a minimum of a few thousand bowel movements short.  In other words, we are full of S—. LITERALLY!

All joking aside, the wise and obvious next step would be to start on a cleansing and rebuilding process of our whole alimentary canal. The question on most people’s minds would be, “How?” since cleansing the bowel is not something readily discussed. Before colonics or purgatives come to mind, let’s mention that the process is not that difficult.  Colonics offer a quick fix versus a solution to life-time bowel issues.  Think critically about what the body really needs to function properly. You probably know the body is composed mostly of water.  Our intestines are no different and one of the large intestine’s primary jobs is to reabsorb water from the fecal matter that is about to be eliminated.  We can conclude that drinking water is for more than just helping the large intestines health, but is also a good way to start movement on our intestinal health path. Naturally, people ask how much water they should be drinking. I would put it this way; in the words of a natural healing sage, “When we eat three brownies we don´t even ask if it´s too much, when we drink the 7^th beer, though we already finished a six pack, we don´t ask if it´s too much. So why do people ask if drinking too much water is too much or if eating too many apples is too much?”  As Paracelsus once eloquently stated, “All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be a poison.” Still, when it comes to water, granted we are drinking clean water, we would have to drink gallons upon gallons in order for it to have a negative effect. In other words don’t dwell on how high your water consumption is.  Trust that your body will guide you.  If you have to urinate every two minutes, maybe you are drinking too much.

The next step to take is another one of those effective, simple, and free yet vital components of health.  BREATHE more.  And not your typical, “I breath therefore I live.”  Too often I hear some variation of this from people. When I say breathe, I mean take 5 minutes a day to seriously get some oxygen into your lungs and to get some toxins out.  Breathing does a myriad of things for your health besides just simply keeping you alive.  Your cells need oxygen so get some good quality oxygen by taking some time get yourself surrounded by trees and vegetation, nature’s oxygen filters.

The next step to bowel health would be to get some fiber in you.  Oddly enough, what we consider as fiber we usually classify/stratify into soluble and non-soluble. Though these are two key characteristics, fiber is much more complex than that.  We will go into this topic more in a later article, but for now,  meditate on the following excerpt taken from a work done in University of London, Liver institute (PubMed UI: 11706296):

“It is documented that our Palaeolithic forefathers not only consumed millions of times more LAB (lactic acid bacterias), but also several times more fruit and vegetables fibers. Furthermore, the selection of plants eaten was significantly larger it is suggested that they ate an average from approximately 500 plant species, which gave the humans of the time a much larger variation in the pre-biotics supplied and consequently a wide production of various synbiotics. This larger variation in the plant consumption compared with that of today facilitated the greater availability of larger amount of the more than two million chemical compounds that constitute the human body. It may or may not be coincidence that increases in inflammatory conditions, in general, allergic conditions, obesity, coronary heart disease and cancer in the western world have paralleled the decreased consumption of probiotics and pre-biotics, but also a reduced variation in the prebiotics consumed¨

So needless to overstate, consuming fiber is more than just buying a cereal box with “extra fiber.”The excerpt clearly states that what comes naturally to most of us is the variety of nature. When you ask most people if they have diversity in their diet they tend to say they do, yet they consume various presentation of 4 or 5 main ingredients.  Get some variety in your diet for various reasons! One important one is to get some more prebiotic fiber sources in you, which will be broken down by your intestinal flora and converted to all sorts of health positive biochemicals. The greater the variety, the wider the potential to get various external nutrients and other systemic created molecules.  This leads me to my following point; most people would think that variety means spending more money at the store since it sounds like extra costs and we tend to reduce everything to cash. Well, take a wild edible plant instruction class and you will be surprised at just how many varieties of edible and nutritious FREE plants grow all around us. For starters, the humble yet powerful dandelion grows all over the place.  Clean the leaves properly and eat the dandelion in a salad.

The next step to bowel health is to consume more fermented foods, just the same way our forefathers did. Realize that we have only had the refrigerator for just over a half-century and half of the world’s population today still does not have access to one. When nobody had access to refrigerators they did everything possible to maintain their foods; smoking, salting, fermenting and pickling were among some of the older techniques used to maintain products.If you learn how to ferment your own food, not only would you be using your creative juices and learning a great art, but you would know exactly where your food comes from.  Most companies, even the so called ¨green¨ companies do not always act in very eco-friendly ways and often cut corners for profit.  Fermenting at home means knowing for sure that you have the best possible product you can have.  There are many kefir, yogurt, starters out in the market, as well as kimchi, sauerkraut, olives, wines etc.  There are many other great products which can help you get started and tons of information online. Look for videos which take you step by step and as you get more savvy you can start playing around. Consuming fermented foods will give you the chance to reintroduce friendly flora into your gut, as well as a broad range of symbiotic elements which get created during the fermentation process.   During fermentation nature’s alchemists go to work breaking down complex molecules into more simple ones or converting them into other molecules, thus creating thousands if not hundreds of thousands of compounds of great benefit to digestive and overall health. For those of you thinking that your house would smell like old socks, ventilate correctly so you won´t have to worry about this. Also, if done properly, the smell tends to be that of sweet-sour smell, which is quite pleasant.  Even so, while not all products smell equally wonderful, proper ventilation and storage eliminate the odor factor. For those who think the taste will be unappealing, consider that most of us consume some sort of fermented food every day.  Coffee, chocolate (the cacao bean, before it gets transformed), tea, olives, wine, beer, etc. are just some of the many common fermented foods.

Another important thing for getting the bowel moving is fat.  Get some healthy fats in your system, given that they assist in lubrication, cell membrane health, bile creation, fat soluble vitamin uptake, and many other benefits. To me it´s quite funny how they have older people taking liquid Vaseline to help them in their bowel movements, yet instead of having this petrochemical in them I always recommend taking a spoon of extra virgin olive oil. Some might reminisce on the horrible taste and after taste of castor oil which was not lubrication, but a direct purgative. Get some lubrication/nutrition in you by consuming those healthy fats. I recommend Udo´s Choice, whose healthy oil blend is one of my favorites.

Start with these simple steps.  Most people have been suffering from some chronic constipation issues for years so just making these changes won´t be sufficient and they will need to take more direct action to get the B word moving. In this case we can discuss steps to using herbs to nourish, heal, and tone your bowel and the whole gastro-intestinal system, for that matter. This will be done in more detail in a future article, for now I leave you with these words:

¨Most humans are like firemen, wanting to put out the fire once it´s completely out of control this applies to our health as well. We live unconsciously of the way we treat our bodies until it start falling apart on us, this is the when the fire is out of control¨

So don´t live your life trying to be the firemen/woman trying to put out the fire once it´s too late.  Take control of your life and health. Be responsible and take action now!

References

Gibson GR and Roberfroid MB. (1995) Dietary Modulation of the Human Colonic Microbiota: Introducing the Concept of Prebiotics. J.Nutr.,125:1401-12.

http://www.arthritistrust.org/Articles/Friendly%20Bacteria%20–%20Lactobacillus%20acidophilus%20&%20Bifido%20bacteria.pdf

• Björkstén B, Sepp E, Julge K, Voor T, Mikelsaar M (October 2001). “Allergy development and the intestinal microflora during the first year of life”. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 108 (4): 516–20. doi:10.1067/mai.2001.118130. PMID 11590374.
• ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z} Guarner F, Malagelada JR (February 2003). “Gut flora in health and disease”. Lancet 361 (9356): 512–9. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12489-0. PMID 12583961.
• ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o} Sears CL (October 2005). “A dynamic partnership: celebrating our gut flora”. Anaerobe 11 (5): 247–51. doi:10.1016/j.anaerobe.2005.05.001. PMID 16701579.
• ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Steinhoff U (June 2005). “Who controls the crowd? New findings and old questions about the intestinal microflora”. Immunol. Lett. 99 (1): 12–6. doi:10.1016/j.imlet.2004.12.013. PMID 15894105

^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} O’Hara AM, Shanahan F (July 2006). “The gut flora as a forgotten organ”. EMBO Rep. 7 (7): 688–93. doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400731. PMC 1500832. PMID 16819463

^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} University of Glasgow. 2005. The normal gut flora. Available through web archive. Accessed May 22, 2008