Guidelines for
Healthy Eating

EAT ORGANICALLY

Up to 50% of the nutritional value is lost from non-organic foods. Pesticides contain organophosphates and arsenic as well as other harmful chemicals. These are not foods and our livers have to detoxify them. It is a moot point whether such things as organic fruits and vegetables truly exist anymore, due to acid rain, but at least if you buy organic produce you are not ingesting pesticide residues.

EAT LOTS OF FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

These foods form an alkaline ash in the body. A typical western diet, high in animal fats, sugar and protein, forms an acid ash in the body. This uses up vital vitamins like calcium which help reduce the acidity. High acidity is associated with an increased risk of degenerative diseases (see article on calcium in The Physik Garden Elemental Kitchen for more info on this). Eat red meat no more than once a week. Good sources of protein include white meat, fish, eggs, cheese (although high in saturated fats), live yoghurts, nuts, pulses, soybeans and tofu.

REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WHEAT YOU EAT

Wheat encourages loss of minerals from the body and is an irritant to the gut wall. Many people have problems with wheat as it is nowadays mostly genetically engineered (60% of wheat produced in U.S. is GM). Grains were introduced comparatively recently into our diets so we have not evolved to metabolize them very well. Grains to replace wheat may include corn, rice, rye, barley, oats, amarynth, buckwheat and quinoa.

INCREASE FIBRE

The best form of fibre is fruit and vegetables. Eat whole foods rather than refined (white) foods as up to 80% of the minerals have been removed from refined foods. Fibre speeds up 'transit time' and encourages the body to eliminate excess cholesterol and hormones. It also encourages the right ecological balance in the gut.

REDUCE CONSUMPTION OF SUGAR

This includes all processed foods as well as cakes, confectionery, ice-cream etc. Artificial sweeteners are also harmful (see article on aspartame in The Physik Garden Elemental Kitchen). Apart from destabilizing blood sugar and reducing brain function, sugar is an anti-nutrient, which means it uses up nutrients but does not provide any. (People eating sugar regularly may have low levels of chromium, zinc, B3 and B6.) Sugar was introduced into our diets with the industrial revolution and is not naturally part of our diet. (The slave trade was founded on sugar. Food for thought ?) 15% of white blood cells are killed every time you eat sugar and it takes 24 hours to replace them. Cancer cells thrive on sugar. Sugar which is not used as energy is converted into fat and can lead to an imbalance in blood fats and excess weight gain. It is implicated in PMS.

REDUCE STIMULANTS

These include tea, coffee, alcohol and tobacco. Try alternatives such as Dandelion Coffee, Barleycup, Chicory, Caro, Rooibosch tea or herbal teas.

INCREASE INTAKE OF ESSENTIAL FATS

These help protect us from disease, give us energy, feed the brain and nervous system, are converted into hormones and give us good skin. They are found in seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, hemp, linseed), nuts, cold-pressed oils  and oily fish. They become toxic when heated, so frying is best avoided. Use only unhydrogenated margarines and reduce saturated fats. These can block the use of 'good' fats. Essential fats increase metabolism and help in weight loss. Deficiency can underlie some PMS symptoms, and cause an upset in blood sugar, and predispose to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and eczema. The higher fatty acids are essential in building the myelin sheath which joins the two halves of the brain, This process achieves full integration at approximately age 20, and therefore  these higher fatty acids are of utmost importance in the diet of children. They are destroyed by heating above 106F - all food processing is above this temperature. Deficiency can predispose children to learning and co-ordination difficulties and behavioural problems. It is possible that many people in the West have a diet totally deficient in fatty acids - an alarming thought, as they are crucial in maintaining the integrity of the surface of every cell in the body.

EAT MORE RAW FOODS

Cooking destroys enzymes which are essential for digesting food, extracting nutrients from the food and dissolving fat. Cooked foods weaken the spleen, and common indicators for splenic imbalance are indigestion, flatulence, exhaustion, depression and low immunity to infections. This is due to the critical role played by the spleen in digestion. When the spleen is nourished by live food, the digestion, assimilation and absorption of all nutrients significantly improves.

Compiled by Sous Chef, with valuable assistance from Ms T.
February 2000

kitchen@physikgarden.com