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Class 7

Basic Supplements
Minerals
• Most people immediately think of vitamins when they think of supplements, but the need for mineral supplementation is much greater than the need for vitamin supplementation.
• Since our bodies are literally composed of minerals (we are made of the “dust of the earth”.) healthy bodies are connected to healthy soil. If any element is missing from the soil, then it will be missing from the foods we eat as a result; we will not be properly nourished.
• Our commercial methods of agriculture are not only depleting the soil of precious trace minerals, they are also destroying the ability of plants to be able to utilize those elements. Our food is nutritionally deficient from the start.
• As food is refined, more of its nutritional content is removed.,
• When plants have the minerals that they need, they are able to produce chemicals such as volatile oils, saponins, tannins, etc which protect them against insect damage and disease.
• Mice deficient in copper were found to develop fragile bones, anemia, connective tissue defects, infertility , high cholesterol levels, heart attacks and were unable to control their blood sugar levels- all of this from a lack of copper!
• Science has established that animal life needs trace amounts of such minerals as vanadium, cobalt, nickel, iodine, tin and even arsenic. Many foods contain extremely small amounts of certain otherwise poisonous substances. Almonds contain cyanide.
• The body needs a little of every naturally occurring element
• The minerals in our foods are largely responsible for their characteristic taste and small. Plants which have good mineral content will have stronger odors and flavors than plants which do not.
• Spinach grown in organic soil had twice the phosphorus content, twice the calcium content, four times the magnesium content, three times the potassium content, and nearly 80 times the iron content of commercially grown spinach
• The best way to obtain more trace minerals is to take colloidal minerals periodically.
• Very few people in our society are calcium deficient. But without trace minerals, they are unable to properly utilize calcium in their diets.
• Magnesium is a macro mineral that most people need. Far more people are deficient in magnesium than calcium.







Herbal sources for trace minerals
• Alfalfa
• Dulse
• Horsetail
• Oatstraw


Enzymes

• Enzymes are the “spark plugs” of the life process
• They regulate numerous body functions and minerals act as catalysts for enzymes, so the two work hand in hand to promote health.
• They are found in raw foods and are destroyed by heat.
• Cultured foods like live-culture yogurt and sauerkraut are also rich in enzymes.
• Most processed foods contain enzyme inhibitors, which are added to processed foods to prevent spoilage and increase shelf life. As a result most people need to take an enzyme supplement.

Two types of enzymes
• Tissue enzymes- control all the biochemical reaction in the body. All neurotransmitters, hormones, and detoxification are done with enzymes. For example, liver enzymes are responsible for breaking down toxic substances in the liver.
• Digestive enzymes- Help the body break down the food we eat into the nutrients we need. They help with structural repair, immunity, detoxification and other body functions. Most people will notice a difference in digestive function, energy level and overall health after taking a plant enzyme supplement.

Three categories of enzymes:
Protein-Digesting (proteolytic) Enzymes
Bromelian
Pancreatin
Papain
Pepsin
Protease









Carbohydrate- Digesting Enzymes
Amylase
Cellulase
Hemi-cellulase
Lactase
Lysozyme
Pancreatin
Sucrase



Fat- Digesting Enzymes
Lipase
Pancreatin

Two other substances that can aid digestion are

HCL (hydrochloric acid)- as a person ages , their ability to produce hydrochloric acid diminishes. Almost everyone over 50 does not produce enough. HCL works with pepsin.

Bile salts- produced by the liver and secreted by the gall bladed. They are used to emulsify fats, that is bile salts make fats water soluble.

Some herbs that can stimulate digestive secretions are:
Alfalfa herb
Artichoke leaf
Catnip herb
Chamomile flowers
Dandelion leaf and root
Fennel seed
Fringetree bark
Gentian root
Ginger root
Goldenseal
Horseradish
Orange peel
Peppermint leaf
Spearmint leaf
Turkey rhubarb root


Probiotics
Most of us associate bacteria with disease. It is the action of bacteria for example that allows milk to be fermented to create cheese, yogurt and kefir. Bacteria also create other fermented foods such as sauerkraut and tofu. They also breakdown minerals in the soil and make them available to the roots of plants.
• Friendly bacteria produce chemicals that are deadly to harmful forms of bacteria, so they act as a natural antibiotic agents against harmful bacteria
• Friendly bacteria has a stimulating effect on the body’s immune system.
• The best known benefit of friendly flora is their ability to prevent yeast such as Candida albicans from multiplying out of control.
• Probiotics prevent diarrhea
• Probiotics also help overall colon health. They reduce the risk of inflammatory bowel disorders such as colitis, Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome. They also reduce the risk of colon cancer.




Fiber
• If you eat your fruits and vegetables every day , including edible skins and seeds, and if you eat only whole grains, then maybe you are getting enough fiber.
• It absorbs bile from the gallbladder to help reduce cholesterol levels
• It slows the release of sugar into the blood to regulate hypoglycemia and diabetes.
• It absorbs toxins in the intestinal tract to help detoxify the body.
• It reduces inflammation in the gut
• It provides food for friendly bacteria
• Reduces the risk of colon cancer and prevents diverticulitis and hemorrhoids
• It helps assure regular elimination
• Most people are constipated from lack of fiber, lack of water, and magnesium deficiency
• Fiber is what really cleanses the colon
• Fiber is what binds the toxins so that they cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream.
• Taking one heaping teaspoonful of fiber, first thing in the morning with a large glass of water can make a dramatic difference.

Building the Body
The vital importance of good nutrition

The second key to maintaining or regaining good health is good nutrition.

Common Sense Rules for Improving Nutrition:
1. Your body is the best nutritionist you can listen to. Pay attention to how different foods make you feel.
2. Always focus on the positive. Focus on eating healthy food, not avoiding junk food. Treat yourself to some fresh fruit every day, some vegetables and a good salad. Eat what you know you should eat first. Your body needs to become acquainted with a wide variety of healthful foods so it can learn which foods contain the nutritional elements you need. As your body becomes more and more accustomed to healthful food you will gradually lose the desire for the junk food.
3. Substitute with a healthier version. Don’t give up sweets, eat healthier versions. Use raw , unfiltered honey; blackstrap molasses, pure maple syrup, date sugar, freeze-dried sugar cane juice (molasses crystals) and other natural sweeteners instead of refined sugar. Replace refined flours with whole grains. Replace margarine, shortening and hydrogenated oils with butter, olive oil, flax seed oil and other high quality fats.
4. Buy quality food even if it appears to cost more. For instance, although whole grain bread costs more, you eat far less and feel more satisfied. Organic meat and produce actually taste better, and because they are more nutritionally dense, you actually eat less. Furthermore, you won’t have to pay a higher price later in the form of sickness and doctor bills.
5. Remember that it isn’t what you do once in a while that counts. It’s what you do every day. If you’ve been eating well for a while and you suddenly get a craving for a particular type of food, don’t ignore it, even if you think it is junk food. Your body may require some chemical element from that food and it doesn’t know anywhere else to get it.

 Basic Building Blocks
Three Principles of Good Nutrition

The final judge of any dietary program should be the effect it has on your own body.

1. Consume the proper balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates
2. Focus on eating whole foods and avoiding unnatural refined and processed foods.
3. Avoid foods that are incompatible with our own biochemistry- foods that cause allergic reactions. “One mans meat is another man’s poison”. Some foods even if they are whole and natural are not compatible with our biochemistry.


Principle Number One: Balance the Diet
• Imagine your plate divided into three parts. 1/3 of your plate should be some high quality protein source and the other 2/3 should be composed primarily of fruits and vegetables. There should also be some quality fat in the diet. Since fats are high calorie sources, we only need a small amount of fat (about one tablespoonful) to make up 1/3 of our caloric intake.
• Eating in this manner also helps balance the body’s pH (the balance between acid and alkaline substances in our body) which is one aspect of biological terrain. Experts on maintaining a healthy pH in the body suggest that about 2/3 of ones diet should be alkalizing foods and the remaining 1/3 should be acid-forming foods. Since protein foods tend to be acidifying, and fruits and vegetables tend to be alkalizing, this same plan will help to maintain a balanced pH in the body.


Principle Number Two: Eat Whole, Natural Foods
• Select high quality foods.
1. Carbohydrates come from plants. They are formed when the plant takes carbon dioxide from the air, water from the soil and energy from the sun and binds them together in complex chains called starches and sugars. They are extremely important to the function of the human body, providing our basic source of energy. As we consume carbohydrates, the body breaks them down into sugars which are transported to the cells through the bloodstream. Inside cells, these sugars combine with oxygen, releasing the stored light energy from the sun to sustain cellular functions. B –complex, magnesium and other accessory nutrients like fiber. Whole foods contain these other nutrients required to utilize carbohydrates. These are called complex carbohydrates. The fiber in complex carbohydrates slows the release of sugars into the blood stream, and the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients help the body properly use them.
• Simple sugars require little or no digestion and are quickly absorbed in the blood stream. Since they contain no vitamins and minerals the body must use up its own stores of these nutrients to process them, so they provide “empty calories” that actually deplete nutritional reserves. Because the body is searching for other nutrients, they actually encourage overeating as the body consumes more calories than necessary in search for the missing vitamin and minerals it needs.
• Simple carbohydrates are also high glycemic foods. This means that they trigger a lot of insulin production. Insulin is a hormone, produced by the pancreas that carries sugar into the cells of the body. When there is too much sugar in the blood, insulin helps to shunt the excess into storage as fat. In other words, a diet too high in carbohydrates will lead to obesity.
• We need to get the bulk of our carbohydrates from complex, low –glycemic carbohydrate sources. Foods that fit these criteria include all non-starchy vegetables, including zucchini, green beans, lettuce, chard, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, peas, celery, onions, bell peppers and turnips. Some fruits are also low glycemic such as most berries. Others that are very sugary, such as dates and pineapple are high glycemic. Vegetables that are sources of complex carbohydrates, but are not low glycemic include potatoes, yams, wheat, corn and other grains. Complex carbohydrates that are not low glycemic are wholesome foods, but because they trigger more insulin production (and therefore more fat storage) they need to be consumed in smaller portions than low glycemic carbohydrates.


Practical Suggestions for High Quality Carbohydrates
• Deliberately eat some fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Where possible, buy organic fruits and vegetables. When you eat your fruits and vegetables first, you’ll feel more nutritionally satisfied and have less room for high glycemic, simple carbohydrates.
• Substitute whole grains for refined flours. Whole grain products are more nourishing and filling than white bread and white rice, so you won’t eat as much. You don’t want to eat a lot of grain products because they are high glycemic carbohydrates.
• Substitute natural sweeteners for refined sugars. Use raw, unfiltered honey , grade B maple syrup, freeze- dried sugar cane juice, molasses, date sugar, or other natural sweeteners instead of refined ones.
• If you find yourself constantly craving sweets try using licorice root or stevia. These herbs help balance blood sugar levels and reduce sugar cravings. You may also be low in trace minerals and B vitamins. Sugar cravings can also be a sign of yeast overgrowth.



Proteins
• Proteins should be called the building blocks of the human body.
• Their main function is to build body tissue; muscles, skin, eyes, blood, heart and brain, just to mention a few.
• ¾ of the body’s solid mass is made up of protein.
• Proteins are used for important life processes such as being used as fuel for cells , helping to transport molecules
• Proteins are part of antibodies and genes
• Proteins are broken down into amino acids in the digestive tract. Amino acids are important precursors to the formation of neurotransmitters and certain hormones. A lack of protein can not only cause a loss of muscle mass, it can also cause mental and emotional problems.
• It is possible to obtain the protein that we need from vegetable sources.
• A breast fed baby has the most natural form of nourishment. Babies double their size in six months, which would lead one to believe that they would need the most protein. Mothers milk when analyzed was found that it has the lowest amount of protein of any mammal. So , our protein requirements may be lower than many people think.

Protein and cooking
• Native people ate a large portion of their animal protein raw or very rare. Pottenger showed that animals cannot thrive on cooked protein and neither can human beings.
• Cooking any protein food at high temperatures denatures the amino acids, so the body does not get the benefit of the protein. Meat that is well done has very little vitalized protein that our body can use.
• Red meat, as long as it is not ground, should be eaten as rare as can be tolerated.
• Salt water fish can also be eaten rare, smoked or raw (if properly prepared as sushi). Sushi is traditionally consumed with pickled ginger and wasabi, both of which help to prevent intestinal parasites.
• Fresh water fish and poultry should be cooked thoroughly, but not overcooked. Ideally, the meat should still be moist and tender.
• Slow cooking (in a crock pot) also helps to preserve the integrity of the protein.
• The pasteurization of dairy foods at high temperatures, while helping to prevent the spread of food-borne illness, has also caused dairy foods to be much more mucus-forming than they are when taken raw.
• Eggs can be and have been eaten raw, except that commercial eggs have been washed to remove a protective coating on the surface of the egg which prevents bacteria from penetrating the shell. It is unwise to eat commercial eggs raw. Instead, they should be soft scrambled or otherwise soft-cooked. When eggs have been hard boiled, or cooked until they are rubbery in texture, proteins have been denatured.
• The protein in plant foods, such as legumes is less susceptible to degradation through cooking. However, even here, overcooking is still a problem. Beans were traditionally slow cooked, with the lower temperatures helping preserve the food value of protein.
• In order to derive the benefits of the protein in our foods, it is important that they are never overcooked or cooked at high temperatures. When high protein foods are prepared in this low heat manner, much less protein is required because there is better utilization of the available protein.


Contaminated Animal Products
• Modern agricultural methods have created other serious problems with animal products.
• Animals are routinely given antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals that alter the taste and composition of meat.
• This has a negative impact on our glandular and immune systems.
• It is part of the reason young girls are entering puberty at younger and younger ages.
• The use of antibiotics in animal feed is also helping to deplete the friendly bacteria in the gut and contributing to the proliferation of yeast infections.
• If salmon is harvested in the wild, it is a great source of omega 3 essential fatty acids~ if it is farm raised, the salmon is low in omega-3. As a result, it must be artificially colored to disguise its poor quality.
• Commercial eggs are very different from eggs produced from chickens that are allowed to scratch around the barnyard for food. Commercial eggs are much paler in color, with runnier yolks and weaker shells.



Practical Suggestions for High Quality Proteins
• Learn how to prepare protein foods correctly.
• Utilize more vegetable sources of protein such as legumes (peas , beans, peas, nuts and lentils ) and nuts.
• Select high quality animal products wherever possible. Choose organic meat, eggs, and dairy products when available.
• Don’t over consume protein foods and balance them with low glycemic carbohydrates (especially green vegetables). Most adults need only 2-4 ounces of protein at any meal. Eating more, especially when one isn’t consuming a lot of green vegetables at the same time, creates an overacid pH and a toxic condition in the body.



Fats
• Fats get a bum rap when it comes to nutrition. It is not the fats that are the problem, but the quality of fats and how they are prepared.
• Fats are essential for the body
• They carry fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.
• They are necessary for proper cell function and development of the whole body.
• Fats are burned to keep the body warm especially in winter.
• Our brain and nerve tissue is mostly composed of fat
• Fats are important for glandular function-the reproduction and adrenals in particular.
• Fats also lubricate the skin, keeping it soft and moist.
• Fats are broken down into fatty acids in the digestive tract. Certain fatty acids are essential because they must be obtained from the diet.
• American diets are high in omega-6 essential fatty acids because these are found predominantly in vegetable oils.
• Most Americans are deficient in omega -3 essential fatty acids, which are found in deep ocean fish, wild game, fish oil , flax seed and hemp oil.


Different Types of Fat
• Monounsaturated fats- liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil.
1. Healthy fats can actually reduce cholesterol. Good sources include avocado, olive oil and nuts
• Polyunsaturated fats- liquid at room temperature, such as found in vegetables and grains.
• Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, such as animal fat.
1. These fats have been blamed as the cause for high cholesterol and are certainly not as healthy to eat as monounsaturated fats, however they are not as bad as transfatty acids found in hydrogenated oils. Some saturated fats like coconut oil have a high smoke point and are a better choice for cooking at high heat.

• Hydrogenated fat is formed when hydrogen is added to make the fat solid at room temperature, such as shortening.


Practical Suggestions for High Quality Fats
• Avoid fried foods, especially fried food from fast food restaurants.
• Avoid hydrogenated fats and oil, including margarine and shortening. Use olive oil for salad dressings and coconut oil for cooking.
• Obtain omega -3 essential fatty acids by supplementing the diet with fish liver oil or flax seed oil.



Principle Number Three: Avoid Foods Incompatible with One’s Biochemistry
• Individuals can react differently to the exact same diets and supplement plans.
• Food allergies are a major cause of chronic disease.
• This is sometimes due to the fact that food is sometimes improperly digested, however genuine food allergies have to do with genetics.
• Some people genetically lack the enzymes to break down the lactose in milk products, so milk and unfermented dairy foods will cause intestinal distress and gas.

Common Allergy-Causing Foods:
• Beans
• Berries
• Chocolate
• Corn
• Dairy
• Egg whites
• Food additives
• Gum Arabic
• Nuts
• Oranges
• Peanuts
• Peas
• Shellfish
• Soy
• Tomatoes
• Wheat