FOOD GROUPS AND DIETS by Walter Last

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Chapter 2-1 of Healing Foods by Walter Last

FOOD GROUPS AND DIETS

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF2-1.html

 

FOOD GROUPS

 

CARBOHYDRATES

 

There are three groups of carbohydrates: starches, dextrines and sugars.

Sugars consist either of simple sugar molecules, the monosaccharides, or two of

these linked together as disaccharides. Household sugar (sucrose) consists of

one molecule each of glucose and fructose, while milk sugar or lactose contains

glucose and galactose. In dextrines up to 50 glucose molecules are linked

together, and in starches several thousand.

 

Starches

 

Starches are broken down into water-soluble dextrines by cooking, sprouting

or fermenting. Dextrines occur naturally in sweet vegetables, and in seeds

during germination and ripening. Examples are green peas and sweet corn. The

basic

starch foods are cereal grains, potatoes, sago, taro, tapioca and to some

degree also the non-oily legumes. On the one hand, starches are excellent

slow-digesting food, on the other hand our digestive systems have not yet well

adapted to a diet high in grains, especially in those with blood group O.

 

In our society, wheat is predominantly used. However, gluten, the protein in

wheat, often acts like sandpaper on the absorption villi in the small

intestine, and this is a main cause of malabsorption, intestinal inflammation

and

allergies. All of us are to some extent affected by gluten and in this context

wholemeal products are no better and usually worse than refined flour.

Therefore,

it is generally recommended that you use only a minimum of wheat products and

that you also be careful with the other gluten grains, mainly rye, oats and

barley. Oats are very high in gluten and in this way not much better than

wheat. Rye crispbread and rye sourdough bread is better tolerated than wheat

products.

 

Rice and millet may be used as staple grains. Maize and potatoes are valuable

additions, especially for those allergic to wheat. Buckwheat is generally

good, but causes problems in some gluten-allergic people. Potatoes should not be

peeled or only the skin removed after cooking. Small potatoes and the

mineral-rich outer parts are preferable to the acid-forming inner parts.

 

Legumes are best sprouted. Cooked dried beans often cause wind. This may be

reduced if you discard the soaking water and possibly replace the cooking water

after 20-30 minutes. Sago and tapioca are especially suited for individuals

who are not doing well on grains. However, tapioca needs to be peeled, as the

outer parts tend to contain cyanide compounds.

 

Sweet Food

 

The term 'sweet food', as used in this book, includes sugars, sweetened food,

dried fruit, sweet fresh fruit and the juices of sweet vegetables. It does

not include the sweet vegetables themselves - carrot, onion, sweet pepper,

turnip or red beet as their sweetness comes mainly from dextrines and they

release

any sugars slowly. Most commonly used sugars quickly enter the bloodstream and

cause a serious strain on the blood-sugar regulation. It is important for our

wellbeing to keep the daily fluctuations in our blood sugar level as small as

possible. For people with a poor sugar metabolism, this means restricting the

intake of sweet foods to the barest minimum.

 

However, a poor blood sugar metabolism is not restricted to an inappropriate

rise in the blood sugar level. An equally dangerous component is a high

insulin level especially after ingesting sucrose and, to a somewhat lesser

extent,

when combining glucose with fructose. A high insulin level either leads to a

strong fall in the blood sugar level sometime later (hypoglycemia) or to

conversion of sugar into fat. With this, it either leads to overacidity or

overweight. A third outcome is increasing insensitivity to insulin and diabetes

type 2.

 

However, maltose or barley sugar, made from sprouted barley, should have a

less harmful effect if used to sweeten starches. It consists of two joined

glucose molecules and does not induce a strong insulin response but it would

still

cause a stronger rise in the blood sugar level than unsweetened starches.

 

Some of the symptoms associated with a poor sugar metabolism are overweight

and underweight, high or low blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes

and hypoglycemia, dental caries, colds, allergies, weak eyes, cold hands and

feet, lack of energy, over-sensitivity and overacidity.

 

For most individuals sweet food is harmful, because sugar is released too

quickly. Therefore, sweet dessert or sweetener eaten with protein or fatty food

is less harmful than sweet food such as fruit juice) taken on an empty stomach

or as sweetened starches (for example, sweet porridge, bread with honey,

cake). Most affected are individuals with low blood pressure, sensitivity to

cold

and skin irritants or who are emotionally unstable, while insensitive

individuals benefit from naturally sweet foods.

 

However, I regard artificial sweeteners such as aspartame as much worse than

any natural sweeteners and would avoided them completely. For more details on

this see the next chapter.

 

One natural sugar that appears to be relatively harmless and possibly even

beneficial if used in small amounts is xylitol. It occurs naturally in fruits

such as plums and strawberries and tastes like normal sugar; it also helps to

prevent tooth decay and possibly ear infections and is acceptable for diabetics.

However, it may cause diarrhea in larger quantities, you need to experiment

to see how much is acceptable for you.

 

The Glycemic Index (G.I.)

 

The G.I. lists foods according to the increase in blood glucose levels caused

by the carbohydrate content 2 - 3 hours after eating. A high G.I. means a

rapid increase in blood glucose levels and vice versa. Theoretically it is

preferable to eat mainly low G.I. foods that produce a small or slow rise in

blood

sugar. Fats and proteins do not directly cause a rise in the blood sugar level.

 

 

Here are a few key examples with white bread used as standard with a G.I. of

100: Glucose and maltodextrin 137, sucrose (common or household sugar) and rye

bread 92, honey 83 and fructose 32. Legumes and nuts generally have a low

G.I.

 

From this short list you can easily see why I have no faith in the G.I.: rye

bread and sugar have the same G.I! The reason for this is the low G.I. of

fructose. Sucrose consists of one molecule of glucose and one of fructose.

Fructose produces a strong insulin response that keeps the blood sugar level low

partly by converting sugar into fat and partly by channelling glucose rapidly

into

muscle cells. Depending on the individual metabolism, the combination of

fructose and glucose in large amounts either produces overweight or

over-acidity.

In addition it increasingly leads to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

 

Nevertheless, conventional nutritionists use this to argue that sugar is not

really harmful because its G.I. is as low or even lower than bread. I would

not be surprised if it eventually turns out that the G.I. was developed on the

instigation of the sugar industry. Most foods listed in the G.I. are processed

carbohydrates that I do not advise to eat anyway. If you select your

carbohydrates according to the following rules than you do not need to be

concerned

with the G.I.:

 

· Eat mainly legumes and vegetables

· Eat (fresh) fruits on their own and not with or after meals

· Minimise sweetened food, grains and cereals

 

PROTEINS

 

Proteins from animal sources are vastly oversupplied in traditional Western

diets. Initially this causes stimulation - you feel energetic and even

aggressive - but later in life it leads to enzyme exhaustion, putrefaction of

bowel

contents, toxemia, breakdown of the immune system, gout and cancer. Protein

deficiency, on the other hand, causes slow growth, fatigue and debility.

 

Good sources of protein are grass juice, fresh or dried, pollen, spirulina,

chlorella, almonds, lentils and other legumes, traditionally fermented soy

products, sunflower and sesame seeds (tahini), raw egg yolk, naturally fermented

and unpasteurized goats' cheese and yogurt, fish, (organic) liver and other

organ meats.

 

Use red meat and predatory species of fish in small amounts only. Nuts are

generally difficult to digest, except if soaked. Soybeans and broad beans should

not be eaten raw except if sprouted or fermented. Cooked soybeans may cause

indigestion, except if discarding the soaking and cooking water. Also processed

soy products are not recommend because of their high content of

anti-nutrients and genetic engineering, although traditionally fermented soy

foods are

fine.

 

The best sources of protein are grass juice fresh or dried, sprouted seeds,

pollen, spirulina and chlorella or other edible algae. Individual protein

requirements differ. More is needed during pregnancy, in childhood and during

convalescence. With advancing age and degenerative diseases use any flesh food

in

an easily digestible form, such as broth of fish, liver or meat. It is good to

combine legumes with starches as for example, lentils with brown rice.

However, mixing different proteins to obtain improved amino-acid compositions is

generally not required. Preferably have flesh foods no more than once a day and

avoid products from feedlots or containing growth promoters.

 

Vegetarianism

 

Most individuals can remain healthy on a diet with moderate amounts of flesh

food, or as vegetarians without eating flesh food. However, a strict vegan

diet without any animal products is advisable only if there are no obscure

health

problems, because some people require certain nutrients to be supplied from

animal sources (such as taurine, carnitine or vitamin B12).

 

Vegetarian Hindus may obtain vitamin B12 from stale water, bacteria in soil

and cow dung as well as from insects in fruits and vegetables. When fruit bats

were raised hygienically on clean fruits and water, they became seriously

vitamin-B12 deficient. Spirulina is very high in vitamin B12 and recommended as

a

source of this vitamin for vegans.

 

Generally, sensitive people have weak adrenal glands and feel more energetic

and emotionally balanced by using flesh foods. If these are excluded, they

should have a high intake of spirulina, bee-pollen, legumes and complex

carbohydrates (slow-digesting food) in their diet.

 

People with alkaline and insensitive conditions, on the other hand, benefit

from a vegetarian diet, possibly with some seafood and poultry. A fruitarian

diet, based on tree fruits, nuts and berries, is suitable as a temporary or

extended cleansing diet for alkaline, insensitive individuals.

 

Many vegetarian diets are not conducive to good health because of a high

intake of sweet foods, milk products, wheat, oats and anti-nutrients in a

soy-based diet. Furthermore, minerals are better absorbed if the meal includes

flesh

food or gelatin. A diet high in nuts, oily seeds and cereals can cause a

deficiency in lysine (an essential amino acid) and predispose you to herpes and

other viral infections; this can be rectified by using more legumes. Individuals

with blood group O are basically meat-eater types and have great difficulty

with a grain-based vegetarian diet, while those with blood group A can usually

live very well as vegetarians.

 

FATS AND OILS

 

Oils are best supplied by eating products in which they naturally occur. Most

recommended is extra-virgin olive oil. Otherwise use cold-pressed oil in

brown-glass bottles. Avoid 'light' oils because they are more highly refined and

also oils sold in plastic bottles. Oils can leach chemicals out of plastic.

Store oils in a cool, dark place and in full containers. Refrigerate oil in

daily

use, except varieties that easily solidify.

 

Preferably, use only small amounts of saturated fats that are hard at room

temperature, such as fat in hard cheese, beef and mutton, except if these fats

have not been heated. Unpasteurised butter and cream actually are health foods,

and also unheated coconut oil and palm oil are very good. Avoid all

chemically hardened (hydrogenated) fats, including margarine. Use mainly oils

high in

oleic acid, such as olive oil, almond oil and, to a lesser extent, peanut oil.

Peanut oil helps against arthritis but is not suitable for insensitive,

alkaline people in whom it may contribute to the formation of fatty deposits in

the

arteries.

 

Use polyunsaturated oils (high in linoleic acid) sparingly if you are

sensitive. They easily oxidize, especially if the vitamin E intake is low, and

then

contribute to the development of cancer. However, it is recommended to use more

fish oils or linolenic acid, as in linseed, together with adequate vitamin E.

You may obtain fish oils by eating raw fish, when buying oils, such as cod

liver oil, the label should state that it has been cold-pressed, and preferably

that it has been processed under nitrogen. The stronger the taste or smell,

the more rancid is it.

 

People who are insensitive and alkaline (for example, cardiovascular

diseases), but who also suffer from obesity, skin and liver diseases should be

even

more careful than others in avoiding hydrogenated and highly heated fats and

oils. They are advised to use lecithin and vitamin E supplements. Really

beneficial are only fats and oils, including saturated fats that have not been

heated.

Cod-liver oil rubs are beneficial for fat malabsorption.

 

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

 

While vegetables are good for everyone, the more the better (except if

sprayed with pesticides), fruits must be treated with caution by those with

overacidity and a poor blood-sugar regulation.

 

Use mainly fruit and vegetables in season that are grown in your district.

Include plenty of green-leaf vegetables. Gradually increase the amount of fresh

raw vegetables, as in salads. Cook or grate root vegetables with their skins,

and use the cooking water. Red beets are highly recommended for their positive

effect on cell respiration and energy production.

 

Fruits, especially acid fruits and berries, are excellent for those with

alkaline and insensitive body conditions, including cardiovascular diseases and

often cancer and diabetes.

 

Those who are overacid, on the other hand (usually with low blood pressure,

allergy problems, lack of energy and tendency to colds) easily become even more

acid on fruit. They may minimize fruit and mainly use subacid varieties or,

better still, neutralize acid fruit as explained in The Acid-Alkaline Balance

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/calcium.html Also they may tolerate sweet

fruit, such as bananas, better if they are not fully ripe. Oily fruit such as

avocados are usually well tolerated.

 

 

Chapter 2: FOOD GROUPS AND DIETS

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF2-1.html

· Food Groups

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF2-1.html

· High-Quality Diet

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF2-2.html#quality

· Raw Food Diet

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF2-3.html

· Slimming

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF2-3.html#slimming

· Hypoglycemia Diet

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF2-3.html#hypoglycemia

· Water and Juices

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF2-4.html

· Recipes

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~wlast/HF2-5.html