RAW-FOOD DIET + HYPOGLYCEMIA DIET + SLIMMING DIET

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Chapter 2-3 of Healing Foods by Walter Last

RAW-FOOD DIET

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

 

From my own experiences of healing as well as from reading many published

reports it is obvious to me that a raw-food diet is not only the most natural

but

also the most effective nutritional measure for healing and rejuvenation.

While only few will be strong enough to adopt a complete raw food diet for life,

it will be good for everyone to have occasional periods on raw foods only. At

other times you may use the principles described in the following to increase

the percentage of your daily raw food intake. By far the most important foods

to be eaten raw are proteins and lipids (fats and oils); vegetables high in

cellulose such as most leaves and stems are not suitable to be eaten raw, and

may be juiced or cooked.

 

The main biochemical and nutritional advantages of raw food as compared to

cooked food are:

· A higher vitamin and mineral content

· Minerals are largely present as biologically active colloids

· An abundance of helpful enzymes and bio-energy or life-force

· Proteins remain in their natural condition instead of being denatured

· The absence of digestive leukocytosis

· Polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol do not become oxidized, and

carcinogenic or atherogenic

· Glucose is absorbed more slowly, protecting the blood-sugar regulation

· There is no overweight or obesity on a raw-food diet

· As counted in calories, much less food is required

· Proven cleansing, rejuvenating and anti-cancer properties

 

Leukocytosis is an increase of white blood cells in affected organs in

response to infection or toxins. This also occurs when we eat cooked food; the

intestinal wall becomes flooded with white blood cells but this does not happen

when eating raw food. The higher the food has been heated, the stronger is the

leukocytosis and the more toxic is this food for our body.

 

However, there are also some hidden dangers with a raw-food diet. Some raw

food contains enzyme inhibitors, goitrogens (causing goiter), vitamin

inhibitors, toxic substances (in some exotic plants), parasites and bacteria. In

addition, some people starting on a raw-food diet will have strong initial

reactions

due to the cleansing process.

 

There have been cases reported of more or less severe digestive disturbances

from eating large quantities of raw soybeans, broad beans, nuts and wheat germ

over long periods. This problem is due to inhibitors of protein-digesting

enzymes that protect seeds from self-destruction. Basically all seeds have

inhibitors of enzymes for the ingredients of which they are composed but most do

not

have such a surplus of inhibitors as to cause digestive problems. Other foods

such as potatoes, sweet potatoes and egg white also contain inhibitors.

 

To obtain the maximum benefit from a raw-food diet it is necessary to free

most of the enzymes from their inhibitors. Cooking destroys the inhibitors but

also the enzymes. The better solution is to sprout the seeds or at least soak

them to initiate the germination process and discard the water used for

soaking.

 

Trypsin is the main protein-digesting enzyme of the pancreas and also occurs

in seeds. In one reported scientific experiment the trypsin activity during

germination of seeds increased from 7.5 units to 60 units after 24 hours, 257

units after two days and 333 units after three days. The inhibitor activity

decreased from 100% in dry seeds to zero after 24 hours of germination.

 

Fermentation with lactic-acid bacteria will also enhance the enzyme activity

in seeds. This process is similar to that of making yogurt or sourdough. Even

soaking nuts for a day before eating will help greatly. Enzymes also are freed

from their inhibitors to a certain degree when tissue is damaged. We see this

when grated potatoes turn brown, or mashed raw plants or fruit deteriorate

within hours unless refrigerated.

 

Goitrogens, which are in some raw foods, interfere with the body's use of

iodine and therefore may contribute to the formation of goiter or to an

underactive thyroid. Goitrogens are mainly found in the cabbage family, also in

soybeans and the skins of red-skinned peanuts. Cooking or the addition of kelp

may

overcome this problem. Nevertheless, with an underactive thyroid, it is better

not to eat much of goitogenic food raw.

 

Thiaminase is an enzyme in raw fish that destroys vitamin B1, but that is not

a problem if food is correctly combined. Avidin in raw egg white makes biotin

unavailable but this would lead to a deficiency only if a large percentage of

the daily diet consisted of raw egg white. Furthermore, egg yolk is very high

in biotin so that using whole eggs should not diminish our biotin intake at

all.

 

Those who have lived all their lives on conventional food are likely to have

a fair amount of metabolic wastes and toxins stored in the body. This will be

released by a raw-food diet and can temporarily overload the organs of

elimination to cause skin problems, headaches, weakness and other discomfort.

Therefore, it is advisable to move only very gradually towards a raw-food diet

or to

have short cleansing periods on raw foods while also stimulating the organs of

elimination.

 

The basis of the recommended raw-food diet is fresh vegetable juice as well

as sprouted and fermented food. Sprouted seeds may serve as the main part of a

vegetable salad. Beetroot is excellent and may be finely grated into the salad

together with carrot, turnip, sweet potato or pumpkin. Tomato and grated

cucumber may be used for flavoring together with a salad dressing of extra

virgin

olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and spices. Instead of lemon juice you may use

cider vinegar, ascorbic acid or rose-hip powder. Add lecithin as an emulsifier,

shake well in a jar and keep refrigerated. Almonds, nuts and sunflower seeds

improve by starting the sprouting process, otherwise eat them soaked and

possibly blended or, better still, fermented as nut and seed cheese.

 

A main objective of this raw food diet is to maximize the intake of unheated

fats and oils rich in the fat-digesting enzyme lipase. Lipase deficiency and

other disturbances of the fat metabolism appear to be at the heart of most

chronic degenerative diseases. Therefore, make an effort to obtain a wide range

of

unheated oils and fats, such as extra virgin olive oil, (cold-pressed) fish

oils, nut butter and seed cheese, avocado, butter, cream, egg yolk, as well as

the fat in raw (minced) meat. Unfortunately, health authorities make it very

difficult in many countries to obtain unheated milk products. Also commercial

coconut oil (even virgin grade) has commonly been heated. Therefore, it is best

to make your own coconut milk by pressing coconut meat through a juice

extractor. Keep all fats and oils refrigerated.

 

While I do not recommend eating commercial eggs even if well cooked (e.g. to

kill Salmonella which is common in factory-farming), eggs definitely should

only be ingested raw if they are fresh and free-range or organic. Swallowing an

egg with yolk and white intact can cause indigestion in individuals with a

weak digestive system. A raw egg (just like all other fats and oils) is much

easier to digest if it is well mixed with other food or drink. Alternatively you

may beat the white and then mix the yolk back into it. You can easily detect

how fresh an egg is by immersing it in water. If it lies flat on the bottom, it

is very fresh. The older it is, the more will the blunt end rise. If it stands

on its tip, it is rather old but may still be used; if it floats up it is

rotten.

 

Those with blood group O generally feel better or healthier with flesh food

in their diet. You may marinate fish or other seafood and even liver and other

meat, best minced (see Recipes). This destroys parasites and makes raw flesh

food quite safe to eat. You may also use raw minced meat, suitably flavoured

with grated or chopped onion, ginger, tomato or radish, and with some lime or

lemon juice, or blend diced chicken or turkey. You may then flavor and drink it

as a broth (see Recipes).

 

Use only organic or otherwise safe meat from a reliable source. Never use

meat from a feedlot. Also pork is generally not safe. For genuinely free-range,

grass-fed beef, bison and ostrich in the U.S. see http://www.mercola.com/ . In

other countries, such as Australia, just ask a butcher for meat from grass-fed

beef. Lamb is commonly grass-fed. According to the Australian Department of

Primary Industries freezing meat for about 10 days at minus 8°C or colder will

kill any tapeworm cysts.

 

As a further precaution you may periodically use an herbal anti-parasite

program, and possibly an electronic blood purifier. I believe that with these

precautions raw meat is safe and healthy, while I regard the habitual use of

cooked meat as more or less unhealthy, partly because of its lack of enzymes,

and

also because of the formation of carcinogenic chemicals when heated above the

boiling point. For further ideas on eating meat raw, and links to related sites

see http://www.rawpaleodiet.org/ .

 

If you have no problems with mucus, such as occasional colds, blocked or

running nose, or respiratory problems, you may use fermented goat's milk or raw

cows' milk as yogurt, sour milk, cheese or cottage cheese. However, be careful

with commercial fermented foods, such as yogurt, sauerkraut or marinated fish.

Rice bread or flat bread - preferably made from sprouted rice or otherwise

made by just soaking and blending the grains and possibly adding a sourdough

starter - is suitable as a staple food. It solidifies to crunchy flat bread at

low

temperatures, best by exposure to the sun. In addition, sprouted rice may be

blended with water or fermented milk and possibly banana as the basis of a

meal; see the recipe section for further details.

 

The most problematic food group is fruit. While meat is 'grounding', fruit is

sensitizing. For insensitive individuals, especially with raised blood

pressure, it is beneficial to have plenty of fruit, often instead of a meal.

Especially good are acid fruit, such as oranges or pineapple. Sensitive

individuals,

however, feel best with either neutralized fruit or only a small amount of

sub-acid fruit between meals. Insensitive individuals may use fruit as their

main

source of energy while those more sensitive may use rice baked at a low

temperature and sprouted seeds instead.

 

Bananas are a good bulk food for most individuals on a raw food diet.

Sensitive individuals may eat them in the early stages of ripening or use mainly

small or non-sweet varieties. They go well for breakfast as part of the

linseed-yogurt recipe.

 

On this raw-food diet there is no need to be concerned with variety or trying

to have different foods for successive meals. A sprout salad contains all the

required nutrients for health and healing; most individuals are happy to have

the same basic salad for all meals with only minor variations depending on

what is available. The only precondition seems to be that you have largely

overcome the addiction to cooked food by learning to make tasty salads. In cold

weather you may flavor a fresh vegetable juice with spices, carefully heat to

just below 45ºC or 120º F and drink as a broth.

 

Most 'raw foodists' will be content to have about 90% of their food raw and

be free to have some cooked food when eating out and at parties. Even tahini

(ground, roasted sesame seed paste) and kelp powder (commonly used with raw-food

diets) are in fact cooked or heated. Except for food to which you may have

been addicted, try to let your body, your intuition or instinct decide your food

selection and meal composition. It is obviously much easier for someone of

the vegetarian body type to adopt a long-term raw food diet then for someone

with a non-vegetarian body type or blood group O.

 

SLIMMING

 

The high-quality diet, and even more so the raw-food diet, will normally

ensure gradual weight loss for overweight individuals, while at the same time

maximizing health improvement. I always put the main emphasis on the health

aspects of the diet rather than its slimming potential. As we become healthier,

we

automatically find the right weight for our constitution. However, no diet will

help if your eating problems are emotionally based, you have to heal your

emotions first.

 

Experiment with the following possibilities:

 

· Have an appetite-reducing protein-drink 30 minutes before meals with any

combination of the following ingredients and in any amount that suits you:

spirulina powder, green barley juice powder, food yeast, ground linseed, linseed

oil or olive oil. Possibly use this as a warm drink to keep hunger away for

hours.

· 30 minutes before meals stir 1 teaspoon of psyllium hulls in a glass of

water, drink immediately. If necessary double the amount to 2 teaspoons in a

large glass of water. Psyllium swells up 40-fold to fill the stomach with a soft

gel.

· Eat only brown rice, lentils, green vegetables and sprouted seeds in

addition to the above.

· For cooking use mainly legumes, non-sweet, non-starchy vegetables and

flesh foods, for starches choose high-fiber varieties (e.g., brown rice, rolled

oats) and possibly add bran or ground linseed.

· Adopt a mono-diet: one day eat protein foods only, the next day fruits

and the third day sprouted seeds, vegetable salads and vegetable juices. Repeat

as often as required.

· Adopt a cleansing raw-food diet with mainly vegetables and green juice,

sprouts and fruits, nuts and oily seeds, possibly raw beaten egg and marinated

fish. Sensitive individuals should neutralize fruit acids with dolomite.

· For two weeks, eat only protein and fat foods and green vegetables with

less than 40 g of carbohydrates per day (ground linseed is the best protein/fat

food).

· Repeated periods on vegetable and grass juices in addition to vegetable

salads.

· Avoid all sweet food; it stimulates the appetite and the synthesis of

fat. In particular keep fructose-containing foods away from starches and eat

fresh fruit separately.

· Avoid all grain products, especially cereals and bread; combined with a

diet low in sweet food this is usually the most effective slimming method.

· Use mainly fresh, unheated linseed oil and coconut oil, these do not put

on weight.

· Preferably skip the evening meal, or have just a small salad, or an

apple.

· Have some light daily exercise, such as a 15-minute brisk walk or jogging

or use a rebounder or some other aerobic exercise. The metabolic rate is

speeded up for a long time after exercise. Take 1 or 2 g of L-carnitine before

exercising to burn up more fat.

· Use a low-allergy diet combined with the correct food for your blood

group.

· Use mind therapy, such as guided imagery and affirmation, also look at

your belief systems, release negative emotions and express your emotional needs.

· Eat very slowly, peacefully chew every mouthful until it is liquefied,

savor the flavors as they develop during chewing; make every mouthful last about

two minutes.

 

HYPOGLYCEMIA DIET

 

Most people who are sensitive, overacid, with allergies and a low energy

level, are hypoglycemic to some extent, and will benefit from this diet. When a

hypoglycemic person eats sweet foods, the blood-sugar level often soars too high

at first, but falls to below normal later. During this fall and while the

level is below normal, a variety of distressing symptoms may affect the

breathing, circulation, digestion or the emotional and mental condition.

 

When the blood-sugar level rises after sweet food intake, the pancreas reacts

by releasing insulin - a hormone that regulates the blood-sugar level. In a

hypoglycemic person, the pancreas releases too much insulin, especially in

response to ingesting sucrose or a combination of glucose and fructose. The

excess

of insulin causes glucose to enter the cells too quickly. This then creates

oxygen deficiency within the cells and instead of energy, lactic acid is

produced in an anaerobic process. All this makes the body tissue overacid and

deprives them of minerals and energy.

 

The mainstays of this diet are

 

· ·Gluten-free grains - rice, millet, maize and buckwheat; also sago and

tapioca

· ·High-protein seeds - chickpeas, lentils, fenugreek, peas, beans, almonds

and sunflower seeds

· ·Animal protein - white, red and organ meat, fish, eggs, goats' cheese

· ·Sprouted seeds and vegetables, cooked, raw and juiced, avocados, coconut

oil and extra virgin olive oil

 

Eat grains whole in preference to flour or meal products. However, coarsely

ground grains may be beneficial if eaten raw: immerse them in water or seed

milk and let soak overnight. Rye sourdough bread and rye crispbread may be eaten

after allergy testing. Free-range raw egg yolk may be used as a salad

dressing. Other important additions are spirulina (preferably a teaspoonful

before or

with each meal), kelp, lecithin, gelatin with vegetables, and fresh

green-vegetable juices, especially grass juice or dried grass juice powder and

possibly

food yeast. Try coconut oil and freeze-dried liver to increase the energy

level.

 

Nuts, may be used but preferably sprouted or made into seed cheese. Eat

cooked sweet vegetables only with a protein meal. Raw carrots, on the other

hand,

are good any time.

 

 

Reintroduce fruits cautiously and with self-observation. Use any sweet

fruits only in the early stages of ripening, before they become too sweet. This

applies, for example, to bananas and papaya, but not to fruit that are sour

before ripening. Subacid fruits, such as apples, cause less problems than

sweet-acid fruits, such as oranges. Preferably eat fruits only sparingly and as

a

snack between meals and neutralize any fruit acids. However, under-ripe or

non-sweet varieties of bananas may also be suitable as a bulk food.

 

AVOID:

· Sweet food, initially including all sweet and acid fruit and

sweet-vegetable juice

· Food containing lactose, especially milk products, though butter may be

used

· Do not use vinegar or other fruit acids except neutralized

· Initially no wheat, later only sparingly after allergy testing

· No smoking, alcohol, drugs, artificial sweeteners, highly processed food

or with added chemicals

 

Coffee and tea may be used in moderation but only if not allergic or addicted

to it. Lightly salted food may be beneficial. If possible, eat a protein

breakfast and a light evening meal, and take a rest after lunch. The best

protein

is sprouted legumes as the main part of a salad. According to the severity of

the symptoms, this diet may be followed strictly, or in a more relaxed form,

and generally as part of the High-Quality Diet.