Real Food: Health through Nutrition

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Real Food: Health through Nutrition

Aug 28, 2004 21:09 PDT

 

 

 

The body will keep us alive and healthy provided that we feed

it " Real Food " . Real food is a food which is compatible with the

body; that in no way takes from the body, but lends itself to the

building up of health and maintaining life.

 

It contains nothing that is harmful, toxic or non usable by the

body. The only qualities of food which the body requires in a

complete package are:

 

GLUCOSE, PROTEIN, FATTY ACIDS, MINERALS, ENZYMES, WATER.

 

If all of these components are in the food, the food is complete. If

any of these are missing, the food is not " Real Food " .

 

Real Food is provided by Nature in this form as raw fruits and

vegetables. Raw fruits and vegetables contain all of the components

mentioned above.The plant kingdom utilizes sunshine, carbon dioxide,

oxygen, water and

organic minerals in the process of photosynthesis to feed itself and

grow. The result is a living plant (food for animal consumption)

containing:

 

* glucose

* protein

* fatty acids

* organic minerals

* organic enzymes (vitamins)

* water (pure)

Inorganic Mineral from the Earth + Photosynthesis = Organic Minerals

from Plants which provide Protein and Enzymes for animals and

humans. The animal kingdom does not possess the ability to perform

photosynthesis, therefore must rely on the plant kingdom to prepare

its food.

 

Any form of processing nature's foods (such as pasteurization,

cooking, adding preservatives, etc.) breaks the bonds between the

food components and their attached enzymes as well as destroys the

enzyme. The result is inorganic or denatured food components and

thus inorganic food.

 

The enzyme must be alive and attached to the mineral or food

component in order for the body to utilize it. The enzyme acts as

a " passport " to get the mineral into the cell of the body and aids

in the cell's utilization of that mineral. Raw foods are living and

thus produce life in the body; because they have intact enzymes they

are organic. Enzymes

are catalysts - substances which help the body work more efficiently

in utilizing food for life maintaining purposes.

 

An example of an inorganic substance is table salt. It is simply

sodium and chloride. No enzymes, thus it is dead and the body cannot

use it. ur bodies cannot attach an enzyme to inorganic substances,

except at

great cost. It is only the plant kingdom, through the process of

photosynthesis, that can attach enzymes to inorganics and make them

living or organic.

 

The more we process a food, the less nutrient value it retains. This

is because living foods are organic foods. Processed foods, to

various

degrees, are inorganic or " dead " foods.

 

The following is the hierarchy of food preparation starting at the

top with no preparation leaving the food with its full nutrient

content, ending at the bottom with the most processing, rendering

the food dead and useless to the body - little or no nutrient value

retained:

---

 

JUICED and consumed immediately once the skin of fruits or

vegetables is broken, oxygen combines with the enzymes and kills

them (this process is called " oxidation " )

 

DEHYDRATED or DRIED

 

loses 2-5% of nutrient value dried without chemicals or additives

commercial brands of dried fruit contain sulfur dioxide; exception:

organic raisins)

 

FROZEN

 

freshly picked and frozen immediately

loses 5-30% of nutrient value

 

STEAMED

 

loses 15 - 60% of nutrient value

steamed means the green bean is still a bit crispy (if it's limp,

its cooked)

 

COOKED

 

baked, broiled, boiled, grilled, steamed too long, home canned

the green bean is limp

loses 40 -100% of nutrient value, depending on how long it is cooked

 

COOKED LEFTOVERS MICRO WAVED

 

Loses 90 - 99% of nutrient value

 

COMMERCIALLY CANNED FOODS-- FRIED FOODS-- FOODS with ADDITIVES

 

these not only lose 100% of their nutrient value, but have toxins

added to them

 

ACID/ALKALINE BALANCE

 

The Textbook of Medical Physiology by Arthur C. Guyton, M.D.,

probably the most recognized authority on human physiology

states: " ...the regulation of hydrogen ion concentration (pH or

acid/alkaline balance) is one of the most important aspects of

homeostasis. " (Homeostasis is where the components involved seek an

equilibrium.)

 

DEFINITIONS:

 

ph = measure of how acid or how alkaline a substance is.

ph scale = scale of measurement for acidity and alkalinity.

 

acid neutral alkaline

 

1 7 14

 

All chemical processes have an ideal pH at which they are most

efficient. For example the body functions best with an internal

chemistry being slightly alkaline (pH of 7.0 to 8.0). The pH of the

blood is even more specific:

 

BLOOD ph 7.4 = Normal 7.2 = DEATH

 

Our internal body chemistry functions in an alkaline environment.

Our blood must maintain a pH of 7.4. If it drops below that to 7.2

we die.

 

The cells of the body in health are alkaline. In disease the cell pH

is below 7.0. The more acid the cells become, the sicker we are and

feel. The cells won't die until their pH gets to about 3.5. Our

bodies produce acid as a by-product of normal metabolism. This is

the result of our bodies burning or using alkaline to remain alive.

Since our bodies do not manufacture alkaline, we must supply the

alkaline from an outside source to keep us from becoming acid and

dying.

 

Food is the means of replenishing the alkaline to the body. The main

determining factor of alkaline is the organic minerals. One can

equate

organic minerals with alkaline for better understanding. Foods are

of two types, acid or alkaline. This refers to the ash value of a

food. (Meaning the type of residue that remains after the food is

digested and processed). Is it acid, or is it alkaline? If there is

an acid residue (inorganic acids), the body must neutralize this

acid to keep the blood from getting acid. The acid is neutralized

with alkaline.

 

Ideally there is adequate alkaline in the diet to do this. However,

if there is not, the body must extract alkaline from its cells to

neutralize the acid. This, of course, causes the cells to become

acid, and thus diseased. Because our bodies are an alkaline entity,

in order to maintain health, the majority of our diet must consist

of alkaline ash foods.

 

We can remain in health by consuming a diet that is 70-80% alkaline

and 20-30% acid. The more alkaline the better. If we become too

alkaline by eating a majority of alkaline foods, we will lose our

appetite and automatically want to fast, during which time the

normal acid metabolic by-products will return the body's pH back to

normal. It is interesting to note that some foods which qualify as a

real food have an acid ash reaction. This is probably nature's way

of keeping a balance so that the

real food consumer does not become too alkaline.

 

Alkalizing Foods:

Almonds

Cucumber

Garlic

Green Pepper (sweet)

Herbal Teas

Honey (raw)

Fresh coconut

Kale

Lemon (fresh)

Lime (fresh)

Pea Pods

Plain Organic Yogurt

Organic potatoes

String beans

Vanilla bean

Extra virgin olive oil

Sesame Seeds

Organic soybeans

Apple Cider Vinegar

Umeboshi Plums

Umeboshi Plum vinegar

Sprouted Grain Breads

---

 

Acid Forming Foods:

Corn

Sodas

Cheese

Sweetened Yogurts

Vodka

Pork

Rum

Maple Syrup

Sweetened coconut

HFCS

Red Meat

Milk

Beer

White Rice

Refined Sugar

Aspartame

Crystal Light

White Bread

Citrus fruits

 

 

 

 

The average American diet consists of: 20-30% alkaline foods, & the

diet should consist of at least: 70-80% ALKALINE FOODS & 20-30% ACID

FOODS.

It is not unusual for the average American to go 7 to 14 days

without eating ANY alkaline foods.

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest

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