XPOST: [Raw Soul #6493] Green Smoothies Reconsidered: Alkaloids, Casomorphins in Mother's Milk; Nature's Design

[Guest guest]

Following is post #6493 from the Raw Soul discussion group (also posted in PathOfHealth), which seems useful in this group now.

 

Best to all,

Elchanan

 

 

 

Elchanan

Aug 3, 2007 12:54 pm

 

I am aware of this teaching about chewing one's smoothies. But few, in my experience, possess such patience. And this "solution" does not address at all certain other concerns, set forth below.

 

 

1. Masking of Nonfoods

The current "green smoothie" fad masks a somewhat serious problem: People use the sweeter components in the smoothie to mask the unpleasant taste (and often texture) of certain greens that would otherwise be entirely unappetizing to the human palette. In other words, people are using blending to "force down" greens that are not food for our species and which they would otherwise never eat or eat only infrequently and/or in very small quantities.

 

Specifically, I have in mind those greens characterized by one or both of:

 

- Very bitter taste.

- Harsh, almost unchewable fiber.

 

Whenever we consume such greens, we bring into our system alkaloid substances that are explicitly not good for us. These substances have their place in Nature's design ... often as natural insecticides (e.g., caffeine).

 

 

In my brief forays into green-smoothie conversations, I have observed people expressing concern about overloading with alkaloids. The "solution" I heard discussed is to rotate the greens. But really, the correct solution is to stop eating that which is not food for our species.

 

A few examples of well-known alkaloid substances may help to bring home this point: caffeine, nicotine, theobromine, morphine, cocaine .... Hopefully, you can see where this is going. These are all stimulants, not foods, with certain very specific exceptions found embedded in Nature's design.

 

An example of such an exception is found in the mother's milk of most mammals. (I would say "all", but I have not checked for all mammalian species, nor am I certain that studies of such an extent have ever been conducted.) The milk contains a small quantity of substances that, when digested, break down into morphine-like byproducts. The best-known example are a family of substances called "casomorphins", byproducts of the digestion of the protein casein. These serve to hold a nursing infants interest in its own mother's milk until the time of weaning.

 

One significant challenge many humans now face is letting go of dairy, particularly cheese. This challenge arises partly because people are addicted to the salt in the cheese, and partly because the concentration of casein, and therefore of casomorphins, in the milks of ruminants, particularly cows, is many times that found in human mother's milk. In other words, people are genuinely physically addicted to dairy, and cheese in particular, where the concentration is highest due to withdrawal of all the water. For those interested in learning more about this particular topic, I recommend the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (www.pcrm.org) and in particular the writings of its leader, Neal Barnard, MD.

 

2. Green Smoothies Reconsidered

Let's look more thoughtfully, for a moment, at what changes are actually made by those who embrace green smoothies:

 

1. They increase their consumption of fruits. Therefore, they increase their consumption of oxygen, water, simple sugars, vitamins, minerals, etc.. In other words, oxygenation, hydration, fueling, and micronutrient availability all skyrocket.

 

2. They increase their overall consumption of greens, dramatically expanding consumption of minerals and phytonutrients, as well as both soluble and SOFT insoluble fiber.

 

3. They decrease their overall consumption of high-fat foods (nuts and seeds in particular).

 

4. They correspondingly decrease their consumption of HARD insoluble fiber (quasitree bark).

 

5. They decrease their overall consumption of calories ... a HUGE win in terms of cleansing and overall health.

 

6. They throw the food into a blender.

 

In other words, they improve the CONTENT of their diet dramatically. The quality of absorption this depends on the overall health of the individual, which now improves considerably.

 

And people give credit to the blender.

 

If this way of thinking and understanding appeals to you, then by all means, hold fast to it. It does not, however, appeal to me.

 

Best to all,

Elchanan

[Guest guest]

Totally appeals to meeeeeeeeeeeee!!!On 9/10/07, Elchanan <Elchanan wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following is post #6493 from the Raw Soul discussion group (also posted in PathOfHealth), which seems useful in this group now.

 

Best to all,

Elchanan

 

 

 

Elchanan

Aug 3, 2007 12:54 pm

 

I am aware of this teaching about chewing one's smoothies. But few, in my experience, possess such patience. And this " solution " does not address at all certain other concerns, set forth below.

 

 

1. Masking of Nonfoods

The current " green smoothie " fad masks a somewhat serious problem: People use the sweeter components in the smoothie to mask the unpleasant taste (and often texture) of certain greens that would otherwise be entirely unappetizing to the human palette. In other words, people are using blending to " force down " greens that are not food for our species and which they would otherwise never eat or eat only infrequently and/or in very small quantities.

 

Specifically, I have in mind those greens characterized by one or both of:

 

- Very bitter taste.

- Harsh, almost unchewable fiber.

 

Whenever we consume such greens, we bring into our system alkaloid substances that are explicitly not good for us. These substances have their place in Nature's design ... often as natural insecticides (e.g., caffeine).

 

 

In my brief forays into green-smoothie conversations, I have observed people expressing concern about overloading with alkaloids. The " solution " I heard discussed is to rotate the greens. But really, the correct solution is to stop eating that which is not food for our species.

 

A few examples of well-known alkaloid substances may help to bring home this point: caffeine, nicotine, theobromine, morphine, cocaine .... Hopefully, you can see where this is going. These are all stimulants, not foods, with certain very specific exceptions found embedded in Nature's design.

 

An example of such an exception is found in the mother's milk of most mammals. (I would say " all " , but I have not checked for all mammalian species, nor am I certain that studies of such an extent have ever been conducted.) The milk contains a small quantity of substances that, when digested, break down into morphine-like byproducts. The best-known example are a family of substances called " casomorphins " , byproducts of the digestion of the protein casein. These serve to hold a nursing infants interest in its own mother's milk until the time of weaning.

 

One significant challenge many humans now face is letting go of dairy, particularly cheese. This challenge arises partly because people are addicted to the salt in the cheese, and partly because the concentration of casein, and therefore of casomorphins, in the milks of ruminants, particularly cows, is many times that found in human mother's milk. In other words, people are genuinely physically addicted to dairy, and cheese in particular, where the concentration is highest due to withdrawal of all the water. For those interested in learning more about this particular topic, I recommend the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (www.pcrm.org) and in particular the writings of its leader, Neal Barnard, MD.

 

2. Green Smoothies Reconsidered

Let's look more thoughtfully, for a moment, at what changes are actually made by those who embrace green smoothies:

 

1. They increase their consumption of fruits. Therefore, they increase their consumption of oxygen, water, simple sugars, vitamins, minerals, etc.. In other words, oxygenation, hydration, fueling, and micronutrient availability all skyrocket.

 

2. They increase their overall consumption of greens, dramatically expanding consumption of minerals and phytonutrients, as well as both soluble and SOFT insoluble fiber.

 

3. They decrease their overall consumption of high-fat foods (nuts and seeds in particular).

 

4. They correspondingly decrease their consumption of HARD insoluble fiber (quasitree bark).

 

5. They decrease their overall consumption of calories ... a HUGE win in terms of cleansing and overall health.

 

6. They throw the food into a blender.

 

In other words, they improve the CONTENT of their diet dramatically. The quality of absorption this depends on the overall health of the individual, which now improves considerably.

 

And people give credit to the blender.

 

If this way of thinking and understanding appeals to you, then by all means, hold fast to it. It does not, however, appeal to me.

 

Best to all,

Elchanan

 

-- "I'm becoming more and more myself with time. I guess that's what grace is. The refinement of your soul through time."... " I have the will of a sledgehammer. What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?