High-Quality Diet
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Diets aimed at improving health are quite different from weight-loss diets, which do not always have a healthy effect. However, with a healthy diet, weight loss can be expected if there is excess weight, in addition to the restoration of health. The diets recommended in this article are effective, but you may need to experiment to find individual variations that best suit your health issues.
If you are unusually sensitive to raw food diets and develop digestive problems, you can eat exclusively boiled brown rice for several days or weeks as a mild cleansing diet. If even brown rice causes problems, try basmati or white rice. Use only olive oil and possibly a small amount of salt, herbs, spices, or vegetables for flavor. Strictly monitor how you feel as you introduce other foods. The long-term impact on our health comes from what we eat daily, not from occasional indulgences. When dining out, you can eat what is available. Often, our bodies become temporarily hypersensitive to foods we used to eat before. Back then, our reflexes were dulled, but now our body lets us know what is good or bad for us. Try to listen to it and become friends with your body.
HIGH-QUALITY DIET This is a low-allergenic diet based on freshly squeezed vegetable juices, sprouted seeds, fermented and purple foods, legumes, gluten-free grains, and a high intake of raw food. It is important to consume proteins, fats, and oils primarily raw, while vegetables can be cooked. Frequently use colorful root vegetables. If you have trouble chewing well, finely grate or even puree them. Suitable examples of roots include beets, carrots, turnips, and sweet potatoes. You can also use pumpkin. For flavor, you can add tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery. As a salad dressing, you can use olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and spices. For example, shake equal parts olive oil and lemon juice in a jar, add 1 teaspoon of lecithin, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and some marjoram or a herb blend. You can also mix in some untreated lemon or orange peel or a whole lemon. Store in the fridge and shake before use. A small amount of apple cider vinegar can be used if lemon juice is unavailable. Use minimal leafy greens and cabbage, as they can have a high exposure to toxins. You can also try adding a small amount of finely chopped young wheatgrass to salads. If you have difficulty chewing vegetable salads or they don't suit you for some other reason, try drinking plenty of fresh vegetable juices made in a non-centrifugal juicer. Before preparing legumes or whole grains, soak them overnight or even longer to start the sprouting process. The enzyme phytase then begins to convert the phytates into inositol and release minerals, which otherwise are not available when cooking without prior soaking. Soaking and vigorously rinsing seeds before cooking also reduces pesticide residues and mycotoxins from fungal contamination. Use mainly gluten-free grains, such as rice, millet, and buckwheat, and additionally, sago and tapioca. Corn is acceptable after an allergy test. However, in general, and particularly for people with blood type O, I recommend using primarily vegetables rather than grains as the cooked portion of their diet. Pre-soaked legumes only require a short cooking time, as they are already softened. Lentils are recommended as a cooked addition to meals and can be combined with rice. Lentils cause fewer issues than beans. For people sensitive to sugar, it is good to eat legumes for breakfast to slow the absorption of glucose from the same and even the next meal. Fenugreek is even more effective in this regard; preferably, also use the water in which it was soaked. It is unnecessary to cook legumes to slow the absorption of glucose; sprouted legumes, especially mung beans, are even more effective. A breakfast based on ground flaxseed, yogurt with seeds or coconut cream, and bananas is suitable for most people. For people with blood sugar issues, it is preferable to eat sweet vegetables—like carrots, pumpkin, turnips, and sweet potatoes—raw instead of cooked. If you cook them, do so with legumes or meat. Cooked meats should be consumed sparingly. The best meats are (organic) liver and deep-sea fish from non-predatory species or seafood from unpolluted coastal areas. Farmed fish usually have high levels of contamination and low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and are not recommended. Chicken or other poultry is preferable if it is home-raised, organic, or otherwise chemical-free. Veal broth is recommended for muscle weakness and general frailty. Eggs should be free-range or organic. Fresh, raw egg yolk is a healthy food that enhances vitality and immune functions. It can be used as part of a salad dressing. It does not increase, but rather prevents, the risk of heart disease. Alternatively, eat eggs soft-boiled. Always cook egg whites to reduce their strong inhibition of digestive enzymes. The best dairy products are yogurt, cottage cheese, and cheese made from goat's milk. Raw goat's milk can also be used. However, avoid dairy products if you are prone to colds, which are mainly caused by lactose. Commercial yogurt usually has a very high lactose content due to added skimmed milk powder. Almonds are excellent; nuts are harder to digest and should be used with caution. All fatty seeds are easier to digest if soaked overnight. Peanuts can be washed and rinsed to reduce any fungal contamination. Nuts and other fatty seeds can be used as pastes or nut butters. Tahini or sesame seed paste is good. Unfortunately, seeds are usually roasted before grinding—this applies to commercial peanut butter too. However, sesame oil is more resistant to oxidative damage than other oils. Tahini can be thinned with olive oil for seasoning food. Extra virgin olive oil is the best fat for daily use. Sesame and almond oils are also good but are generally much more expensive. Choose oils with a dark color and strong flavor. "Fine, light" oil is usually heavily heated during refining and lacks valuable components. Even cold-pressed oils may have been heated during refining. High-quality flaxseed oil is beneficial for many ailments, but it requires extra care to avoid rancidity; you can store it in the freezer, but generally, it's better to use freshly ground flaxseed. Coconut oil, on the other hand, is the least likely to turn rancid and provides good energy without causing unnecessary weight gain. If you have access to fresh coconuts, you may find that consuming the meat often causes bad breath. Coconut meat pieces are hard to digest and then ferment in the colon. This releases smelly short-chain fatty acids. You can avoid this by pressing coconut meat through a juicer. Alternatively, blend the coconut meat for a minute or two with a cup of warm water and then press it through a strainer. Chill the liquid and use it in small to moderate amounts in dishes or with other foods or alone.
Foods to Avoid
Initially, avoid the following foods, and later reduce them to a minimum:
- Wheat products and products enriched with gluten, as well as breakfast cereals.
- Cow's milk products (except for butter) and foods with added lactose, such as commercial yogurt.
- Margarine, shortenings, and commercial polyunsaturated oils, especially canola oil.
- Sugar and other sweeteners (except for honey), but especially all artificial sweeteners found in "diet foods."
- Pickled, smoked, and heavily processed foods with added non-organic chemicals.
- Irradiated or genetically modified food.
- Food cooked in a microwave or heated above boiling point.
However, even within this restricted group, items can vary significantly in their effects on our health. For instance, wheatgrass is not considered a wheat product, and wheat germ oil is generally beneficial, except for those allergic to wheat. Wheat germ itself has some positive aspects, but its downsides include high gluten content, strong enzyme inhibition, and frequent rancidity in commercial products stored outside the fridge.
Sprouted wheat is more beneficial than cooked whole wheat, and flour products are less beneficial than whole grains. Sourdough whole grain bread may be suitable even for those allergic to wheat, while other wheat products should be minimized. Instead, learn to bake pastries using buckwheat and oat flour.
The least harmful cow's milk products include sour cream, cottage cheese, and naturally fermented cheeses, fresh milk or yogurt from fresh raw milk, acidophilus milk, and plain yogurt made only from full-fat milk, as well as butter. These should remain unheated after production and before consumption, and should be made from organic milk or milk free of chemicals. Casein in A2 milk (from brown cows) doesn't cause problems like A1 milk from black-and-white cows.
Some of these products have beneficial aspects, while their negative sides include widespread cow’s milk allergies and the presence of lactose and A2 casein. Butter is far better than processed cheese, pasteurized milk, and many low-fat products with their high mucus-forming lactose content. The most harmful dairy products are usually skimmed milk powder and long-life milk. A potentially harmful aspect of fatty dairy products is their high estrogen content, which can act as a growth stimulator in some female cancers but may be beneficial for older men and women.
Minimize canola oil and avoid hydrogenated margarine and vegetable fats entirely. Cold-pressed oils are preferable to conventional polyunsaturated oils, and those in plastic bottles are the worst. Sensitive oils like food-grade flaxseed oil should be extracted under nitrogen and stored in refrigerators without exposure to light; otherwise, they can become harmful. The healthiest way to obtain polyunsaturated oils is by eating fatty seeds or if extracted under nitrogen.
In terms of health, there's not much difference between white, brown, or raw sugar, and even too much honey can cause problems. Therefore, use sweeteners sparingly and in small amounts. Artificial sweeteners are even worse. The least harmful sweeteners are barley sugar or maltose, raw honey, and soaked and ground dates. Completely avoid artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame or NutraSweet.
With children—or even adults with a sweet tooth—there can be a compromise agreement to refrain from sweets every day except for one, where they can eat as many sweets as they want.
The only acceptable cereals are those without added sugar and preferably low in wheat gluten. Bran may have some benefit as a laxative, but it reduces mineral absorption and is not recommended. Ground flaxseeds and rolled oats are preferable.
Pickled and smoked foods contain aging proteins that can trigger migraines, allergies, and neurological problems. Smoked food also contains carcinogens. Read labels and avoid foods with added chemicals unless they are vitamins, minerals, or carotene. Some products, like bread, are not required to list all the added chemicals.
Excitotoxins are flavor enhancers that release glutamate and other brain-active amino acids like aspartate and cysteine. The most well-known example is monosodium glutamate (MSG). High blood levels can cross the normally protective blood-brain barrier and cause brain cell death. Excitatory amino acids cause problems mainly when used in high concentrations or in free form. Most processed foods contain excitotoxins, especially any kind of commercial flavor enhancers like caseinate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein extract, yeast extract, or beef broth. These may simply be labeled as natural flavors and are especially high in commercial soups and sauces.
The following foods should be used with caution: wheat gluten grains, peanut products, yeast, meat products, salted food, fruits and vegetables sprayed with chemicals; also, soy products unless traditionally fermented, like miso.
Soy products contain many anti-nutritional factors, especially enzyme inhibitors that break down proteins, phytates, and substances that agglutinate or cause blood clotting. Commercial soy milk is either heavily heated to extract soy protein with denatured proteins, or made from whole soybeans and then full of these anti-nutritional factors. Increasingly, beans may also be genetically modified with unknown consequences.
Yeast-containing products like bread, wine, and beer can worsen fungal problems, such as Candida overgrowth, which is often chronic with degenerative diseases. Additionally, yeast-baked bread has lower mineral availability than sourdough bread, while modern quick-baking processes are even worse, keeping minerals tightly bound to phytic acid and unavailable for absorption.
Peanuts contain a long-chain fatty acid beneficial for arthritis but may contribute to atherosclerosis. Poorly stored peanuts can develop toxic mold, which can also infect peanut butter. Remove molds by discarding the shells and thoroughly washing or soaking the peanuts before consumption. Roasted peanuts, like all roasted nuts and fatty seeds, contain harmful oxidized oil, which is also present in peanut butter.
Cooked meat foods should be used moderately. Eating cooked meat requires individuals to have strong digestive abilities, good muscle activity to metabolize it properly, healthy kidneys to eliminate the high level of waste, and good intestinal activity to avoid harmful putrefaction.
Processed meat is even more chemically contaminated and is best avoided. Also, bright red-colored meat may have added nitrates and nitrites. People with blood type O are best suited to include meat in their diet, while those with blood type A often do better on a vegetarian diet.
Carnivorous fish like tuna, as well as shellfish, are often high in accumulated pesticides and mercury and are not recommended for regular consumption. Sardines are a safer option. The best choices are fresh or frozen non-carnivorous deep-sea fish or other seafood from unpolluted coastal areas.
In many degenerative diseases, especially cancer and high blood pressure, a diet high in potassium and low in sodium is preferable. A lack of iodized salt can cause thyroid problems, which can be avoided by using additional seaweed. However, in some conditions when the adrenal glands are weak, as well as in cystic fibrosis, glaucoma, and low blood pressure, additional salt is recommended, as well as for people with dehydration, diarrhea, or excessive sweating. These problems can be addressed with a diet high in taurine.
The best source of salt is seawater, added directly to food. You can even evaporate seawater in flat trays exposed to the sun to make a highly energized sea salt solution. This contains about ten times more magnesium and trace elements than commercial sea salt.
Commercially frozen vegetables are pre-cooked and contain sulfites or other preservatives, as do most fruit juices and dried fruits, which also tend to disrupt blood sugar regulation. Dried fruits without added preservatives tend to mold. It's better to soak dried fruits or frozen vegetables and discard the water to minimize preservatives or mold.
Potatoes contain the toxic alkaloid solanine in all green parts. The healthiest option is un-greened potato skins and fresh, raw potato juice. Also, avoid green tomato pulp or skin and preferably use red instead of green chili peppers (though the latter is not as harmful as green potatoes or tomatoes).
Tea and coffee have some advantages but become problematic when consumed addictively. The same applies to alcohol. It can be beneficial, like red wine, except for often added sulfur preservatives, which can cause breathing problems in susceptible individuals. Also, some traditionally prepared forms of beer can be beneficial, as well as certain herbal liquors for stimulating digestion. In general, however, it is better to minimize alcohol intake and test preferred brands for food sensitivity.
Author: Walter Last