Veganism, low fat diets and 100% raw food are all the latest rage. I
myself was personally a vegetarian (not a vegan) from the age of 5
after seeing a beast hung up on huge hooks on the farm I was living, my
parents for the life of them could not get me to eat meat after this
experience. I became very thin and was constantly getting sick (I was
however still eating milk, cheese and butter but not the full fat,
organic, pasture fed raw kinds) and I hated eggs. When I was a teenager I
finally began to eat meat as long as it was "hidden" ie in bolognese,
lassagne, burgers, that kind of thing. When I was 18 I was seeing a guy
who thought it was ridiculous that I wouldn't eat a delicious steak or
sashimi or lamb chops and made me try them every time he cooked. I
actually discovered I LOVED meat and thought it was the most delicious
thing in the world, especially an expensive eye fillet, cooked perfectly
medium rare in a garlic and butter sauce. Delicious!
I have had
serious health problems my whole life which lead me on the journey of
attempting to find out how to be truly vibrantly healthy and happy. I
have undertaken many, MANY years and hours of research and am now also
studying naturopathy and nutrition. Before I started my degree I started
getting into yoga (which is absolutely wonderful) but was constantly
touted at to become a vegetarian (I thought bugger that I'm not giving
up meat) which by the way I only EVER buy from the organic butcher, no
added hormones, antibiotics and they take great care to treat the
animals in an extremely humane manner. I even went on a 10 day detox
retreat in Thailand, Iwas already severely underweight but because I had
eaten junk food my whole life and was so sick I thought a good clean
out was in order. We were only aloud vegetable juices and steamed
vegetables for the entire 10 days. This would be fine and extremely
beneficial for someone who was overweight (NOT as a lifestyle choice but
as a DETOX!) but I began to rapidly lose even more weight and started
blacking out and could not even get up the stairs I was so weak. By day 7
I literally thought I was going to die and my friend and I snuck away
to see if we could find something to make me better, we came across a
place down the road that were doing New Zealand steak with a garlic and
butter sauce. I couldn't be happier and the next 3 days I cam back for
lunch and dinner to supplement my diet of vegetable juice and
vegetables. I instantly felt much better and had listened to my cravings
and bodies needs for meat and building foods. I did notice that most of
the "yogis" on the retreat who were into raw food looked old and
emaciated and the ones who were vibrantly healthy admitted they still
eat some meat and have a lot of eggs and fats such as butter or ghee.
My
friend who has been a practitioner in the natural medicine field for
well over 20 years has described to me people he has known who have had
to have full bowel reconstructions as a result of 100% raw food because
it is too hard on our digestive system. It is an ESPECIALLY bad idea if
you suffer from leaky gut or other digestive problems. Of course it is
wonderful to include juiced vegetables in the diet as well as soaked and
sprouted seeds etc but our body is simply not designed to live off 100%
raw food!
The studies of Dr Price (Enig & Fallon, 1999) who
followed the diets of isolated traditional people showed that the butter
these people consumed was exceptionally high in all fat soluble
vitamins and according to him, without these we would not be able to
utilise the minerals we ingest no matter how much of these we were
getting in other foods. Raw butter also contains the ‘Wulzen factor’
discovered by Rosalind Wulzen, it is also known as the anti-stiffness
factor which protects against calcification of joints, hardening of the
arteries, cataracts and calcification of the pineal gland (Enig &
Fallon, 1999).
There are MANY other health benefits to be obtained
from using raw butter from organic, pasture fed cows. Read
http://bodyecology.com/articles/benefits_of_real_butter.php
Coconut
oil is extremely high in salicylates but if you are not salicylate
intolerant this is a wonderful oil to use. Coconut oil is particularly
important for those suffering from candida or other fungal infections or
parasites. It has amazing antifungal and antimicrobial properties and
contains lauric acid which has very similar properties to that of
mothers milk. Studies actually reveal that coconut oil protects the
heart from cardiovascular disease and also has anti-cancer properties.
Pacific Islanders who use it as a regular staple have a very low
incidence of cardiovascular disease.
For more information about
which are the healthiest fats and which are toxic, free-radical
producing read my post
http://thehealthyjessie.wordpress.com/2012/11/02/the-truth-about-fats/
Kefir
has been used for a very long time by the Turkish and is a wonderful
healing drink and excellent for leaky gut and replenishing good
bacteria. Made by using kefir grains to ferment milk, the healthiest
option is to use raw, organic milk from grass fed cows, read
http://bodyecology.com/digestive-health-kefir-starter.html#sthash.mXM3ODDr.dpbs
to learn how to make it!
Eggs are an excellent source of protein
and should always be bought pastured, organic as they contain much
higher levels of Vit D, A, omega-3 fatty acids, Vit E and beta- carotene
then commercial eggs.
Now down to the big one, organic, grass fed MEAT!
B12
deficiency, vegans claim that Vit B 12 can be obtained from plant
sources. This is a myth as our body cannot absorb and assimilate it in
this form.
The only reliable and absorbable sources of vitamin B
12
are animal products, especially organ meats and eggs and to a lesser
extent dairy. Vegans, therefore, should consider adding dairy products
into their diets. If dairy cannot be tolerated, eggs, preferably from
free-run hens are absolutely necessary and if eggs ALSO cannot be
tolerated they should seriously reconsider being a vegan.
"That vitamin B
12
can only be obtained from animal foods is one of the strongest
arguments against veganism being a "natural" way of human eating. Today,
vegans can avoid anemia by taking supplemental vitamins or fortified
foods. If those same people had lived just a few decades ago, when these
products were unavailable, they would have died" (Byrnes, 2002, Weston A
Price Foundation).
If you are vegetarian you will live a decade longer! INCORRECT!!!!!!
Below
info taken from
http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/myths-of-vegetarianism?qh=YTozOntpOjA7czo0OiJtZWF0IjtpOjE7czo1OiJtZWF0cyI7aToyO3M6NjoiJ21lYXQnIjt9
It
is usually claimed that meat-eating peoples have a short life span, but
the Aborigines of Australia, who traditionally eat a diet rich in
animal products, are known for their longevity (at least before
colonization by Europeans).
Similarly, the Russians of the
Caucasus mountains live to great ages on a diet of fatty pork and whole
raw milk products. The Hunzas, also known for their robust health and
longevity, eat substantial portions of goat's milk which has a higher
saturated fat content than cow's milk. In contrast, the largely
vegetarian Hindus of southern India have the shortest life-spans in the
world, partly because of a lack of food, but also because of a distinct
lack of animal protein in their diets. H. Leon Abrams' comments are
instructive here:
Vegetarians often maintain that a
diet of meat and animal fat leads to a pre-mature death. Anthropological
data from primitive societies do not support such contentions (Byrnes,
2002, Weston A Price Foundation).
I believe the
healthiest diet is the one which suits a particular person's body (not
ideas) best. You must listen to your body, if it is showing signs of
dis-ease and ill health it is time to change your ways. If you are thin,
have sunken eyes and are emaciated maybe it is time to review your way
of eating. If you are anaemic obviously something has to change. If you
are overweight, lethargic and don't want to get out of bed, again,
SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE.
I follow the diets set out in the Body
Ecology Diet and the Weston A Price guidelines adapted to the fact that I
do not wish to consume any alcohol, am allergic to nuts and sulphur
ripened fruit and have a salicylate intolerance
http://www.westonaprice.org/basics/dietary-guidelines
Of course I
consume mostly vegetables (the ones I can tolerate) but I also consume
large quantities of homemade organic cultured butter, because it is
delicious and healthy for me and I consume organic grass fed meat, free
of antibiotics and hormones on a regular basis as well as including
kefir in my diet.
The proof is in the pudding, I'd rather look like Nigella!!
For
more info read
http://www.westonaprice.org/vegetarianism-and-plant-foods/myths-of-vegetarianism?qh=YTozOntpOjA7czo0OiJtZWF0IjtpOjE7czo1OiJtZWF0cyI7aToyO3M6NjoiJ21lYXQnIjt9
http://www.doctor-natasha.com/feeding-versus-cleansing.php
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