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 B12 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 B12 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
No comments:
Post a Comment