Chasers Juice

Chasers Juice Revolution!
Generally once fruit is juiced the oxidation process begins and the juice loses its freshness and begins to lose its nutritional value.  Cleanses:

Beginners Revolution Cleanse

This combination of juices features electrolyte enhancing, hydrating and nutritionally balanced mixes. Designed to keep your immune system operating at peak performance!

1 Day $49.99      2 Day $94.99      3 Day $139.99

JUICE 1   –   Lemon, Cayenne Pepper, Filtered Water
JUICE 2   –   Pineapple, Green Apple, Lemon, Mint
JUICE 3   –   Grapefuit, Mint
JUICE 4   –   Cucumber, Pineapple, Lemon, Coconut Water
JUICE 5   –   Cucumber, Apple, Lemon, Ginger, Cayenne
JUICE 6   –   Apple, Lemon, Extra Ginger, Cayenne


Intermediate Revolution Cleanse

A perfect pairing of juices for first-time cleansers. Stay hydrated and refreshed with these nutritionally balanced juices.

1 Day $59       2 Day $114.99      3 Day $164.99

JUICE 1   –   Apple, Cinnamon
JUICE 2   –   Pineapple, Pear, Ginger, Mint
JUICE 3   –   Kale, Spinach, Romaine, Parsley, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Lemon, Ginger
JUICE 4   –   Pineapple, Green Apple, Lemon, Mint
JUICE 5   –   Strawberry, Apple, Lime
JUICE 6   –   Chocolate, Almond Milk


Chasers Greens Revolution 3 Day Cleanse ($184.99)

This cleanse was designed to promote a gentle alkaline shift in your body. Packed full with Kale, Spinach and other wonderful green goodies, this cleanse will leave you glowing!

JUICE 1   –   Kale, Spinach, Romaine, Parsley, Cucumber, Celery
JUICE 2   –   Kale, Spinach, Romaine, Parsley, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Lemon
JUICE 3   –   Kale, Spinach, Romaine, Parsley, Cucumber, Celery, Apple, Lemon, Ginger
JUICE 4   –   Cucumber, Celery, Watercress, Lemon, Ginger, Cayenne
JUICE 5   –   Cucumber, Apple, Lemon, Ginger, Cayenne
CHLOROPHYLL H20   –   Coconut Water, Wheatgrass


Chasers Revolution 3 Day Cleanse ($184.99)

A wonderful cleanse for a person who considers themselves to be juice-savvy. Each juice has been hand-selected for it’s nutritional potency and cleansing power!



Retail:

Taking Care of Business

A blend of super greens: spinach, celery, kale, mixed with beet, lemon and ginger.
Do we need to say more? Your body will love you!

Kick Start My Heart 

Blueberries, acai berries, pomegranate, apple  and mint.
Let’s just say energy, recharge and balance – it’s going to make you feel amazing

Start Me Up

Agave, maple syrup and lemon.
The best of both worlds with cayenne and chili pepper; this will make things activated.

Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’

Pineapple, coconut water and wheat grass.
This is fun – recharge, rehydrate, and help cure any hangover

Looking Into the Light

The sweetness of a hot sunny day in July!
This mixture is of cashew, agave, maple syrup, vanilla bean and cinnamon. It’s simply divine!

Wheatgrass

One week (7-1oz bottles) $19.95
Bulk (1-12oz bottle) $29.99
Dehydrated (225g) $7.25

Everyone knows what a “Best Before” date is- that little guide on your food or drinks that lets you know when its going to go bad. Generally, we expect things we buy to be good at least a week..maybe two; sometimes three or more depending on what it is, but the point is we trust it. What we need to remember however, and always keep in mind is what we’re buying, how long the date is or should be, and what that means about the product.



Firstly, it’s important to know though that “Best Before” and “Use By” dates are different, and mean different things.  “Best Before” implies that product will be in its best condition before that time period, but it may be okay for 24-48 hours after that; sometimes even longer.  A “Use By” date means that day is it, it’s spoiled beyond that and shouldn’t be eaten.



Some consumer juices have an unopened shelf life of 10 days, and are good for another 7-10 beyond the day that you open them, bringing it to a total of 20 days- now that’s a long time! Generally once fruit is juiced the oxidation process begins and the juice loses its freshness and begins to lose its nutritional value. The same juice brands also add “no preservatives” to their juices.

When it comes to “fresh” juices that offer a 20 day expiration period, as consumers we should pause and think of what “fresh” means after almost three weeks, and how “natural” that product must be if it maintains that long.  How can this fruit juice without any preservatives last almost three weeks, when the shelf life of a cut piece of orange or apple (I use cut here because just as with juicing, you expose the fruit to the oxidation process) is only 3-4 days?


If you are a juice lover, and want as much nutritional impact as you can get from each ounce of juice, truly the best way to ensure that is buying a juicer of your own. Processors, blenders and even magic bullets act as great tools to get high quality fruit juice of your own, and drinking it right after juicing ensures all the nutrients will still be there.  The best part is you can get them from most kitchen good stores.

Inflated expiration dates with products labelled as “fresh” and “natural” should alert you that something may not be as it seems. Next time you’re in the aisle checking the date on your next carton of juice, pause and think about where its come from, how long it must take to get to the shelf, and how long that product still says it’s good for. Once more than a week, from juicing till consumption has passed, that “fresh” label begins to lose its clout.  That’s why all Chasers Juice products have a shelf life of a week or less.  It’s also why we start juicing early every morning, to make all our juices fresh to order for delivery to you the same day.



How Long Do Oranges Last?

The shelf life of oranges, like most other fresh fruit or fresh vegetables is variable because most have no sell by date, use by date, or best before date. Since there is no printed date and it's difficult to tell how long the fruit has been on the grocery shelf prior to purchase, the only date you can go by is the purchased date or date picked (if you are lucky enough to pick your own fresh fruit). There are two main varieties of oranges; Navel which are best for eating, and Valencia which are best for juice. Because of their relatively low cost, long Shelf Life, easy portability and extremely high concentration of antioxidents, vitamin C and fiber oranges are one of the most popular fruits around. So, how long do oranges last? When properly stored, some of the more popular expiration dates of oranges can be found below.

Oranges Expiration Date

Fresh/Cut ; On Counter;(Inside Refrigerator)
Fresh Oranges; last for 2-3 Weeks;(1-2 Months)
Cut Oranges; last for Same Day; (1-2 Days)

Of course, all foods last for a shorter period of time if they are not stored properly. Sometimes when they are packaged in a large bag or box it is labeled with the date the oranges were packed into the container. This date can be used to calculate the eat by date.

How to tell if Oranges are bad, rotten or spoiled?

Practicing proper hygiene and food safety techniques will help prevent foodborne illness.

Although not a perfect test, your senses are usually the most reliable instruments to tell if your oranges have gone bad beyond the shelf life. Some common traits of bad oranges are a soft texture and some discoloration. The soft spot is moist and develops a mold, usually white in color at first. Bad oranges, just like bad orange juice and other fruit juices, will have a distinct sour smell and taste.

There are, of course, certain health risks associated with spoiled foods so always remember to practice food safety and enjoy your foods before their shelf life has expired!

How to store Oranges to extend their shelf life?

You can help oranges stay fresh longer by storing them in your refrigerator drawer. Once oranges are prepared, they should be stored in a tightly closed container to keep out moisture and other contaminants.

Some benefits of proper food storage include eating healthier, cutting food costs and helping the environment by avoiding waste.

Interesting facts about Oranges:

Most oranges in North America come from Florida and California
Navel oranges are named so because they have a belly button opposite the stem. The bigger the navel, the sweeter the orange.
Valencia oranges turn orange when ripe, but then can turn green again as they re-absorb chlorophyll when remaining on the tree during warm weather (but they're still ripe).

How to use extra before your Oranges go bad?

Make orange juice! Cut and squeeze the oranges into a glass or container, then refrigerate and drink within a day.
Peel the oranges and put into a Vitamix with some bananas, canned pineapple, fruit juice and ice for a great smoothie.
Peel and separate the oranges and toss them into a container of chocolate yogurt.

How long are Oranges good for when prepared in a dish?


How long do oranges last? That depends. How long do bananas last? In general, oranges last only as long as the quickest expiring ingredient in the recipe.



How Long Do Bananas Last?

How long do bananas last? The shelf life of bananas is difficult to determine because there is no sell by date, use by date or best before date attached anywhere to bananas. For eat by date purposes we must use the date the bananas were purchased. Bananas are often referred to as "nature's perfect food" since they contain many essential vitamins and minerals, like potassium, and come neatly wrapped in their own protective container. For more on the health benefits of bananas, check banana health benefits.

Bananas can range from a bright green color to the perfect yellow to already developing a brown spotted skin in the grocery store and people have different preferences as to which stage is the perfectly ripe one.


So, how long do bananas last? When properly stored, the shelf life of bananas beyond the purchase date is approximately...

Bananas Expiration Date

Fresh Bananas left and last for ; 
On Counter,2-7 Days;
Inside Refrigerator, 2- 9 Days; 
Inside Freezer 2-3 months.


How to tell if Bananas are bad, rotten or spoiled?

Practicing proper hygiene and food safety techniques will help prevent food borne illness.

Fresh bananas will first get brown spots and then get soft and turn completely brown and leak liquid when they have gone bad. If left out long enough they will eventually turn black and grow mold. Bananas are usually shipped green since they develop better color, texture, aroma and sweet taste after being harvested. Placing bananas near other fruit will cause the other fruits to also ripen faster.

Another problem you may experience with having fresh fruit on the counter is the sudden presence of fruit flies. Fruit Flies are tiny little flies that just hover around your fresh fruit basket. So, how do you get rid of fruit flies? To get rid of fruit flies, place a bowl of water with a teaspoon of vinegar in it next to the fruit basket at night. In the morning, all the fruit flies will have taken their final swim in the bowl.

There are, of course, certain health risks associated with spoiled foods so always remember to practice food safety and enjoy your foods before their shelf life has expired!

How to store Bananas to extend their shelf life?

Bananas ripen at room temperature, so to stunt the ripening process bananas can be placed in the refrigerator. To extend the shelf life of bananas at room temperature, place plastic wrap tightly around the stem of the bunch. Bananas can also be frozen, but the texture will change.

If you find your bananas have turned brown, try our banana bread recipe.

Some benefits of proper food storage include eating healthier, cutting food costs and helping the environment by avoiding waste.

How long are Bananas good for when prepared in a dish?


How long do bananas last? That depends. How long do coconuts last? In general, bananas last only as long as the quickest expiring ingredient in the recipe.

MYTH OR FACT? › THE WATER YOU GET FROM FOOD IS ENOUGH TO STAY HYDRATED

THE WATER YOU GET FROM FOOD IS ENOUGH TO STAY HYDRATED.

The hydration expert, Professor Kavouras from the University of Arkansas, tells you everything about the water intake you get from food and your hydration needs. 


 Professor Kavouras :

"The Water we get from food rarely exceeds 20% of our total water intake. Even if your diet is extremely high in fruits and vegetables and soups you will rarely exceed probably 30 to 40% of your total water intake. So the answer is no, it is practically impossible to stay hydrated if you just wait to get your water from solid foods. So this is definitely a big myth." 

"THE WATER YOU GET FROM FOOD IS ENOUGH TO STAY HYDRATED" IS A BIG MYTH. 

Healing Cancer Coaching Program

2nd MODULE;

The purpose of this post is to convey information. You are strongly encouraged to share with your physician or other healthcare professional. The methods discussed here are intended to support health and healing, NOT to replace medical treatment.

Hello, it's me, welcome to Healthy Wealth  - The Anticancer Diet part 2. Here's what we're going to cover in this interesting module.

1. The most potent anticancer fruits.

2. My daily anticancer routine.

3. Whether or not you should eat cooked food, or animal proteins, it depends.

4. The best practices for healthy meat eating, and

5. My good thoughts on the ketogenic diet for cancer patients.

So, let's get started.

In part 1, I mentioned a study where they dripped vegetable juices on cancer cells to see which had the most powerful anti-cancer effects.  If you remember, the winner was garlic. There was a similar study done on fruits. researchers at Cornell dripped the extracts of 11 common fruits on human liver cancer cells. And here is what happened:

1. Bananas and grapefruit cut the cancer cell growth by about 40%.

2. Red grapes, strawberries and apples were even more effective, cutting liver cancer cell growth in half with a dose that was half as much as the bananas and grapefruit.

3. The winners of the cancer killing fruit study were the tart fruits ; lemons and cranberries. Both  fruits significantly cut cancer cell growth at a much lower dose than any other fruit. Cranberries had the highest anticancer  phenolic and anti-oxidant activity and they cut liver cancer cell growth by 85% with only a third (1/3) of the dose of the apples and strawberries.

4. Lemons came in second place and the higher the dose, the more effective they are.

Now of course, dripping fruit and vegetable juice on cancer cells in a lab is different than what happens in your body. but hey, if these foods are killing cancer cells in the lab, it makes sense to get them into your body. So, cranberries and lemons were the top fruits in the study.

Now, you can find lemons easily.  The trick with cranberries is finding them because they're seasonal and finding them organic.  And they're also very, very tart, and they're hard to eat fresh.  Dried cranberries usually have added sugar and oil.  And that's not a great option either.  Your best bet with cranberries is to buy organic freeze-dried cranberry powder on Amazon. That way you can just add it to juices or smoothies.

Another delicious powerful recipe that I didn't mention in part 1 is Green Lemonade. It really only needs two ingredients: One whole organic lemon and 4 organic Granny Smith apples. Cut up the fruits and run them through the juicer and you'll have some delicious powerful anticancer green lemonade.  And you don't need to peel them, or take the seeds out. The fruit peels and seeds both contain anticancer compounds.

*Nutr. Cancer 2010:62(4):517-24 Anti proliferative effects of apple peel extract against cancer cells (by Reagan- Shaw S, Eggert D, Mukhtar H, Ahmad N.

Author Information.
Abstract.
[Studies have shown an inverse relationship between the consumption of apples and the risk of several cancers.  The peels of apple, which have been shown to possess exceptional high concentration of antioxidants are often discarded.  In this study, we evaluate the anti proliferation effects of apple peel extract (APE) in variety of cancer cell types.  Our data demonstrated that APE , contained from organic Gala apples, imparted significant reduction in the viability of a variety of cancer cell lines. Further, our data showed a significant decrease in growth and clonogenic survival of human prostate carcinoma CWR22Rnu1 and DU145 cells and breast carcinoma Mcf-7 and Mcf-7 : Her18 cells. Also, the anti proliferative effects of APE were found to be accompanied by a G0-G1 phase arrest of prostate and breast cancer cells. Furthermore, APE treatment resulted in a marked concentration - dependent decrease in the protein levels of proliferative cell nuclear antigen, a marker for proliferation.  In addition, APE treatment resulted in a marked increase in maspin, a tumor suppressor protein that negatively regulates cell invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis.  Our data suggested that APE possesses strong anti proliferative effects against cancer cells.]

There is a really interesting 2010 University of Wisconsin study where they took organic apple peels, blended them up, and dripped them on breast and prostate cancer cells. The apple peel extract was shown to reduce the growth of prostate and breast cancer cells by turning on a tumor suppressor gene called maspin. Apple seeds also contained amygdalin AKA B-17 which is an anticancer nutrient also found in the seeds of apricot kernels, grape seeds, et cetera.

Berries are the most potent anticancer fruits. They can protect and repair damage from oxidative stress and inflammation.  And they have unique anticancer and immune boosting compounds ; including ellagic acid, anthocyanins, OPC and caffeic acid.

So you want to eat berries every day. You can et them fresh or frozen, just get them in your body. I eat berries every day in a smoothie.  Most grocery stores now sell mixed bags of frozen organic berries; blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and sometimes even cranberries.  Big supermarkets have giant bags of mixed organic berries.

My go -to smoothie in 2004 was two cups of berries, a banana, and the juice and meat of a young coconut all blended together.

MY 2004 SMOOTHIE RECIPE:
--2 cups of frozen organic berries;
--1 banana;
--Juice and meat of a young coconut.

The best tool to use to open coconuts is called Coco Jack. (click here to see the tool) Just Google search for it, how to open a coconut in 3 seconds, safely.  Now , if you can't get coconut, it is no big deal. Just blend a handful of almonds or walnuts in filtered water and that'll give you a nut milk base for your smoothie. Two cups of berries, a banana, and a coconut, or nut milk will make a snack size smoothie.

If you want to make a giant smoothie for a meal or to share, then do 3 to 4 cups of berries, a handful of almonds and walnuts, one to two bananas, or 5 to 10 dates, a couple handful of spinach or kale. There's a ton of stuff you can add to your smoothies to amp up the nutritional value.

MY GIANT SMOOTHIE RECIPE:-
--3 to 4 cups of frozen berries;
--A handful of almonds and walnuts;
--1 to 2 bananas, or 5 to 10 dates;
-- A couple handfuls of spinach or kale.

SMOOTHIE EXTRAS RECIPE
-- 2 TO 8 oz of Stockton Aloe Vera Gel;
--1 to 2 tablespoon flax; hemp and chia seed;
-- Goji, acai, mangosteen;
--Moringa;
--Matcha green tea powder
--Brocolli, cauliflower.

You can add * ounces of pure aloe vera gel from Stockton Aloe. You can add flaxseed, hempseed, chia seed. You can add superfoods and like goji, acai, mangosteen, moringa and matcha green tea powder. You can even put broccoli and cauliflower in there. just have fun with it and experiment. As long as you're putting in whole foods from the earth, you're doing it right.

When I was healing cancer, I had a small smoothie as an afternoon snack. now I have a giant one for lunch every day. You can also have it for breakfast.

Another great breakfast option is oatmeal. Gerson therapy patients eat oatmeal every morning. Start with organic oats, you can do whole oats, steel cut, rolled oats, quick oats, doesn't matter.  Just make sure they're organic. then add fruit like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries, or blackcurrants, raisins, figs, apricots, bananas, they're all great.  Add cinnamon to amp up the antioxidant content. And you can also add flax, hemp seed, chi seed, pumpkin seeds, almond and walnuts to your oatmeals if you nee more calories.

If you don't have any fruit on hand, you can sweeten it with date sugar, which is just ground up dates, and blackstrap molasses which is the highest antioxidant sweetener and it's rich in minerals like iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium. And that's how you make a super healthy delicious meal of oatmeal.

The most potent anticancer berry that I know is called amla. Amla has several different names. it's also known as amalaki, and the Indian gooseberry. Amla has been used for centuries in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. Everyone from India knows about amla.  The amla berry looks like a cross between a green grape and a Ping-Pong/table tennis) ball size.
 

And it has the highest antioxidant content of any food on earth, roughly 200 times the antioxidant content of blueberries. And it also has the second highest concentration of vitamin C, second only to camu camu.


Just to put this in perspective, the average American meal has 25 to 100 units of antioxidants. One teaspoon of amla powder has nearly 800 units of antioxidants,

Why are antioxidants important? because they neutralize reactive oxygen species, also know as free-radicals.  Free radicals are created in our human body every day as a result of normal cell metabolism and when we're exposed to toxic chemicals, radiation, and environmental pollution. Free radical can damage other cells and can lead to cancerous mutation. And cancerous tumors also create free radicals in the human body, so your body needs a steady supply of antioxidants to neutralize them. 
 
Chemo and radiation therapy produce mega loads of oxidative stress and free-radicals in the body of patient. So you really, really need antioxidants if you are doing chemo and radiation, because they will deplete your body's level of antioxidants very quickly. This is rarely talked about, but many cancer patients suffer from symptoms identical to scurvy, which is a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency because chemo and radiation treatments have severely depleted the vitamin C in their bodies. Cancer patients need vitamin C.

Okay, now back to amla. This is an amazing fruit. In one study they tested amla against six different human cancer cell lines, lung cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer , ovarian cancer, and colon cancer. Amla killed the existing cancer cells, reduced their population by over 50% and blocked their ability to spread.

Another study showed that three quarters (3/4) of a teaspoon of amla per day worked better at lowering high blood sugar than diabetic medication, glyburide. Amla also cut 'bad' cholesterol and triglycerides in half and boosted good cholesterol after 3 weeks. This is an amazing anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, anti-cholesterol medication that net even a medication. Amla is just food. I added amla to my anticancer diet in 2004 and it's still part of my diet today.  But there's one problem with amla, it tastes terrible. It's bitter, sour, and pithy all at the same time.

The way I used to take it was in a product called Dabur Chyawanprash which is a sweet and spicy paste, it's imported from India. I love the way it tastes, but years later, I found organic amla powder on Amazon. It's about $20 bucks for a pound and it lasts a long time. So that's how I take it now.  Just start with 1/4 teaspoon 3 times per day, added to juice, water, or a smoothie.

My Daily Anticancer Routine: Now I'm going to walk you through my daily anticancer routine ...(click here to continue)

Okinawa Diet Plan - Healthy at 100 and beyond (Cucumber ...)

In their New York Times bestseller The Okinawa Program, Drs. Bradley and Craig Willcox and Makoto Suzuki explained why the Okinawans are the longest-lived people on earth. Now, they offer a practical diet program rooted in Okinawan traditions so that you too can have a leaner, more “metabolically efficient” body that will stay healthier and more youthful. Conveniently divided into three dietary tracks—western, eastern, and a fusion plan that combines both—their program will help you achieve healthy weight loss without deprivation. With more than 150 recipes, an eight-week phase-in plan, and other unique resources, The Okinawa Diet Plan is an easy-to-follow breakthrough concept in healthy weight loss.

Okinawa diet is simple and close to the nature. It composes mainly of green/orange/yellow (GOY) vegetables, fruits, roots, and tubers and simple seafood. On an average, each Okinawan consumes no more than one calorie per gram of food and median BMI (Body Mass Index) is 20.

Goya chanpuru. Bitter melon slices stir-fried with tofu, onion and egg, in one of the Okinawa delicacies.

According to the reported news, a typical Okinawan may live on an average for 100 years of healthy, and productive life. Many theories postulated that the secret of centenarian lies in their genetic constitutional makeup. However, recent community research studies on Okinawa population suggest that the most important factor influencing their longevity is the simple food they consume; the knowledge handed over to them by their ancestors for centuries.

Yagisashi- thin slices of goat meat with lemon.

Salient features of Okinawa diet:-

1. Calorie restricted diet: The diet of the Okinawan people is 20% lesser in calories than an average Japanese consumes. Their food is consistently averaging no more than one calorie per gram, and the average Okinawan has a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 20. Many research studies firmly suggest the human body receives more harmful free-radicals from food than they through the external agents like bacteria, viruses, chemicals, etc. Calorie restriction, therefore, thought to improve health and slow the aging process in some animal models like rodents by limiting their dietary energy intake below the daily average needs.
2. Antioxidant-rich diet: Okinawa diet composes mainly green/orange/yellow (GOY) vegetables, fruits, roots, and tubers. These foods are rich sources of antioxidant vitamins like vitamin-C, vitamin-A, and flavonoid polyphenolic compounds like ß-carotenes, lutein, xanthins, and minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, and zinc.
3. Low in fat and sugar: The Okinawa diet is low in fat, has only 25% of the sugar and 75% of the cereals of the average dietary intake of a Japanese. Limiting fat and sugar in the diet can help prevent coronary heart diseases and stroke risk.
4. Vegetarian and seafood rich: The islander's traditional diet includes a relatively small amount of fish and somewhat more in the form of soy, low-calorie vegetables like bitter melon, and other legumes. Almost no meat, eggs, or dairy products are consumed. Fish provides omega-3 essential fatty acids like alpha-linolenic acid (ALA),eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Besides being an excellent source of protein, soy (in the form of tofu), contains health benefiting compounds like soluble dietary fiber, tannin antioxidants, and plant sterols. Altogether, these phytonutrients offer protection against heart diseases, stroke, colon, and prostate cancers.

Advocates of Okinawa diet (The Okinawa Diet Plan, a book by Bradley Wilcox, MD, D. Craig Wilcox, Ph.D and Makoto Suzuki, MD), divide food items into four categories based on their caloric density, as follows:

• The "featherweight" foods: Food groups that provide less than or equal to 0.8 calories per gram belong to this category. Citrus fruits like orange, low-calorie vegetables like spinach, cucumber, etc. One can eat many servings per day without any reservations.
• The "lightweight" foods: Food items with a calorific density of 0.8 to 1.5 per gram fall in this category. Certain fruits like banana and vegetables like potato are examples in this category. One should consume these in moderation.
• The "middleweight" foods: Food group having a caloric density from 1.5 to 3.0 calories per gram, such as cereals like wheat, legume products, and lean meat included under this category. It advised that one should eat only while carefully monitoring the portion size.
• The "heavyweight" foods: Food items which provide 3 to 9 calories per gram (300 to 900 calories per 100 g) belong in this category. Many oils and fats, nuts, oil seeds and red meat fall in this category, which one should eat only sparingly.

Cucumber nutrition facts

Ever wonder how to beat the scorching summer heat? Just remember your backyard, humble crunchy cucumber! Nonetheless, this wonderful low-calorie vegetable indeed has more nutrients to offer than just water and electrolytes.

It is one of the oldest cultivated crops and believed to be originating in the northern sub-Himalayan plains of India. The plant is a creeper (vine) akin to other members of Cucurbita family such as gourds, squashes, melons, and zucchini.

Botanically; it belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, and is known scientifically as Cucumis sativus.

Cucumber is easy to grow. Varieties, varying in size, shape, and color, are cultivated all around the world under different climatic zones. In general, the fruit features dark-green skin, crispy, moisture rich flesh, and small edible seeds concentrated near its core.

Cucumber slice.

 
As in other squash members, cucumbers too are best harvested young, tender and just short of reaching maturity; at the stage when they taste sweet, have a crunchy texture, and almost neutral flavor. If left uninterrupted, the fruit continues to grow, its skin becomes tougher and turns yellow, and seeds become hard and inedible. Fresh cucumbers are available throughout the season and can be eaten raw, in vegetable salads or juicing.

Cucumis melo var. flexuosus-Armenian type.	Dosakayi-Indian curry cucumber. Salad (slicing) cucumber by side for a comparison.

 
Armenian cucumbers (Cucumis melo var. flexuosus) are long, crispy, thin-ribbed, curvy, and possess light green color. Although grouped botanically in the melon family, they appear and taste just like cucumbers.
Miniature varieties such as gherkins, American-dills, and French cornichons are tiny in size and usually preferred in pickling.
Dosakayi is a yellow Indian curry cucumber. It has mild sweet taste and neutral flavor. It is used extensively in the preparation of stews and curries, particularly during the summer season in southern parts of India and Sri Lanka.

Health Benefits of Cucumber

• It is one of the very low-calorie vegetables; provide just 15 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation and offers some protection against colon cancers by eliminating toxic compounds from the gut.
• It is an excellent source of potassium, an important intracellular electrolyte. 100 g of cucumber provides 147 mg of potassium but only 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is a heart "friendly" electrolyte helps bring a reduction in total blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.
• Cucumbers contains unique antioxidants in moderate ratios such as ß-carotene and α -carotene, vitamin-C, vitamin-A, zeaxanthin, and lutein. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes. Their total antioxidant strength, measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC value), is 214 µmol TE/100 g.
• Cucumbers have mild diuretic property, which perhaps attributed to their free-water, and potassium and low sodium content. It helps in checking weight gain and high blood pressure.
• They surprisingly have a significant amount of vitamin-K, provides about 17 µg of this vitamin per 100 g. Vitamin-K has been found to have a potential role in bone strength by promoting osteoblastic (bone mass building) activity. It also has an established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

Selection and storage

Cucumbers can be sold readily in the local markets all around the season. Fresh varieties, depending upon the cultivar type and region, as well as preserved, pre-processed, and pickled are also made available in the grocery stores.
In the stores, buy fresh ones that feature bright green color, firm and stout in texture. Look for spots, cuts or breaks on its surface. Do not buy overly mature or yellow colored cucumber since they tend to possess tough skin, and mature (hard), inedible seeds. Furthermore, avoid those with wrinkled ends as they indicate of old stock and out of flavor. Go for organically grown products to get rich flavor and nutrient content.
Once at home, they should be washed thoroughly in clean water to rid off any surface dirt and pesticide residues. Their skin comes in a variety of colors and often with tiny spikes that should be rubbed off easily. Do not discard the peel as it has vital minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber.
To store, keep them at room temperature for a day or two, but better stored in the refrigerator set at high relative humidity where they stay fresh for several days.
 
Preparation and serving methods

Wash them thoroughly in cold running water just before use. Scrub gently at places where prickles or dirt attached firmly. Trim both ends using a sharp knife and rub the ends to remove sticky, off-white, fluid like oozing substance in order to lessen bitter taste at either end. Cut into cubes, slices, as you may desire.

Here are some serving tips:

Fresh, cleaned cucumbers may be enjoyed as they are without any additions.

Its cubes/slices are a great addition to vegetable/fruit salads.

Indian yellow curry-cucumber (dosakayi) is used widely in a variety of curry, and stew preparations in South India with added buttermilk and yogurt.

Finely chopped fresh slices mixed with yogurt, cumin, coriander, pepper, and salt to make Indian condiment, cucumber raita.

Cucumber juice is a very good health drink.

Fine slices also added in delicious Spanish cold tomato and cucumber soup, gazpacho.

Gherkins and thick rind of other varieties have been also used in the preparation of pickles.

Safety profile

Often, some cucumbers mat turn bitter akin to bottle gourds due to terpenoid toxic compounds such as cucurbitacin B, D, G, H, etc.
A small slice of cucumber should be tasted before eating the whole fruit to ensure that it is not bitter. If found bitter; the whole fruit should be discarded. In a case of discomfort after consumption (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or any feeling of uneasiness), the person should be immediately taken to any nearby hospital.

Chapter 6 DIET, THE SLOW KILLER

Chapter 6 

DIET, THE SLOW KILLER

Once, you've cleaned out and repaired your food processing and waste removal system, you're ready to begin the process of rebuilding your body. Keep in mind that your body is rebuilding itself all the time. The actual life cycle of a blood cell, for example, is approximately four months. That means you end up replacing your entire blood supply every 120 days. The question is: what
will determine the quality of that blood? What are you going to be building that new blood from—Cocoa Puffs and beer?

  Understand, it's not only your blood, but every cell and organ in your body that's being replaced. For the most part, you get an entirely new body every seven years. It doesn't take a genius
to realize that the better your nutrition, the better "quality" your new body will have.

Unfortunately, it's not so simple. Any attempt to optimize the nutrition we take into our bodies must address five key problem areas.

The Five Problem Areas

1. The Question of Meat

2. Milk. It Doesn't Necessarily Do a Body Good

3. Plastic Fats

4. Refined to Death

5. What's the Big Deal about Organic (which will be covered in Chapter 7)

1. The Question Of Meat

Probably no topic has been more discussed (and is more confusing) than what constitutes the optimum diet. There's the:

Caveman diet
The blood-type diet
The Hi-carbo diet
The Low-carbo diet
The High-protein diet
The Low-protein diet
The Steak Lover's diet
The Vegetarian diet
The Vegan (or pure vegetarian) diet
The Hollywood diet
The Scarsdale diet
The Twinkie diet
etc.

Heck, I'm getting confused just writing them down. So let's step back, take an objective view of the situation, and do a little reality check.

Let's begin by cutting through all of the nonsense and just taking a look at what kinds of food our bodies were designed to handle—then figure out what that means for us today. And the best
way to do that is by first identifying the key characteristics of our "eating and digestive" systems, then seeing which animals we match up with and what they eat. The key "indicators" that we're
going to look at are:

The teeth
The stomach
The length of the digestive tract

The Human Eating Machine


>Teeth. All of our teeth are nearly of the same height. Our canines are projected only a small amount, and our molars are broad-topped

>Stomach. The human stomach is slightly elongated, approximating the shape of a kidney bean

>Digestive tract. The average adult has a digestive tract (measured from mouth to anus) of about 30-33 feet long. This means that the ratio of the length of a person's digestive tract as compared to their height (also measured from mouth to anus) is approximately
10-12 times the length of their body.

Carnivores, the Meat Eaters: Lions, Tigers, Etc.

The first thing you notice about carnivores is that their teeth are nothing like those found in humans. They have huge canines for striking and seizing prey, pointed incisors for removing meat
from bones, and molars and premolars with cusps for shredding muscle fiber. In carnivores, the teeth of the upper jaw slide past the outside of the lower jaw so that prey is caught in a vicelike grip. In general, carnivores don't chew much; mostly, they just tear chunks off and swallowing them whole.

  An examination of the carnivore intestinal tract reveals a short (relative to the length of their body) bowel for fast transit of waste out of the body[1]. (The actual length of the carnivore bowel is
approximately 3 to 5 times the length of the body—measured from mouth to anus—a ratio less than half that found in humans.)

  Most of the digestive process occurs in the carnivore's stomach (which is a round, sackshaped, simple structure with a very high concentration of acid salts for digesting animal muscle and bone). Food usually remains for days at a time in a carnivore's stomach while it is digested (to a large extent) by enzymes present in the RAW meat itself (a process called autolytic digestion). In addition, carnivores are adapted to process huge amounts of food at a time (up to 25% of their body weight or more), then eat nothing for days at a time.

  Again, this doesn't sound very much like us.

Herbivores, the Plant Eaters: Cows, Deer, Etc.

  Herbivores have sharp chisel-shaped incisors for cutting, no upper incisors in some cases, and small incisor-like canines. Their diastema molars and premolars are flattened with ridges. Their
teeth and upper jaw meet the lower jaw so that lateral movement of the lower jaw produces the ...

[1 Fast transit of waste for carnivores is important for two reasons. One, the faster the transit, the less opportunity
for parasites to take hold. Two, meat tends to putrefy in the intestinal tract. Fast transit, therefore, limits exposure

to the byproducts of putrefaction.]

...grinding actions to break down plant materials. In herbivores, the incisors are dominant, the canines usually depressed, and the molars broad-topped.

  As for the herbivore bowel, it usually runs almost 8 times longer than a carnivores (20 to 28 times the length of the body, from mouth to anus) since, unlike meat, plant matter is not prone to
putrefaction, thus rendering quick elimination moot.

  Herbivores also tend to have extended, compound stomachs.

  Again, not much like us.

  Omnivores (Roots, Berries, Meat, Etc.): Bears, Wild Pigs, Etc.

  No animal is really adapted to eat all things; but if any animal comes close, it would have to be the bear. Typical foods consumed by bears include: ants, bees, seeds, roots, nuts, berries, insect
larvae such as grubs, and even flowers. Some meat, of course, is eaten by bears including rodents, fish, deer, pigs and lambs.[1]
 Grizzlies and Alaskan brown bears are well-known salmon eaters. And of course, anyone who has read Winnie the Pooh knows that many bears relish honey.

  Other than the ants and grubs and rodents, the bear diet sounds a lot like the typical American diet; and, it's for this reason that many people conclude that the natural human diet is that of an omnivore. But remember, we're stepping back and taking a look physiologically where we fit in, and on those counts, we don't match the omnivores.

  The biggest difference is in the teeth. Omnivores have the sharp canines of the carnivore AND the pronounced incisors of the herbivore. They also have molars that are BOTH pointed and
broad-topped.

  That's not even close to a human set of teeth.

Frugivores, Fruit and Nut Eaters: Gorillas, Etc.

  In the frugivore, all the teeth are nearly of the same height. The canines are little projected and the molars are broad-topped. (Sound familiar?) Unlike the carnivore jaw, which as we have seen is vertically mobile for biting or tearing, the jaw of the typical frugivore is laterally mobile to allow for chewing.

  As for the bowel of the frugivore, it runs about 10 to 12 times the length of the body from mouth to anus—the same as found in the human body.

  The stomach of the frugivore is typically long and extended—a complex structure—containing 1/10 of the acidic salts and pepsin found in a carnivore's stomach. Again, the same as in us.

  So, here we have our match, but what does it mean? Are we restricted to fruits and nuts?

[1 Polar bears feed almost exclusively on seals and an occasional human; but then, what vegetation is there for them to eat in the frozen wastes of the Arctic.]

   No. In fact, the frugivores we most closely resemble, the wild chimpanzees, periodically do indeed eat live insects and raw meat. Among the great apes (the gorilla,[1]the orangutan, the bonobo,
and the chimpanzee) and ourselves, only humans and chimpanzees[2] hunt and eat meat on a frequent
basis. But make no mistake, chimpanzees are largely fruit eaters, and meat comprises only
about 3% of their diet—far, far less than is found in the typical American diet.

   So Should We, or Should We Not, Eat Meat?

   Is a vegetarian diet automatically better?

   No. In fact, depending on blood type, some people actually do better when they include meat in their diet. Other factors in our diet affect our health to a much greater degree than whether or not we eat meat.

   So??

   The bottom line is that eating small amounts of meat, chicken, or fish probably comes down mostly to a personal choice. If you choose to, you can eat 3 oz a day, or less, of meat without any
significant health problems—with the following provisos:

  Keep the amount small—3 ounces a day or less.

>Heavy consumption of meat significantly compromises beneficial bacteria in the colon resulting in a 1,000% increase in the levels of harmful bacteria in the colon and a concomitant 90% drop in the levels of the beneficial bacteria as measured in fecal matter.

>High consumption of meat also tends to push the body's pH levels into the acidic range, which as you'll see in Chapter 12 presents major health risks including cancer and osteoporosis.

>Epidemiological studies at Harvard Medical School showed that, "Men who eat red meat as a main dish five or more times a week have four times the risk of colon cancer than men who eat red meat less than once a month." They are also "more than twice as likely to get prostate cancer."

[1 Gorillas have never been observed hunting or feeding on any animals other than invertebrates such as termites and ants.]


[2 Wild chimps love fresh baby monkey meat.]

   If you're going to eat meat, buy only organic meat to avoid exposure to the wholerange of chemicals,[1]growth hormones, and parasites present in beef and chicken, or the high levels of toxic metals present in most fish. If it isn't available locally, pressure
your supermarket to carry it as an option.

2. What About Dairy?

   The average American typically eats close to 600 pounds of dairy products a year, which makes it the single largest component of their diet. Unfortunately, this may not be as healthy asthe milk ads you see on TV would lead you to believe. Even if the cow's milk you get is free of chemicals, growth hormones, allergenic proteins, blood, pus, antibiotics, bacteria, and viruses typically found in milk, you still have major problems. Cow's milk is not designed for people. For one thing, it has 20 times the casein of human milk.[2]
 (Human milk is designed to take an infant from 8 pounds to 40 pounds in 18 months. Cow's milk is designed to take a calf from 90 pounds to 1,000 pounds in about 24 months. Although they are both white, mother's milk and cow's milk are totally different beverages.) And for that matter, the cow's milk you buy in the store and the cow's milk that comes from a cow are not similar substances.

> First, homogenized milk is not natural and presents serious health risks. The theory behind homogenization sounds simple: break up the fat particles in milk until they are so small that they stay suspended in the milk and don't rise to the top and form the
layer of cream that used to be the trademark of all bottles of milk. Unfortunately, there's a side effect to this process. Once you make the fat particles so small that they don't rise, you've also made them so small that they easily get absorbed into the body and clog your arteries.

> Second, there's the problem of the growth hormone used in dairy cows to increase milk production. This growth hormone, called bovine-somatotropin3(BST), was developed by Monsanto. It was supposed to be identical to the actual growth hormone found in cows, and in fact, as part of their 55,000 page application to the FDA, Monsanto submitted a chart identifying the 191 amino acids contained in BST showing that they absolutely matched the amino acid chain found in natural growth hormone.
Unfortunately, it seems, the application is inaccurate. The problem occurs at amino acid #144, which was supposed to be lysine in both the natural growth hormone and in Monsanto's BST. As it turns out, it isn't. In the July 1994, issue of Protein Science(3:1089-97, 1994), Bernard Violand, a Monsanto scientist published evidence that
amino acid #144 in Monsanto's growth hormone is, in fact, epsilon-N-acetyllysine, a freak substance. Whoops! Ah, but then you probably think that once this problem...

[1 Just as an example, over 90% of today's chickens are fed arsenic compounds. And while we're on the subject of chickens, it's probably worth mentioning that according to a government study, over 90% of the chickens sold in this country are infected with leukosis (chicken cancer). As for those chickens with too much cancerous tissue to be sold, well . . . they're destroyed, ground up, and fed back to the chickens that we ultimately buy and eat!]

[2 The high levels of casein are just one of several reasons that humans do not digest milk proteins very well, leading to numerous allergic reactions and high levels of mucous in our noses and bowels. Incidentally, Elmer's® glue is made from cow's milk casein; that's why you see Elsie the cow on each bottle of Elmer's® glue.]


[3 Also called rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone).]

...came to light, totally nullifying the Monsanto application, that BST was recalled.
Nope, not in the United States![1]

   And then there's the fact that the body digests milk (any milk) differently once gastric juices begin to flow (at around 18-20 months old). Before gastric juices flow, milk is alkaline and non-mucous forming in the body; but once gastric juices enter the picture, they turn the milk acid, forming mucous, causing sinus problems, allergies, colds, etc. That's why every animal except man weans its young off milk! Think about that for a moment.

  In addition to all of that, milk has been implicated in:
>Heart disease[2]
>Cancer[3]—particularly breast cancer
>Diabetes[4]
>Allergies and colds
>Colitis
>Colic and earaches in young children

   And finally, milk has played a major role in the development of the "super bacteria" that have recently emerged to plague our health. How? In 1990, the USDA allowed the dairy industry to increase the one part per hundred-million antibiotic residue standard for milk by 10,000% to one part per million. The problem is that at this level of constant intake, the antibiotics actually destroy the probiotic colonies normally found in the intestinal tract, which then allows harmful bacteria to flourish and develop resistance to a whole range of antibiotics.[5]

   If you must have dairy, use organic. Avoid homogenized milk at all costs. Also, there are a number of grain and rice-based milk alternatives; some of which are spectacular.

[1 The FDA gave its approval for the sale of Monsanto's BST product back in 1993, but in Canada and the European Union, BST remains uapproved because of strong circumstantial evidence that it may promote cancer in cows and humans. Understand, this change in one amino acid is not insignificant. The replacement of one amino acid can change the configuration of a protein significantly; and configuration determines the properties and effects of a protein. Although the chemically detectable difference between true BGH and Monsanto's BST creation may be slight, the effects of the two hormones on the human body may be quite different indeed.]
[2 If you do drink milk, it is essential that you take a folic acid supplement to neutralize the xanthine oxidase found in milk. Xanthine oxidase, which attacks the arteries, is a major factor in heart disease. Interestingly enough, this problem seems only to occur with homgenized milk. When non-homogenized milk is consummed, the body excretes the xanthine oxidase.]
[3 It's worth noting that 60% of America's dairy cows are infected with the leukemia virus.]
[4 One particular protein, beta-caseine, found in cow's milk, can literally trick the immune system into attacking and destroying the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.]

[5 There are 52 different kinds of antibiotics and 59 bioactive hormones found in milk.

   Note: milk is often pitched as a great source of calcium. It is not. Yes, it has a high calcium content, but the body is able to utilize very little of it; and, in fact, because of the way the body deals with milk, consumption of milk actually leaches calcium from the bones.[1] If you have any doubt about this, just consider the fact that Americans are among the highest consumers of dairy in the world, eating an average of 600 pounds of dairy a year per person—and yet we have one of the highest incidences of osteoporosis in the civilized world!

   3. Unnatural Fats: The Number 1 Dietary Problem

  Food manufacturers love hydrogenated oils because hydrogenation makes those oils thicker, creamier, and more appetizing to the consumer. Unfortunately, hydrogenation also saturates the oils' fatty acids, changing them into trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids are the number one killer in our diets, and a major contributor to:

>Cancer

>Heart Disease

>Diabetes

   Hydrogenated (and partially hydrogenated) oils are absolutely unnecessary and have no place in your diet or in any of the foods you eat. The number one dietary prescription from this chapter
is to totally eliminate all hydrogenated oils from your diet. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as it sounds. Food manufacturers have put them in almost every food they manufacture. The good
news is that if enough people refuse to buy foods that contain trans-fatty acid oils, manufacturers will stop putting them in their foods.

   You also want to eliminate refined oils and manufactured polyunsaturated oils from your diet. What oils are good? Virtually any raw natural oil is good. Olive oil is the best. Use lots of extra
virgin olive oil in your cooking. Surprisingly, butter is cool—provided that you can get butter that doesn't contain antibiotics and bovine growth hormone and all the rest of the nonsense that many
dairy farmers use.

  "Wait a second! Isn't butter high in saturated fat?" Absolutely, and let's put that bugaboo to rest. Natural saturated fats in moderation are not a problem. They do not raise cholesterol levels. They do not lead to heart disease. In fact, there is actually a diet that helps people lose weight, and lower cholesterol levels while eating as much meat and eggs and natural saturated fat as they like.[2]
 The two reasons this diet works are (1) natural saturated fats do
not cause heart problems, and (2) all versions of this diet call for the elimination of snack foods, processed foods, sugared foods, foods containing any trans-fatty acids, and foods high on the glycemic index.

[1 It is a myth that we need milk for calcium. There are many far superior sources of calcium—such as sesame seeds. The problem with milk is that because of its high acidity, your body needs to buffer it with even more internal calcium than you get from the milk itself. Also, the 10 to 1 ratio of calcium to magnesium found in milk is insanely high and devastating to the body.]

[2 I've already discussed my concerns with too much meat in the diet; nevertheless, these programs do demonstrate the health-building power of just eliminating the bad things from our diet.]

 4. Refined Carbohydrates: The Number 2 Dietary Problem

   This includes all refined and processed foods, including:

>Everything made with white flour

>White rice

>Cold cereals

>Most hot cereals

>Most snack foods

>All sugar foods, including cakes, candies, and soda pop[1]

   They negatively affect the body in a number of ways. They are all acid forming in the body, which we'll talk more about in Chapter 12. They are all converted to triglycerides in the body and
stored as fat. And they all rank high on the glycemic index (with no redeeming nutritional value such as the fruits and vegetables that are also high on the glycemic index).

The Glycemic Index

   The glycemic index, and identifying high-glycemic foods, is one of the hot areas of nutritional science right now. Not to make light of it, it is an extremely important dietary consideration, but with one huge HOWEVER. First, though, a quick discussion of the glycemic index.

   Diabetics have been using the glycemic index for years to help in controlling their insulin levels. Quite simply, foods that adversely affect blood sugar by elevating insulin levels are termed "high glycemic" foods, and foods that do not elevate insulin levels are "low glycemic." High glycemic foods can:

>Cause your body to store fat

>Make you fatigued

>Cause your brain to go "fuzzy"

>Lead to heart problems such as elevated LDL cholesterol levels and high blood pressure

   Obviously, these are conditions to be avoided. High glycemic foods that cause elevated insulin levels and the concomitant problems I just mentioned include:

Bananas

Raisins ...

[1 Soda pop, particularly colas, may be the single worst "food" ever invented. First, soda contains approximately 1 teaspoon of sugar per ounce of soda. (Aspartame is even worse—once having been considered by the military for possible use as a battlefield neurotoxin.) That works out to about 12 teaspoons per can, or 32 teaspoons per Big Gulp. Many sodas, particularly colas, are high in phosphoric acid, which leaches calcium out of your body at an astounding rate. And all sodas "feature" CO2 bubbles, which when you think about it, is the body's main waste product!]

... Carrots

Potatoes

Corn

Breads, cereals, pastas, and rice of all kinds

Virtually all snack foods

Sugars of all kinds and soda pop

   Earlier, I mentioned that there was a big HOWEVER to the glycemic index. What is that however? It's called chewing. If you chew your food well enough, the saliva neutralizes almost all of the glycemic response. So how much do you need to chew your food?

   There's an old saying that says, "You should drink your solids and chew your liquids." What that means is that you should chew the dry food you eat until it turns to liquid in your mouth (about 40 chews per mouthful), and that you should swish liquids back and forth in your mouth (chew them as it were) an equal number of times.

   As we've already discussed when we talked about refined foods, you should give up snack foods and refined flour products and sugar sweetened foods for a number of reasons. On the other
hand, for most people, if chewed enough, it's still okay to eat all of the fresh fruits and vegetables you want—even if they are high on the glycemic index.

   General Recommendations

>Diet. Clean up your act.

 Eliminate as much of the processed and cooked food from your diet as possible. Instead of canned or frozen, eat fresh.

 Eliminate as much of the refined flours, grains, and sugars as possible. Instead of white bread, eat REAL whole wheat. Instead of cake and ice cream for dessert,
eat fruit.

 Replace low-value foods such as potatoes and iceberg lettuce with high value foods such as sweet potatoes and almost any of the richly colored vegetables (particularly, spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and beets).[1]

  As much as possible, eliminate all snack foods and fast foods. Replace with prunes (no kidding, an extremely powerful antioxidant), raisins, and all of the berries.

  Eliminate all hydrogenated oils and trans-fatty acids. Replace with olive oil and fresh butter.

[1 For those with arthritis, it might be useful to forego vegetables from the nightshade family, including: tomatoes,

spinach, and eggplant.]

     Cut back on the quantity of meat, pork,[1]chicken, and dairy in your diet. And make sure that what you do consume is organic.[2]
 Fish, of course, is okay—okay that is, if you can be sure it's free of heavy metals and toxins and hormonal "modifications."

> So what does that leave you? Actually thousands of choices. Virtually, everything that we've talked about eliminating is easily replaced with a healthier version. If you can't find the organic meats and dairy you want, or the whole grain foods you're looking for, talk to your supermarket. In most cases, they will get it if you ask.

>Of course, if someone is in an advanced state of illness, they better clean up their act TOTALLY, and eat no meat and no cooked food. In fact, ideally, they should go on a raw juice fast[3]—at least, until they get well. Once you're well, you can bake up a potato, or grill yourself a nice piece of organic beef (if that's your bent).

>The bottom line is that the worse you eat, the more often you will need to cleanse and detox and make use of supplements.

   So After All That, What Do I Eat?

   At one time, I was totally vegetarian, primarily for ethical reasons. Anyone who has any awareness of how cattle, poultry, and pigs are treated in our modern "superfarms," must think twice about consuming products produced by this system. It is incredibly cruel.
Unfortunately, after years of speaking engagements in numerous places around the world, I got tired of eating iceberg lettuce with second-rate Italian dressing for lunch, and white rice and dead vegetables for dinner. I broke down and started eating small amounts of chicken and fish.

   My diet now consists of:

>Fresh juices, superfoods, and ground flaxseed (see next chapter) for breakfast.

>Large fresh salads with a variety of greens and vegetables4
 with the occasional small piece of chicken or fish for lunch.

>Dinner is light. Sometimes a bowl of slow cooked whole-grain cereal so the enzymes are still active. Sometimes a small bowl of soup. Sometimes fresh fruit, etc.

[1 And no, pork is not "the other white meat." In fact, it's probably one of the more indigestible meats.]
[2 Incidentally, pesticide levels are far more concentrated in the animal flesh and dairy we eat than in the fruits and vegetables sprayed with those pesticides. Think about it for a moment. The animals consume these pesticides day after day, steadily concentrating all of the pesticides they eat through their entire lives in their flesh. The bottom line is that the higher up the food chain you go, the more concentrated the pesticides are. A cow eats hundreds of pounds of clover to make a few gallons of milk—concentrating the pesticide in that milk. Then again, it takes 21 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of butter, and 10 pounds of milk to make 1 lb of cheese—concentrating the pesticides even more.]
[3 See Chapter 13.]

[4 Sometimes I'll substitute a plate of lightly steamed or baked vegetables for the salad.]

 > On the other hand, I still have an occasional slice of pizza. When I was young, I'd eat pizza 2-3 times a week. Now it's once a month. And more often than I should, I still indulge a sweet tooth and have dessert.