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7 Steps of Prevention
5. Nutrition and Digestion
What you can do:
Eat a minimum of 5 different fresh, organic vegetables or fruits every day. The vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber, phytonutrients and anti-oxidants in a single carrot or apple make them powerful healers. Raw produce contains enzymes vital for life, health and digestion. Some advocate a raw foods diet as a pathway to better health. But not everyone can digest raw foods well. And some foods, like the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) are much better digested if they are lightly cooked. Each of us needs to find for ourselves what our own body responds to best. Although I prefer for many reasons to be a vegetarian, I have found that I actually feel much better if I eat some animal protein several times per week. I have more energy and strength, more stable blood sugar levels and my endurance is better. And Although I love raw food, I do better on a diet that is about 50% raw.
Investigate "Alternate Dietary Approaches" such as Ayurvedic and Macrobiotic
The Indian science of health known as Ayurveda is based on living in harmony with nature. This is not only the natural world around us, but also living in harmony with one's own nature. Ayurveda has defined three primary physiological/ psychological types: Pitta, Vatta and Kapha. There are specific recommendations for diet and lifestyle for each type. Personally I am a Pitta and I have found great value in observing the Ayurvedic recommendations for my "Pitta Personality and Body Type". There are many books and websites explaining Ayurvedic science and you may find it to be helpful to investigate and see if Ayurveda resonates with you personally.
Another approach that has proved enormously successful for people with cancer is a Macrobiotic Diet. It is based largely on eating grains, beans and greens with a complete absence of sugary sweets and only minimal amounts of fruit. Brown rice, veggies, seaweeds, savory soups and fermented foods such as Japanese pickles or sauerkraut, which are rich in natural enzymes, are emphasized. Many people claim to have healed themselves from cancer with a macrobiotic diet and I believe it is not only possible, but also essential that anyone with cancer adopt macrobiotic eating habits in order to give him or herself the best chance for total recovery.
Take Natural, Organic, Whole Food Based Supplements. Few of us eat well enough every day to really be giving our bodies all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. we need to enjoy optimum health. Compared to the cost of disease, the cost of supplementation is negligible. Modern medicine has indeed extended the human lifespan, but as a Registered Nurse working for many years in a hospital environment, I have seen that the additional years we gain are often spent in misery as a result of poor health. Our goal should not be to live long lives, but to live long, HEALTHY LIVES!
Supplementing our diets with substances known to have protective, health-enhancing effects is the best "health insurance" policy money can buy. Although I personally don't really relish popping a large handful of supplements every day, I still do it because I feel so much better when I do, compared with when I don't. And I pride myself on taking vitamins, minerals and herbs to stay healthy, instead of toxic and dangerous pharmaceuticals for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, low bone density, etc. etc.
Take Digestive Enzymes with your meals. Enzymes are essential to life. They are the catalysts and converters of every process that takes place in the body. Although enzymes are said to be protein molecules, they are actually the life force present within a protein molecule. When enzymes are subjected to high heat, they are destroyed. The protein molecule is still present, but it has lost its life force and is not longer active. So the protein molecule is much like a light bulb that contains the invisible power of (enzyme) electricity and allows it to be used to our advantage. A burned out light bulb is useless. So is a cooked enzyme. This is the focus and theory of eating a mainly raw diet. The life force present within food enzymes is fully available to the body for energy and healing. When we cook food, much of the vitamin, fiber and enzyme content are destroyed. We have thus removed much of the power of food to maintain and restore health.
The body does manufacture its own enzymes, largely in the pancreas. But as with the rest of the body, as we age, our systems often become overwhelmed and unable to keep up with cumulative damage we have sustained. Although enzymes are being produced, they are not made in sufficient quantity for OPTIMAL functioning. Yes, the body can hobble along on a diet of fast food, candy, sodas and microwave dinners. But that lifestyle will quickly take its toll. You may be able to stay alive eating like that, but you will not be well. You will not be experiencing or enjoying optimum health. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of poor digestion, including allergies, which are rarely suspected, yet often implicated in enzyme deficiencies, supplementing your diet with digestive enzymes could make a huge difference. This is especially important if you are eating cooked foods, as most of us do! Cooked foods are devoid of the enzymes needed for digestion, and therefore the enzymes must be pulled from the body's inner resources, such as the pancreas and white blood cells. This lowers the amount of enzymes available to carry on the vital work of the immune system and the body's regenerative healing systems. This gradual, chronic depletion of enzymes, unless restored, will lead to the slow degeneration of health we see in the general public.
Enzymes do much more than just help us to digest food, though. Enzymes are involved in every aspect of physiology. They drive immune system responses, our ability to resist disease and heal from injury. They moderate and balance hormonal responses in the endocrine system. They facilitate the body's ability to generate energy and to heal itself.
In addition to taking supplemental digestive enzymes, try to eat food with high enzyme content like sprouts, raw juices, and fermented foods.
Take Pro-Biotics. Pro-biotics are the "friendly flora" or helpful bacteria that normally live in the gastro-intestinal tract (and vagina, too) and help to keep digestion and elimination running smoothly. Without them we experience poor digestion, gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, leaky gut syndrome, vaginitis and yeast infections, and generally bad health. Insufficient bacteria in the gut is associated with gastrointestinal infections, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies, atopic eczema, asthma, cardio-vascular disease, uro-genital infections, colorectal cancer and even autism!
Pro-biotic literally means "Pro-Life", or "For Life". We have a symbiotic relationship within our bodies with many little life forms that do a great service in exchange for keeping residence with us. They really do work for their keep! For example, the mitochondria within our cells that are the essential energy factories for our bodies are actually another life form with their own DNA. They are not, technically "us". And yet, we could not live without them. Nurturing these little helpers (Mitochondria love Co-Enzyme Q and exercise! They both bring lots of oxygen to the cell, which the mitochondria need to do their work) and keeping them strong enables them to hold up their end of the symbiotic deal and keep us strong, energized and disease-free.
The friendly bacteria in the gut like to have lots of company! Adding pro-biotic in the form of raw kefir or yogurt is a great idea for optimum health. Kefir is a yogurt-like drink that is actually better than yogurt because it has more beneficial bacteria and is in a more pre-digested state, making it safe and digestible even for small children and lactose-intolerant individuals. A small amount, one quarter to one half cup of kefir 3-4 times a week will add tremendously to your gastro-intestinal health and overall well being. The best is raw, organic kefir. You can take a pro-biotic capsule if you prefer. Make sure to keep them in the fridge to preserve the live, active bacteria.
Take Betaine Hydrochloric Acid After Meals. As we age, we produce less and less stomach (hydrochloric) acid, or HCL. Many symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, bloating and gas are NOT the result of an "acid stomach"; they are the result of NOT ENOUGH acid in the stomach! If the digestion process is inadequate within the stomach, our food will never be completely, or well digested later, and the problems will just compound as the undigested food moves further along the digestive tract. If you have inadequate HCL, combined with inadequate digestive enzymes and insufficient friendly flora in the intestine, you are GAURANTEED digestive difficulties and poor health! Fortunately, all of these conditions are fairly easily remedied.
To find out if you are deficient in HCL, try taking 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar after a meal. If you feel better, you are not producing enough stomach acid.
Betaine Hydrochloric Acid is produced from beets in a concentration that is very safe and health promoting in many ways above and beyond aiding digestion. HCL has been known for over 70 years to be a treatment for many diseases resistant to other forms of healing. It has the ability to detoxify and cleanse the body on a cellular level. It restores methyl groups to cells, which are associated with longevity and strong immune response. In fact, strengthening the immune system is one of the primary benefits of taking supplemental HCL, in addition to improving digestion. It is very inexpensive, easy to take and highly recommended for anyone experiencing digestive difficulties or poor immune response.
To try our products designed to enhance your nutrition and digestion status, click here!
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the food and Drug Administration. This Product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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