When it comes to produce, should we choose organic or local? The obvious answer is “both.” But when local, organic produce is not available, which is the greener and healthier choice?
People who vote for organic will argue that organic is always healthier because it is not genetically modified and is not sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. On the other hand, many of the eco-conscious cite the enormous carbon footprint involved in the transportation of produce. It is a bit ridiculous to buy organic California grown oranges in Florida and vice-versa. Buying locally not only saves on fossil fuels, it also keeps money in the local economy.
So, if you’re buying for health, you should always buy organic, and if you’re buying for environmental reasons, you should always buy local, right? Not necessarily.
Which is Healthier?
Locally grown fruits and vegetables may actually be healthier than organic fruits and vegetables shipped in from afar. While GMOs should be avoided at all costs, if health is your primary concern, try to find out if the farmer practices crop rotation. This is necessary to determine the nutritional value of the produce. Consider the distance organic produce travels with the substantial loss of enzymes and nutrients compared to fresh produce. And remember that organic farmers are allowed to use some harmful pesticides under many circumstances. Then consider the significant increase in vitamin and mineral content in produce grown on local farms that practice crop rotation.
The vitamins and mineral content of produce is not always higher when produce is organic, not when the nutrition is determined by the health of the soil and the freshness of the produce. While organic practices typically do promote healthier soil and more nutritious produce, with big business fully on the organic bandwagon soil quality is not always taken into consideration. Consequently, crop rotation, one of the best ways to help restore the soil, can be ignored.
The average person, that is, a person whose health is not degraded to the point where chemical sensitivities are an issue, would do better to ingest a little more pesticides with a lot more vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and enzymes. It behooves the consumer who shops in this manner to choose wisely. If buying conventional for health’s sake, conventional produce that typically contain the highest concentrations of pesticides, like berries and apples, should be avoided. It is likely that the increased benefits of local fresh strawberries are nullified by the enormous amounts of pesticides conventional farmers use to grow them.
Which is Greener?
When purchasing produce, we should consider long term ramifications of decisions. Voting with the pocketbook is the most powerful vote anyone can make considering its frequency and potential to evoke real change. Money talks. Every time a purchase of conventional produce is made a vote is cast for non-organic, environmentally harmful practices. Buying non-organic produce encourages everything the environmentally conscious stand against. Purchasing local conventional produce for the purpose of saving carbon emissions is penny wise and pound foolish.
To further complicate matters, the way food miles are calculated often misses a big piece of the puzzle. When purchasing an apple grown locally, for example, one should take into account the fact that the apple grown on a small scale farm may have arrived to the market via a small farmer’s pickup truck that traveled 65 miles to the market with around 100 apples or so. Compare this to a semi truck carrying two or three thousand apples. We can do the math to calculate the fuel consumed per apple, but in most cases, the math gets way too complicated. Farmers often bring their produce to large farmer’s markets in their area via their pickups and flatbeds, where the produce is shipped all over the country via tractor trailers.
A Better Idea
Ask the local grocery store manager if s/he carries local, organic produce. When shopping at farmer’s markets ask the vendors if they have organic produce and if they practice crop rotation. When the answer is no, move on. This is how change happens.
Even Better
Grow as much of your own food as you can.
Human Revolution…GMO Right 2 Know Yes on Labeling Tour!
Our good friend, Jason Taylor of The Source Project, is here in the US and he is traveling with Human Revolution.
Jason uses his video camera to document the truths behind our food supply. His work takes him from his home in the UK to the palm fields of Uganda and the shores of Goa. He tells the story of the farmers, the fishermen, and the real people who are being affected by corporate greed, environmental destruction and industrialized agriculture.
Human Revolution is a political rocker who is using music as a medium to spread the word about the unjust, unhealthy, and unlawful practices behind GMOs. His latest tour is titled, GMO Right 2 Know Yes on Labeling Tour! The goal of the tour is to raise awareness and educate people about the dangers GMO’s pose to both consumer health and to farmers and get the word out to voters in California to vote YES on labeling this November! Human’s California tour is sponsored by Dr. Bronners Magic Soap.
We’re going to be following The Human Revolution here on OLM through Jason’s lens. Keep an eye on our blog and facebook page to see what The Human Revolution is up to and help spread the word by sharing the videos, photos, and blog posts with your friends! Let’s help Jason and Human get GMOs labeled in the state of California and throughout the world.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is calling for a municipal ban on the sale of sugary drinks of greater than 16 ounces
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has banned smoking in New York City as well as Trans-fats in restaurants. He had forced chain restaurants to put calorie counts on menus, and he got sugary soft drinks out of city and school vending machines.
Now, with his continued efforts to curb obesity and lower the cost of health care in New York, Bloomberg is calling for a municipal ban on the sale of sugary drinks of greater than 16 ounces.
The ban applied defines the drinks to be barred that contain more than 25 calories per 8 ounces. This does not include diet sodas.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke to MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell responding to the many critics of his extremely controversial big ban, “The idea is you tend to eat all of the food in the container. If it’s bigger, you eat more. If somebody put a smaller glass or plate or bowl in front of you, you would eat less.”
Even progressive liberal comedian-pundit John Stewart is clearly not a fan of the proposal.
The ban would outlaw the sale of sugary drinks 16 oz or more in restaurants and vending machines (including those at gas stations), but you would still be able to purchase large bottles at stores. And of course, the six pack will still be an option is well.
I have mixed emotions about this ban. Soda consumption is one of the most significant contributors of a wide range of disease.
(Image courtesy of The Daily Mail)
But personally, I would rather see our government attempt to educate people as opposed to controlling people. Most people are still unaware of not only of how much sugar is in soda, but also, how bad sugar really is for us. And I would also like to see artificially sweetened foods, including diet soda, banned. Also, as far as laws are concerned, I would much prefer restrictions placed on advertising such as those commercials that try to convince us that Sunny Delight is good for your kids, or that high fructose corn syrup is perfectly healthy “in moderation.”
What do you think of New York’s proposed ban on large sodas?
Almost Raw Asparagus Mango Salad Recipe
This is such an amazing dish, and so easy to prepare! It’s sure to impress even an those who aren’t fond of asparagus. If you are looking to go 10% raw, that’s easy too. Just don’t boil the vinegar, and cut the amount of vinegar you use in half. You may want to sweeten it a bit, as balsamic vinegar reduction is very sweet, but the mangos may take care of that so taste it before sweetening.
Ingredients
2 pounds asparagus
1 large mango
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Hot sauce to taste (I use a peach habanera hot sauce I love!)
Instructions
Boil balsamic vinegar for 3 minutes to create a reduction (making the vinegar sweeter and thicker). Cut off tough ends of asparagus. Combine all ingredients and let set for 3 hours in refrigerator.
Alternatively you can cook the asparagus lightly if you prefer. In the image above I used three kinds of asparagus, and cook the purple and white variety lightly and left the smaller green asparagus raw. It’s also good served room temperature or warm if you chose.
Agave Nectar, Is It Healthy?
No. It’s not. Agave Nectar is no healthier than refined table sugar.
Agave nectar is mostly fructose. This is why agave has a low glycemic index. Many people believe that since the sugar in fruit is fructose that this means fructose is automatically healthy. It is, in small amounts, with fruit fiber, fruit vitamins, fruit minerals, and all of the other nutrition in fruit. When whole fruits are consumed, the fructose is absorbed more slowly.
With agave nectar there is nothing to slow the absorption. Even if you eat agave with foods rich in fiber, all of the fructose separates and is absorbed quickly. Fructose passes into the bloodstream and is taken to the liver, where it is made into glycogen. Glycogen is a product stored in the liver and released to make glucose when the body needs it. But once the liver is stocked with glycogen (again, it doesn’t take much), the remaining fructose makes insulin resistant fatty acids and triglycerides.
Excessive fructose consumption (and it doesn’t take much) can lead to liver disease, insulin resistance which leads to diabetes, raised LDL cholesterol, elevated triglycerides in the body, and weight gain due to multiple factors. And if that wasn’t enough, fructose does not trigger the release of two hormones (insulin and leptin) in your blood. These hormones tell your body it’s no longer hungry. And excessive fructose elevates uric acid level, which can lead to gout and/or metabolic syndrome including hypertension and glucose intolerance. The increase in fructose consumption in America directly correlates to the rise in diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. While this is mostly attributed to high fructose corn syrup, if agave was the sweetener used in soda, our health as a nation would not be much better off.
If you’re looking for alternative sweeteners to use, check out our Healthy Sugar Alternatives article. But keep this in mind: in nature, sweets are hard to come by, they are seasonal, and they come with fiber and other nutrition. There is no healthy way to consume sweets on a regular basis. If you are trying to eat healthy, instead of looking for the magical sugar that doesn’t have any negative repercussions, learn to develop a healthier palate – a taste for raw fresh vegetables.
Organicwashing – Companies Greenwashing Our Health Food
Who can you trust? Many products that are designed to appeal to the health consious should be avoided.
There are some great companies out there that are trying to make a positive impact on this world by producing healthy, beneficial, environmentally friendly products. There are companies that obviously put profits above our health and our environment. And then there are companies that pretend to care about consumer health and the environment only because they are able to profit by doing so. This is a form of greenwashing called organicwashing.
Organicwashing: a form of greenwashing where companies market a product in a manner that is meant to convince consumers that the product is produced with people’s health and animal welfare in mind, while secretly not giving a damn about anything but profit. Yeah, we made that up. If you are new to organic foods, trying to eat healthier and trying to reduce your environmental impact, it can be overwhelming to find out that the eggs you have been eating and the milk you drink are no better than conventional products you were purchasing before. It’s often enough to make well intentioned consumers throw their arms up and walk away from the more expensive organic products for good. Not only are we going to list for you companies to avoid when purchasing healthier foods, but we will also give you a list companies that are doing a good job of staying green. Surprisingly, some of them are owned by the least environmentally friendly companies. You can be the judge as to whether or not to purchase their products. We will also list a few of the better options to choose from, like companies that are not owned by big bad businesses, green companies that do everything they can to adhere to their original standards. In our comment section below, feel free to add to the list and help this page be a resource to identify the good companies and the organic washers. Not all of these companies are labeled organic, but they are all appealing to the health minded consumer.
Horizon Foods: Milk, Cheese, and Eggs
Horizon is the largest producer of organic milk and organic eggs in the world. They are owned by Dean Foods, the largest conventional dairy company in the world. Dean Foods does not care about organic standards. Actually, that’s not entirely true. Dean food cares a great deal about reducing organic standards. Horizon is often in trouble for bending and violating organic rules and regulations. Dean Foods lobbies to reduce organic standards. And their eggs and milk actually tastes no better than conventional eggs and milk, because they are not much better. For milk, try not drinking it! Consider this: milk is produced by impregnating a cow (or a sheep, or a goat) and then taking away the infant, putting it on formula, and milking the mother. We are ripping apart a mother-infant bond. If you think for a second that the cows don’t know any better, you need to go to a farm and watch it happen. It’s heart-wrenching. There are many other options available. Soy milk is not one we recommend, but there is almond milk, rice milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, and more! The taste is acquired, but believe it or not, cow’s milk is an acquired taste, too.
Silk Soy Milk
Owned by Dean Foods again. The soy beans are genetically modified. And soy milk IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU ANYWAY!
Cascadian Farms
Owned by General Mills, Cascadian Farms, whose principle investors include: Alcoa, Chevron, Disney, Dupont, ExxonMobil, General Electric, McDonalds, Monsanto, Nike, Pepsico, Pfizer, Philip Morris, Starbucks, Target, and Texas Instruments. Every one of those companies has atrocious human rights and environmental issues. 100% of the brand’s cereal and granola products are certified organic, and yet the corporate owners include the nation’s largest agribusinesses involved in GMO/ chemical agriculture. So while Cascadian Farms has done a good job of staying organic, even after they were bought out by this evil company, supporting Cascadian Farms is supporting the worst of the worst companies and everything Cascadian Farms used to stand against. Plus, most grains and the sugar they sell their grains with, really aren’t good for you anyway.
Kashi
Again, most grains are not good for you. And Kashi is grains and sugar too. They are also owned by Kellogg (who also owns Bear Naked). Kashi makes promises of “all natural” and/or “nothing artificial” on the front labels of most of its products. This lead to the August 2011 class action lawsuit filed against the company by Michael Bates. Processed and synthetic ingredients are in most of their products. The lawsuit indicates that a number of these artificial ingredients are listed as “prescription drugs, irradiated substances, pesticides that are a by-product of uranium mining and federally declared hazardous substances.” Kashi also stated that some of its foods “may contain GMOs.” And they followed with, “Many factors outside our control, such as pollen drift from nearby crops and current practices in agricultural storage, handling, and shipping, have led to an environment in North America where GMOs are not sufficiently controlled.”
Hain Celestial Group
Heinz Co. owns nearly 20% of Hain. And Hain owns Garden of Eatin’, Health Valley, WestSoy, Earth’s Best, Hain Pure Foods, Spectrum Naturals, Walnut Acres Organic, Imagine Foods, Rice Dream, Soy Dream, Ethnic Gourmet, Yves Veggie Cuisine, JASON, Avalon Organics, and Alba Walnut Acres, Westbrae, Imagine, Arrowhead Mills, Breadshop’s, Casbah, The Good Dog,The Good Slice, DeBoles, Lima, Biomarche, Grains Noirs, Earth’s Best, and Nile Spice. The Company is a leader in 13 of the top 15 natural food categories. The Cornucopia Institute put together an Organic Soy Scorecard that reveals which soy product companies are truly trustworthy versus those that are not. Cornucopia took into account thesourcing of soybeans, use of toxic chemicals for soy protein extraction, and the use or avoidance of genetically modified soybeans. Westsoy and SoyDream (both owned by Hain Celestial Group) – Refused to share their sourcing information. Hain Celestial Group routinely uses yeast extract in its foods (a form of hidden MSG). Their personal care products (Avalon Organics, and Alba) contain a wide variety of toxic ingredients as well.
Trader Joe’s
Why is trader Joe’s so popular among the green and health conscious? To their credit, when their consumers have spoken out, Trader Joe’s responded with the proper policy changes: they now carry cage-free eggs and GMO-free foods. And they did recently agree to revamp their seafood policies, after a lengthy campaign by Greenpeace to get red-list fish out of its stores. But why did they have to be pressured to do this? And their produce and other foods tend to come in plastic packaging. You can’t buy a fruit or vegetables without buying them being wrapped in SaranWrap, and typically wrapped on a Styrofoam tray.
Stoneyfield
Stonyfield is owned by Dannon. YoKids Squeezers conatian carrageenan. Carrageenan is a water-soluble polymer, also known as a gum, which is used as a fat substitute in processed meats and can be found in condensed milk and some soy milk products. Stonyfield assures us that the FDA says it is safe. And we all trust the FDA. No, kidding, the FDA cannot be trusted anymore than Monsanto. And carrageenan may cause stomach lesions or cancer. There have also been issues about Stonyfield refusing to pay fair prices for milk. And at 99 cents a yogurt, it’s no surprise.
Odwalla and Naked Juices
Pepsi owns Naked. Odwalla is owned by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company. We can thank Odwalla for the laws that require juice to be pasteurized. Before they were acquired by Coca-Cola they selling unpasteurized juice. But they were juicing rotten fruits and vegetables with filthy equipment. People got sick. Wikiepedian states, “A period of decline occurred as a result of a fatal outbreak of H7 in 1996 that was caused by using bruised fruit that had been contaminated. Following the E. coli outbreak, Odwalla adopted flash pasteurization and other sanitization procedures.”
Organic Companies You Can Trust
Eden Foods is an amazing company. And while they are pretty substantial in size, the people running this company care a great deal about producing healthy, beneficial products for their consumers. The best egg producer we know of is Vital Farms. They really do care about the welfare of their eggs. “There are many elements we consider vital to our methods: organic green pastures, multiple native grasses, herbs, seeds, and other natural foliage, top quality organic feed, plenty of fresh water, relatively small flock sizes, lots of space to roam and forage, protection for the birds, shelter from inclement weather, and a personal attentiveness to the birds’ welfare!” And their eggs taste incredible! Organic Valley is a pretty good company for eggs and milk. They have been in some trouble, but they do take measures to abide by organic standards, and they aren’t looking to greenwash consumers. But they, along with Whole Foods, and Stonyfield, recently decided it’s time to surrender to Monsanto. Top executives from these companies have publicly admitted that they no longer oppose the mass commercialization of GE crops, such as Monsanto’s controversial Roundup Ready alfalfa, and are prepared to sit down and cut a deal for “coexistence” with Monsanto and USDA biotech cheerleader Tom Vilsack. Read more at The Organic Elite Surrenders to Monsanto: What Now?
Organic Bureaucracy
According to many farmers, it has become difficult, even prohibitive, for many small farmers to become certified organic.
And there’s more! Watch this video:
Conclusion
The truth is, organic standards mean very little at this point. And a product labeled as organic is likely to not adhere to these almost meaningless standards anyway. But even if the product does meet the qualifications, the standards leave so much room for manipulating the system. And with the big companies wanting to get in on the organic scene, it is only getting worse and worse. The easiest thing you can do to avoid organicwashing is to avoid buying from big companies! If you see a banana labeled organic sold by Chiquita, don’t buy it! Buy from smaller companies that got into the organic business to make a difference.
Cheap and Easy Detox Diet Plans (and more)
With a list of common detox diets and reasons to detoxify, and what you should consider before detoxifying.
A very thorough detox can be expensive and difficult, but with today’s lifestyle, detoxifying the body thoroughly is essential for good health. That said, people have a body that efficiently expels toxins effectively when they eat very well, exercise, sweat, and breathe heavily while exercising, drink lots of water, and stay away from medications. There are bound to be some chemicals in the body that will not be expelled on their own, and a thorough detox is still a good idea, but a healthy body always is detoxifying more toxins than it takes in and produces.
Why Detoxify?
Here are just a few indications that you need to detoxify:
You get the idea. Basically, any health problem means the body is toxic. There is only one disease, and that is cell malfunction. There are only two causes, nutrition deficiencies and toxicity. And the two go hand-in-hand.
Toxins are so easy to accumulate. Here is an incomplete list of commonplace items or substances that can cause harmful toxic chemical accumulation. Some may surprise you!
Brake fluid
Fungicides
Pesticides
Cables
Gasoline
Plastic
Carpet
Glass
Rubber
Ceramics
Hair spray
Rubbing alcohol
Chipping paint in older homes
Hand cleaners
Seafood
Colognes
Hand cream
Shampoo
Computers
Insect repellant
Shaving cream
Contact lens cleaning solution
Insecticide
Soap
Cosmetics
Latex paint
Spot cleaners
Crystal tableware
Light switches in cars
Spot removers
Dental fillings
Liquid soap
Stain/varnishes
Detergents
Lotion
Thermometers
Drugs
Lubricants
Thermostats
Dyes
Medical devices
Tire cleaners
Electronic equipment
Medication
Vaccinations
Erasable ink
Mosquito repellent
VCR head cleaners
Floor cleaners
Nail polishes
Wax strippers
Fluorescent lamps
Paint
Windshield cleaners
Food additives
Paper
Wood finishes
Food packaging
Perfume
X-ray shields
It’s amazing how toxic our modern lifestyle has become. The human body becomes overwhelmed. Our bile becomes toxic. Our blood becomes toxic and sluggish. But the way one feels after detoxification is truly an amazing feeling! So alert, energized, focused, successful, intelligent, and the list goes on. Our bodies are amazing, but they are really amazing when they are not being slowed down by crap. Living with a toxic is like driving a car that needed an oil change, a new air filter, and new spark plugs about 60,000 miles ago.
Common Detox Diets
There are a few detoxification diets that you’ve probably heard about. Below are some of the pros and cons with a few of the more well known detox diets and/or weight loss diets.
The Master Cleanse is a modified juice fast that includes lemonade made with purified or spring water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, organic maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Laxatives are also part of the program as well.
Cheap
Simple to do
Reduces appetite, so it’s great for resetting the body’s desire for food
Muscle mass loss
Very little nutrition
Difficult to stick with for many people
Fat loss is likely to be put right back on
Most people need supplements to thoroughly detoxify
Raw Food Cleanse
There are many variations to choose from. The diets consist of raw foods and fresh juicing.
Raw foods are the healthiest thing we can eat
Plenty of nutrition
Most people need supplements to thoroughly detoxify
Diuretic Diet
Diuretic foods or supplements will help the body to release fluid. There are certain herbs and foods that are natural diuretics, like celery, parsley, asparagus, and watermelon.
Relieves bloating
Quick weight loss
Not enough nutrition
Muscle loss
Fat loss is likely to be put right back on
Most people need supplements to thoroughly detoxify
The diet aims to restore and maintain a healthy ecology that your body needs to function optimally.
One of the healthiest diets there is
Plenty of nutrition
Does a very good job of establishing a healthy ecosystem within the colon
Not easy to follow
Many of the recipes do not taste good in many people’s opinion
Living Foods Diet
A diet program based on living plant foods , like a raw foods diet, but greater emphasis on foods that are still alive and as fresh as possible.
Lots of enzymes
Lots of nutrition
Most people need supplements to thoroughly detoxify
Fruitarianism
A diet that includes fruits, nuts and seeds, without animal products, vegetables or grains.
Lots of enzymes
Lots of nutrition
Fruits are very easy to digest
Most people need supplements to thoroughly detoxify
Fruits can feed Candida
Juice Fast
Raw vegetable and fruit juiceand water only
Lots of nutrition
Most people need supplements to thoroughly detoxify
Fruit juice can feed Candida
Hallelujah Diet
A heavily supplemented, low-calorie vegan diet, consisting of 85% raw organic foods and 15% cooked foods.
Should be easy to continue eating this way
Lots of nutrition
Does not do a thorough job of removing toxins
Weight Loss Cure
Based on Kevin Trudeau’s book which adheres to detoxifying the body as a means to weight loss. Involves a combination of injections, supplements, cleansing regimes and organic foods.
A good detox program addresses parasites, heavy metals, colon, liver and gallbladder, and nutrition. Usually when people attempt to detoxify, they fast. Reducing calories is ideal when detoxifying, but reducing nutrition can be dangerous. When your body is releasing chemicals, parasites, calcifications, heavy metals, and many other nasty toxins, your body needs nutrition!
Radical Detoxification
Anyone with diabetes, cancer, thyroid problems, or any serious, life altering health problem should consider doing a very serious and completely comprehensive detoxification program such as The Total Body Cleanse, or OLM’s own Full Body Detox.
While these detox diets are very comprehensive, and completely capable of ridding the body of serious disease, they are not easy to do. In fact, taking time off work may be necessary for those who are particularly sick. But then again, if you’re that sick, you’ll be taking time off of work soon enough.
Simple, Inexpensive Detoxification
For something a lot less expensive, intensive, and consequently, less effective, but still very beneficial, try this routine:
Stevia Lemonade with Cayenne
With distilled water, use fresh lemons and cayenne liquid extract. If the fresh lemons are not available, get organic lemon juice. You can use cayenne pepper in the form of powder if need be. Use as much cayenne as you can stand. Make the lemonade to taste, as many lemons, as much cayenne, as much stevia as you want. I prefer 3 lemons to a gallon of water, but it depends on how juicy the lemons are. Stevia has kind of a funny after taste, but it’s barely noticeable with lemon juice. Drink one gallon a day. I also like to add pure cranberry juice. This helps detoxify the kidneys.
Detoxify the Blood
Dr. Shillington has a wonderful herbal tincture (purchase here) that helps to detoxify the blood. Ingredients include Red Clover, Chaparral, Poke Root, Periwinkle Flower, Lobelia, Cayenne, Garlic, Mullein, Burdock Seed & Root, Yellow Dock Root, Goldenseal Root, Oregon Grape Root, and Blood Root.
Liver and Gallbladder Detoxification
The cheapest, easiest, and, well, most unpleasant (at least for most people) way to clean the liver and gallbladder is with a coffee enema. Read our Coffee Enema article. And to learn more about the gallbladder read Gallbladder Bile, How the Gallbladder Works.
Kill the Yeast
Undecylenic acid kills fungus better than anything. Thorne SF 722 is the best we know of, but it’s not vegan. Take 20 a day (ten twice a day) until the bottle is empty. If it must be vegan, there are other options for undecylenic acid.
Remove Heavy Metals
HM Complex by Pure Encapsulations is an easy, and gentle way to pull heavy metals out of the body without removing beneficial minerals.
Eat
Vegetables, whole coconuts, avocados, and granny smith or crab apples are on the diet. Avocados are a great source of protein, too! And coconut and avocado fat will not make you fat. In fact, they will help you lose weight if needed.
Cook nothing. Get lots of enzymes. Eat as much of these foods whole and raw as you want. Provided your appendix has not been removed, the best way to build up a healthy eco system with beneficial bacteria in your colon is with vegetables. Most probiotics (like yogurt) are killed in stomach acid.
If you’ve had your appendix removed, it’s harder to build back up your beneficial bacteria. If you have never done a serious colon cleanse, you need to. While this makes our inexpensive program a bit more expensive, for those in need of serious colon cleansing or those without an appendix, consider adding Dr. Shillington’s Intestinal Cleans and his Intestinal Detox to the program.
Juice
Juicing is not totally necessary for this particular diet, but juice all the vegetables you want and add ginger to all juices. But limit your carrots and beets as they are higher in sugar. No fruit except granny smith, crab apples, lemons, and limes. A juice press is ideal, as centrifugal juices heat up the juice and kill enzymes.
Exercise and Breathe
Sweat. Breathe heavily. And breathe properly. You should be getting enough nutrition to exercise strenuously. And breathing heavily and properly for long periods of time detoxifies the body. Read How to Breathe.
Turbocharge any Detox with Niacin
Niacin, otherwise known as B3, is a very inexpensive way to boost the efficacy of a detox. You want the flush kind, not the no flush. Most doctors recommend people start with 100 mg, but up to 5,000 a day has been used for serious drug detoxification and other urgent detox needs (such as chemical poisoning). I weigh 220 pounds and I took 1,500 mg for three days. Don’t take niacin for too long, it can damage the liver in high doses and it can also put your b vitamin balance out of whack. This Niacin is the kind that provides the “flush.”
Take it in the morning, and then, in about 30 to 45 minutes when it kicks in, get some exercise or do the sauna. Try some hot tea. Drink lots of fluid (like the cranberry lemonade) and sweat out the toxins. Niacin won’t do you much good if you aren’t flushing out the junk while you do it. It’s powerful. You’ll be itchy, hot, and flush red all over.
Most people without damaged seriously livers can easily handle 500 mg for a few days. The effects last about an hour.
Perhaps 15 – 25 mg would keep first timers from screaming bloody murder, and allow for a more gentle, beneficial experience.
A word about the process might also be appropriate, as in the patients where I worked for seven years did not appear to have a clue about how to best utilize this vitamin as a cleanse. (Take a small amount to start, if no effects, i.e., the flush, observed, up the dose by the same increments, until it occurs. Then stay at that dose until no more effects felt, followed by upping the dose until next flush. Maintain until no more effect, then up the third time, repeating this process. Three times through should then be put on hold for weeks to a month or two depending upon health status, before starting again.) Hopefully, a side note or a foot note, will save beginners that pain and frustration from overdosing the first time around, i.e., a simple word of strong caution. This note of concern is from one who has used this cleanse for many decades, as well as assisting others through the process.” – Richard
Things to Consider Before and After Detoxification
If you are very sick, you are very toxic. If you are not sick, you may still be very toxic , and being very sick is just a matter of time. But a highly toxic body can be overburdened with detoxification.
Even those who seem perfectly healthy can get detox symptoms such as headaches, nausea, irritability, inability to focus, and fatigue. Consider starting slowly. Eat healthy for a few weeks and exercise before starting your detox diet. Drink tons of water, or better yet, drink a gallon of the stevia cayenne lemonade a day for a month before you detoxify.
And after you detoxify, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU EAT! For instance, eating a bunch of mashed potatoes after you fully clean your colon and detox for a few weeks can actually kill you! After detoxifying, introduce foods slowly back into your diet. And focus on raw fresh produce, which is what you should always do anyway.
If you can only do one supplement, I recommend the SF722. Nothing is better at killing fungi (yeast, Candida) and almost everyone in today’s modern society has an abundance of it. Most people, with even diets considered to be healthy, need this supplement regularly.
(Image courtesy of The Daily Mail)