2.3.8 Supporting Evidence: Nutrition

    1.    Enjoy your Food --Food is meant to fuel our body and spirit.  Don't turn food into solely fuel for a machine.  This is one of the greatest pleasures of our life.  And we live at an amazing time in history where we can have spices and products from all over the world anytime we want.
    2.    Eat S.L.O.W.ly --(Seasonal, Local, Organic and Whole -- and eat slowly)
    3.    EAT Whole Foods: --Whole grains, whole fats, whole sugars, whole fruits and vegetables
    4.    Avoid Highly Processed Foods (including Fast Food): Eliminate HFCS and Hydrogenated Soybean Oil (industrial foods cheapest sugar and fat)
    5.    Eat ALL the Colors Rainbow Diet naturally give you a spectrum of flavors and nutrients from primarily fruits and vegetables.  (Food Coloring doesn't count).  Diversity Yields Stability.
    6.    Cook for yourself and loved ones.  The love and nourishment of a home cooked meal is part of the energy we are taking in that is very difficult to find in most restaurants.   I love going to restaurants and there can be some wild taste sensations.  Cook for yourself as well.  
    7.    Chew your Food. -- Digestion begins in the mouth with salivary enzymes and teeth physically breaking down food to release more nutrients with less work from your small intestine.
    8.    Eat when you are hungry.  Eat until you are full.  You don't have to finish your plate.  (Try water prior to eating as well to check if you are merely thirsty.

There is no one diet that I propose for all people.  I encourage you to get in touch with your bodies wisdom.  SLOW is the only general recommendation I give to ALL people.  Here is short description of some of my favorite diets.

Ayurvedic -- ancient Indian health system.  (see John Douillard)


Highlights
    •    Stresses awareness of our dosha (vata, pitta, kapha) in connection with the current season and balancing energies/rasas (which translates as both tastes and emotions) of various foods: sweet, salty, sour, astringent, bitter, pungent.
 Emphasizes seasonal and local and whole.  (Organic was assumed 2000 years ago)


Weston Price see Sally Fallon or Weston A Price foundation
"Eating as the indigenous peoples" 


Highlights
    •    Pro whole fats (especially animal fats) and fat soluble Vitamins ADEK.  Cholesterol is a good thing as the mother hormone).  
    •    Bone broths.
    •    Likes to soak and/or ferment grains and seeds to minimize phytic acid and other natural enzymes that plants use to retard digestion/self-sprouting.
Discourages
    •    Highly refined foods -- Believes that white flours and sugars brought about serious decline in health
    •    Non fermented soy
    •    All indigenous diets were seasonal, local, organic and whole.

Macrobiotic  (see George Oshawa & sample meals)

Japanese vegetarian (occasional fish permitted) system emphasizing 
Highlights

    •    whole grains (brown rice)
    •    pulses
    •    seaweeds
    •    vegetables and fruit
    •    fermented soy  
Discourages
    •    night shades.
Emphasizes seasonal and local and whole (Organic was assumed in the 19th century)

"Living Foods" points toward eating food that is "alive" rather than "dead."                                         
Highlights
    •    Fermented Foods with active probiotic cultures -- sauerkraut, yoghurt, miso
    •    Freshly picked foods in an uncooked state.
    •    Maintaining enzymes, vitamins and minerals which cooking begins to 'kill' at 108 degrees.  
    •    Raw foods are alkalizing in contrast to  our generally acidifying diets (coffee, sugar, meat)
    •    Sprouting converts potential energy in seeds and grains to living plants more assimilable nutrition.  (when sprouting, proteins convert to amino acids, starches to simpler sugar, fats to simpler fatty acids)
Discourages
    •    Heating food above 108 degrees
Emphasizes seasonal, local, organic and whole.


Rainbow

"Eat your colors" (see Gabriel Cousens) --- 
Bringing all the different colors into our diet increases joy and access to the array of vitamins and minerals.
Highlights
    •    Diversity through rounded color choice
Emphasizes vegetables, seasonal, local, organic and whole. 


Mediterranean


Highlights
    •    olive oil  -- diet is up to 50% fat (mostly olive oil, fatty fish)
    •    seafood, moderate amount goat dairy and goat meat, vegetables
Naturally was seasonal, local, and organic


Paleo "eating as the cavemen" or as we were evolutionarily designed.


Highlights
    •    Mostly meat (often raw) and animal fats
    •    with nuts/seeds, and vegetables and fruit
Discourages
    •    Dairy, Grain, Processed foods, legumes
Naturally Seasonal, Local, Organic and Whole.