Is meat beneficial because it is nutrient-dense? Should we be eating grass-fed beef because it is nutrient-dense?
Have you heard people saying they eat a nutrient-dense diet? Often those promoting non-human appropriate foods like grass-fed beef promote this false concept of nutrient density as though the amount of one specific nutrient in a food makes it beneficial and can cancel out all of the detrimental effects of a food. This falls under the more is better fallacy.
For example, the disease industry promotes cooked tomatoes because they are higher in lycopene, but they ignore the fact that cooking the tomato turns the organic minerals into inorganic minerals, making them unusable, that cooking destroys the vitamin C content of the tomatoes and that cooking results in a destruction of the enzymes and many other nutrients. More lycopene does not make the cooked tomato better than the raw tomato, in fact, the cooked tomato is significantly worse for our health.
Another example of this fallacy is when people promote eating animal tissues for iron. Animal tissues contain heme iron, while plants contain non-heme iron.
The claim is the body absorbs more heme iron but this is NOT a benefit, it is an injury to the body. The non-heme iron is usable, but the heme iron is not. Heme iron that comes from animal tissues increases the risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome. (see Heme vs Non-Heme Iron – https://nutritionfacts.org/…/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non…/ )
Fruits and lettuce greens are full of usable iron in appropriate amounts to meet the body’s needs without overwhelming the body. More is not better, more is often much worse. Just like getting in more calories than we need is detrimental or eating more protein than we need is the leading cause of cancer and chronic disease.
Nutrient density is not a factor that results in health. Nutrient assimilation is. It’s not about how much of any one nutrient we can get, but how much we can use and if the source is free from causing injury to our body. It doesn’t do any good to load up on a substance that is high in a specific nutrient if that substance also contains things that injure the body. For example, spinach is rich in calcium, but it is also full of oxalates. A small amount of spinach, with its small amount of oxalates is easily managed by the oxalobacter bacteria in our digestive tract, but eat a lot of spinach and you will find that your health begins to suffer.
But that is precisely what the nutrient-density promoters are doing. They are eating a substance – red meat – that poisons their body with ammonia laboring under the false idea that it is nutrient-dense and therefore healthy. Please don’t fall for their tricks.
HEALTH IS NOT ABOUT WHAT WE EAT BUT ABOUT WHAT WE CAN ASSIMILATE
Food constitutes some of the raw materials that become part of the overall nutritive processes that sustain our bodies. When our bodies receive food, it is broken down mechanically and chemically into components that can be absorbed and synthesized by our cells into substances usable by the body. Many people think about foods as having different actions on the body but in fact, food is inert and the body takes all actions upon the food.
To be appropriated for the use of the body, food must be first mechanically crushed, then mixed with digestive enzymes and acids to be chemically broken down into its smallest components. Those components, amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, vitamins, and minerals can then be transported through the walls of the digestive tract, into the bloodstream, and to the cells for use.
“Nutrition is a vital process carried on only by a living organism. It is a process of growth, development and invigoration. To eat good food and enough of it, to drink pure water and breathe pure air, in and of themselves, are very desirable, but something more is needed in order to acquire health, strength and vigor. Nutrition is dependent on function. We can have better nutritive function only when we have a capacity for better nutrition.
Food is of value only in its physiological connections with air, water, sunshine, rest and sleep, exercise or activity, cleanliness and wholesome mental and moral influences—in short, all the natural or normal circumstances which we know to be necessary for the preservation of health.” – Dr Herbert Shelton
Assimilation and utilization are oft overlooked when discussing nutrition. We can eat all ideal foods but if we aren’t able to assimilate or make use of those foods then they simply pass through our bodies wasted.
There are many factors that can affect our body’s ability to assimilate the nutrition we are giving it. Some of those factors are under our direct control, while others are a result of the long-term damage to our digestive tracts and take time for the body to be able to make the necessary repairs, clean out the backed-up waste that is inhibiting the cells from optimal performance and clean out the fat that is blocking nutrients from getting into our cells.
Sometimes this damage requires full physiological rest – water fasting – in order to fully repair. In those cases, fasting for a week or a few weeks can make more of a difference than many years of eating because we are, by resting fully, allowing the repair of the mechanisms that assimilate our foods. If those mechanisms are impaired then all of the eating we can do will never lead to health because what we eat is simply being wasted.
The primary factors that affect our capacity to process and assimilate are:
• CHEWING OUR FOODS THOROUGHLY
• EATING SLOWLY AND DELIBERATELY
• PROPER FOOD COMBINING
• MANAGING WATER INTAKE TO NOT DILUTE STOMACH ACIDS DURING A MEAL
• ALLOWING ADEQUATE TIME FOR THE FIRST MEAL TO EXIT
• OVEREATING
• EATING WHEN STRESSED, UPSET, OR EMOTIONAL
• EATING WHEN WE HAVE NO APPETITE OR WE HAVE STOMACH DISCOMFORT
Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail.
CHEWING OUR FOOD
You may have heard the saying, “Digestion begins in the mouth.” Another favorite of mine is “Your stomach doesn’t have teeth, chew your food.” As we grow up on a predominantly cooked foods diet we lose some of our natural habits of thorough chewing. Cooked foods are soft and mushy and require very little chewing, so we develop a habit of just one or two bites and then swallowing. Unfortunately, this behavior not only leads to poor digestion of foods and limits the assimilation of foods leading to indigestion, acid reflux, fermentation, and upset stomach, but it also leads to the slow destruction of our teeth. Chewing thoroughly strengthens the teeth, and the opposite minimal chewing means less blood flow and thereby fewer nutrients brought to the teeth for the teeth to be rebuilt and strengthened. Over time this lack very slowly breaks down teeth from the inside out.
When we eat we should be chewing food until it reaches a liquid state. If we swallow before this we are making it much more difficult for our digestive tract to break down foods and we will find that we are not getting as much out of our foods as we should be. The side effects of this are bloating, gas, fermentation, and overeating because we aren’t giving time for the full signal to register, and in more extreme cases excessive weight loss can result from the foods simply passing through our system without being utilized.
EATING SLOWLY AND DELIBERATELY
In modern times it is common to eat on the run, while working at our desk, or to snack in front of the television. In all these instances we are often not focusing on the slow and deliberate eating of our foods but are instead wolfing foods down, eating quickly, chewing very little, swallowing before foods are properly chewed, and as a result overeating because we eat faster than our full sensor can communicate back to us.
As we transition back to the natural diet it’s important to recenter our focus on setting time aside to eat in a relaxed fashion where we focus just on the meal and our eating habits. Slowing down can make a big difference in how much of our food we assimilate. When we focus on what we are eating we eat less, we chew more and we digest better because we are relaxed. When we eat on the run we end up doing the exact opposite of all of that.
PROPER FOOD COMBINING
Foods require various enzymes to digest. Digestive enzymes are proteins that your body makes to break down food and aid digestion. There are different enzymes for starches versus proteins and different enzymes to break down fat versus enzymes for carbohydrates.
These enzymes are meant to be used one at a time to digest just one type of food, as a result, many of these enzymes cancel each other out when two different types of foods are ingested. When this happens, neither food is properly digested.
If we put a carbohydrate and fat in the stomach at the same time the digestive enzymes work against each other and instead of digesting and assimilating the foods, both foods remain undigested and begin to ferment or putrefy inside our digestive tract leading to gas and bloating.
When this occurs the body is unable to utilize the nutrients in the food and instead the wasted food is rushed out of the body to avoid fermentation or putrefaction from releasing too much alcohol or ammonia into our system.
If we regularly combine foods in a way that is contradictory then this can lead to excessive weight loss as the body is not utilizing nutrition. On the opposite end, if we are having a lot of food fermenting in our system the excess alcohol or ammonia can also result in weight gain.
The biggest indicator of proper digestion is that we are not getting any bloating or discomfort after a meal.
MANAGING WATER INTAKE TO NOT DILUTE STOMACH ACIDS DURING A MEAL
Waiting at least 15 minutes after drinking to start eating allows the water to exit the stomach and not dilute the digestive acids. We also need to avoid drinking water during a meal or too soon after a meal for the same reason.
If we dilute our stomach acids then we can end up with fermentation, gas, and bloating or we can also experience acid reflux or indigestion.
The best way to manage drinking water is to drink early in the day before your first meal. Then drink prior to each meal just before you prepare your meal. Avoid drinking water for at least 1 hour after eating, preferably 2-3 hours.
ALLOWING ADEQUATE TIME FOR THE FIRST MEAL TO EXIT
Eating too often can lead to food mixing in the stomach which can result in the same issues mentioned above regarding food combinations. While transitioning it may be necessary to eat more meals per day to get in enough calories, but we want to make sure that the food from the last meal has had time to move out of the stomach before putting in the current meal.
As we eat more and more raw foods our stomach will naturally stretch to accommodate the bulky water-rich foods, making eating just two or three meals a day much more natural, but in the short term, we may need to eat five or six meals a day to meet our calorie needs.
We can avoid foods running into each other by eating fast-digesting watery fruits early in the day, followed by slower digesting denser fruits next, and then salad greens and then nuts and seed and dehydrated foods late in the day. Or by allowing at least 1 hour for watery fruits, 2-3 hours for dense fruits, and 4-6 hours for everything else.
OVEREATING
When we are dealing with excessive thinness on the natural diet it can be our natural inclination to keep trying to stuff in more and more food leading to overeating. Also, we may carry over habits of overeating from our cooked foods diet, looking for that stimulation that we get from the harmful effects of the cooked foods. Other times we overeat when we are stressed out or upset because we have learned this habit as a coping mechanism.
Whatever the reason, overeating overtaxes the stomach and digestive tract to a point where the foods being put in are not being properly utilized and are instead being rushed through without the benefit of assimilation. These are wasted meals, but they are also a waste of our precious nerve energy.
“The overstimulation of the physiological functions, which results from over-eating, weakens and impairs them through overwork. Fasting reverses this and permits them to recuperate. During the rest thus afforded, these organs are enabled to repair their damaged structures and restore their lagging energies, thus they are prepared for renewed function and are given a new lease on life. A fast is to the organs of the body what a night of restful repose is to the tired laborer.
Digestion and assimilation of food are a tax on the vital powers of the organism and increase the work of the stomach, liver, intestines, heart, lungs, kidneys, glands, etc. The more food eaten the more work these already overworked organs are called upon to perform. How can increasing the work of these organs help the sick? If feeding does not prevent sickness how may overfeeding restore health?” – Dr Herbert Shelton
Overeating results in bloating, fatigue, undigested foods in our stool, constant hunger (because nothing we eat is being utilized), indigestion, and many other symptoms. Eating more slowly and deliberately can help to improve digestion and avoid overeating. Eating whole foods and chewing them thoroughly helps to slow us down. Also, focus only on eating when eating, and do not try to multitask. Stop what you are doing, enjoy your meal, eat slowly and deliberately, and then the body will have time to signal you when the stomach reaches capacity.
EATING WHEN STRESSED, UPSET, OR EMOTIONAL
When we are under stress or emotional strain our digestive system shuts down. One of the ways that I learned to cope with stress in my life was through eating. I think there are a lot of people out there like me, who have used food as a pacifier whenever life didn’t go as planned. Unfortunately, this habit we develop is terrible for our digestion. Try your best to avoid eating when upset. Instead, sip water and try to focus on the problem at hand until it is resolved, then resume eating once the stress has passed. By doing so you will avoid the fatigue and fermentation of sluggish digestion and your mind will be clear and you will be calmer and better able to remedy the stressful situation effectively.
EATING WHEN WE HAVE NO APPETITE OR WE HAVE STOMACH DISCOMFORT
Our body communicates to us when it is in need of a break from food. Nausea, lack of appetite, a burning stomach, or any sort of uncomfortable feelings in the stomach are all signs from the body to skip the next meal. The more we obey these communications the better our health will become.
If we follow these guidelines we can improve digestion and assimilation which leads to greater energy for healing and activity and avoidance of any digestive discomfort. Eating with focus and intention can help to quickly correct any of the bad habits we have learned along the way.
Have more questions? Want to get answers about your specific health issues or concerns? I offer consultations, learn more about them here: https://www.therawkey.com/consultations/
Ready to make changes but not sure how to begin? Need some motivation or accountability? Why not join our 30-Day Terrain Model Diet Support and Education Group? New Groups start on the 1st of every month! https://www.therawkey.com/the-natural-diet-support-group/
Eat fruit and be well my friends.Have you heard people saying they eat a nutrient-dense diet? Often those promoting non-human appropriate foods like grass-fed beef promote this false concept of nutrient density as though the amount of one specific nutrient in a food makes it beneficial and can cancel out all of the detrimental effects of a food. This falls under the more is better fallacy.
For example, the disease industry promotes cooked tomatoes because they are higher in lycopene, but they ignore the fact that cooking the tomato turns the organic minerals into inorganic minerals, making them unusable, that cooking destroys the vitamin C content of the tomatoes and that cooking results in a destruction of the enzymes and many other nutrients. More lycopene does not make the cooked tomato better than the raw tomato, in fact, the cooked tomato is significantly worse for our health.
Another example of this fallacy is when people promote eating animal tissues for iron. Animal tissues contain heme iron, while plants contain non-heme iron.
The claim is the body absorbs more heme iron but this is NOT a benefit, it is an injury to the body. The non-heme iron is usable, but the heme iron is not. Heme iron that comes from animal tissues increases the risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome. (see Heme vs Non-Heme Iron – https://nutritionfacts.org/…/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non…/ )
Fruits and lettuce greens are full of usable iron in appropriate amounts to meet the body’s needs without overwhelming the body. More is not better, more is often much worse. Just like getting in more calories than we need is detrimental or eating more protein than we need is the leading cause of cancer and chronic disease.
Nutrient density is not a factor that results in health. Nutrient assimilation is. It’s not about how much of any one nutrient we can get, but how much we can use and if the source is free from causing injury to our body. It doesn’t do any good to load up on a substance that is high in a specific nutrient if that substance also contains things that injure the body. For example, spinach is rich in calcium, but it is also full of oxalates. A small amount of spinach, with its small amount of oxalates is easily managed by the oxalobacter bacteria in our digestive tract, but eat a lot of spinach and you will find that your health begins to suffer.
But that is precisely what the nutrient-density promoters are doing. They are eating a substance – red meat – that poisons their body with ammonia laboring under the false idea that it is nutrient-dense and therefore healthy. Please don’t fall for their tricks.
HEALTH IS NOT ABOUT WHAT WE EAT BUT ABOUT WHAT WE CAN ASSIMILATE
Food constitutes some of the raw materials that become part of the overall nutritive processes that sustain our bodies. When our bodies receive food, it is broken down mechanically and chemically into components that can be absorbed and synthesized by our cells into substances usable by the body. Many people think about foods as having different actions on the body but in fact, food is inert and the body takes all actions upon the food.
To be appropriated for the use of the body, food must be first mechanically crushed, then mixed with digestive enzymes and acids to be chemically broken down into its smallest components. Those components, amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, vitamins, and minerals can then be transported through the walls of the digestive tract, into the bloodstream, and to the cells for use.
“Nutrition is a vital process carried on only by a living organism. It is a process of growth, development and invigoration. To eat good food and enough of it, to drink pure water and breathe pure air, in and of themselves, are very desirable, but something more is needed in order to acquire health, strength and vigor. Nutrition is dependent on function. We can have better nutritive function only when we have a capacity for better nutrition.
Food is of value only in its physiological connections with air, water, sunshine, rest and sleep, exercise or activity, cleanliness and wholesome mental and moral influences—in short, all the natural or normal circumstances which we know to be necessary for the preservation of health.” – Dr Herbert Shelton
Assimilation and utilization are oft overlooked when discussing nutrition. We can eat all ideal foods but if we aren’t able to assimilate or make use of those foods then they simply pass through our bodies wasted.
There are many factors that can affect our body’s ability to assimilate the nutrition we are giving it. Some of those factors are under our direct control, while others are a result of the long-term damage to our digestive tracts and take time for the body to be able to make the necessary repairs, clean out the backed-up waste that is inhibiting the cells from optimal performance and clean out the fat that is blocking nutrients from getting into our cells.
Sometimes this damage requires full physiological rest – water fasting – in order to fully repair. In those cases, fasting for a week or a few weeks can make more of a difference than many years of eating because we are, by resting fully, allowing the repair of the mechanisms that assimilate our foods. If those mechanisms are impaired then all of the eating we can do will never lead to health because what we eat is simply being wasted.
The primary factors that affect our capacity to process and assimilate are:
• CHEWING OUR FOODS THOROUGHLY
• EATING SLOWLY AND DELIBERATELY
• PROPER FOOD COMBINING
• MANAGING WATER INTAKE TO NOT DILUTE STOMACH ACIDS DURING A MEAL
• ALLOWING ADEQUATE TIME FOR THE FIRST MEAL TO EXIT
• OVEREATING
• EATING WHEN STRESSED, UPSET, OR EMOTIONAL
• EATING WHEN WE HAVE NO APPETITE OR WE HAVE STOMACH DISCOMFORT
Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail.
CHEWING OUR FOOD
You may have heard the saying, “Digestion begins in the mouth.” Another favorite of mine is “Your stomach doesn’t have teeth, chew your food.” As we grow up on a predominantly cooked foods diet we lose some of our natural habits of thorough chewing. Cooked foods are soft and mushy and require very little chewing, so we develop a habit of just one or two bites and then swallowing. Unfortunately, this behavior not only leads to poor digestion of foods and limits the assimilation of foods leading to indigestion, acid reflux, fermentation, and upset stomach, but it also leads to the slow destruction of our teeth. Chewing thoroughly strengthens the teeth, and the opposite minimal chewing means less blood flow and thereby fewer nutrients brought to the teeth for the teeth to be rebuilt and strengthened. Over time this lack very slowly breaks down teeth from the inside out.
When we eat we should be chewing food until it reaches a liquid state. If we swallow before this we are making it much more difficult for our digestive tract to break down foods and we will find that we are not getting as much out of our foods as we should be. The side effects of this are bloating, gas, fermentation, and overeating because we aren’t giving time for the full signal to register, and in more extreme cases excessive weight loss can result from the foods simply passing through our system without being utilized.
EATING SLOWLY AND DELIBERATELY
In modern times it is common to eat on the run, while working at our desk, or to snack in front of the television. In all these instances we are often not focusing on the slow and deliberate eating of our foods but are instead wolfing foods down, eating quickly, chewing very little, swallowing before foods are properly chewed, and as a result overeating because we eat faster than our full sensor can communicate back to us.
As we transition back to the natural diet it’s important to recenter our focus on setting time aside to eat in a relaxed fashion where we focus just on the meal and our eating habits. Slowing down can make a big difference in how much of our food we assimilate. When we focus on what we are eating we eat less, we chew more and we digest better because we are relaxed. When we eat on the run we end up doing the exact opposite of all of that.
PROPER FOOD COMBINING
Foods require various enzymes to digest. Digestive enzymes are proteins that your body makes to break down food and aid digestion. There are different enzymes for starches versus proteins and different enzymes to break down fat versus enzymes for carbohydrates.
These enzymes are meant to be used one at a time to digest just one type of food, as a result, many of these enzymes cancel each other out when two different types of foods are ingested. When this happens, neither food is properly digested.
If we put a carbohydrate and fat in the stomach at the same time the digestive enzymes work against each other and instead of digesting and assimilating the foods, both foods remain undigested and begin to ferment or putrefy inside our digestive tract leading to gas and bloating.
When this occurs the body is unable to utilize the nutrients in the food and instead the wasted food is rushed out of the body to avoid fermentation or putrefaction from releasing too much alcohol or ammonia into our system.
If we regularly combine foods in a way that is contradictory then this can lead to excessive weight loss as the body is not utilizing nutrition. On the opposite end, if we are having a lot of food fermenting in our system the excess alcohol or ammonia can also result in weight gain.
The biggest indicator of proper digestion is that we are not getting any bloating or discomfort after a meal.
MANAGING WATER INTAKE TO NOT DILUTE STOMACH ACIDS DURING A MEAL
Waiting at least 15 minutes after drinking to start eating allows the water to exit the stomach and not dilute the digestive acids. We also need to avoid drinking water during a meal or too soon after a meal for the same reason.
If we dilute our stomach acids then we can end up with fermentation, gas, and bloating or we can also experience acid reflux or indigestion.
The best way to manage drinking water is to drink early in the day before your first meal. Then drink prior to each meal just before you prepare your meal. Avoid drinking water for at least 1 hour after eating, preferably 2-3 hours.
ALLOWING ADEQUATE TIME FOR THE FIRST MEAL TO EXIT
Eating too often can lead to food mixing in the stomach which can result in the same issues mentioned above regarding food combinations. While transitioning it may be necessary to eat more meals per day to get in enough calories, but we want to make sure that the food from the last meal has had time to move out of the stomach before putting in the current meal.
As we eat more and more raw foods our stomach will naturally stretch to accommodate the bulky water-rich foods, making eating just two or three meals a day much more natural, but in the short term, we may need to eat five or six meals a day to meet our calorie needs.
We can avoid foods running into each other by eating fast-digesting watery fruits early in the day, followed by slower digesting denser fruits next, and then salad greens and then nuts and seed and dehydrated foods late in the day. Or by allowing at least 1 hour for watery fruits, 2-3 hours for dense fruits, and 4-6 hours for everything else.
OVEREATING
When we are dealing with excessive thinness on the natural diet it can be our natural inclination to keep trying to stuff in more and more food leading to overeating. Also, we may carry over habits of overeating from our cooked foods diet, looking for that stimulation that we get from the harmful effects of the cooked foods. Other times we overeat when we are stressed out or upset because we have learned this habit as a coping mechanism.
Whatever the reason, overeating overtaxes the stomach and digestive tract to a point where the foods being put in are not being properly utilized and are instead being rushed through without the benefit of assimilation. These are wasted meals, but they are also a waste of our precious nerve energy.
“The overstimulation of the physiological functions, which results from over-eating, weakens and impairs them through overwork. Fasting reverses this and permits them to recuperate. During the rest thus afforded, these organs are enabled to repair their damaged structures and restore their lagging energies, thus they are prepared for renewed function and are given a new lease on life. A fast is to the organs of the body what a night of restful repose is to the tired laborer.
Digestion and assimilation of food are a tax on the vital powers of the organism and increase the work of the stomach, liver, intestines, heart, lungs, kidneys, glands, etc. The more food eaten the more work these already overworked organs are called upon to perform. How can increasing the work of these organs help the sick? If feeding does not prevent sickness how may overfeeding restore health?” – Dr Herbert Shelton
Overeating results in bloating, fatigue, undigested foods in our stool, constant hunger (because nothing we eat is being utilized), indigestion, and many other symptoms. Eating more slowly and deliberately can help to improve digestion and avoid overeating. Eating whole foods and chewing them thoroughly helps to slow us down. Also, focus only on eating when eating, and do not try to multitask. Stop what you are doing, enjoy your meal, eat slowly and deliberately, and then the body will have time to signal you when the stomach reaches capacity.
EATING WHEN STRESSED, UPSET, OR EMOTIONAL
When we are under stress or emotional strain our digestive system shuts down. One of the ways that I learned to cope with stress in my life was through eating. I think there are a lot of people out there like me, who have used food as a pacifier whenever life didn’t go as planned. Unfortunately, this habit we develop is terrible for our digestion. Try your best to avoid eating when upset. Instead, sip water and try to focus on the problem at hand until it is resolved, then resume eating once the stress has passed. By doing so you will avoid the fatigue and fermentation of sluggish digestion and your mind will be clear and you will be calmer and better able to remedy the stressful situation effectively.
EATING WHEN WE HAVE NO APPETITE OR WE HAVE STOMACH DISCOMFORT
Our body communicates to us when it is in need of a break from food. Nausea, lack of appetite, a burning stomach, or any sort of uncomfortable feelings in the stomach are all signs from the body to skip the next meal. The more we obey these communications the better our health will become.
If we follow these guidelines we can improve digestion and assimilation which leads to greater energy for healing and activity and avoidance of any digestive discomfort. Eating with focus and intention can help to quickly correct any of the bad habits we have learned along the way.
Have more questions? Want to get answers about your specific health issues or concerns? I offer consultations, learn more about them here: https://www.therawkey.com/consultations/
Ready to make changes but not sure how to begin? Need some motivation or accountability? Why not join our 30-Day Terrain Model Diet Support and Education Group? New Groups start on the 1st of every month! https://www.therawkey.com/the-natural-diet-support-group/
Eat fruit and be well my friends.
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