How to Nourish Your Brain: Top Foods, Sleep Tips, and Healthy Habits

Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational purposes only and reflects a Natural Hygiene (Terrain Model) perspective on health and nutrition. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition, and does not constitute veterinary or medical advice. The views expressed are independent of the conventional medical or veterinary industry, and all decisions regarding animal care or personal health care are the responsibility of the owner/individual.

The human brain is a marvel of creation. It is so complex that even today there is much we do not understand about the brain and how it functions.

“The brain, though the creature of its cellular constituents, is nevertheless supreme in the organism of which it is a part. The cells have created it as president to preside over and direct their affairs. As the supreme faculty of the body, the brain is protected and served by its cell constituency preferentially. The brain thus is treated royally. It receives the best of everything; it is served and kept operational, even if this means the sacrifice of millions upon millions of cells. Thus, we can say the brain is the kingpin behind the human show.”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

“If you knew what was involved in turning over during the night during sleep, you’d be astonished. An area of the body involving countless billions of cells becomes cramped or distressed in some way. An urgent request goes to the brain—rather, the brain has been monitoring the situation all along. But movement is not initiated as long as matters remain within certain parameters. When the situation threatens the integrity of certain areas, the brain, entirely beneath the level of wakefulness, will mobilize trillions of cells that comprise hundreds of muscle systems and effect a shift of body weight to a more comfortable position.” -T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

“The brain is absolute master of all the cells within its domain. Yet it is totally subservient to its cells and is very responsive to their needs. But the organic order of the body system is such that the brain is at the very apex in importance. While the brain was the last development of the human organism, it is the first in importance. Every cell, tissue and organ system other than the heart are slowly sacrificed, in critical periods such as starvation, that the brain might survive. When the brain can no longer survive, death occurs”. – T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

THE BUILDING OF BRAIN TISSUES:

Building the brain starts in the uterus and continues on into our 20’s, however, 90% of brain growth is completed by age 5 and the brain reaches 80% of adult size by age three. Therefore, the earliest years of nutrition have the biggest impact on the brain.

“While the human infant is normally of very slow growth, the human brain is larger at birth than that of any other animal and its rate of growth is greater. In mother’s milk nature has provided for the greater demands made by the rapid growth and important size of the human brain in infancy and she has not made these provisions in the milk of any other animal. In other words, mother’s milk is peculiarly fitted to nourish the brain of the infant, while that of the cow and goat are not. Not merely is human milk more digestible, but it is more complex than the substitutes. In it are found lecithin bodies in peculiar properties, which serve for the construction of the large human brain.” – Herbert Shelton, The Hygienic System, Vol. II Orthotrophy

“Lecithin, a widely distributed fat is very important in human nutrition, being an essential ingredient of the brain and nerves… Lecithin contains, besides the fatty acids, phosphorus. Insufficient fat tends to lessen nervous efficiency….Fats, like sugars, are best taken as nature prepares them; that is in the foods in which they exist. Most nuts are rich in oil and form the best sources of fat for human consumption.” – Herbert Shelton, The Hygienic System, Vol. II Orthotrophy

NUTRIENTS THAT PLAY A HEAVY ROLE IN BRAIN HEALTH:

The building of nerve tissue and brain cells requires phosphorus, manganese, iron, and zinc and the brain utilizes around 20% of the body’s blood sugar.

“Nerves and brain are rich in phosphorus.” – Herbert Shelton, The Hygienic System, Vol. II Orthotrophy

Phosphorus: Phosphorus, chiefly in the form of lecithin, appears to be an essential of oxidation and to take part in many of the body’s chemical processes. The brain and nervous system contain considerable lecithin. There is much phosphorus in the bones and teeth. There are about 1.5 lbs. in a 150 lb. body. The chief sources of supply are, in the order named, Vegetables: kale, large radish, pumpkins, watercress, sorrel, dill, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, swiss chard, romaine lettuce, savoy cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, rutabagas, spinach, leek bulbs, lettuce, asparagus; Fruits: currants, huckleberries, peaches, gooseberries, limes, cherries, watermelons, lemons, breadfruit, mirabellas, oranges, apples, red raspberries, plums, grapes; Nuts: brazil nuts, pinions, beechnuts, peanuts (a legume), almonds, English walnuts, filberts, pecans, chestnuts, (dried), water chestnuts, cocoanut.

Potassium: Phosphate of potassium is the mineral basis of all muscular tissue. Potassium is a predominant element in the red-blood cells and brain and is essential to the formation of glycogen from sugar, of proteins from peptones and proteoses, and of fats from glycogen. The spleen and liver are both abundantly supplied with potassium. There are about 8.4 oz. in a 150 lb. body. The chief sources of supply are, in the order named; Vegetables: tomatoes, kale, lettuce, turnips, sorrel, celery, rutabagas, cabbage, romaine lettuce, swiss chard, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, beets, parsnips, brussel sprouts, savoy cabbage, small radish; Fruits: currants (dried), limes, olives (dried), huckleberries, lemons, cherimoyas, prunes (fresh), peaches, apricots, mangos, oranges, grapes, watermelons, cherries, blackberries, breadfruit, figs (dried Smyrna), white currants, bananas, plums, avocados; Nuts: acorns (dried), water chestnuts, beechnuts (dried), cocoanut, filberts, brazil nuts, pecans, pinions.

Zinc: Zinc is found in connection with phosphorus in the brain. It exists in very minute quantities. It is thought to be connected with the action of the “vitamins,” which it seems to be able to replace to some extent, at least, in the animal organism. It seems to be essential to the nutrition and growth of certain plants and has been found in milk. These mineral elements are divided into base-forming (acid-binding) or alkaline elements, and acid forming elements. The bases are potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, lithium, zinc and nickel and the acid-formers are phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, chlorine, fluorine, iodine, arsenic and bromine. – Herbert Shelton, The Hygienic System, Vol. II Orthotrophy

We have been gifted this miraculous organ to direct both our conscious thoughts and subconscious requirements. Sadly, in our modern state of degeneration, we take for granted the gift of our brain and put it into a state of distress right from the very first days of life.

“The brain consists of fifty billion cells that are the most highly developed of any known. They have the potential to live for hundreds of years. They do not reproduce as do other body cells—they do not reproduce at all. But even the healthiest of us lose perhaps a hundred thousand of our brain cells daily. At this rate, it would take 150 years to lose 10% of our brain capacity. But humans often squander this precious heritage and become senile in their sixties, seventies and eighties, still in the relative youth of life’s potential, with loss of perhaps more than 50% of their cerebral matter.” ”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

LUCKILY FOR US, THE BODY PROTECTS THE BRAIN:

“Even though affected by physical degeneracy, the brain is always the least affected of organs in famine, disease, starvation, and physical debilitation.” – T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

Because of the great importance of our brain the body focuses significant energy into the protection of the brain. Even when we fail to supply the body with its needs the body will sacrifice other organs and tissues to keep the brain supplied with all of its needs.

What then can we do to slow the degeneration and stop the abuse of our brains? Should we try to feed our brain by eating certain foods?

THE BODY MUST BE TREATED AS A WHOLE:

“As every organ of the body is essential to wholeness and integrity of structure and vigor of function, no organ can be spared. Not merely must the nutritive and drainage systems be perfectly adapted to the requirements of the brain and body, but the smallest and apparently least important parts of the body must be harmoniously and fully developed. As Dr. Nichols so well expressed it: “The smallest instrument out of tune brings discord into the harmony of life.” ”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

“No confidence can be placed in the claims for therapeutic virtues in special foods. The theories and claims of those who maintain foods have certain specific effects upon certain organs and tissues of the body have been thoroughly studied and tested by the author and by others. Time and time again we have prescribed these foods and watched for their alleged effects. These effects have not shown up. Similar to the effort to feed special foods in “specific diseases” is the effort to feed special organs of the body. We are told that there are certain foods to feed the eyes, certain foods to feed the nerves, certain foods to feed the hair, certain foods to feed the nails, certain foods to feed the brain, certain foods to make one magnetic, certain foods to make one sleep, certain foods to fill one with energy, etc. No such foods exist. The ensemble of diet must meet the ensemble of the nutritive needs of the body before any organ can be adequately nourished. Nothing that is good for the muscles is bad for the nerves, or any vital organ. What is good for the teeth is good for every organ of the body. Foods that promote and preserve beauty of the skin are also best for the brain. Foods that build strong, efficient stomachs are precisely those foods that build vigorous hearts, efficient livers, good kidneys, etc. The good of one is the good of all. That which perfects one organ perfects all the organs. The body is a unit and goes forward or backward as a unit–it must be nourished as a whole, not by piece-meal.” – Herbert Shelton, The Hygienic System, Vol. II Orthotrophy

NERVE ENERGY AND THE BRAIN:

“We need sleep to regenerate nerve energy for the brain and nervous system.” ”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

Nerve energy is a form of electricity measurable in millivolts. Sleep laboratories have successfully substituted electricity in place of the body’s own. When this is accomplished it is called electrosleep. It takes only two hours out of twenty-four to fully restore nerve energy in this manner. Demonstrating that nerve energy is electrical is easy. If you mashed your finger, a message would immediately go to the brain and back would come a command to remove the finger from that which applied the pressure. Moreover, the brain would command the entire balance of the body to cooperate in the extraction of the finger from the offending pressure. Only electricity is capable of such speedy transmission. No chemical process or circulatory process is capable of this dispatch. It occurs only through a network of nerves with conductive abilities, and electricity is the only form of energy it can conduct. If you take a weak voltage and hook up to it while holding someone else’s hand, the other person gets a shock immediately when you touch the live electrical source. I don’t think anyone can doubt that we do generate electricity, and that is the form of energy we use to conduct our physical and mental activities. Sensations are transformed into electrical stimuli and forwarded to the brain. The brain interprets these and sends out commands based upon the interpretation. Thus, if you put your finger to a hot object, the finger is commanded in a flash to withdraw from it. The foregoing is to demonstrate that the body is primarily an organism that works on the amount of electricity it generates and which it has in its reserves. If this supply is depleted or otherwise insufficient to cope with the needs of the body, then body functions become impaired, including the processes of elimination of both endogenous metabolic wastes and exogenous poisons introduced into the body. This impairment begets further impairment including diminishing the body’s ability to restore depleted nerve energy. The body starts going downhill. The next stage of this decline is called toxemia. ”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP:

“Your intelligence quotient depends upon how efficiently and intensely the brain operates. It is well-known that caffeine will temporarily intensify and excite thinking until the letdown comes. Many stimulants will intensify mental activities. Good health will naturally intensify and enhance mental activities without providing a “letdown.” Nothing in the world will sharpen mental acuity as will a few days to a few weeks of fasting. Mental acuity arises from two primary conditions:

1. The less toxins in the blood that flows through the brain, the better the brain is able to

function.

2. The more nerve energy there is available, the more of it there is available to the brain for

thought processes.

Hence, the more adequate our sleep, the more nerve energy we’ll have for the brain and for more intense thought processes. When “you’re sharper than a tack” your body is purer and your nerve energy greater than at other, mentally duller times.” – T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

“The cells of the body require rest but not necessarily sleep, but the brain and nervous system sleep. Cells require periodic rest so that they may cope with their eliminative and restorative functions.”

However, if a person eats before sleeping, his/her body will direct much of its energies towards the digestion of the food. Since the brain is involved in digestion, less sound sleep will result.” T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

“A nap of from a few minutes to an hour not only rests the body, but it also permits the brain to substantially renew its fund of nerve energy.” T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

“Recent research has shown that merely closing the eyes rests the brain and mind in a peculiar way. An electric rhythm starts as soon as the eyes are closed, and ceases immediately when they are opened. What the exact purpose and nature of this rhythm are, still remains to a great extent a mystery, but one might well imagine that they serve to clear “negative charges” from the brain. At all events they denote recuperation. The activity of the senses, and particularly the eyes, prevents this from occurring.” – T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

EXERCISE

“Exercise is much more than simply developing strong muscles. It is body building in the complete sense of the term. Every cell and fiber is involved. The heart, kidneys, liver, skin, hair, eyes, etc., including the brain and nervous system, are stimulated and strengthened in these various functions. The tone and quality of the entire system is improved. The skeletal system, for example, depends upon exercise in order to maintain its size, strength, and physiological functions.” ”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

THINGS THAT INJURE AND IMPAIR THE BRAIN:

Eating is an unavoidable essential of life. It is also one of the worst ways that we burden and damage our bodies and by extension our brains as well. By choosing foods that are unsuitable we impair the brain with every bite. The brain requires blood flow to work at its optimum efficiency. This means the more energy we expend on materials that are difficult to digest, the less blood flow is going to the brain.

“If digestion is to proceed normally almost the entire attention of the system must be given to the work. Blood is rushed to the digestive organs in large quantities. There is a dilatation of the blood vessels in the organs to accommodate the extra supply of blood. There must be a consequent constriction of the blood vessels in other parts of the body in order to force the blood into the digestive organs and to compensate for their own loss of blood. But if the brain and muscles are to work they, too, require an increased blood supply. In order to supply them there is a dilatation of the blood vessels in the brain or muscles and a contraction of the blood vessels in the viscera. Every part of the body cannot be supplied with extra blood at the same time. If one part gets an extra supply some other part must get less.” – Herbert Shelton, The Hygienic System, Vol. II Orthotrophy

CHRONIC DEHYDRATION IMPAIRS BRAIN FUNCTION

“Deprive man of water and he is soon reduced to a few pounds of dust. His body is about 70% water, his blood 90%. Water forms the greater part of his brain and nerves.”

“The body has some 50 billion brain cells. It has billions of nerve cells involved in message transmission. Messages travel within and around the body with the speed of electricity—nerve transmissions are almost all electrical. There are chemical communications within the body as well.” – T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

A well-hydrated body is able to conduct electricity with much greater efficiency than a dehydrated body. Dehydration also impairs the chemical reactions.

“Carbohydrate fermentation gives rise to carbon dioxide, alcohol, acetic acid and water and results in chronic auto-intoxication, which resembles, in every way, the symptoms of chronic alcoholism. The alcohol produces chronic irritation in the system and results in the formation of scar tissue. Previous to the formation of the scar tissue there are the usual disturbances caused by irritation. It also causes capillary congestion which result, in turn, in atrophy of brain and muscles. The irritation of the mucous surfaces results in the overproduction of mucous giving rise to catarrh. – Herbert Shelton, The Hygienic System, Vol. II Orthotrophy

Anything which creates alcohol in our system, including poor food combining leading to bloating and fermentation of fruits will impair brain function.

“Nicotine, as obtained from smoking tobacco, adds to metabolic dysfunctioning. It impairs the absorption of vitamin C and interferes with the blood circulation. By constricting the blood vessels, nicotine robs the brain of its essential nutrients, particularly blood glucose, its major fuel. In fact, not only does nicotine inhibit vitamin C absorption, but it actually destroys some or all of the vitamin C already in the blood. One of the mental effects of vitamin C depletion is increased irritability. Smokers tend to be quick to irritate and often exhibit emotional outbursts. ”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

Bad nutrition; lack of exercise; polluted air; lack of sunshine; insufficient rest and sleep; enervation; and mental and emotional habits; and the taking of drugs, medicines and social poisons like tea, coffee, chocolate, cocoa and alcohol, all lead to toxemic tissues, resulting in breakdown of brain cells and nervous tissues. ”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

INORGANIC MINERALS

“Those who drink mineral-containing water are often found to have heavy plaque in their systems. The rejected minerals which the body cannot use often combine with cholesterol and other fatty substances to form plaque. These block the arteries. The rejected minerals are also likely to be put aside in the body in spaces that exist. Notably is this so in the cranial cavity where the spaces of lost brain cells are filled in by minerals, thus leading to ossification of the brain. This is a cause of senility.” – T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

“These inorganic mineral deposits lead to kidney and gallstone formation, hardening of the arteries, arthritis, heart trouble, ossification of the brain and other serious diseases.”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

“The inorganic minerals found in mineral water are deposited by the body in tissue structures and bones. Mineral deposits can lead to kidney stone and gallstone formation, hardening of the arteries, ossification of the brain, arthritis and heart disease. Inorganic minerals excreted through the skin can cause tissue degeneration.” – T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

“Our bodies cannot use inorganic minerals. The body treats inorganic minerals as poisons and utilizes its energies in trying to expel them. Whether the raw minerals come from hard water, from fresh leaves, stems and stalks or from the by-products of cooking decomposition, the body cannot use them. Instead, they create an eliminative problem. If uneliminated these minerals are likely to combine with fatty substances and harden, thus ossifying the brain and clogging arteries and veins. It is said that herbivores are short-lived because of the abundance of inorganic minerals in their food.”- T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

EXCESS FATS

“Dr. R.A. Swank from the University of Oregon has published a number of studies showing the effects of fat in causing the red blood cells to stick together. After feeding some hamsters a meal of cream, he noticed that the little red blood cells started sticking together. They would not pass through the capillaries, but would block them off. Since the red blood cells carry oxygen to the tissues, he also found there to be a great decrease in oxygen in the tissues. Following a high-fat meal, the oxygen content of the tissues of the brain was measured and found to be markedly decreased.” – T.C.Fry, The Life Science Course

KEY TAKEAWAYS

We cannot fix the brain without fixing everything else in the body, and conversely, we cannot fix the body without fixing the brain. As with any other health complaint, the body must be treated as a whole of interconnected, and interdependent organisms. Where there is distress in one area there is distress in all areas.

While our brain cells do not regenerate, our body provides significant protection to our brain. We begin life with an abundance of brain cells. If injured our brain has the ability to rewire itself to take over for damaged areas.

Maintaining optimal brain health, and avoiding brain fog will predominantly come down to keeping the body properly hydrated and supplied with the best nutrition possible. Avoiding inorganic minerals and excess fats, especially cooked and refined fats is essential. We should not be eliminating all fats though. Incorporating small amounts of nuts and seeds in their raw state a few times per week provides the body with important nutrients to keep things running at their optimum.

Nerve energy is a big factor in our brain’s performance daily. The more nerve energy we use up on digestion the less is available for our brains. The better our sleep the more nerve energy we can produce. Emotions, discord in relationships and work stress can all run down our nerve energy leading to brain fog.

Focus on getting a good night’s sleep, a nap in the afternoon and closing your eyes a few times per day to regenerate nerve energy and keep your mind sharp. Delay your meals and eat lightly to conserve nerve energy if you are feeling run down.

Do you want to learn more about how our self-healing and self-cleaning body remedies disease conditions and returns to a state of health when the conditions of health are supplied? Start by reading “Why do we get sick?“

Have more questions? Want to get answers about your specific health issues or concerns? I offer consultations, learn more about them here: 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! Support Group Information and Sign Up Form

Eat fruit and be well my friends.

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to thrive when transitioning to the natural diet, while others struggle?

Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational purposes only and reflects a Natural Hygiene (Terrain Model) perspective on health and nutrition. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition, and does not constitute veterinary or medical advice. The views expressed are independent of the conventional medical or veterinary industry, and all decisions regarding animal care or personal health care are the responsibility of the owner/individual.

One of the biggest factors I’ve seen time and again that determines success or failure is the choice of fruit.

Those who base their diet on calorie-dense fruits tend to succeed. Those who gravitate toward watery fruits like melons often struggle, binging on cooked foods in the evenings or losing too much weight.

Why? Most people simply can’t eat enough watermelon, cantaloupe, or berries in one sitting to meet their body’s daily calorie needs.

The average person needs between 1,700 and 2,000 calories for a moderately active lifestyle. If you’re exercising, lifting weights, biking, or running, you’ll need more than 2,000. But let’s say you aim for an average of 1,800 calories per day, spread across three meals and a snack:

• Two fruit meals at 600 calories each
  
• One salad around 300–400 calories
  
• One snack around 200–300 calories
  

How much fruit do you  need to make a 600-calorie fruit meal?

• Bananas: about 3 cups (roughly 5 to 6 medium bananas)
  
• Watermelon: 21 cups! 

This is where many go wrong. Influencers may glamorize “watermelon island cleanses”, but unless you’re eating a 20- to 30-pound melon each day, you’ll likely fall short on calories, leading to cravings and fatigue.

Not only that, but melons are highly fermentable in the digestive tract. If your digestion is still compromised from previous habits or you’re still eating cooked foods, melon meals are more likely to ferment, leading to bloating and gas, and those calories get wasted. Unripe melons make this problem even worse.

In contrast, those who make dense fruits like bananas, mangoes, papayas, apples, pears, and even durian the foundation of their fruit meals are far more likely to succeed. These fruits are easier to eat in calorie-sufficient quantities, helping you:

• Meet your daily energy needs
  
• Avoid cravings for cooked foods
  
• Prevent unnatural weight loss and muscle wasting
  

Take a look at the chart below and save it for future reference. Make sure at least one meal per day is built around dense fruits. Pair watery fruits with dried fruits or bananas, and periodically check your total calorie intake to ensure you’re on track.

Remember: Your body needs calories to heal. Healing is a high-energy process, and underfeeding the body—especially to the point of excessive weight loss—starves it of the very energy it needs to cleanse and repair.

Don’t sabotage your healing by eating too light. Fuel your body with the fruits it was designed to eat—dense, sweet, juicy fruits—and give yourself the best chance to succeed in both your transition and long-term health journey.

Fruit by the piece

Bananas – 6 medium     623.04 kcal

Pears – 6 medium         608.76 kcal

Grapefruit – 6 medium    645.12 kcal

Apple – 7 medium 662.48 kcal

Orange – 10 medium 615.7 kcal

Peaches – 11 medium 643.5 kcal

Kiwi Fruit, Green – 15 fruits 631.35 kcal

Mandarin Orange – 15 small 604.2 kcal

Tangerine – 15 small 604.2 kcal

Plums, Raw – 20 medium   607.2 kcal

Cucumber – 20 medium 604.8 kcal

Fig, Raw – 21 small  621.6 kcal

Tomatoes – 30 medium 664.2 kcal

Apricots, fresh – 38 each 638.4 kcal

Fruit by the cup

Durian – 1.75 cups 625.12 kcal

Mango – 4.5 cup 619.41 kcal 

Papayas – 5.5 cups 614.6 kcal

Grapes –  6 cups 625.15 kcal

Cherries, Sweet –  6.5 cups 630.65 kcal

Blueberries – 7.5 cups 632.69 kcal

Honeydew Melon – 9 cups 617.37 kcal

Raspberry – 10 cups 627.26 kcal

Blackberries – 10 cups 619.2 kcal

Strawberries – 12 cups, 601.91 kcal

Cantaloupe – 15 cups 621.01 kcal

Watermelon – 21 cups 620.14 kcal

Dried Fruits

Dates, Medjool – 10 dates 664.8 kcal

Raisins – 1.5 cups 650.31 kcal

Figs, Dried – 1.75 cups 649.25 kcal

Apricot, Dried  –  2 cup 626.58 kcal

Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational purposes only and reflects a Natural Hygiene (Terrain Model) perspective on health and nutrition. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition, and does not constitute veterinary or medical advice. The views expressed are independent of the conventional medical or veterinary industry, and all decisions regarding animal care or personal health care are the responsibility of the owner/individual.

Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to stop eating foods like bread, cheese, pizza, or ice cream—even when you’re full?

It’s not just habit, taste, or lack of willpower. The answer lies in opioid peptides—powerful food-derived compounds that hijack your brain, override your body’s natural signals, and leave you craving more.

🧠 What Are Opioid Peptides?

Opioid peptides are drug-like substances that are released during digestion from certain food proteins. The most well-known are:

• Gliadorphin (also called gluteomorphin), from gliadin, a component of gluten in wheat
  
• Casomorphin, from casein, the primary protein in dairy
  
• Less potent variants also come from corn (zein), soy, and even spinach (rubiscolin)—but wheat and dairy are by far the most powerful and problematic
  

These peptides bind to the same opioid receptors in the brain that respond to drugs like morphine and heroin. The result? A flood of dopamine in your brain’s reward center. You feel comforted, relaxed, and emotionally “numbed” for a while—and your body wants more.

🍕 How They Lead to Overeating

These opioid peptides interfere with the body’s finely tuned hunger and satiety system in multiple ways:

1. They Hijack the Reward System

• Foods containing gliadorphins and casomorphins stimulate dopamine release, producing pleasure and comfort.
  
• This reward response becomes addictive, causing cravings that have nothing to do with true hunger.
  
• The more you eat these foods, the more your body associates them with emotional relief.
  

2. They Block Satiety Signals

• Normally, when you eat enough, hormones like leptin and cholecystokinin (CCK) tell your brain you’re full.
  
• Opioid peptides dampen these messages, allowing you to continue eating well past the point of biological need.
  

3. They Promote Emotional Eating

• Because they produce a sense of calm and pleasure, these foods are often used to self-soothe.
  
• Bread, cheese, and pasta become emotional crutches, eaten not for nourishment, but to numb stress or sadness.
  

4. They Disrupt Digestion

• From a physiological standpoint, these proteins are difficult to digest and unnatural to our frugivorous bodies.
  
• The incomplete digestion produces these opioid byproducts, creating a vicious cycle of enervation, toxicity, and craving.
  

🧬 The Worst Offenders

These foods combine opioid peptides with high fat, salt, and sugar, making them neurologically irresistible:

• Pizza (gluten + casein + fat + salt = addiction formula)
  
• Mac & cheese
  
• Cheese sandwiches and burgers
  
• Ice cream
  
• Pasta with cheese or cream sauce
  

They don’t just taste good—they chemically manipulate your brain.

🍃 Natural Hygiene Perspective: Why This Matters

According to the science of Natural Hygiene, the human body is designed to be guided by clean, honest biological signals. True hunger is felt in the throat, not the stomach. True satisfaction is light, energizing, and requires no stimulant.

Opioid peptides disrupt these signals by:

• Creating false hunger
  
• Overriding satiety
  
• Causing emotional dependence on food
  
• Enervating the system and leading to toxemia
  
• Fueling disease and dysfunction through chronic overeating and wrong food choices
  

Overeating is not just a behavioral problem—it’s often the result of being stimulated by foreign substances that never belonged in the human diet to begin with.

🍇 What Doesn’t Contain Opioid Peptides?

✅ Fruits
✅ Tender leafy greens
✅ Raw, properly combined plant foods

These foods:

• Do not produce opioid peptides
  
• Restore true hunger and natural satiety
  
• Don’t stimulate or sedate the nervous system
  
• Leave the mind clear, the emotions balanced, and the body energized
  

🌱 The Takeaway

If you’ve struggled with overeating, cravings, or emotional eating, the solution isn’t in self-control—it’s in removing the stimulants.

Wheat, dairy, and processed foods hijack your body’s natural intelligence. When you return to the Natural Human Diet, your cravings fade, your portions regulate naturally, and food becomes nourishment, not a drug.  

Ready to make changes but not sure how to begin? Need some motivation or accountability? Why not join our 30-Day Natural Human Diet Support and Education Group? New Groups start on the 1st of every month! https://www.therawkey.com/the-natural-diet-support-group/

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/

Eat fruit and be well my friends.

Debunking the Carnivore Diet through a review of anatomy, physiology and cellular biology

Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational purposes only and reflects a Natural Hygiene (Terrain Model) perspective on health and nutrition. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition, and does not constitute veterinary or medical advice. The views expressed are independent of the conventional medical or veterinary industry, and all decisions regarding animal care or personal health care are the responsibility of the owner/individual.

As we have discussed in a previous article, Humans are Herbivores, frugivores herbivores, or fruit eaters. Despite the mountains of very clear and irrefutable evidence that leads to this conclusion, in recent years we have seen a growing number of fanatical people claiming humans are natural carnivores, or in some cases merely promoting what they call a carnivore diet.  In this series of articles, we will be addressing many facets of this issue.  In this part, we will address the evidence given to us by some tribal peoples as well as our human anatomy and physiology.  In later parts, we will examine the history of these claims, and we will even examine some of the institutions and presenters who promote these ideas of carnivory.  We will also discuss why carnivory is harmful, as well as how and why some people can get positive results from this type of program, as is commonly claimed by carnivore diet proponents.

Part 1:  Tribal Peoples and Comparative Anatomy

Tribal Peoples

One common concept that has been successfully proliferated in some health-seeking circles is that in a natural setting or according to some type of ancestral tenets, humans have always hunted and eaten meat.  The problem comes when we look at some tribal peoples that still live this way and we find that their lifespans are very short.  The Maasai tribe, recently famous for their meat-based diet and natural lifestyle, are reported to have an average lifespan in their 40s.  Another source puts their lifespan in the 50s.  Autopsies on Maasai indicate they suffer from notable or extensive atherosclerosis, even in their 40s.  Would such a short lifespan with notable chronic diet-induced disease conditions make sense if they lived as they were intended?  No, of course not.

The Maasai have also given us another piece of interesting evidence with their customs.  The Maasai men go on retreats where they indulge in large amounts of meat from cattle, sheep, and goats for up to 1 month at a time.  It is common that they develop diabetes or prediabetic markers during this time.  Quoting directly from the results of the observational study:

Participants more than doubled their energy intake from 2125.5 to 4690 calories. Prior to the stay, the average distribution of energy intake for carbohydrate, fat and protein was 67.1%, 23.6%, and 9.3% respectively, while this distribution during the stay was, 4.6%, 55.5% and 39.9%, respectively. Participants’ weight and cholesterol levels were significantly increased and half of participants developed disorders in their glucose metabolism. This reflects a temporary negative impact on their cardiovascular risk factors.

(https://globalhealth.ku.dk/news/2019/maasai-men-develop-lifestyle-diseases-during-calorie-saturated-health-refuge/)  

Here is the study on Maasai, done specifically through autopsy, which shows that they display “extensive atherosclerosis” despite their high level of physical fitness.  (https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/95/1/26/167903)

Inuits are another similar case.  They’re said to be living in their natural habitat and surviving on their diet yet they have comparably very short lifespans which are considerably shorter than the rest of Canada which eats more of a western diet replete with processed junk foods.  According to data from (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2008001/article/10463/4149059-eng.htm) the Inuit life expectancy was as low as 29 years in the 1940s, which was less than half of the average Canadian who lived to 66 at that time.  This gap has narrowed over the years but Inuit do still lag behind the rest of Canada for health outcomes and life expectancy and live longer the more they seem to assimilate typical Canadian diet and customs.

So if a population is living in their natural state and eating natural food, why would their lifespan be significantly shorter than people living in a totally unnatural way?  At some point we must look at the larger picture and concede that something isn’t right.

The Larger Picture: Comparative Anatomy and Physiology

Digestive Design

This will cover teeth, jaw, stomach and stomach acid, the small intestine, the cecum, and the colon from the perspective of comparative anatomy.

Stomach Acid and Digestion

First, before we take a larger survey of our digestive system, I would like to address a common claim regarding stomach acid.  I am happy to concede that humans have the same stomach acid as lions.  It needs to be highlighted, however, that lions have the same stomach acid as sheep and cows.  In fact, all mammals as far as I’m aware (please correct me if anyone knows of an exception) produce hydrochloric acid for stomach acid. Therefore the relevant question is not, “how harsh is your stomach acid?” because lions, sheep, and humans all have the same stomach acid.

A more relevant question is, what is the environment of the stomach like? What is the concentration of that stomach acid in your stomach while digesting food? Lions have an average stomach pH so low they can digest whole bones. They can bite the hand right off your arm and swallow it and it will liquefy completely. Omnivores like wolves or bears can do this as well.

Of course, humans cannot digest bones. All obligate carnivores and all omnivores can digest bone in this manner, but humans cannot. Sure, we produce the same type of stomach acid that obligate carnivores do, but the overall pH of our stomachs does not allow us to digest bone the way that carnivores and omnivores can.

Teeth and Jaw

When we look at an animal’s teeth to try and discern their optimal diet, we are looking at their incisors, canines, and molars.

For herbivores,the front teeth, called incisors, should be prominent as they are generally used to sever plants with a bite.  Carnivores and omnivores have much less prevalent incisors, and their incisors tend to come to a fine point rather than an edge.  As humans, we of course have prominent and edged incisors just like herbivores.

If you look at carnivore or omnivore incisors, they are typically very small, being less than a quarter of the size of the adjacent canine.  While the function of incisors is largely the same across herbivores, omnivores and carnivores, the shape is different and they do function slightly differently.  Carnivores and omnivores have incisors that come to a point, whereas herbivores have incisors that form into a flat edge.  This seems to be designed for biting fruit and greens cleanly which are typically much softer than flesh.  Carnivore and omnivore incisors are sharper and the point allows them to nibble away at flesh or skin more easily.

Canines are a more ambiguous tooth as they serve a more diverse purpose.  Canines can be for tearing flesh, tearing the skin of fruit, and for social displays or combat.  There are many examples of herbivores which have large or prominent canines.

Perhaps the greatest example of an herbivore with prominent canines is the hippopotamus.  Despite eating only plants, hippos have massive canines they use to battle crocodiles, lions, leopards and hyenas.  

There is also a species of deer called the Sabre-Tooth Deer which despite being obligate herbivores has massive canines that look like fangs.  With the Sabre-Tooth Deer, it is only the males which have the large canines, and they seem to be used mostly for courting, territorial and mating disputes.

Gelada Baboons are yet another example.  They are the only primate which eats primarily grass, which makes up 90% of their diet, however, they have large canine fangs which they use for protection.

Camels also have prominent canines, despite an entirely herbivorous diet.  Camels use their canines to crush woody desert plants for food.

Molars can also be very diverse across different types of animals.  Carnivore and omnivore molars are meant to be able to cause significant shearing and snap bones, so they form points that are very hard and useful for cracking bones to get to the marrow.  Rather than meeting directly, they tend to pass and overlap so they are able to work almost like a pair of scissors.  Herbivores, on the other hand, exhibit varying degrees of flatness in their molars, and their molars meet so they can crush plant matter repeatedly.  Ruminants like cows can have very flat molars, while frugivore species have molars that form interlocking surface areas with peaks and valleys.

While not necessarily completely flat, they tend to be designed to chew the same type of plant matter over and over again, whereas carnivores and omnivores are designed to just tear pieces away so they can swallow them whole without much chewing.   Carnivore and omnivore stomach acid is much stronger, so there is less of a need for them to chew up their food thoroughly.  Herbivores get a lot of water from the plant matter they are designed to eat, and are designed to chew the same foods over and over again in order to pulverize the food in order to extract the water, and in the absence of an incredibly harsh environment within the stomach, this extra pulverizing in the mouth also makes food easier to digest and break down.

An additional piece of anatomy that seems to confirm this view is the jaw.  Carnivore and omnivore jaws work on a single powerful hinging joint which is on the same plane as the teeth.  This seems to be designed to inflict maximum bite power and shearing force, whereas herbivore jaws are more complex, with the jaw joint that hinges above the plane of the teeth.  They also possess less capacity for a powerful bite and the added complexity of the jaw joint also allows for side-to-side movement of the chin.  This side-to-side movement enables herbivores to reposition them with each chewing movement, chewing the same material over and over.
                                                                                               

Carnivores and omnivores cannot wag their chins back and forth the way humans can.  This is a property that is unique to herbivores because our jaws are designed to chew the same fibrous plant materials over and over in order to pulverize them so that we can extract the maximum water content and make them easier to digest and breakdown over the course of our longer digestive tracts.  For herbivores, digestion starts in the mouth; carnivores and omnivores seem to only be using their teeth and jaws to break up the material enough to swallow it.

And while not necessarily a 100% correlation, most herbivores also have an enzyme in their saliva called salivary amylase which helps to begin to digest and break down starches and sugars.  This is generally not present in omnivores and carnivores, but is generally present in herbivores.  Salivary amylase is present in humans. 

Fiber

It is also frequently cited that insoluble fiber has no nutritional components and is not able to be digested.  This is mostly true, however it still serves a purpose.  Not only does it sweep through our digestive tract which keeps it relatively clean, it also helps to house and proliferate digestive bacteria which are very important for our overall health.  Gut bacteria not only help digest our food, they also provide us with nutrition that can be difficult to get elsewhere.  They also help regulate our neurotransmitters.  And of course extra fiber also helps keep us having regular eliminations which is our largest avenue of detox and critical to good overall health.

Sometimes carnivore diet promoters will claim they utilize nearly 100% of the meat they eat and that they don’t need to have daily or any type of regular digestive elimination.  In a larger context, this makes no sense at all, because even though lions are designed to eat flesh and can digest bone, they still poop. All carnivore and omnivore mammalian species have regular and consistent bowel elimination. It makes absolutely no sense that humans eating meat will not need to poop. Will they poop less? Of course, because they’re not eating fiber. Fiber is an essential part of a healthy diet not because we get any value from it directly, but because it helps keep things moving throughout the gastrointestinal tract and it helps promote a healthy gut biome.

I am also willing to concede that because of the absence of fiber, flesh is able to liquefy or dissolve more than the average plant food.  However, not all of the constituents of flesh are useful or even healthy for us.  Though present in all types of meat, red meats and seafood are particularly high in purines, which break down into uric acid which can contribute to many health issues, such as gout, kidney stones and other kidney issues, arthritis, heart disease and heart failure.


Failure to eliminate waste is not a benefit. It’s a myth that humans are able to utilize all the meat they eat.  While after a series of chemical reactions we may be able to utilize some of the components of flesh, it still contains harmful compounds and still requires our liver and kidneys to deal with a greater burden than ideal plant-based options.  It is also a more laborious process to utilize the nutrition that is locked away within flesh.   We will look at part of this process in more detail in an upcoming section called, “Chemistry of Glucose, Protein and Fats.”

Digestive Tract

Next, in perhaps the most well known area of comparative anatomy, we will look at the length of the digestive tract.  The way this was initially conceived is to measure the length of the digestive tract not on its own, but to compare it to the length of the body cavity in which it rests.  

Carnivores and omnivores also tend to have much shorter digestive tracts than herbivores. Not only is their stomach acid much more harsh, but they also have harsher byproducts from the flesh they consume to contend with, so they possess a shorter digestive tract to eject waste more quickly.  Herbivores however require long digestive tracts to fully break down as much fibrous plant matter as possible and to separate water from food as much as possible.  Herbivores also absorb nutrition through the entirety of their digestive tracts, including their colons, whereas the colon of the omnivore and carnivore is very short and meant only to eject waste. 

This design is also illustrated specifically in the cecum, which is a section of the digestive tract between the small and large intestines.  Species that eat grass tend to have the most well- developed cecum, whereas species that thrive on meat have a very small cecum.  Just prior to the cecum, there is an ileocecal valve, which prevents food from going backwardbackwards up the digestive tract.  The cecum is also where further digestion and fermentation happens.  So there is a valve that protects the earlier part of the gastrointestinal tract from pressures that may accumulate due to fermentation, and then there is what appears to be a specialized fermentation chamber.  This may be why it seems to be more developed in herbivores which depend more on these processes to get the most out of their plant foods, whereas carnivores and omnivores do not require this process to extract all of their nutrition from their food.  Humans have a relatively large and well-developed cecum.

The entire process of digesting meat is faster and more harsh, whereas plant matter is a slower and more gradual process with less harmful byproducts, and so the entire design of the digestive tract appears to reflect this.  Carnivores and omnivores seem designed to be expecting to take in more toxins through their ideal food source, so their waste removal organs are more robust, their digestive tract is shorter, and they can easily accommodate this greater burden with regularity.  Humans have a relatively long digestive tract and relatively small waste removal organs, as well as a colon which is able to absorb nutrition; These are all characteristics of herbivores.

Chemistry of Glucose, Protein, and Fat

It is also important to note that all animals, be they carnivores, omnivores, or herbivores, utilize glucose within their bodies as their primary fuel source.  Carnivores and omnivores depend on gluconeogenesis and glycerols to get most of their glucose, whereas herbivores consume more glucose and depend less on these measures.

Gluconeogenesis takes place primarily in the liver, kidneys, and digestive tract, and is the process of refining protein or fat sources into usable glucose, amino acids, fatty acids and glycerol.  This process takes some energy and yields some byproducts, and can be considered less efficient than consuming glucose directly.  It is also worth noting that even when humans are operating in ketosis, studies show it takes 15 to 20 percent more calories to accomplish the same baseline tasks than if they were operating on glucose.  This seems to show that not only is glucose the true baseline fuel source for all animals, but it is also more efficient than fats or proteins for humans which is a strong indicator that fruit is our optimal food.

Protein Purpose and Utilization

On the topic of protein, T.C. Fry, a notable Natural Hygiene author, has offered another fascinating piece of the puzzle.  He compares the amount of protein present in the mother’s milk of different species.  I have copied his information into a table below:

The first number is the average number of days a newborn takes to double its weight. The second number is the average percentage of protein present in the mother’s milk of that species.

Species	Days to Double Weight	Average % of Protein in Milk
Man	180	1.6%
Horse	60	2%
Cow	47	3.5%
Goat	19	4.3%
Pig	18	5.9%
Sheep	10	6.5%
Dog	8	7.1%
Cat	7	9.5%

To quote T.C. Fry on protein:
The highest need for protein in the diet occurs for most animals during the above periods when the newborn is doubling its birth weight.  It is important that we realize the protein content in mother’s milk, the optimum food nature has provided for rapid growth of the young, is far below the usual foods that are recommended because of their protein content (such as meat, nuts, legumes, grains, etc.).  Protein is indeed important for growth, but we might well question the alleged necessity for concentrated, high-protein foods.

The second role of protein is in the repair of tissues or replacement of worn-out cells.  After an organism reaches its full growth (usually between 18 and 22 years for humans), protein is needed only to supply the loss incidental to tissue waste.  Cell degeneration and waste occur primarily because of toxicity in the body.  If we adopt a lifestyle and diet that introduces a minimal amount of toxins into the body, then tissue waste will decrease significantly.  As a result, actual protein needs will also diminish.  After an individual reaches adulthood, the only protein needs are for the repair and replacement of tissues that have deteriorated, due largely to body toxicity.

Protein is not used directly as fuel for the body or for muscular activity.  In muscular work, excretion of nitrogen as a result of protein usage increases only very slightly.  Instead, it is the excretion of carbonic acid and absorption of oxygen that increase.  These changes indicate that an expenditure of energy is derived mainly from non-nitrogenous foods (such as carbohydrates and fats) and not from protein.  It is true that the body can use protein to generate fuel for physical activity, but it does so by breaking the protein down into a carbohydrate form.  Protein is used as fuel only when there is either an excess of proteins or a lack of carbohydrates.  When this occurs, the body splits off the nitrogenous matter from the protein molecule and uses the remaining carbon contents to produce fuel.  This process not only involves a net loss of energy, but it also places an unnecessary strain on the liver, kidneys and other organs to eliminate the unusable nitrogenous wastes.

It is for this reason that the popular high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets in weight loss and also why they are dangerous.  Since the body has to expend so much energy in converting the excess protein into the needed carbohydrates for fuel, a net loss occurs in the body and the dieter loses weight.  At the same time, he also places a heavy burden on his kidneys to eliminate all the uric acid generated by this protein breakdown and simultaneously overworks an already exhausted liver.

If more physical activity is anticipated, it is only necessary to increase the carbohydrate intake of the diet.  Proteins are very poor in fuel-efficiency and do not aid directly or efficiently in muscular activity.

Check back soon for part 2 and more of this series! Or for further reading check out What is the Natural Human Diet? or The Nature and Purpose of Disease series!

Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational purposes only and reflects a Natural Hygiene (Terrain Model) perspective on health and nutrition. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition, and does not constitute veterinary or medical advice. The views expressed are independent of the conventional medical or veterinary industry, and all decisions regarding animal care or personal health care are the responsibility of the owner/individual.

First, let’s familiarize ourselves with DMSO and its reported effects on the body.

DMSO is classified as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever drug which is marketed as a dietary supplement. It is also available by prescription as a pharmaceutical drug.

It has recently been promoted in the natural health and alternative health communities as a supplement. Its purported uses include treatments for:

Headache

Painful Bladder Syndrome

Shingles

Rheumatoid arthritis

Eye problems

Scars

Scleroderma (disease that causes scar tissue to form in the skin)

And an alternative Cancer Treatment

According to WebMD, the most frequent side effects from using DMSO on the skin include:

Stomach upset

Skin irritation

A strong odor of garlic

Using DMSO by mouth can cause:

Dizziness

Drowsiness

Nausea

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Constipation

Decreased appetite

More serious side effects include:

Severe allergic reactions

Headaches

Itching and burning when applied to the skin

DMSO can also be lethal to humans when used in high concentrations.

Now let’s look from a terrain perspective. Does this product trigger any expulsion symptoms in any humans?

Keep in mind that the more toxic our bodies become the less energy they have for expelling toxins. We look at humans as a whole; One individual may not get an expulsion symptom if their system lacks the vitality to expel toxins. However if some humans are reporting these expulsion symptoms then we can know that the substance is toxic to humans.

Looking at the list of side effects we see nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and decreased appetite. These are all expulsion symptoms. Expulsion symptoms tell us that the human body sees DMSO as a threat. This is a strong indication DMSO is harmful to our health.

Another thing to consider from the Terrain model perspective: What is the supposed benefit of the medicine or treatment?

DMSO is being marketed as a treatment for headaches, irritated bladder, rashes, shingles, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, eye problems, and scarring of tissues. Treatments are generally harmful to the body because the symptoms exist to promote the healing process; either to aid in the expulsion of toxic materials or in an attempt to create protections against them. This is why we refer to them as “expulsion symptoms” and are often part of a healing crisis.

The body also attempts to protect itself through the creation of inflammation, swelling, and formation of scar tissues or tumors to encapsulate the toxic chemistry. When the body lacks the vitality to expel toxins, it will use other methods to protect the cells from any toxic chemicals it cannot expel. This is most often accomplished by bringing water to the area to dilute the acidic chemistry, but may also include the creation of scar tissues or tumors to encapsulate.

Therefore the symptoms DMSO claims to stop are in reality the body’s natural attempts to clean, heal, and protect itself from waste which is generating the disease conditions. Not only does DMSO do nothing to remove the cause of the initial disease conditions, but it actively interferes with the body’s attempts to remove the waste while also adding to the total toxic burden in the body. While DMSO may provide some short-term relief from a given symptom in some cases, it is certainly not a cure but instead, it is a toxin. The body itself is in worse condition after DMSO has been ingested. DMSO would not be recommended if a return to health is the goal. A poison applied to the body may temporarily alter the symptoms created by the body, but the symptoms themselves are the cure for disease conditions, so stopping them is not helping the body, it is always hurting the body. As usual, from a Terrain Model perspective, we focus on supporting the body and its natural systems to remove the true cause of disease rather than the application of chemical bandaids and toxic remedies to suppress symptoms. One can never poison the body back to health.