THE HEALING LIFESTYLE

by Lawrence Wilson, MD

©February 2010, The Center for Development.

This article introduces the major elements of nutritional balancing science. They form a system that, when done together, has a powerful healing effect on most physical, as well as many mental and emotional conditions. Our experience is this will allow most people to achieve a level of health far above what many believe is possible.

FOOD CHOICES

Eat More Cooked Vegetables. Fill half to two-thirds of your plate with cooked vegetables at least twice every day. Vegetables provide many nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fiber. They also increase the alkalinity of the body more than any other food group. This is important today because the balance of the pH is a factor in healing. Do not try to alkalinize the body with a water machine, however. These are not safe, in my experience, no matter what the sales people contend. They usually use tap water and may contain toxic metals.

The best vegetables are roots such as carrots, onion, rutabaga, turnips and celery root, and to a lesser degree garlic, beets, yams and sweet potatoes. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower are also excellent. Greens such as kale, spinach, mustard greens, beet greens and Swiss chard are also very good. Other excellent vegetables are peas and green beans, both fresh and frozen. A bag of frozen peas cooks in 10 minutes and makes an excellent, tasty and filling snack or even an entire meal.

Acorn and butternut squash, and pumpkin are not quite as good, but may be eaten occasionally. Zuccini, summer squashes, okra and cucumbers are also not quite as good.

Equally important is to avoid or minimize nightshade vegetables, especially if you have any pain in your body. These include tomatoes, white and red potatoes, eggplant and all peppers, such as sweet and hot peppers, and table pepper, which is usually rancid.

Eat Proteins Once or Twice Daily. Protein foods, especially those of animal quality, offer many nutrients including zinc, selenium, sulfur, many vitamins, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and much more. Please do not follow a vegetarian diet for this reason.

The best protein foods are wild game, along with organic or naturally raised lamb, chicken, eggs, and turkey. The best dairy products, if available, are raw, certified goat or cows whole milk, plain yogurt, kefir or cheeses. Other dairy products vary greatly in their quality, so look for organically raised, at least, whenever possible. Goat products tend to be a little better than cow dairy, although not always.

Twice a week or so, you may have small fish such as a can of sardines or some salmon, and dried beans, or nut or seed butters. Fish are often contaminated with mercury, so only eat smaller fish that contain plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, and do not eat fish more than two or three times weekly. Wild caught fish may be better, but not necessarily.

Avoid pork, ham and all pig products. Most contain parasitic infections, even if well-cooked. Also reduce beef, though some naturally raised beef is okay occasionally. Most beef cattle are very hybridized and less healthful. Avoid all processed meats and American cheese or “cheese food”.

Whole Grains. While these are good foods, many people do not handle them well. The best grains for most people are brown rice, white Basmati rice and organic blue corn (such as in organic blue corn chips). Others that are somewhat less desirable, but okay, are millet, buckwheat, amaranth, flax and quinoa. Others, provided you don’t have gluten sensitivity, include rye, oats, and barley.

Avoid wheat and spelt in all forms. Wheat is a very hybridized food, like beef and some dairy today. As a result, wheat has become an unbalanced and inflammatory food. An important habit change is to avoid all foods made with wheat such as most breads, pastries, cakes, cookies, flour tortillas, hot and cold cereals, soups thickened with flour, and wheat pasta. Wheat pasta is less processed and a little better, but still best avoided.

Always cook grains and avoid granola and muesli, which may not be well-cooked. Grains are best eaten freshly cooked, if possible. However, pasta made from corn, rice or quinoa, and organic blue or yellow corn chips are fine.

Fats and oils. These are extremely important foods, especially for fast oxidizers. Good sources of fats and oils are raw certified dairy products, good quality eggs, nut and seed butters, and some olive and other types of unrefined oils. Avoid most French fries and other deep fried foods, as the oil is often overheated and damaged.

Fruit and sweets. Fruits, especially when dried or canned, are not good foods today. They are all hybrids that are too sweet and have less nutrition than most other natural foods. Fruit often upsets the blood sugar level and can contribute to intestinal diseases such as yeast infections. Also, while technically alkaline-forming, most people cannot utilize them properly and they acidify the body, at times.

Do your best to change your eating habits to avoid all fruit and sweets, perhaps with the exception of some berries for desert or a piece of apple or other juicy fruit in the summer during the fruit’s season. Also avoid all sugars, if possible. Do not substitute artificial sweeteners if possible. If you must, use a little stevia or xylitol as a sweetener. Less desirable is raw honey, agave syrup or pure maple syrup in tiny amounts as a sweetener.

Beverages. Finding healthful water to drink is extremely important, in our experience. Only distilled or spring water meets our standards of health, as these are cleanest and least processed. The next best water is carbon-filtered tap water. However, most tap water is contaminated with metals, chemicals and even residues of medical drugs.

Besides pure water, only mild teas hydrate the body perfectly. These include black or green tea, chamomile, hibiscus, mint, strawberry leaf and other mild herbal blends. Please do not add sweeteners to them, if at all possible.

Adults need to drink three (3) quarts or more of water each and every day. An excellent habit is to drink up to 1 quart of healthful distilled or spring water upon arising in the morning. This plus a sauna is an excellent way to start your day.

Carrot and/or green juice. Purchase a juicer or buy carrot juice at Costco or another store. Every adult needs to drink about 10-15 ounces of carrot juice daily, preferably away from a meal. If possible, wait 15 minutes after drinking it before eating a meal. One or two ounces of wheat grass juice is also fine as a substitute, but not all the time.

Avoid all fruit juice. Do not add fruit to carrot juice unless a child, perhaps, demands a little to accept the taste of carrot juice. Also avoid drinking more than 15 ounces of juice as this can upset digestion. One cup of coffee is fair, but okay if desired. Avoid all soda pop, “energy drinks” and strong sweetened teas. Also avoid alcohol in all forms, as much as possible. An occasional small glass of wine or beer is okay if desired, but not great.

Sunshine. If possible, expose the chest to the sun for 20- 30 minutes daily. Do not use sunscreen to obtain the most vitamin D. If you are sensitive to sunshine, sunbathe early in the morning or late in the afternoon, at which time you can stay out of doors up to an hour. Do not sit in the sun for hours, as this is less healthful today, even wearing sunscreen.

Herbs and condiments. Excellent spices are cumin, turmeric and curry powder. Avoid or use sparingly all medicinal herbs, especially those imported from Asia or Latin America. Sadly, Ayurvedic and Chinese herbs usually contain toxic metals and other toxic substances. Most herbal programs are not compatible with nutritional balancing science. We will suggest herbs that are safe.

Foods and restaurants to avoid. Avoid most canned, boxed, refined, prepared and processed foods in favor of making your own simple dishes. Restaurants are a problem, unless you know the food is made freshly and not laced with hundreds of chemicals. Chain restaurants are often the worst. Also avoid most frozen prepared meals, as most contain many chemical ingredients. Read labels if you are not sure.

Raw food. Many doctors recommend raw salads. We do not, however. The reasons are 1) raw food is often contaminated with bacteria and parasites, 2) our bodies have difficulty extracting all the minerals from raw food, 3) raw foods are often cold and take more energy to digest, and 4) cooking concentrates many foods, allowing one to eat more vegetables. The exception is dairy products, which are best eaten raw, when you can find it. This is generally safe. Especially when dining out, avoid all raw food for reasons of cleanliness.

Preferably steam your food to cook it. Other good methods are stir-frying, crock pots, roasting, as in a barbeque, or baking vegetables or meats providing you do not overcook meats, in particular. Cook eggs lightly so the yolks are still runny. For example, soft boil eggs only 3-4 minutes, poach, loosely scramble, or fry them, but not so much that the yolks are hard.

Eating Habits. Do not skip meals. Preferably, eat a meal every few hours if you have hypoglycemia. However, do not eat or snack all the time. Rest a few minutes before eating. Then sit down in a quiet place to eat. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. Relax at least 10 minutes after eating before leaving the table or returning to your activities. Rotate your diet, eating the same food no more than every other day, if possible.

Avoid eating while driving, when upset, or in noisy places. Do not to drink a lot of liquid with meals. Drink up to 15 minutes before a meal or an hour or more afterwards. This prevents diluting your stomach and digestive juices with too much liquid.

Simplicity. The simplest food combinations are easiest on your digestion. If you can, be satisfied with a single food or two at a meal, as this is best. It also simplifies food preparation and cleanup.

Also, if possible, refrain from putting a lot of dressings, sauces, relishes, sweeteners and spices on your food. These, too, can upset a stressed digestive system. Human beings used to eat much simpler meals in earlier times, and their digestion was far better.

OTHER LIFESTYLE FACTORS

Stress. Do your best to live and work in a place with clean air, peace and quiet. Reduce stress as much as possible to facilitate healing.

More rest is critical for many people. Do your best to get 9 or more hours of sleep every night. Going to sleep early, between 8 and 9 PM, will give you the most restful night’s sleep. Naps may also be needed, as you may feel tired at times as healing occurs.

Gentle exercise is the only type recommended with a nutritional balancing program because it is best to conserve most of your energy for healing. Limit your exercise to gentle walking, bicycling or swimming, perhaps, and maybe gentle classes with tai chi or yoga, but only if done gently. Deep breathing every day is excellent, as well.

Reduce toxic exposures. Reduce all chemicals on your skin such as perfumes, cologne, lotions, etc. Use only natural products with as few chemicals in them as possible. If you have silver amalgam dental fillings, begin now to have them replaced with either composite fillings or gold alloy. The silver ones contain mercury that is extremely toxic. Reduce electromagnetic pollution as much as possible from computers, cell phones, portable phones and other sources, especially where you sleep.

FOOD SUPPLEMENTS FOR MOST PEOPLE

Several food supplements that most people need, that you may start right away, include several large capsules of kelp, 1000 mg of fish oil or other source of omega-3 fatty acids, and 4-5000 iu daily of vitamin D. Also, use a quality sea salt with your cooking, and perhaps some nutritional yeast and rice polishings. Strictly avoid table salt, a very poor quality product.

THE HOME SAUNA

Near infrared light sauna therapy was added to nutritional balancing several years ago as a fabulous healing and detoxification procedure. It is not required for everyone, but often greatly speeds up healing. With regular use, it allows the body to eliminate hundreds of toxic chemicals and two dozen toxic metals in a few years that would otherwise take much longer.

It also helps tremendously to safely eliminate chronic infections. It also dramatically improves circulation, hydration and oxygenation of the body. Near infrared saunas are dry, clean and use very little electricity. We can help you build one with free plans, or we offer a simple frame sauna for $579.00. View the website, www.drlwilson.com, for more details.

MEDITATION

We recommend just one type of meditation exercise as a key for calming the mind and emotions, and developing self-awareness and grounding. It also brings an energy into the body that assists healing. The recommended exercise is also very safe to do at home. It is described in more detail in an article entitled Meditation on our website.

MORE SPECIFIC DIETS AND SUPPLEMENTS

If you choose to begin a personalized nutritional balancing program based on a properly performed and correctly interpreted hair mineral analysis, the program will combine most of the above with much more specific instructions regarding your diet, drinking water, food supplements, detoxification and much more, in some instances.

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