Nutrition

One of the most important keys to maintaining good health is good nutrition. In fact, it’s quite possible that the majority of the disease we face are simply caused by poor nutrition. So, before we start trying to get well by taking herbs or nutritional supplements, we should look at resolving two primary problems. One of these is improving our nutrition, which is the subject of this article.

In the religious tradition I grew up with, the phrase “health to the navel, marrow to the bones” was a symbolic representation of what it means to be blessed with good physical health. I have pondered this phrase and think that it contains deep symbolism about what is necessary for us to have good physical health.  Health in the navel refers to a healthy digestive tract, which many natural healers understand is vital to good health.  But, why marrow in the bones?  This article explores why healthy bones (and bone marrow) are vital to overall good health.

White is typically thought of as a color denoting purity and goodness, but when it comes to nutrition, white is often "evil."  White flour, white sugar, white rice, commercial dairy products and salt are all examples of "white" foods that are extremely bad for our health.  In fact, these refined foods are a major cause of diabetes, heart disease and cancer, the major killer diseases in our culture.  This article talks about the negative impact of four refined foods—refined carbohydrates (white flour and refined sugar in particular), processed vegetable oils, commercial dairy products and refined salt.  It also offers suggests for getting these foods out of our diet and replacing them with foods that will contribute to our health rather than detract from it.

This article has multiple pages, so be sure to read them all.

If you struggle to control your weght, here are some tips that have helped me maintain my weight and even start losing some excess pounds.  It's not about will-power, it's about changing your body's metabolism and your relationship with food.

Did you know that high fructose corn syrup is processed using mercury?  With this refined carbohydrate being added to numerous foods, it's all the more reason to avoid sugary refined foods.  In this article, Mary Born not only introduces us to this nutritional hazard, she also points out the primary reason both children and adults eat so much sugar.  We are starved for sweetness in our lives. 

Suggestions for detoxing from heavy metals can also be found in this insightful and eye-opening article. —Steven Horne

During a class K.P. Khalsa and I held via conference call on Chinese herbs I allowed listeners to submit questions via E-mail prior to the call. One of the questioners wanted to know if I could only recommend one Chinese herbal formula what would be it be? My response was that if I were limited to only being able to recommend one supplement, it wouldn't be a Chinese herbal formula. It would be enzymes. Plant enzymes to be specific.

Eating healthy isn't a matter of self-deprivation.  It's actually a pleasurable experience.  In fact, pleasure is a sign that something is good for the body.  Processed foods only appear to taste good because of the "natural" and artificial flavors they add to fool your body into thinking it tastes good.  As long as you avoid these chemically flavored artificial foods, you can let your senses be your guide.  In fact, learning to "slow down" and take pleasure more in food will help you maintain both your health and your proper weight. 

I had a lot of unanswered questions and confusion about the whole subject of fats, especially with all the new forms of essential fatty acid supplements that have recently come on the market such as CLA, DHA, etc. So, I did what I always do when I'm having trouble understanding something—I did some research. When I found the information I was looking for, my confusion started to clear, and my next thought was, I'll bet a lot of other people are confused about this issue, too. So, I decided to write this article to share what I've learned.

If you want to dramatically improve your health, get refined sugar out of your diet.  It's not easy because sugar is so widely used in foods and is highly addictive, but I predict that half of your health problems will disappear if you eliminate sugar from your diet.  This article provides suggestions on how to do it.

Iodine is an important nutrient for the thyroid, but is also needed by every cell in the body.  Breast, prostate and uterine tissue particularly need iodine for healthy function and deficiencies of this nutrient may be one of the underlying causes of cancer in these organs.  Unfortunately a number of chemicals displace iodine in the body and this, coupled with shortages in the diet, is causing widespread iodine deficiencies.