Documentaries

I recently saw two documentaries that reinforced my decision to abstain from the Standard American Diet (SAD) and continue choosing living foods. The films: Food Matters, and Breakthrough.

This is my second viewing of Food Matters. It basically talks about how the foods we eat make us sick.

Since World War II our food has undergone a huge change. Less often do we eat food that is grown naturally, freshly picked, and served with minimal preparation. Instead our foods are routinely fumigated by pesticides, fungicides, herbicides while bathed in a sea of man-made fertilizers. Once picked it travels long distances and sits on shelves before being purchased. Or it is processed into packaged items that contain an abundance of calories but few nutrients.

When we eat such foods, acid forms. All disease thrives in an acid medium. Sugar, processed carbohydrates, and all animal derivatives including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products stimulate lots of acid in our bodies, unlike most vegetables and fruits that leave an alkaline ash.

Our bodies are designed to operate slightly alkaline. So when we consume acid forming foods, we tax our bodies to remain alkaline under the onslaught of acid waste. What does it do?

1. Stores excess acid in the muscles, which gives rise to fibromyalgia.
2. Creates plaque and cholesterol on arterial walls.
3. Produces adipose fat cells causing weight gain.
4. Causes blood to clot.
5. Stores extra water to help neutralize the acid (edema).
6. Induces hot flashes, sweating, and rashes in an effort to expel the acid.
7. Develops colds, and other immune responses to get rid of the excess acid.
8. Draws alkaline minerals like calcium from tissues, bones and teeth in an effort to neutralize the acidity (causing osteoporosis and receding gums).

When the body is unable to get rid of sufficient acid, decay begins to literally decompose the body. Yeast overgrowth, bacteria and parasites are not something a person catches, but something a person creates and invites into their body when they fail to maintain proper pH within the colon.

Because of our farming practices, most produce lacks the full range of minerals in the soil. If the plant doesn't absorb these minerals, obviously neither can we who consume the plants. Yet the medical industry warns us about the dangers of supplementation.

In the last 23 years there have been exactly 10 recorded deaths due to the intake of vitamins. In that same time period, the deaths due to taking properly prescribed medications is more than 250,000.

When we cook foods, the enzymes are changed. Rather than interpret the substance as nourishment, the body reacts to cooked food by seeing it as a foreign invader. Our immune system rushes to our rescue!

The good news is that if the majority of our diet is living foods, uncooked, unprocessed, full of life-giving vitality, then the immune system doesn't sound the alarm.

Breakthough is a documentary about a family that is raising its children on a diet that consists of living foods. I enjoyed this artistic, athletic, intelligent family as it boldly asserts their right to choose how to live (and how to eat). Several members of the extended family joined the nuclear group and ate raw. The results? lose of weight, gained vitality.

Check out these documentaries:
www.foodmatters.tv
www.thegardendiet.com

Viewing them may help you make the most important decision in your life: whether to age rapidly or not; whether to court illness or health.

Acid Waste; Acid Waist

Since drinking Kangen water I've begun to learn about acid waste. So many foods in the SAD (standard American diet) are acid forming: all animal products, refined, highly processed foods, and lots of other things including many nuts.

As if that weren't enough, our bodies generate acid when we're stressed, while exercising, and just plain living. We can't stop the creation of acid waste. However, the body must operate in a slightly alkaline environment. Each system prefers its own pH level. (pH is a measure of potential hydrogen and the scale runs from 0 to 14 with acid going from 0 to 6.99 and alkaline going from 7.01. Each whole number represents 10 times the amount of hydrogen.)

Because acid is a major challenge, the body does many things to maintain or buffer itself. It will steal minerals from our bones and teeth, which then leads to various conditions and illnesses. Probably the most common thing it does is store the acid waste in fat cells. This removes the offender from the vital organs and allows the body to continue to run.

I have struggled with being overweight my entire life (at least since age 4-5). Obviously I have a BIG issue with acid waste. So every time I've embarked on a weight loss program, I've reached a plateau that stops me from completely getting rid of excess body fat. Now I realize why. My body had to keep the cushion of body fat because it was storing acid waste. Of course, this meant that my actual waist was abounding in acid waste.

As a result of drinking Kangen water (my diet has gone unchanged and my exercise program has actually deteriorated -- I'm doing less workouts per week and less amount of time per session), I've lost 25 pounds. I'm delighted and pleased. Finally I have a solution to my long-term bug-a-boo: being overweight.

So what do you have to lose? Perhaps you might www.checkoutkangen.com/

It's Cold in Florida

Last Thursday I flew to Sarasota and then traveled south to Venice where I've been staying this week. If I were looking for cold weather, I could have remained in Boston where the temperatures are not much lower than where I am! It even snowed further north around Lakewood. Yikes.

I'm here to meet with the people who sponsored me into the Kangen water business. We've been working on creating a CD that tells how this water came to be. The story begins with the Hunza people. They have one of the longest life spans on the planet and enjoy robust health well into their 100s and beyond.

Years ago scientists trekked up the Himalaya mountains to verify what rumor spread: name that these men and women suffer little illness and enjoy longevity. Complete with electrocardiograms and other high tech equipment, the doctors validated the Hunza's extraordinary health. Other researchers investigated the factors responsible and concluded that they, like a few other select people across the world, drink glacial water that has distinct molecular structure and properties, which promote vitality.

Now the real work began, how to create water that had these same characteristics. The Russians were the first to succeed, but their equipment was cumbersome. Later the Japanese developed a machine that ionized regular tap water, thus making it possible for everyone to have access to this kind of water.

What's the big deal, you ask? Water is just water. No it isn't. Depending on the source water may be impure, contaminated with waste products, or lack the hexagonal rings that biological organisms prefer. It may be acidic as measured by pH levels, have insufficient oxygen, and it could also contribute free radicals and thus oxidize the body.

All these factors are what differentiate water, one from another.

One of the simplest things we can do to enhance our health is to drink hexagonal water that is alkaline and contains an abundance of anti-oxidants and stabilized oxygen. It's even more effective than changing diet, which is more of a challenge to people than switching religions!

Have you tested the water you've been drinking lately? If it comes from the tap, a filter or a bottle, chances are it's missing some key characteristics. Chances are it's pentagonal in shape, rather than hexagonal. Chances care it's highly acid (although tap water by law must read neutral, about 7.0 on the pH scale). Chances are it's full of free radicals and has a positive oxidation potential. Chances are it's lacking in minerals and the vital elements that our bodies need for good health.

It may be cold here, but I'm learning a lot.

A Healthy New Year

I invited people who attend raw food potluck events and those curious about raw food to come to my home January 1. About 10 people showed up and we feasted on some of the dishes I prepared as well as those people brought.

I made two kinds of salad, a chef salad with basil dressing and kale salad with sesame seed dressing. For the main course there were collard wraps filled with spinach cashew mayonaise surrounding carrots, cabbage, and pea sprouts. I also made marinated vegetables in a rich chili sauce. The veggies included eggplant, zucchini, carrot, celery, mushrooms, onion, and lentil sprouts. The sauce came from sun dried tomatoes plus garlic, onion, chili peppers, and seasonings.

For the occasion I made several kinds of flax crackers including an invention of yams, apple, coconut in orange juice with chia seeds. Sweet and yummy! I had also dehydrated banana bread, a simple recipe with 5 ingredients: banana, coconut, chia seeds, walnuts, and raisins. To one batch I added cinnamon. So delicious!

I also made several desserts. I made two versions of my carrot cake, one with pineapple and one without. Both were frosted with cashew/lemon icing. People also enjoyed a raspberry chocolate parfait with layers of chocolate (avocado plus cacao and agave) and frozen whipped raspberries. I sprinkled some cookie crumbs between layers.

The conversation was equally as tasty as the food. What a treat to meet these people and have a long leisurely talk about our experiences in seeking and enhancing our health.

May 2010 be a healthy year for you.

Plastic Bottles

Yesterday I watched a documentary entitled Tapped. It was fabulous. I appreciated the excellent information, its beautiful photography, sensitive narration, good use of silence with just visuals, and its overall stimulation. I found it very provocative.

What I want for Christmas and all the year is for people to STOP drinking bottled water. There are many valid reasons for changing our behavior. First, the water is acidic, highly oxidizing, and very costly. The cost per gallon exceeds that of gasoline!

In many cases the quality of the water is no better than what comes from the public water supply, which is highly regulated and frequently tested. Bottled water, on the contrary, escapes governmental scrutiny! Citizens assume that because it's bottled and has a fancy name and label that the contents is safe and sanitary. Not necessarily so.

What disgusts me is knowing that several of the largest bottlers (Nestle via Poland Springs, CocaCola, and Pepsi) actually use the public water supply. We citizens are footing the bill and then buying the water from these conglomerates.

As Tapped pointed out, some locales are experiencing major droughts. Yet these companies continue to take water from lakes and springs while the neighborhood must limit its use of water or go without! One such community is Atlanta.

It bothers me to see that the precious resources in Maine are being taken from the community without compensation. The cost of water for Poland Springs, a meager 4 cents per bottle. The profit, about 160%.

And the bottles themselves pose more problems. Do you know how much petroleum goes into their manufacture and distribution? Enough to fuel 10,000 vehicles daily.

Then there's the issue of health. People living close to companies that produce these plastics develop cancer at higher than average rates. Here's another Love Canal happening in Corpus Christy, TX. These families are experiencing devastation both health-wise and financially.

Those of use who drink from these bottles also risk exposure to carcinogens. It turns out that polycarbonate also leaches chemicals just like PET plastic.

Finally our environment cannot handle the mountains, no acres of plastic bottles that are clogging streams, rivers, even the ocean. There is a place in the Pacific twice the size of Texas that consists of tons of plastic bottles. There is a beach where instead of sand, these is a mixture of plastic particles. Landfills are overflowing with plastic waste.

Sadly, less than 30% of plastic bottles are recycled in the US. Europe has a higher rate. Where the 13 states have passed legislation requiring deposits on plastic bottles (mainly soda), recycling increases to more than 50%. In Michigan, the only state to put a 10 cent deposit, the rate is 95%. However, most states exempt water bottles from this law!

The industry pretends that the solution is curbside recycling, but less than one in four of us in the US have such access. Thus we toss them away randomly and most wind up in the waterways. It takes over 1000 years for them to degrade. In the meantime, the fish eating the plastic pieces are getting sick and die. We who eat such fish also risk these plastics accumulating in our bodies.

Can you see the disaster brewing? It's here. Please stop buying bottled water (soda too). Let's be mindful of our legacy to the next generation as well as protecting the health and environment right now.

First Demonstration

Thanks to my friend Patti who suggestions and organized this event, I gave my first presentation on Kangen water. It was a hit! I'm very happy.

About 3 weeks ago, Patti and I attended a demonstration and we both had similar reactions. While it was very informative, it seemed overly complicated and long. We both thought it needed to be simplified and shortened.

Although Patti has not yet purchased her own machine, she loves this water and comes regularly to my home to refill her jugs. She suggested that I do a demonstration and she would invite all her friends. I developed the copy and she sent out 40 invitations.

In the last week, I began telling a few of my friends about the event and knew that they would be coming too. Then I began to prepare for this evening.

First I wrote out my "speech". I find that this helps me organize my thoughts and plants some phrases in my brain so that when I speak extemporaneously, I know where I'm going and what I want to say. I shared my written speech with a few friends and got feedback. One woman, whom I recently met, suggested that the best way to do this type of presentation is to begin with stories. She said, information tells but stories sell.

So I abandoned my original script and followed her suggestion. Since my own stories seemed a bit weak, I asked my sponsor if he would share his via telephone. (He lives in Florida whereas I reside in Massachusetts.) I put him on speaker phone and he told about having a liver transplant that required him to take lots of immune-suppressant medications. As a result, his kidney function was gravely compromised and he was informed that he would next need a kidney transplant. However, he began drinking large amounts of Kangen water and his health was restored. Rather than 20 medications, he takes just 3 and no longer has kidney problems.

Another member of the team told his story via telephone. His father had died from acid reflux. Following in his footsteps, he too was diagnosed with the condition and found himself on various medications. The problem was so severe that his whole life revolved around taking these drugs. Once he started drinking Kangen water, the symptoms disappeared. Now he is drug-free and has no acid reflux.

I shared a couple of stories of women I have helped by sharing this water. One had acid reflux that required daily medication. Within 3 days, she was able to stop all drugs. The other person had severe morning sickness well into her 5th month of pregnancy. Within 2 days of drinking Kangen water, the morning sickness resolved and she is doing fine.

I've found that my weight has redistributed by drinking this water and my body is able to let go more easily of extra pounds. Moreover, the slight aches and joint pains that I was unaware were there, disappeared entirely, and then came back during the 5 days when I was out of town during Thanksgiving. Now I know for sure that the water benefits me.

After these stories I did several demonstrations. The first was to show the amount of anti-oxidants contained in Kangen water in comparison to other types of water. We used tap water, Penta, Poland Spring, SmartWater, VitaminWater, Fiji Water, Sprite, and Pelagrino. All of the other waters had positive ORP readings, meaning that they actually contribute free radicals and help age the body more rapidly. Kange water had negative 350 ORP reading, meaning it contains lots of anti-oxidants that neutralize free radicals.

The next demonstration was the pH level. Most of the waters are acid with the exception of Fiji and tap water, which were both neutral, even a bit alkaline. Kangen water was highly alkaline, and it quickly alkalized the other waters, except for soda and Pelagrino.

It was the last demonstration that was most impressive. Using a cluster of tomatoes, I soaked them in plain tap water and strong Kangen water. I test for chlorine. Tap water is loaded with chlorine. After "cleaning" the tomatoes, the soaked tap water test negative for chlorine, whereas the Kangen soaked water was "dirty". Where did the chlorine go? Obviously, it was absorped by the tomatoes! So the tomatoes actually washed the water rather than the other way around. It made us all think about what kind of pesticides and acid rain are on our produce, as well as what we might be eating.

If you want more information about Kangen water, go to
www.EnjoyThisWater.com

My audience gave me feedback at the end and I appreciated their support. Thanks!

Super Charge Me

This week I attended a movie/lecture at Harvard University featuring Jenna Norwood and her movie, Super Charge Me. In contrast with Super Size Me, which documents one person's journey eating 30 days exclusively at MacDonald's, Super Charge Me shows Jenna's adventures eating raw foods for 30 days.

What prompted her to begin this path was her desire to look ravishing in a chorus girl costume that she hoped to wear for Halloween. When she tried it on months before the event, the mirror reflected back unattractive bulges. That motivated her to do something. Coincidentally a few friends had recently experimented with raw foods, which caused her to do some research. So she enrolled in a 21-day detox experience at Optimum Health Institute in San Diego. When she completed the program, she continued eating raw for the full 30 days.

Before beginning this month, she consulted her doctor and had various tests performed. The same battery of tests were repeated at the end. As expected, she lost about 15 pounds. Most of her blood work showed vast improvement. There were two exceptions: iron and B12 levels.

As a person who has been eating no animal products for many years, B12 levels could be a concern. However, as I've researched the topic, I've learned that many people, not just vegans, have low B12 levels. So I recently decided to add a sublingual supplement.

The point of the film is that eating living foods is a viable option and can lead to improvements in overall health. My own experience substantiates this conclusion.

Following the documentary, Jenna appeared and answered questions. I learned that she formed a raw food community in Sarasota, Florida, where she hails. So upon return, she began to meet like-minded people and participate in potluck get-togethers. With the prodding of her new friends, she eventually taught food preparation and later opened a raw food restaurant. Sadly the new building where the restaurant was going to be housed had a major flood and so this venture is temporarily on hold.

I liked how Jenna responded to people's inquiries. Although it was apparent that she advocates for raw food, she also is supportive of other choices. She admits that she has strayed several times, even though she feels better when eating living foods. I appreciated her comment to one questioner, "Just try it and judge for yourself."

As I listened to the audience reflect on this documentary, I recalled one quote that the movie cited from Margaret Mead. To paraphrase, it's easier to change a man's religion than his diet. So true.