This nutritional program is a lifestyle based approach that focuses on the natural principles of health and healing. Nutritionally, we want to alkalize & de-inflame the body to allow it to function at its potential. The result is more energy, less pain, better organ function, and optimal weight. Follow these essential steps to dramatically improve your health.

1. Choose Food By God (Natural) Rather Than Food By Man (Processed)
   • Minimize all processed foods, artificial sweeteners, flavorings, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, hormones, & anti-biotics that man has produced with little regard to nature.
   • Choose natural, organic, whole foods – fresh from their source.
2. Use Fats That Heal and Avoid Fats That Kill
   • Reduce/eliminate toxic, inflammatory fat sources
   • Implement healthy fat sources as your chief calorie source to radically improve fat burning potential, brain function, & energy levels.
3. Avoid Sugars
   • Decrease insulin levels by minimizing any sort of sugar intake.
   // Minimize grains
   // Minimize most fruit
   • Eat lots of vegetables and healthy fat.
   • With decreased insulin levels and an abundant source of healthy fat, your body naturally switches over from a sugar burner/sugar craver to a highly productive fat burner.
4. Change the Meat You Eat
   • Grain-fed animals become highly inflamed, sick, & diseased. These animals suffer from heart disease, cancer, chronic pain, & obesity before dying a miserable death only to pass on their detriments to those who eat of their flesh
   • Grass-fed, free range animals enjoy life with tremendous health. They pass along a healthy protein/fat source, loaded with brain-boosting omega 3’s and metabolism spiking Conjugated Linoleic Acid among other things to improve the quality of your life.
5. Alkalize For Optimal Health:
   • Include a lot of alkaline foods such as raw vegetables, extra-virgin olive oil, avocados, spirulina, chlorella, specific sea salts, apple cider vinegar, lemon, etc. in your meals.
   • More processed something is: more acidic.
   • Meals should be 75% alkaline veggies & oils & 25% acidic (meats, grains). Use good salts and herbs on your meals as well.
   • Alkaline water and salts are recommended. This can be done by adding Himalayan Salt, Celtic Salt, or Redmond’s Real Salt to water, adding lemon to water, &/or adding pH booster to water for a more specific reading.

PRIMARY FOODS

 Good Fats/Proteins:

1. Vegetarian Sources: Almonds, Avocados, Brazil Nuts, Coconut, Hemp Seed, Flax Seed,Macadamia Nuts, Olives, Amasai, Walnuts & Sunflower Seeds.
   • In addition, the associated oils, milks, flakes, & butters of these products are great.
   • You can use these in abundance without worrying about gaining weight. Just listen to your body and avoid gluttonously overeating.
   • Coconut products – the medium chain saturated fats will boost your metabolism, improve immunity, lubricate stiff joints & fight dry skin.
2. Animal Sources: Milk, Butter, Amasai, Eggs, Fish, Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Bison, Lamb,Goat, Deer, Elk, Green-Fed Raw Cheese.
   • Animal sources must be organic, grass-fed in order to be truly health benefiting. Milk and butter must also be raw – unpasturized and unhomogenized.
   • Fish must be wild-caught. If it is farmed it is dangerous. Look for things low on the food chain to avoid heavy metal contamination. Sardines are probably the best…wild Alaskan salmon is 2nd. Never eat Atlantic salmon – it is always farmed regardless of what it says.

Fruits & Vegetables:

1. Staples: Anything dark green including asparagus, broccoli, spinach, dandelion greens, collard greens, cabbage, cucumbers, turnip greens, kale, snap peas, celery, swiss chard, cilantro, parsley, dill, etc.
2. Colors: Bell peppers (green, red, yellow, orange), red cabbage, red/white onions,tomatoes, & carrots.
   • You should be eating these in abundance
   • Lightly steam, stir-fry, or eat them raw.
   • Make your meals colorful for a full exploration of taste & nutrient potential.
3. Starchy Vegetables: All food by God, but high in carbohydrates. Better are those that have the most nutrient density per gram of carbohydrate. Eat only in careful moderation.
   • The better: Sweet potatoes, squash, & beans of any kind.
   • The worse: Regular potato, corn and any grain
   • Best grains: Millet, Quinoa, Ezekiel sprouted grains & brown rice
   • Worst grains: Wheat, barley, oat, and rye (all gluten containing)
4. Fruits: All food by God, but also contain a lot of sugar…the better are categorized by the fruits that have the most nutrient density per gram of carbohydrate. Eat only in careful moderation.
   • The better: Strawberries, black berries, blueberries, raspberries, grapefruit
   • The worse: Melon of any kind, pineapple, grapes.
5. Sweeteners: Should all be used in moderation so as to not create a dependency on sweet flavor.
6. The better: Stevia – all natural – and actually enhances your bodies ability to utilize insulin.
7. The worse: Honey, agave nectar, xylitol. These 3 are all acceptable but must be used in careful moderation to avoid sugar/insulin spikes.

Herbs: Sprinkle on Foods or Drink Teas with these ingredients

1. Immune Boosters: Garlic, ginger, oregano, echinecea, turmeric, curry, basil, thyme
2. Balance Blood Sugar: Cinnamon, coriander, cayenne
3. Detox: Dandelion, cilantro, dill.
4. Brain Boost: Ginko, rosemary, ginseng, cumin, sage
5. Mood Stabilizer: Kava Kava, lemon-grass, nutmeg, coriander

FOODS TO AVOID:

1. Any processed food by man *Read labels*
   • All pasteurized dairy products
   • Processed meats, farmed fish, or conventional eggs
   • All hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats)
   • Artificial sweeteners (splenda, sucralose, aspartame, nutrisweet, equal, high fructose corn syrup, etc)
   • Artificial preservatives, flavors, textures, or additives. (MSG, hydrolyzed yeast, vegetable protein, etc)
2. Toxic vegetable oils
   • Corn, soy, safflower, cottonseed, sesame, canola, grapeseed, and peanut are the main culprits.
   • Avoid cooking with any oil other than coconut, and use olive, hemp, and/or flax oil as a salad dressing.
3. Sugar of any kind
   • Fructose, sucrose, dextrin, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, glucose, etc.
   • Read labels!
4. Soy, corn, & peanuts
   • Highly GMO, pesticide ridden, & challenging for our bodies to digest.
   • Soy contains phytic acids, enzyme inhibitors, goitrogens and certain isoflavins that are anti-nutrients & block thyroid hormone production.
   • Peanuts have been known to contain a mycotoxin that is highly carcinogenic.
5. Most Grains:
   • High in carbohydrates and unnecessary to health and vitality.
   • Particularly avoid wheat, barley, oats, and rye, which all contain gluten. Quinoa, spelt, millet, and sprouted grains are more beneficial.

Supplements:

1. Perfect Food Greens: 10-14 servings of organic vegetables, sprouted legumes, single-cell algae, & natural living enzymes. The ideal multi-vitamin supplying your daily needs of all essential vitamins & minerals from whole superfoods your body naturally recognizes and easily assimilates. In addition, this acts as a powerful daily detoxifier.
2. Probiotics: Living organisms that enhance the digestion and nutrient absorbtion process. These organisms also play a very important role in immune function. In my opinion, this is the most critical supplement you can take. Important to get as pure a source as possible, ideally, without magnesium stereate or titanium dioxide. A typical serving should give you between 50-100 billion organisms. Incorporating high quality fermented foods like red cabbage sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, amasai, & coconut kefir is another great way to get the highest quality Probiotics into your diet on a daily basis.
3. High Quality Omega 3: Essential fats play a critical role in fighting inflammation and supporting a healthy brain & nervous system. Critical fats include EPA & DHA, which should be consumed in a 3:2 ratio from a purified, 3rd-Party tested source. I recommend Nordic Naturals for fish oil, highest reputation on the market and loaded with EPA/DHA. Krill oil is also a good option, with Mercola brand leading the way. Aim for anywhere from 1.5-10g of EPA/DHA daily. Another essential fat, GLA, can be found in hemp seed/oil that is easily consumed as part of a healthy diet.

THE SUPERCHARGED HEALING DIET ESSENTIALS

The body secretes insulin whenever carbohydrates (sugars/grains) or high levels of protein are consumed. Insulin is known to increase inflammation & fat storage. The typical American diet is full of carbohydrates causing rampant increases in insulin. This process causes produces inflammation, fat storage, and damage to the cellular insulin receptors.

The SuperCharged Healing diet dramatically reduces insulin secretions, allowing our body to heal receptor sites, burn fat more effectively and become more stable at the cellular level. This diet is essential for anyone who wants to lose fat mass quickly and is trying to recover from:

1.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     1. Non-Starchy Vegetables: Eat these in abundance. Best varieties include broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, spinach, romaine lettuce, chard, collards, kale, arugula, bok choy, celery, green/yellow/red peppers, cucumber, zucchini, red/green cabbage, etc.
2. Good Fats: Extra-virgin coconut & olive oil, grass-fed cow butter/cheese, free-range eggs, coconut milk & flakes, whole coconut, avocado, black olives, nuts (walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts are best), seeds (flax, hemp, & chia). These should be a strong part of each meal.
3. Moderate Protein: Grass-fed & free-range meats, non-denatured grass-fed whey protein powder (Maximized Living), wild-Alaskan salmon (1x/week)/sardines, fermented soy (tempeh), nuts/seeds. No more than 15-25 g/per meal. 4-6 ounces of steak is enough in a meal.
4. Minimize Fruit: Berries are acceptable in small quantities. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, & cranberries. Great in a protein shake.
5. Avoid Grains: Mary’s Gone Wild crackers, & Lydia’s crackers are acceptable in small quantities. No other grains/potatoes/squash, etc.

Typical Meals:

Omelets, scrambled eggs, sunny-side up eggs, Amasai with blueberries, salads, steak & broccoli/asparagus, hard-boiled eggs, nuts/seeds, avocados, tempeh, hummus, vegetable stir-fry’s with coconut oil, steamed veggies, coconut milk shakes with protein powder, red cabbage & guacamole, flax chips and guacamole, chicken, lamb, bison, venison, duck, sardines, Wild-Alaskan salmon. Coconut flakes (great snack, especially when frozen).

What's in your white flour?

I don't know about you but, many people think that when you buy a bag of white flour from the grocery store, you are getting ground wheat and that's it. But this is not true. Many of the large flour producers add different things to the flour. I thought it would be good to go through what some of these ingredients are in your white flour.

Wheat flour - This is exactly what it states, ground wheat.

Benzoyl Peroxide - This is an interesting one - Benzoyl Peroxide and Calcium Peroxide are a food additive, both are used to whiten flour through oxidation of the carotenoids that naturally occur in ground flour. It seems that our governments and food manufacturers feel that the consumers here in North America and other parts of the world prefer bleached white flour over the light yellowish natural color. 

When flour is freshly ground it has a light yellowish color to it. Over a period of time ( 30 to 60 days ) the flour will naturally whiten. Large flour producers find this too long and expensive to hold the flour for that period of time. So, by using Benzoyl Peroxide you can cut that time down to 2 or 3 days. Countries such as the European Union, Japan and even China have banned the use of Benzoyl Peroxide and Calcium Peroxide as a additive to flour. One interesting note is that China was only using a maximum of 60mg/kg, which is much lower than most international levels - for example 75mg/kg, level recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international organization that develops food standards.. So, even at 20% lower level - Benzoyl was banned in China and is still being used in Canada and the USA. From my understanding in Canada the maximum level is 150mg/kg of Benzoyl Peroxide.

Amylase - Amylase is an enzyme and used for proper baking to occur. The amylase breaks down starches to provide sugars and a sweeter taste, it also helps with the fermentation process. What is important is that the amount of this enzyme can have a direct bearing on the quality of bread produced. If the right amount of amylase is used, a high volume bread with firm and soft texture is achieved. If it is too high, a sticky bread crumb and low volume could result. If it's on the low side, a dry bread crumb with large holes could result.

Because many large flour producers use grains from all over, they may get weak grains that produce low gluten - not good for bread making. By using this enzyme it helps to raise the protein levels, producing better gluten and in turn allows the bread to rise higher and faster then it would have. 

Ascorbic Acid - This is a form of Vitamin C and also helps to form gluten. It also encourages the maturing of the flour. Many times while harvesting you get ripe and unripe wheat grains. Ascorbic Acid helps to force ripening.

Niacin - is Vitamin B3 and is what causes your packaging to say fortified or enriched. Niacin will also help flour to retain it's white color.

Reduced Iron - I have no idea why it's called "reduced iron". You read that and you would think iron was removed wouldn't you? But that's the opposite of what has happened. They have added Iron to your flour. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but some have said, that reduced iron can not be absorbed by the body … so why have it in my flour?

Thiamine Mononitrate - or Vitamin B1, is part of the enriching process in flour. Thiamine is water-soluble, this means the body can expel excess amounts to stop side affects.  

Riboflavin - is also known as Vitamin B2 and is produced by micro-organisms and plants. So, riboflavin can be found naturally in flour. However during the stripping away of the bran and germ to make white flour, it is removed and must be added back.  

Folic acid - is a Vitamin B9 and is water-soluble. It's very important for women of child-bearing years to take folic acid. It can also be found in many dark green vegetables.

Other ingredients you may find in your flour is L-cysteine. While some L-cysteine is directly synthesized in laboratories, most of it is extracted from human hair. The hair is dissolved in acid and L-cysteine is isolated through a chemical process, then packaged and shipped off to commercial bread producers and flour producers. Besides human hair, other sources of L-cysteine include duck feathers, hog hair. This is a non-essencial ingredient added to flour as a conditioner, in order to speed up the industrial processing.

It's funny, when most of us would be appalled if we found a hair in our food at a local restaurant. But, to think that we are eating hair in our white flour or baked goods everyday, is enough to gross anyone out. I guess it's like that old saying " what you don't know won't hurt you" lol. 

Azodicarbonamide - is used to create foamed plastics, such as PVC's and imitation leathers. However it is also used in the food industry as a food additive, a flour bleaching agent and an improving agent. In the UK, the Health and safety executive has identified azodicarbonamide as a respiratory sensitizer (a possible cause of asthma) and determined that products should be labeled with "May cause sensitisation by inhalation."

In Canada and the USA, you will not find white flour without many of these Vitamins and additives added to them. In the case of the vitamins they are forced by law and must be added to all white flours. I'm not saying all these things are bad or good. That's up to you to decide. For me the Benzoyl Peroxide, L-cysteine and azodicarbonamide is the most disturbing additives to our flours and the one's that are really not necessary. 

Many of the vitamins can also be found by eating right and having a healthy lifestyle. 

I prefer to have natural vitamins rather then synthetic ones added to my food. If you use whole grain wheat flour, organic, or grind your own flour. You won't have to worry about any of these ingredients added to your food. But now you know what is in your white flour when you buy it in the stores. 

But... remember, these are the additives and vitamins added to the white flour you buy, we haven't even touched on the additives added to the bread you buy at the store. We will get into that on another day.

Happy baking all!

Article from www.thekneadforbread.com

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