What makes a goji berry more nutritionally potent that an apple? Why is chocolate a certified love potion? Nutritionist David Wolfe shares some of the most life-supporting foods on the planet…
What are the best five superfoods and their benefits?
I have selected 20 of the world’s best superfoods and described their history and benefits in my book: Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future
Goji Berry
A complete protein source, #1 in the carotene Zeaxanthin (orange-red pigment that supports healthy eyes), sesquiterpenes that increase the natural production of human growth hormone, rich in beta-carotene and liver cleansing betaine, one of the highest antioxidants sources known, #1 in Chinese medicine, delicious.
Cacao (raw chocolate)
#1 antioxidant food in the world, #1 magnesium/chromium/iron/manganese, rich in tryptophan, serotonin, and the bliss chemical anandamide, loaded with PEA (love chemicals), low in caffeine, high in theobromine (heart support), known to extend life.
Maca
This super-root from the Andes is known to contain 20 trace minerals, 17 amino acids, hormone pre-cursors, thyroid supporting compounds, and some essential fatty acids. Maca increases vigor in all ages and acts as an aphrodisiac when the endocrine system is topped up with maca nutrients.
Bee Pollen (not vegan)
This superfood is composed of 22 amino acids with higher amounts of the 8 essential amino acids than most high protein foods. Bee pollen is rich in B-complex, vitamin C, D, E, lecithin, cysteine, RNA, DNA, good calcium, magnesium, beta carotene, and selenium. Bee pollen reduces the production of histamine and lowers the allergic response. Bee pollen improves beauty as it helps clear acne and reverses aging and wrinkling. Athletes take it to increase strength, endurance, energy and speed; quicker recovery from exercise; return heart rate to normal; and to improves endurance for repeat exertion.
Camu Berry
The camu berry is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, the amino acids serine, valine and leucine, as well as small amounts of the vitamins thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. Traditionally, camu has been used to support the immune system, maintain excellent eyesight, ward off viral infections, support strong collagen, tendons, and ligaments and decrease inflammation.
What are the best five superherbs and their benefits?
I am writing a book on herbalism at the moment. Here are some of my current favorites. These favorites shift slightly with the seasons and my location, nevertheless, they are fantastic superherbs.
Reishi Mushroom (spirit mushroom)
A tremendous shen (heart and aura) building herb known to the Chinese for 5,000 years. It’s immune modulating and is a great liver support herb, a heart tonifying herb (great for high blood pressure), and an adaptogenic. Reishi is one of the great providers for well-being on Earth. Reishi is found in forests all over the world.
Asparagus Root
The root of common asparagus is considered one of the greatest superherbs in Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine. It nourishes the kidneys and lungs. It nourishes the sympathetic nervous system and builds bodily fluids. Asparagus root is a tonic, adrenal rejuvenator, anti-ulcerous and anti-inflammatory. The root of asparagus is also used in the treatment of nervous disorders, dyspepsia, diarrhea, dysentery, tumours, hyperdipsia, neuropathy and liver disease. This plant is reported to have immuno-modulating and antihepatotoxic and activities.
Chaga Mushroom
Perhaps the most powerful anti-cancer herb in the world. Chaga is the highest antioxidant food/herb substance in the temperate regions of the world. Its extraordinary concentration of non-polar polysaccharides as well as betulinic acid have been cited as the major source of its immune modulating activities. Chaga has anti-inflammatory properties. Chaga tea is my favorite tea of all time.
Pau D’Arco (Lapacho)
This delicious tree bark from the Amazon and jungles of Central America contains powerful anti-fungal compounds. Pau d’Arco effectively fights fungal infections such as candida as well as cancer. This bark reduces fevers, assists in healing ulcers and is also used for venereal and rheumatic disorders. It is especially useful for fungal and viral skin disorders — especially eczema and herpes. Lapacho multiplies the body’s production of red blood cells. Pau d’Arco tea is often combined with an anti-viral superherb Una da Gato (Cat’s Claw).
Ho Shou Wu (Fo-Ti)
This prepared root nourishes and tonifies the kidneys, liver, and the blood. It is a hair restoring tonic (fights baldness). This root builds and replenishes kidney, adrenal, and sexual energy as well as increases fertility. This longevity tonic contains antioxidants that help produce the super enzyme SOD (super-oxide dismutase).
You just have to browse the web or your nearest book store to see the world is obsessed with dieting. Yet if statistics are accurate, we’re not just tipping the scales, we’re on our way to breaking them. It has taken many of us years of restrictions and meal replacements to figure it out: diets don’t work.
From calorie counting to cutting out carbs, a Pandora’s Box awaits those who still dare to follow the latest diet craze. Yet achieving and maintaining your ideal figure is actually more simple than what we’ve been lead to believe—and it comes with a bonus: vibrant health.
There is one major requirement that’s needed on this path to ultimate wellness and the body we’ve all dreamed of: taking full responsibility. Taking charge and becoming our own nutritionist and not relying on big business to deliver a magic bullet that is nothing more than body-disruptive chemicals dressed in drag.
Perhaps it’s an assumption to say most of us were taught the same stuff in school, none of which covered off real nutrition and how to actually apply it. Yet, the lesson of nutrition is one of the most important life lessons we can ever learn. We also weren’t taught that nourishing ourselves is actually fun and can lead us to a full, love-fuelled life. A nourished, healthy body results in clear thinking, more energy and, for many, a channel to the divine. No pill could ever compete with that.
Enter Lars Gustafsson: author, speaker, life and nutrition guide. Born in India to Canadian parents, he grew up living an authentic mix of tribal and western life. “This upbringing,” he says “created a balance between the scientific passion of the west and the ancient wisdom of the Far East.”
For 23 years, Lars has explored nutrition, fitness and healthy lifestyles. As founder of the BodyMind Institute—a global enlightened school of learning—he teaches that nutrition is so much more than just the food we eat. It’s the total way we nourish our mind and body.
In 2003, Lars introduced The BodyMind Nutrition Certification online programs to meet an emerging demand for true to life systems, formulas and programs, creating the opportunity for people everywhere to discover and pass on a nutrition and lifestyle process that creates a personal discovery of balance in body, mind and spirit.
“I believe in the scientific method, that there are natural laws that govern our physical universe … yet in these 23 years I have often found the ‘unexplainable’ happening all around me,” Lars says. “These have created questions which led me to find hard scientific data that hasn’t found it’s way into the mass media or awareness of the masses.”
“Over these years I found that I needed to personally experience something in order to accept it as fact. In the end I have found that it is only through personal experience in the application of any information can you make your own informed decisions. Your own level of personal truth will grow according to your willingness to experience more.”
Most recently, Lars has teamed up with raw food nutritionist and expert David ‘Avocado’ Wolfe to deliver a program in raw food nutrition—a course that shares more than 15 years of David’s sought-after knowledge. With this course and other programs including 90 Day BodyMind Renewal and Sports Nutrition, the BodyMind Institute is changing the way we look at real nutrition, forever.
As a student of the BodyMind Raw Nutrition, the 90 Day BodyMind Renewal and the Nutrition I certifications, I wanted to reach out to Lars, to hear first hand how these online courses are bringing real nutrition to people at their own pace, in their own time. What I discovered is a man with a passion that goes beyond simply developing courses. Lars Gustafsson is making a difference, one person at a time through life-enhancing education that literally changes lives.
So passionate is he about reaching those who share his dream to make a difference, that with David Wolfe, Lars is offering free entry to the BodyMind Institute Level I BodyMind Nutrition Certification for those who sign up for David’s Raw Nutrition Certification. It’s a $1,500 gift, he explains, to reach those who also want to make a difference—to their own health, the health of others and the health of the planet.
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I used to wish I could pick up just one book and read it from cover to cover before I’d think about reaching for the next. I recently came to terms with the fact that’s never going to happen. It’s simply my nature to read five (or six) at once. I love the library and, even though I’m 30-something, I still think it’s cool you can borrow books for free. When you think about it, no matter how low on cash one becomes, there’s always that big room with its wall-to-wall of inspiration and education. One’s never poor when there’s a library around!
So here’s a rundown on what’s lying around on my nightstand, coffee table, kitchen table and work desk right now…
Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy, and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment
Huffington Post contributor Kirby follows three families and communities whose lives are devastatingly changed by massive neighbouring animal farms. The factories confine thousands of animals in small spaces—intolerable conditions that also generate huge volumes of fecal and biological waste and toxins. The author is invited into the homes of the people whose lives are destroyed by these Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: a North Carolina fisherman takes on pig farms upstream to preserve his river, his family’s life and his home. A mother in a small Illinois town pushes back against an out-sized dairy farm, while a Washington State grandmother becomes an unlikely activist when her home is covered with soot and her water supply is compromised.
Crush It!
I like Gary Vaynerchuck. I like his energy and his philosophy. His marketing strategy is a simple one: to care. Care about your customers, your readers, with everyone you interact with online. He’s a master of social networking and is fueled by passion for what he does (namely wine and business development). No matter what your passion may be, Gary teaches you can make it your life’s (paid) work if you’ll put in the work. His infectious energy may not be to everyone’s liking, but the fact he’s a success from living his passion makes this one book worth checking out, especially if you want to live your passion too.
Look Great, Live Green: Choosing Bodycare Products that Are Safe for You, Safe for the Planet
Self-confessed beauty junkie Deborah Burnes gets right down to the nitty gritty of what toxins are lurking in every day beauty products, shares secrets on how to look past the hype and recipes to make your own beauty products straight from your kitchen pantry (note: some ingredients aren’t vegan so I’d advise against those). I like this book for many reasons—the main one being Deborah has done all the dirty work for you. She also shares some great hints and tips on how to assess what products deliver the promises and those that are certain to toxify your body.
Eating For Beauty
No matter what we put on our skin in the effort to make ourselves beautiful, it’s not going to do a thing if we’re not beautiful on the inside. In Eating for Beauty, raw food guru David Wolfe takes you through all of the amazing natural foods that work internal wonders—foods that have been known for thousands of years to promote inner beauty and good health. He also talks about the concept of beauty, where it came from and why it’s so important to us. If you’re interested in understanding how to achieve real beauty, this is a book to buy not borrow.
How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth
This is a book authored by 101 most prestigious thinkers, writers, public figures and luminaries of our time. From Marianne Williamson to Barack Obama, each tackle the question of how to achieve heaven on earth. To quote Martin Luther King, Jr: “We must reaffirm our commitment to non-violence. He who hates does not know God, but he who loves has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.”
I was going to highlight some great blogs that are dedicated to raw chocolate in all its healthful glory. Perhaps there aren’t too many around or I just got too hungry during my search and gave up too soon. The latter is probably true.
Being Easter for some, I wanted to write something about chocolate, but, to tell you the truth, all I can think about is eating it. So, the best option I’ve decided is share a recipe from one of my fave and oft-visited raw food blogs, The Raw Chef. Oh, and a great book from David Wolfe that’s dedicated to this widely adored, yet sometimes misused, food: Naked Chocolate: The Astonishing Truth About the World’s Greatest Food
If you know of some great blogs that are all about raw chocolate, feel free to leave details in the comments!
For those who celebrate it, happy Easter… For those who don’t, who needs an excuse to eat something this delicious?
Chocolate Torte with Whipped Cashew Cream
For the base
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup pecans
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon melted cacao butter
1 teaspoon agave
1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until they bind.
- Press into a 9” springform cake pan and place in the fridge to set.
For the filling
1 cup Irish Moss paste*
1 cup cashews
1 1/2 cups cacao powder
3 cups grated or chopped cacao butter which has then been melted
1 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon tamari
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and pour on top of the base.
- Leave in the fridge to set.
*Irish Moss paste can be made by soaking 1 cup Irish Moss in water for 3 – 5 hours and rinsing THOROUGHLY until rinse water turns clear (there’ll be a lot of sand in the moss). Then blend the rinsed moss with 2 cups pure water in a Vita-Mix until completely smooth. Leave to set in the fridge if not using straight away.
Chef’s tip: Add 1 drop of peppermint essential oil to the filling mixture for a mint chocolate variation.
For the cream topping
1 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours or more
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons Irish Moss paste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon macadamia oil (optional)
- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
- Serve with chocolate torte and fresh berries.
As more Westerners begin to embrace the life-enhancing benefits of natural therapies, understanding what treatment works best for what condition can cause a headache itself.
Holistic health care, unlike Western medicine, treats the whole person to identify the cause of each symptom. As each body is different, treatments are then tailored to the individual—to not only cure dis-eases but also help people live continually in optimal health.
The Health and Vitality Center’s Dr Shiva Lalezar says many people who deal with fatigue, for example, may overcome it with controlled doses of Vitamin C—a common vitamin which has a profound positive effect on immune cells and is specifically anti viral when given intravenously.
“It helps patients live a vibrant life filled with energy, stamina and mental clarity through diverse natural treatments including infusion therapies,” she says.
“A 24-year female was presented to my clinic with worsening fatigue in the past six months. She also had enlargement of one lymph node in her neck which was biopsied and found to be non cancerous. All her blood work was also normal. She was however feeling worse each day and had quit working out and was dragging herself at work. She could not get out of bed in the morning and this was affecting her work.
Dr Lalezar said she did a series of blood work and found two viruses to be extremely high (Epstein Bar Virus and Cytomegalovirus).
“She also had high Candida antibodies and a low Vitamin D level. I placed her on high dose Vitamin C intravenously once a week and gave her Ribose powder (the monosaccharide sugar backbone for RNA and DNA), probiotic and placed her on a Candida-free diet.”
The doctor says within three weeks the patient’s energy level went from 50 percent to 80 percent and has been able to work out and function better at work.
According to life food expert, David Wolfe, switching from a junk food diet to a completely raw lifestyle, without adding supportive herbs such as reishi
“Whenever we have eaten anything in our life, our immune system is reactive to it,” Wolfe says. “Why? Because it’s Shakey’s Pizza, it’s Fruity Pebbles, God knows what else … Hershey’s chocolate bars, and our bodies go what the heck is this? The food comes in, the immune system is activated, white blood cells multiply—this happens every meal for years.”
“When we get on raw food, we don’t have that reaction and our body goes ‘whoa’ and it can be lulled to sleep. So our immune system can become susceptible because we’re not crying wolf on it. Very important concept. The mushrooms (reishi) keep all that buffered so our immune system doesn’t go to sleep.”
I recently caught up with Dr Lalezar to chat holistic health care:
What is one natural therapy everyone should know about and why?
DR LALEZAR: High dose Vitamin C because Vitamin C boosts up the immune system, fights against bacteria, viruses, and cancer. Vitamin C can be taken orally in the form of buffered Vitamin C up to 10,000mg per day. Oral Vitamin C however can be hard on the stomach and may cause diarrhea. Patients who need high doses of Vitamin C (10,000‐75,000 mg) can be given IV infusion. They see immediate improvement in their health.
Explain allergies and how they can be best treated?
DL: There are different forms of allergies. An IgE mediated allergy causes hives, swelling, throat tightening, and shortness of breath. This is seen with bee sting, certain medications, and highly allergenic foods such as shrimp, peanuts, strawberries, and shellfish. Allergies of this nature can be quick in onset and cause anaphylaxis and death.
Another type of allergy is IgG or IgA mediated and they are more insidious and less obvious. Patients may not be aware that their daily symptoms are due to an allergic reaction or food sensitivity. Milk, wheat, soy, eggs, beef, and citrus fruits are the most common food allergens.
Patients may experience vague symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, brain fog, irritability, mood fluctuations, dark circles under the eyes, inability to lose weight or gain weight, and many more! Allergies are best treated with elimination of the food, and strengthening the immune system with (omega oils), probiotic, Vitamin C. Antidote drops are also very powerful in treatment of allergies.
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Hungry? Before you head to the refrigerator, check out these tips:
1. Clean out your refrigerator and kitchen cupboards. Read the labels of every product in your home that you deem edible. If you can’t pronounce it, or it has more ingredients than words in the bible, chances are your body isn’t meant to digest it. Are there foods in your cupboards you feel guilty just looking at? Guilt is the greatest destroyer of emotional energy—therefore you don’t need it, or the Snickers bar in your life. Nature provides some of the most delectable treats you could ever imagine. Head to nutritional expert David Wolfe’s website www.davidwolfe.com, for the low-down on one of nature’s most incredible gifts: raw cacao. The cacao bean is nature’s number one weight loss and high-energy food.
2. Clean out toxins and old waste with a cleansing detox. According to nutritional expert and Tree of Life founder, Dr Gabriel Cousens, research shows when intestinal toxemia is removed, symptoms such as fatigue, nervousness, gastrointestinal conditions, impaired nutrition, skin manifestations, endocrine disturbances, headaches, sciatica, low back pain, allergy, eye, ear, nose and throat congestion—and even cardiac irregularities—have been healed in hundreds of cases. Find out more at www.treeoflife.nu.
3. Download the Honest Food Guide from Mike Adams’ Naturalnews.com. This indispensable free guide was developed with you in mind, not big business. Unlike the traditional food pyramid (which is sponsored by major food corporations) you’ll find honest nutritional information, “not watered-down information designed to boost the sale of milk, beef and grains,” says Adams. Print out and post to your refrigerator for easy referral (and email the link to all of your friends!).
4. Make weekly trips to your local farmer’s market. Buying local is a great way to ensure your food is fresh, organic and free from scientific tampering. That is, anything genetically modified (genetically modified food is not as nature intended, therefore does not contain adequate nutrients and is considered by some to be unstable). The American Academy of Environmental Medicine recently issued a warning urging the public to avoid genetically modified foods. They also called for a suspension on GMOs until long-term, independent studies can prove their safety. Shopping at your local farmer’s market is also a way to become more connected to the food you eat, as you’re buying directly from the person who put their hard work, love and energy into growing the produce. There’s also an added bonus of upping your essential Vitamin D intake as you wander (without wearing chemical-laden sunscreen!) from stall to stall. See www.localharvest.org (US), www.farmersmarkets.net (UK) or www.farmersmarkets.org.au (Aus), www.farmersmarket.org.nz (NZ) to find a market near you.
A lot of big business has benefited from the rise of diseases such as cancer and diabetes (think pharmaceutical companies, multi-billion dollar charities etc). I love (note sarcasm) how some brands of margarine are marketed as having the ability to lower cholesterol. Who regulates this stuff? It’s just another reason why it’s so important to never believe marketing hype on any product. Ever.
Okay, whinge over.
The purpose of my post is to highlight a documentary I highly recommend to anyone who’s suffering from any type of diabetes, or any dis-ease for that matter. Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days is a movie featuring some of my favourite people in-the-know: Woody Harrelson, Tony Robbins, David Wolfe and Dr. Gabriel Cousens.
It’s an independent doco (see trailer below) that chronicles six Americans with diabetes who switch to a diet of vegan, organic, uncooked food to reverse disease without pharmaceutical medication. The six are challenged to give up meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, soda, junk food, fast food, processed food, packaged food, and cooked food for 30 days. The results are inspiring and undoubtedly would give hope to people who want to be disease-free.
Imagine seeing an end to the likes of “World Diabetes Day” (which was yesterday) and products emblazoned with pink ribbons. Enough of big businesses making money from illnesses and multi-gazillion dollar research that only offers a band-aid “solution”. If we all become our own doctors and refuse to put anything into our bodies that’s not as nature intended, the problem, I sincerely believe, will be a problem no more.
Here are some great quotes from the Father of Medicine, Hippocrates.
“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”
“Whenever a doctor cannot do good, he must be kept from doing harm.”
“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”
“It’s far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has”
“Walking is man’s best medicine”
“Everything in excess is opposed to nature.”
“As to diseases, make a habit of two things – to help, or at least, to do no harm.”
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
