Food for Life
Send to Kindleby Randy Gage
This is part two in our series oh the role of health in prosperity. In part one, we looked at mental health. A great place to go next is the role of food and your diet for health.
We can begin with how much you eat. Probably too much and not often enough. That may sound contradictory, but it’s not. If you want to achieve optimal wellness, eat smaller portions four or five times a day instead of three large ones. It will give your digestive track a break, and regulate your blood sugar and metabolism better.
Parents, please don’t make your kids finish all the food on their plate before they can leave the table. If they tell you they’re full, honor that. Otherwise you build unhealthy overeating habits they can carry into adulthood. You know, like the ones you have!
Almost all of us overeat. A lot. Here’s a rule of thumb: If you finish the serving you get at a restaurant, for certain you’re overeating, because those portions are three to five times what they should be.
Next we need to look at what you eat. Because chances are good that 80 or 90 percent if it is not actually food.
We’ve been brainwashed by advertising agencies to believe that things like cake, cookies, candy, breakfast cereal, and chips are real food. They’re not. They are manufactured food substitutes, with little or no vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber, or micronutrients. Real food is raw fruits, vegetables and nuts.
Note I said raw. There is a growing school of thought to show that cooked and processed foods lose the vast majority of their nutrients and can actually be harmful to you. And common sense would tell you that carrot cake is not the same as eating carrots, and apple pie won’t give you the benefits of eating a fresh apple.
The growing group of people who eat only a raw food diet (who are the healthiest people you will ever meet in your life) contend that as soon as you cook a vegetable or fruit, you have destroyed it and made it rancid.
I can tell you that when I do cleansing and only eat raw food diet, I experienced five or six days of intense cravings and feel horrible as the bad bacteria in my digestive track dies off and throws off toxins. But after that, you experience so much energy, lose excess weight, and have the clearest complexion you can imagine.
Even healthy natural foods today are usually grown in depleted soil or lacking some nutrients. Supplement with vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes.
Now food has turned into a social thing and we often make decisions on convenience. I don’t try to pretend I’m the perfect role model on this. Pizza is my favorite food and my car develops alignment problems when I see that “fresh donuts now” light flashing at Krispy Kreme! But using some moderation, and making sure you have a salad or some other fresh vegetables with every meal will make a big difference.
BTW, eat only fresh fruit before noon each day, and you’ll give your digestive track a rest and help you detox. And don’t think it’s healthy to eat fruit for dessert at lunch or dinner. It digests much faster and get rancid in your intestines behind the other stuff you eat. Fruit should always be eaten by itself and give it ten or 15 minutes to digest before you eat anything else.
There’s lots more I could write on food combining, but then this would be a book instead of a blog. And the best book ever written on food and nutrition is already available. It’s titled Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. Get it now.
Elimination is vital to good health and will tell you if your diet is giving you health – or disease. If you eat well, you eliminate well. Ever walk into a public restroom and the stench is so overpowering you want to run out? That is a sure sigh of poor elimination and auto-toxicity. Instead of the getting the nutrients from food and then having peristaltic action move it through intestines, people have the last thing they eat pushing through all the rancid, decaying food in their system. The toxins leak through the intestine wall and cause fatigue, lethargy, or worse. You should have two or three bowel movements a day, with no straining or excessive odor.
Your urine should look like water, not beer. Although your urine is darker in the morning, because your body has been detoxing all night, it will get clearer as the day progresses if you’re eating a healthy diet. If it’s dark yellow or worse, almost coffee color, that means you are severely toxic.
Finally, think twice before you ask food and nutrition questions to your doctor. Most medical doctors are clueless with nutrition, since their training is on sickness, not health. And process any health guidelines you receive from your government with a healthy dose of skepticism (since these are usually created by doctors). Get nutritional advice from healthy people that know what they’re talking about.
Want to be prosperous? Get healthy. And the food you eat is a huge part of that. What you consume is what your cells regenerate from. It’s where your energy and vitality come from. The rules are pretty simple: If you want to live, eat living foods. If you want to die, eat dead foods.
-RG
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40 comments
Randy:
I really love your stuff, and consider you a mentor, both for Network Marketing and general prosperity/Personal Development.
A number of years ago, I used your material (in addition to other sources) to help myself develop a Network Marketing organization of over 30,000 and a significant six-figure income...
I thank you for your guidance over the years, and I have turned many people onto your great work...
HOWEVER:
I TOTALLY DISAGREE with your dietary recommendations: I do a lot of work in the Wellness Industry as a Consultant and do a blog on Cutting Edge Holistic Health Info.
There are many different, conflicting opinions about health and diet, however from where I come from, the recommendations you make may be good for some people, but for some people it can be absolutely disastrous, leading to illness and degenerative disease if followed long enough.
Potential consequences would include: insulin resistance, diabetes, yeast overgrowth and a host of other issues (and many other chronic, degenerative diseases, which I will not get into for the sake of brevity).
I would encourage readers to explore Metabolic Typing and the Paleolithic Diet (which I am a big proponent of).
Keep up the good work! Pushing boundaries makes people think, and if all of us responded to negative criticism, we would never make any progress!
Regards,
Rob Lamberton
Here's a fascinating video on the evils of sugar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ZIKOQkTiM
-RG
So glad you suggested parents don't make children finish everything on their plate! Children know too when they are finished, just like we adults do.
My mother is my source for this information, so I don't know where it came from, but she told me she had read that the dyes in food are very bad for children and adults, especially the blue, red, and yellow dyes(which are in foods you wouldn't even think about). So, I cut back on cheeze-its and M&Ms for sure! Moderation is the key.
I believe too, that are bodies tell us what they need if we listen!
Annie
I did the standard process cleanse 2 years ago. It was great although I felt really horrible when I was on it..but since then my health has been so much better..now some things are starting to creep up again (food cravings, mood swings, energy swings stuff like that) so it's time to do it (some form of cleanse) to help get mindful eating back again.
I am also doing a workshop with Susun Weed, 7 rivers of healing. She is a big advocate for not cleansing but instead keep your body nourished and you will cleanse automatically. And she doesn't like a full raw diet either and argues why it's not ideal.
For me, I love to collect information. And then I let my intuition choose, based on something far better than my conscious choices. But I must say, Randy, of all the teachers I've had I love hearing from you because I don't have to do much altering, if at all, of what you say in order to make it fit.
So as long as my subconscious is programed for success and I have faith in our creator and intend to receive guidance from "him" as well as where ever his higher influences are pointing...then I am happy and on track!
Randy,
Again, so well put. It is almost impossible to feel spiritually or mentally healthy without the physical health to back it up. When you can't function because you are so overweight, under nourished and sick... it affects your whole life. I know. I struggle with food addictions and the "entitlement" mentality.
Once things start humming along nicely (moving as they should :) you never want to go back to stopped up, messed up and dried up.
The mental fog lifts and and new day dawns.
thanks for the encouragement and reminders.
I can't believe no one has mentioned the toxic, toxic little pink, blue, and yellow packets! Artificial sweetners, especially aspartame, are HIGHLY TOXIC! All sugar free and diet drinks and foods should be avoided at all costs! It's difficult, almost every gum has it as an ingredient! My children have aspartame listed as an allergen on their school records.
The aspartame in one 12 oz diet drink raises your insulin levels for 24 hours! and it makes you crave additional sweets! Just don't do it!
Yes, in fact I haven't drank a diet soda in more than 20 years, since learning about this in "Fit for Life." Refined sugar is bad for you, the artificial sweeteners are much worse. Go to the health food store and buy stevia, which is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and delicious.
-RG
90% of the food in grocery stores was never fit for human consumption. There are so many memes when it comes to food...as to what we accept as breakfast food, the "need" for dessert following dinner, calorie-counting, fear of fat, or the entitlement mentality of "I deserve this" after a long hard day.
90% of Americans could benefit from a detoxification program personalized to their unique circumstances. Yes you feel worse for 3-6 days but after that period, it's a euphoric sense of well-being...you think clearly,less aches and pains, sleep better, and skin complexion improves.
I recently wrote a blog about being successful in health on the MorningCoach.com website. I agree with you Randy that basically, "You are what you eat." Eating foods closest to how they occur in nature promotes life and vitality, while eating dead, processed food, promotes disease and death.
I'm glad we are on the same page attempting to get the word out about health and wellness and how it sets the foundation for abundance in our personal and professional lives.
Keep the interesting posts coming!
Traci Vincent
WOW RANDY!! I LOVE TO KNOW MORE AND MORE ABOUT HEALTH ALWAYS AND THIS POST IS LIKE A USER MANUAL!! THANKS!VERY CLEAR AND I WANTED MORE WHEN I FINISHED MY READING.XX
Nice one Randy ... let's get the message out there. Went last week to a raw food restaurant ... the taste is amazing. As well, I still love my pasta ... but eating raw and whole food gives me the energy to grow.
Hello everyone!
I was actually on fruit, vegetable and herbal tea diet for a whole year. It was a great cleansing experience!
To Randy's great post, I'll add:
Do not eat fruits and vegetables at the same time. Give it about two to three hours between meals.
Also, tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable, therefore should be eaten by itself...
What inspired me to go on a cleansing diet was a book written by Jethro Kloss "Back to Eden".
Also, products made from soy, are NOT good for humans... I know..., I know..., we are told that they are...
So... do your own research... You'll have to dig... too much money is invested into soy...., so dig for the information... :)
Great day to all,
Victoria
Randy,
I grew up in that era where we had to finish everything on our plate. Even though I was full and felt like I was going to throw up.
I read Fit For Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond.
Your blog is dead on in regards to the truth about nutrition and that Doctors don't know Sh6t about nutrition or health. That's why it is best to educate yourself.
It is why I look younger and not 50 something!
I am working on drinking more water, but I am a 'work in progress'.
Randy, GREAT post!
Hi!
In our household we decided for some time ago to throw out all that is white. Sugar, salt, wheatflour, milk and cowmilk products - hard to assimilate the milk protein, even this exclude cheese i all kinds if it origins from cows.
Rarely potatoes in country that was build on potatoes and rice in any kind is out.
We also traced all products that contains sugar as ingrediens either as a conserver och for taste. Sugar is more addictionable than heroin - its life long.
We have a better way - we prefer soy and oat "milk" or their products, grey seasalt, soft honey or guave syrup as a sweatener (yes we are still addicts and will be for life) ryebread baked on sourdough yummi mums mums !
Yes we do eat meat, pork chicken and seafood and have large a intake of fat from oil, avocate, nuts, butter .
And we are getting stronger every day !
In fact - we have a better way !
Take care ...
Yes the white things like "enriched" flour, rice, and bread not only are very low in nutrients, but actually leech out other nutrients from your body.
HAHAHA if you want to die eat dead foods if you want to live eat living ones."Life is simple,that irritates the humans"once a genius said.
Great post --- So true about the detox process and how much better you feel even if you just watch your intake. I have always been a fast eater so I eat waaaaay more than I need and feel awful afterwards. It's like a darned disease...hurry Wes and eat it before someone steals it, lol.
Have started drinking a bottle and a half of water before each meal just to get me to be a bit more full and slow down a bit during the meal. That has definitely helped. Also try to do an all veggie day once or twice a week as well.
I am still waiting for them to claim that Pizza has miracle effects and makes you live longer. I don't even care if the source is reputable. I will go along with it also :-).
Amen to this! I will only add we should drink about 2 liters of fresh spring (not tap) water a day. This also greatly helps detoxification.
Valyo
Drink and cook with steam distilled water and take sea salt baths. You will never get sick again.
What you put in your body is a good sign of how you really value yourself, no matter how much money you have in the bank.
It's truly fun with the best organic food out there. Just to name a few side-things like paranut oil from the Peruvian Amazonas, coconut palm sugar from Indonesia and coconut oil from Sri Lanka, it sure adds a dimension to the whole thing.
And if you can't eat it, don't put it on your skin either. Try for example organic castor or coconut oil after a sea salt bath on any skin condition. You will never need a doctor again.
Thanks Randy, I'm working on this at the moment. Two things I've picked up in my reading that have helped the most is to eat only when you are hungry, not when the clock says you should be hungry! The other is to listen to your body. I found I ignored this step for years, eating fatty foods etc. Now I find I can't, my body is physically sick if I eat to much of them. On the flip side I feel light and energised after eating fruit and veges. So next time you in grab that big mac, pay attention to the bad signals your body is sending you and learn from them!
Great comments. If it's in a can, don't eat in man. Raw foods are key but go always go organic. I know they cost more but the pesticides, etc. are not there and if they are, eating raw can do more harm than good. One of the most toxic things we consume is, water, yes, water. Go have your bottled water tested some time if you don't believe me. I only drink natural spring water. The minerals are still present, which most all of us lack and it's the purest thing you can put into your body. We even put toxins in our body taking a shower because of all the chemicals that are put in the public water supply. If at all possible, get the best water purification you can for your shower head and find a natural spring near you and get your drinking water from it. Test it if you have any concerns. You will be amazed at the difference it can make in your overall health and appearance.
I agree that we are what we eat, but I don't think we have to be 110% disciplined about this. I enjoy the occational McDonalds or a chocolate ice cream once in a while.
I like the point about raw food, but for people with strong diabetic backgrounds be careful with eating too much fruits (there's too much sugar).
Another important point is to eat food slowly, and chew it well.
Randy.. One of the other important elements worth noting is that the American diet has always been based upon FAR too much protein, especially from animals. I could easily get into a major soap box lecture about how much resources it takes to farm cattle as opposed to the food we get. And then I could get into how bad saturated fats are for humans too. Bottom line: We do NOT need a zillion grams of protein daily, nor are our bodies suited well to eat animal flesh at every meal. Just imagine what we could do with all the land we use to cultivate corn that's fed to cattle, pigs and other livestock!
My diet isn't perfect either and in an ideal world I would also be a raw food vegan. When it comes to evaluating our diet by looking at what we eliminate, you're quite right about the color of urine. Also our stool should NOT be dark and should float. I know this sounds gross, but it's true.
Anyway, thanks for posting and let's all live healthier, stay away from fast and prepared food and support the local farmers!
Yep, I was one of those who was forced to finish everything on their plate. If I didn't, I couldn't leave the table. So now I watch this feeling, this programming, this urge. Sometimes I let it go, other times I have a tough time stopping. With practice and an increased awareness I've bettered myself. I also exercise religiously and eat wholesome foods most of the time, so I've been blessed to remain thin despite the urge to overeat. Thanks Randy!
RB
And remember that all fruits and vegetables are not created equally. If you buy based on price, you're in all likelihood ingesting all sorts of chemicals, doing more harm than good. Do a Google search on what you need to buy organically grown.
And have you noticed, like I have, that the parking lot at Whole Foods is much cleaner and everybody returns the carts to the rack? And it's not becasue they have employees doing it. People that respect themselves are not only careful about what goes into their bodies, they also don't litter or leave the cart just anywhere.
Some may think that they can't afford to shop at a Whole Foods and buy organic meats, veggies, etc. Can you afford not to? Being sick is incredibly expensive.
thanks for this randy... for me, learning about proper food combining from the diamond's book many years ago has really made an impact on my digestion and feeling better in general... when i am mindful of how i combine foods... i am soooo much better on many levels... cx (((o)))
Love this post. I agreed with everything Randy says, but would add a word of caution about raw food. There is a big raw food craze here in California, and while we certainly should all enjoy raw fruits and eat salads, a 100% raw living foods diet is not for everyone. It depends on your constitution. For example, my digestive system is "cold" in Chinese medicine and needs "heat" from cooked foods and spices.
Think of ayurveda, the 5000-year old medicine arm of yoga, that advocates you don't consume ANY raw food. It is important to not just follow the next craze but eat according to your body type.
Josephine, I agree with you 100%, Randy's thoughts are a great starting point but then each individual needs to tailor their diet to suit them at that moment in their life i.e. as your physiological needs change, so should your diet to adequately compensate for the lack or excess your body is experiencing.
I read Fit for life 20+ years ago and it started me on my journey of better eating and better health. For me, the dietary suggestions did not produce a positive result but it did start me on my quest for better nutrition. Sorry Randy, it's just an ok book but it is a brilliant starting point. I'm apologize that I contradicted your belief on your blog.
Brian
Brian if everyone just agreed with me, there would be no need to have the comments section!
-RG
Randy,
This is so timely as I am committing to thirty days of healthy living and exercise! And I am so glad to hear you mention supplementing with vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes. All of those will be a part of my regimen and Fit for Life is the perfect read as I embark on my journey. Thanks for all that you do to make us think critically and inspire us everyday!
All the best,
Nivia
Thanks, Randy.
I appreciate your taking a stand for more conscious food choices. While most folks are not quite at the choosing raw stage...the more the better, no question.
I love the opportunity to drink a tasty sea veggies and Aloe choice as a basis of comprehensive nutrients - live, whole food support. Great foundation (especially trace minerals). Transformed menopause, among other things.
Feeding my family means that I am making some compromises from what I might have in the house just for myself...but we are all healthier, and make good choices, if not ideal. We are teaching our kids...we are all modeling for others to see (even the kids!).
I am grateful to know that I am supporting long-term health, while being my best now.
best to you,
Marcia
Oh, I am sooo happy to see you post this!!!
Allow me to offer a testimonial to what Randy says here.
In November, I decided that it was time to 'put my money where my mouth was' and get my physical self in check if I was going to be strong, healthy and attractive enough to accomplish the lofty goals I had been developing for myself on the mental plane.
For the entire month of November, I changed my diet and began eating 100% raw foods. No meat. No starches. Just fruits and veggies. (and yes - I brought my own food to Thanksgiving dinner!)
When you decide ... commit 100%.
Beginning in December, I added back in small portions of lean protein - mostly white fish, shrimp and chicken breast. I felt I needed the protein because I was beginning an exercise program and building muscle was part of that. Still, to this day, I remain at about 80% raw foods in my diet and I can honestly say that at 48 years old I have never looked or felt better! I run circles around most people I know.
I still have plenty of room for improvement and goals in the fitness department. This past week I began P90X ... probably one of the most intense workout programs out there. Again - I am committed to this - 100%. Honesty? Right now, it ain't pretty! My form is not the best and my endurance has room for improvement, but I'm up and at it every morning at 5am!
All together ... I have lost 40 pounds in this process - and I have found myself again. ;)
One of the best reasons I could ever share with anyone to give yourself the gift of health is not just how you will feel, but how you will feel ... about yourself.
Just Do It!
Best decision I could've ever made. I did it one day at a time, and I will never go back.
K
There are so many myths and established beliefs to bust it is not funny at all!
I used to think my friends who were concerned about the purity of their intake fanatical and misguided, but not any more.
They were just aware of things that I have simply been brought up not only in ignorance of, but positively prejudiced against.
There's a lot of toxicity in them literature out there too!
Thanks for carrying the flag high, Randy!
kh
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