I just wanted to throw this out there for some opinions and discussion. A few of you know i have a friend who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 7 weeks ago. His wife and he decided to go with an alternative therapy along with a nutritionalist. Well after 6 weeks the cancer is gone, verified both by bloodwork looking for the specific markers and by catscan.
What really intrigued me was his diet they put him on and the reasoning behind it. He is eating almost all organic and whole foods. They even borrowed my EFL book to get ideas for recipes but changed a few of them up. One thing for instance that instead of using fat free foods they use whole foods... like real butter or real cheese. They said that margarine and spray butters are 1 molecule removed from plastic and it's just a bunch of chemicals we are ingesting. Chuck, my friend says he feels so much better now and feels really in tuned with his body. Other surprises that they have noticed is no more sinus problems in the a.m. when he gets up and he's able to sleep all night and not snore like a freight train.
Some of the other things they now take are natural suppliments ( I think the Univera) and Yesac tea.
Anyway if one is to start using things like real butter, after you've been "off" of it for a while, it's amazing how a little goes a long way.
Anyway, thought this might be a topic of interest,
Troy

I totally believe in the natural way of doing things. Just my own experience with thyroid meds and hormone replacements....the difference in going natural is amazing.

And they are right about the margarine....and for further discussion we need to add Splenda to the list to stay away from. It is just as bad as the pink and blue sweeteners. Do some research online about splenda....it is scary! I know people will disagree with me but that is ok....

I am a major fan of natural. It's amazing but the diet trends come and go. People look at low fat then find that fats are necessary, just the right kinds (i.e. natural). People look at low carbohydrate but even now we know things formerly "frowned" upon like potatoes actually contain enzymes that help you burn fat and elevate your metabolism. It keeps going full circle ... every day a new compound is discovered that helps prevent cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, etc. Funny thing is, all processed or engineered foods usually strip these things out ... you think your bar is "healthy" just because it shows "100% RDA" of a vitamin? Oops you're missing out on thousands of healthy compounds that exist in nature.

I always go back to eating foods as natural as possible. I don't say that artificial sweeteners will cause cancer or raise the red flag on sugar-free jello, I just ask it a different ... not, "Will this harm you" but rather, "How will it HELP you?" I can't figure out how a sugar-free syrup loaded with chemicals will help me in any way, shape, or form. All natural maple syrup, on the other hand, is loaded with magnesium, something many people lack in their diet or even take supplements.

You can never go wrong steering towards natural, healthy foods. My food pyramid is based on raw, natural foods at the bottom (fresh fruits and vegetables) and then the processed foods on top. I eat egg yolks, take cream, don't run from the fat in proteins and don't mind natural sugars. I eat plenty of red meat with all of its cholesterol and the net result is after years of living this way, my cholesterol levels are lower than they've ever been and all of my health markers have improved.

Keep in mind too that fighting something like cancer is about far more than just the treatment or nutrition ... mindset has a lot to do with it as well. Combine healthy, natural nutrition with a positive mindset and you'll be amazed at how you command your own health - my wife had "chronic" bronchitis that recurred every year until she made the decision to transform her living habits and choose not to be a victim. It hasn't flared up since then. I used to get horrible sinus infections, etc. Our daughter is now 8 and she hasn't had any of the ear infections, sickness, or other issues we see plaguing our friends who raise their children on Happy Meals (she eats natural and healthy like us, and her "treat" is all natural popsicles or chocolate chip cookies made with oatmeal and whole wheat flour).

Best of continued success and abundance with your journey!

Jeremy

Great advice Jeremy :<)
It's all about control over food rather than being controlled by food.
I have gotten away from eating natural things like Maple syrup and definatley get too much sugar substitutes in my diet.

you still have to read your labels. organic does not always mean healthy.

that said, using label common sense, we go as organic and local as we can.

Wow - great comments. I tend to go for the natural but will get side tracked when I gt involved with a new plan. I was making my shopping list from the EFL book and was ready to buy some of the artificial ingredients in there. Now I will alter my list and get the real thing instead.

Thanks for posting this.

This is one GREAT thread! Thanks for getting it started Zooman, and I'm so happy for your friend, that is fantastic what he was able to do in 7 weeks!

My wife and I have an appointment next week with the nutritionalist. Her name is Dr. Debbie, but our friends call her the Witch Doctor,lol. It should be interesting because she is going to review our current eating habits and make her suggestions. Well actually they'll draw and do blood work first, because a lot of what she suggests is based on the current chemistry of your blood and then she will adjust our diet accordingly.

That's great! Let us know how your appointment goes and what she tells you.....interesting!

[quote=LoseFatNotFaith;13937]"" I am a major fan of natural. ...
I always go back to eating foods as natural as possible. I don't say that artificial sweeteners will cause cancer or raise the red flag on sugar-free jello, I just ask it a different ... not, "Will this harm you" but rather, "How will it HELP you?"

In my humble opinion, I agree with Jeremy [LoseFatNotFaith]. Although looking at his before/after pictures, he has a lot more to show and back up what he says, than what I do . The more you go to natural-nutrient rich-balanced foods, the better you and all of us will be. Industrialized societies tend to *entice* us into things that are "already made" or convenient to prepare in a microwave. Unfortunately, a lot of those things are far from what nature intended and may be "1 molecule away from plastic" (I LOVE that comment). The more we eat like cave men or the more we harvest what nature gives us, I truly believe, it is the better way to nourish and strengthen our health and bodies.

The best to all of you.

- Ikigai

I still use some substitutes, like the spray butter stuff. and yes, still use splenda when baking. but i've been using agave nectar as a sweetener too. the Eat Clean Diet book and the cookbook are great resources for learning how to eat clean. Tosca Reno has also come out with an Eat Clean book geared toward getting your family to buy into it as well. I don't have children, but I'm sure many of you have kids who don't want to give up their processed foods.

I guess cuz I don't have kids I don't understand but if you're a parent and you are choosing to eat clean for yourself and to influence your children in a positive way, why would you even have processed crap in the house? I don't get how "having kids" is an excuse? When I was little, I was never allowed to have junk food, about as "junky" as my options got were 3 oreos a couple times a week and the sugariest cereal I was allowed to have was corn flakes. It wasn't until i was older when I turned to crappy foods for comfort. As a kid, tho, I was at the 'mercy' of what my parents bought because they were the ones in control. If I didn't like what she cooked, I could just not eat. I don't get the catering concepts.

I agree, my kids might not want to give up their processed foods. Teenagers don't want to give up smoking or drugs but that doesn't stop us as parents from keeping them away from those dangerous things. When the second leading cause of death in the US, second to smoking, is poor diet and lack of exercise, I think having the time and patience to teach children to eat healthier, non-processed foods is well worth the investment.

In fact my daughter was so excited about this, she asked us to help her start a company. She does video demonstrations and classes for the community to share with parents how important it is for kids to look at eating an apple and bouncing on the trampoline as a reward instead of a Happy Meal - she's at Lizzie Marie Cuisine .

As parents we are definitely in charge of setting the example. I know that it is far more convenient to buy that lunchable or pudding pack but I also know from my daughter and son that despite the grumblings when the junk food leaves the house, after a few years they form new habits and will actually spit out processed food because "it takes like plastic" and thank us so much for teaching them to eat healthy. The simple fact you don't end up having to pay for those doctor's visits for ear infections ,colds, and so many other things that happen to children with a weakened immune system from eating junk is well worth the investment in time and effort!

One of the best days of my life was when I got off the synthroid and started taking Symplex F and "T-100", both natural thyroid replacement. No more brain fog. My thyroid was removed when I was 17 and I had to educate myself over the years.

About butter, it is worth the extra $2 to purchase a pound of organic butter.

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Originally Posted by robbyslady I totally believe in the natural way of doing things. Just my own experience with thyroid meds and hormone replacements....the difference in going natural is amazing. And they are right about the margarine....and for further discussion we need to add Splenda to the list to stay away from. It is just as bad as the pink and blue sweeteners. Do some research online about splenda....it is scary! I know people will disagree with me but that is ok....

Ha, I have to laugh because my children always ate fruits instead of candies and they hated me for it, lol. Now that they are grown they are probably making up for lost time, lol.

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Originally Posted by Jacqui I guess cuz I don't have kids I don't understand but if you're a parent and you are choosing to eat clean for yourself and to influence your children in a positive way, why would you even have processed crap in the house? I don't get how "having kids" is an excuse? When I was little, I was never allowed to have junk food, about as "junky" as my options got were 3 oreos a couple times a week and the sugariest cereal I was allowed to have was corn flakes. It wasn't until i was older when I turned to crappy foods for comfort. As a kid, tho, I was at the 'mercy' of what my parents bought because they were the ones in control. If I didn't like what she cooked, I could just not eat. I don't get the catering concepts.

One of my best "doctors" was a naturopath who used radionics readings to diagnose me and she did as good or better at diagnostics than any blood test, etc., especially for my thyroid balancing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zooman My wife and I have an appointment next week with the nutritionalist. Her name is Dr. Debbie, but our friends call her the Witch Doctor,lol. It should be interesting because she is going to review our current eating habits and make her suggestions. Well actually they'll draw and do blood work first, because a lot of what she suggests is based on the current chemistry of your blood and then she will adjust our diet accordingly.

Gnosis, I didn't know going into this with the nutrionalist, but you are right, she used radionics instead of blood tests. I was just assuming they drew blood, but they don't.
So far for me everything looks great, and she applauded me for what I have done the past three years!