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Topics in the article include:
Why does one's health and mood deteriorate during the holidays and after?
Some of the Most Common Worst Offenders
A Little Known Secret About Nuts and Nut Butters
3 Tips on Surviving the 5 Major Holiday Seasons:
1. Build Health Now! 15 Ways to Prepare in Advance for the Holidays
2. Foods Best Not to Combine Together
3. 50 Tips on Foods to Minimize (or eliminate if you have the willpower)
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While it is more important that we celebrate, indulge a bit, and spend time with loved ones, how can we also maintain our health and happiness throughout the holidays and after?
During the months of January, February, and March I receive more calls from people who find themselves in a progressively deteriorating health condition or depression than any other months of the year.
The five major holiday seasons (Halloween, Thanksgiving, the religious holidays of December, New Years, and Valentine's Day) are are filled with celebration foods and dietary excesses or compromises, from which the body fails to fully recover between each holiday before facing another one, then struggles to regain balance during the months of January, February, and March.
In some cases, the cumulative effect of this series of celebratory foods results in old health conditions and/or bouts of depression returning with a vengeance.
A sudden cold, flu, digestive distress, heartburn, a flare up of old conditions, joint pains, acne, skin rashes, shingles, insomnia, a worsening of existing conditions like low or high blood sugar/pressure, or other ailment, including moderate to suicidal depression, are common complaints during those months (if not sooner).
This drop in well-being catches many by surprise, not being aware of the direct connection between traditional holiday meals and their effect on one's health or mood.
One of my goals in presenting the following information is to reduce, if possible, the number people who struggle with their physical & emotional health during and after the holiday seasons.
In most instances it is due to the cumulative effect of a multitude of dietary compromises that are common to holiday celebrations, including an abundance of sugar, nuts, chips (or other fried foods), rich foods, candy, desserts, alcohol, and typical food combining mistakes traditionally bred into our celebration of the holidays (see below).
nuts and nut butters (yes, even soaked almonds) due to their high arginine content and constipating effect
concentrated sugars (granular, liquid, and extracts), even the "organic" and "natural" concentrates like maple syrup, whole cane sugar, agave, coconut sugar, and coconut nectar. Even honey today is causing health complaints, partially due to the chemicals the bees bring home to the hive, and partially due to a change recently in how we are metabolizing blood sugar these days (caused by excessive toxic loads uncharacteristic of the past)
breads (mostly due to the herbicides and pesticides laced into the grains, and the hybridization of the berry used to make the bread). Einkorn bread is one exception.
alcohol (affecting the brain, liver, coordination, and emotional states)
liquid oils (being extracted concentrates) must be taken in moderation
These food and drink contribute to many of the health challenges today, especially when combined in the same dish, or in the same meal improperly.
Examples include:
pecan pie (the combination of nuts and sugar are deadly at triggering herpes, shingles, or a cleansing flu reaction)
raw fruit pies (nut crust with sweet fruits) can promote bloat and digestive disturbances, coupled with a long list of other side effects, like cold extremities, excess weight, joint inflammation, pathogen overgrowth, etc.
fruit cake (again, a food combining mistake consisting of nuts, fruits, grains, and sometimes alcohol, producing fungal overgrowth, while feeding the herpes strain of pathogens)
most all desserts (sweeteners with oils or fats are the basis of their recipes, thus violating the number one disease-causing food combining mistake) as spelled out below.
eggnog (egg fats, sugar, cream, and alcohol resulting in insulin resistance)
honey or sugar in an olive oil dressing (leave off the honey or sugar and add lemon or lime to emulsify the olive oil before using, thus reducing the concentrated oil challenge)
sour cream or olive oil on potatoes (use coconut oil instead)
Nuts feed the herpes/shingles strains of pathogens more powerfully than any other food that I know (next to heavy metals and antibiotics), yet this truth seems to be virtually unknown in today's health food circles.
There are 5 basic reasons why this surprising fact is true:
Nuts are constipating, therefore difficult to digest
They turn into a thick paste, stick to your teeth, and therefore stick to the intestinal sidewalls
The slow moving nut paste results in the nut oils going rancid in the gut (if they weren't already rancid from sitting on the store shelf)
Pathogens love rancid oils and fats, thus leading to herpes, shingles, tooth inflammations, bronchial congestion, and joint inflammation
Insulin resistance, by the way, coupled with medical and environmental toxins, are central contributing factors to the vast majority of chronic health conditions today, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis, ALS, MS, MD, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, and numerous other health complaints.
Insulin resistance is caused primarily by the combination of fats and sugars, thus the rise of the Atkins and Keto Diets – which eliminate the carbs so as not to challenge the fat (which is a fundamental mistake in principle, for it is the fat excesses that are interfering with the natural assimilation of glucose sugars at the cellular level that leads to higher blood sugar and chronic diseases).
Yet, who doesn't love to munch on handfuls of nuts commonly set out during our favorite celebrations?
Add an innocent dish of split peas – the second most prevalent dietary trigger (second to nuts) for a herpes/shingles attack, and the likelihood of developing a chronic health condition increases further.
Eat a piece of pecan pie (nuts and sugar) or raw food pie (nuts and fruit) with the above and you are sure to show signs of deteriorated health within 1-3 days (it typically takes 2-3 days following a compromise before the pathogens multiply to a level that create a noticeable crisis).
Or add a delicious dessert made of cream cheese, or other form of dairy, or the nut cheese (dairy alternative) plus the sugar or natural sweeteners (except for licorice, cinnamon, or stevia) and insulin resistance will climb further due to the fat and sugar consumed together.
Choose any dessert just after a meal of meats, fish, or fats and this combination of sugar and fat will also add fuel to the insulin resistance in a big way.
Add coffee and sugar or pastries to the day's routine and your chances climb even higher due to the acidity created by both (a necessary precondition to developing a chronic condition or temporary flu), coupled with the higher than normal cortisol levels in the blood from the caffeine. (Cortisol is a fat-based hormone that serves as one of the herpes strain pathogen's most favorite foods).
Add the best wine available, or other alcoholic beverage, and the chances of surviving the holiday without the flare up of an old health condition, or digestive disturbance, or insomnia, or bouts of depression, or swings between hyperactive and sluggish energy are pretty much nil.
Sluggish mornings, herpes or shingles outbreaks, psoriasis, eczema, acne, brain fog, loss of motivation, depression, or swings between hyperactivity and depression are signs that the pathogens and toxins have pushed your immune response and digestive powers beyond their limits.
It is also a sign that your hormonal production has been severely affected.
Skin problems of all kinds are indicative of an overloaded liver and lymphatic system struggling to keep up with the excesses, toxicities, and poor food combining practices, followed by the inevitable pathogen overgrowth.
By the time the third holiday rolls around in December, and especially by early to mid January & February, more people tend to develop a serious health crisis, or are in a moderate to suicidal depression, than at any other time of year.
The cause is obvious in most cases, as each instance can usually be traced back to a brief or extended period of excess nuts, nut butters, sugar, chips, fried food, breads, alcohol, canola oil, and/or food combining mistake (like raw butter on an organic squash, or fruits and nuts together), or simply too much coffee during a stressful period.
Such dietary side effects can also be compounded by the side effects from:
flu shots (especially the current ones!)
antibiotics
prescription meds
dental work
alcohol
the highs and lows of recreational drugs and caffeine
chemical and heavy metal exposures
personal or family crisis moments (also prevalent during holidays, partially provoked by side effects of the diet).
Here are a few tips that have been found to be successful during the holidays and throughout the New Year:
Drink volumes of Pine Needle Tea everyday as a cold and flu preventative, to counter pathogen overgrowth from dietary excesses, increase your body's digestive capacity, and empower your immune system. Pine Needle Tea contains Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, glutathione, quercetin, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-parasitical properties. It is a perfect medicine for anytime of year!
Consume Cayenne Pepper, or other hot peppers, with your meals to clear the vascular system of plaque and heavy metals, improve heart function, reduce inflammation, oxygenate the body, reduce pathogens, address ulcers, stop bleeding, and help clear lymphatic congestion.
Build health in advance, so as to go into the holidays with greater resilience. Watch the diet more carefully, pay attention to food combining rules, reduce the coffee, sugar, nuts, and alcohol, take more clay baths, increase the amount of superfoods and immune support herbs (Immune Power).
Alkalinize the body daily with Earth & Sea Greens, or Vital Cleanse & Nutrify, or Sea Vegetable Blend at least once per day.
Before a big meal, consume Earth & Sea Greens, or Vital Cleanse & Nutrify, or Sea Vegetable Blend to reduce the cravings for snacks and minimize the tendency to overeat.
Consume Digestive Bitters with, before, or after a meal to insure digestion is at peak performance prior to the holiday meals.
Consume Digestive Bitters again just before bed to accelerate complete digestion while you sleep, especially if food combining mistakes could not be avoided, or constipating foods are part of the diet (meat, nuts, cheese, cream, yogurt, sugar, eggs, refined flour breads, pasta, etc.).
Bitter herbs, digestive spices (both are in Digestive Bitters), and bitter foods taken daily assist the liver to protect your health from pathogens, toxins, heavy metals, excess sugars, and excess fats (primarily because bitters assist the liver to detoxify through the production of bile.) Bile is required to breakdown fats before entering the bloodstream.
Take clay baths or shower slurries to ease the strain on the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system responsible for eliminating toxic waste.
Reduce the quantity of food consumed, while increasing the nutrient value taken in. The typical diet commonly includes 10 times the quantity of food required for optimal health. Longevity is known to be extended with periodic fasting and a lower daily volume of food bulk, but high in nutritive value, like sea vegetables and superfoods, or forest prana for the breatharians (who tend to be among the healthiest people in the world).
Consider fasting, or reducing food intake, a few days prior to celebrations and again after. This one choice alone may well prevent a more serious health challenge.
Knowing that celebration foods will stress your blood sugar and splenic functions, it is wise to increase your resilience by strengthening your blood sugar regulators (pancreas and adrenals) with Blood Sugar Balance and Kidney Adrenal Support. Strengthen spleen function with Spleen Builder.
Eat more cultured foods to build your digestive powers (sauerkraut, shiso, miso, other cultured vegetables, raw milk whey, and Friendly Flora), but avoid kombucha, jun, and honey mead - which is basically sugar, caffeine, and alcohol – the three main food groups that harm the spleen and adrenals (key digestive & immune system organs), and thereby promote pathogen & fungal overgrowth.
Build immune system strength in advance with daily amounts of Immune Power. (Other formulas which build the immune system are: Black Seed Combo (a stronger action, short duration immune support), Lung Support, Purify (a liver cleanser), Licorice Root Powder, and Spleen Builder.) Keep these in mind if any one of them are all you have when a crisis starts to build.
Sweets with oils or fats.
Foods that convert to sugar in the body (like grains and starchy veggies) can take coconut oil and whole avocado, but not liquid vegetable oils, like olive oil, avocado oil, or other concentrated oil extracts.
If oil is required for cooking, coconut oil in small amounts can be utilized with starches. Olive oil on a salad in small amounts can be used, although not as safe (because it's an extract, not a whole food) as a homemade avocado dressing (without sweeteners), for instance.
Marinate olive oil or other oils in lemon or lime to emulsify the oil before using, thus reducing the concentrated oil challenge.
Meat with starches (rice, potatoes, grains, etc.).
Fruit, jams, honey, maple syrup, or sugar with nuts and nut butters.
Nuts or nut butters with bread or rice cakes.
Eat fruits, honey, and sweets on an empty stomach or with starches, grains, vegetables and superfoods.
Best not to eat desserts at all, but if you must, try eating desserts 1 hour before a meal, or 2 hours or more after a meal, and consume bitter foods or bitter herbs (Digestive Bitters) and blood sugar regulators (Blood Sugar Balance) with the meal, and again between the meal & dessert, to reduce or prevent the side effects of pathogen and fungal overgrowth from this food combining error.
Most desserts are made of a combination of sugars, starches, and oils or dairy which make them a contributing cause behind many health complaints.
Anything containing an artificial or concentrated (liquid or granular) sweetener (even the natural ones), especially if the sweetener is a glucose or sucrose type sweetener, like agave, granulated sugars, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and coconut nectar (all are concentrates).
Just keep in mind that fruits or most sweeteners and fats/oils are best not mixed in the same meal. Consume each food group in separate meals to avoid the sugar-fat conflict.
Insulin resistance takes place when meat of all kinds is combined with starches/sweets (because meats are exceptionally hard to digest, acidify the body, and will always contain fats that conflict with the sugar).
Because meats typically contain fats, and most celebration meals will also contain starches and sugars, the combination of the two results in fungal overgrowth (from insulin resistance) and pathogen proliferation (that feed on both fats and toxins).
Cookies, pastries, desserts, and candies, (beware of the "natural" ones). "Organic" does not always mean safe for you. Most of these contain concentrated sweeteners and oils that disrupt sugar metabolism, thus leading to chronic diseases. (I know this is not welcome news, but the truth none-the-less)
Beware of sweetened chocolate, due to the concentrated sugar (organic cane sugar, maple syrup, dates) in combination with the cacao butter, cream, nuts, or a few ingredients which cannot be pronounced.
The least compromising chocolate treat uses raw fermented cacao, licorice root, stevia, and sea salt or spices, possibly some green superfoods, and nothing else (assuming such a chocolate could be found or made).
Nuts are extremely hard to digest (even when soaked, demonstrated by the way the nut butters stick to the teeth, therefore the gut walls), and are way too easy to eat too many.
Nuts are a prime contributor to chronic fatigue symptoms, ammonia gas buildup (mislabeled "leaky gut") due to the fermenting of the nuts in the gut, joint inflammation, tooth inflammations, and herpes-shingles outbreaks.
Nuts and concentrated sugars are among the greatest parasite, fungal, and bacterial overgrowth promoters in the health food world.
Do not eat nuts with fruit, sweets, or starches (granola bars & trail mixes are classic food combining nightmares causing gas and bloat, the tell-tell sign of a food combining mistake).
Also, unless you take the nuts out of the shell yourself, preferably off of your own tree in your back yard, the chance of beginning levels of mold and rancidity is great. How long has the nut been on the store shelf?
Concentrated added sugars are associated with higher blood pressure, non-alcoholic fatty liver, non-alcoholic hepatitis, weight gain, and increased risk for diabetes. (This does not apply to organic fruits, however, unless combined with fats or nuts, causing insulin resistance).
Studies reveal that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with cardiovascular disease, obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. "Historically thought to result from overnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle, recent evidence suggests that diets high in sugar (from sucrose and/or high-fructose corn syrup [HFCS]) not only increase the risk of NAFLD, but also non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)."
While not as sweet, cinnamon is generally a safer alternative. Whole fruit is also a wise choice where fats or oils are not part of the meal.
Honey, while natural, needs to be treated like a fruit, consumed apart from meals containing oils and fats, but can be acceptable with starches and grains, in extreme moderation.
However, honey today is often laced with chemicals due to the use of pesticides and herbicides within 2 miles of the hive. Honey with oils or fats, or in teas near a meal with such, can result in extreme bacterial overgrowth (sepsis).
Sweeten with Licorice Root Powder (not the licorice candy) and Stevia Green Leaf Powder (not the stevia drops or white concentrated powder), cinnamon, or other spices.
Use fruit, cucumber, sweet potatoes, or unpasteurized coconut water (in extreme moderation due to its high sweetness) as a sweetener where appropriate (i.e. when fats or oils are not added).
Licorice and stevia do not contain fructose, glucose, or sucrose and can be combined safely with oils and fats.
One reason concentrated glucose and sucrose sweeteners can be a dietary risk has to do with the need for insulin (an acidic hormone) to metabolize glucose and sucrose (which does not apply to fructose from fruit).
The transport of glucose through the cell wall to create ATP (the energy molecule) causes a lactic acid buildup when oxygen levels are low to begin with from dietary acidity. The extra lactic acid further increases body acidity, placing an additional strain on the eliminative organs (liver, gallbladder, kidneys, bowels, and lymph system).
Watermelon is well known in some circles for reversing diabetic ketoacidosis due to its alkalizing effects and low glycemic load.
The Ketogenic diet, especially for lactating mothers, or diets high in concentrated sugar, increase body acidity, and can be life threatening. A low fat, high starch diet, on the other hand, allows for more fruit, like watermelon, to maintain body alkalinity.
Fructose from whole fruit, (not an extract concentrate like high fructose syrup or agave) does not trigger insulin, as whole fruit-derived fructose is able to enter the cells without insulin support (as long as the excess fat has not disrupted the glucose assimilation process within the cell).
Fructose is actually more efficient at creating the ATP molecule than glucose itself. Since insulin is not required to metabolize fructose (as it is with glucose), fructose from fruit, in moderation, is a safe sweetener for diabetics, providing fat-overloading within the cell is not interfering with the utilization of sugars for ATP energy. An excess of fructose, however, is harmful: "Excess fructose intake can impair insulin-induced suppression of glucose production, stimulate de novo lipogenesis [increased adipose tissue], and increase intrahepatic and blood triglyceride concentrations."
Concentrated sugars (cane sugar & liquid concentrates) compound this problem, as high sugar levels in the blood also reduce the ability of acids to be excreted from the body via the urine.
Concentrated sugars cause the body to become over-acidic, thus thickening/reducing bile flow (used to digest fats). Not so with natural whole fruits. The University of Colorado found that "For weight loss achievement, an energy-restricted moderate natural fructose diet [from fruit] was superior to a low-fructose [from high fructose syrup] diet.
Use whole foods or fruits to sweeten beverages or dishes, but leave out the oils and fats to prevent insulin resistance in those dishes or drinks, or use Licorice Root Powder or Stevia Green Leaf Powder when fats are present.
Undigested fats in the blood (caused partially by the over-acid condition that thickens and slows the flow of bile fluids needed to digest fats) make it even more difficult to metabolize sugars resulting in a sugar spike.
Undigested fats in the blood promote insulin resistance because the excess fat blocks the utilization of glucose within the cell where it is needed most to create energy.
Yeast in the body consumes the excess sugar in the blood from the combination of sweets and fats, resulting in a fungal bloom, along with pathogen overgrowth (after feeding on excess fats and excess sugar), followed by fuzzy brain, digestive bloat, over-acid stomach, interference with hormones, and an aggravation of many other health conditions in the body.
When consumed apart from oils and fats, fruits and starches like potatoes (white, yellow, red, purple, and sweet), beans, lentils, rice, and squash are able to feed the energy producing ATP in the cells without acidifying the body.
Chips (fried oils are often rancid, and oils should not be combined with starches like corn or potatoes).
Other deep fried foods clog the arteries, acidify the blood, and interfere with sugar metabolism. Most all restaurant fried foods are fried with canola oil (a penetrating machine lubricant). This oil will always be rancid by nature, causes painful swollen joints, digestive disturbances, and a toxic condition in the body.
Pasteurized cheese, cream, yogurt, and milk (all pasteurized dairy products are congesting, acidic, and toxic). Raw dairy has advantages for some in moderation, yet due to its congesting, mucus producing, and constipating properties, caution and moderation must be observed.
Soy products and byproducts of all kinds (soy is most likely GMO, even if it is organic). Soy acts as an estrogen replacer, but does not restore production power to the hormone producers.
Adaptogenic herbs rebuild hormone production power across the entire endocrine system and are far superior to soy in this regard. (Adaptogen & Mushroom Blend, Revitalize for Men / Women)
Coffee, especially if sweetened, or with pasteurized milk or cream aggravates the health due to its over-stimulation of cortisol for 12 hours, and many others detrimental qualities. Black organic coffee in moderate quantities may have a few (questionable) health benefits, although there are several downsides to coffee that are well documented, and is not recommended for optimal health.
Decaf coffees are more likely to contain mold than regular coffee due to the longer soaking time required for extracting the caffeine. The coffee plant is one of the most chemicalized food plants in the world, so stick to organically grown beans from trusted sources if you are going to consume it.
Colas, even the "natural" ones are usually loaded with sugars and acids. Most non-organic colas are made with phosphoric acid, and have a pH close to 2.0, causing great strain on the kidneys and liver (and are often a contributing factor to kidney and liver failure).
Of course, "diet" sodas are sweetened with toxic chemicals that contribute to numerous diseases, including obesity.
Alcohol does not have the health benefits that media and (industry funded) research reports have led us to believe. Alcohol depresses the immune system by weakening the spleen (a major contributor of antibodies whose job it is to tackle pathogens in the body).
Alcohol also degenerates the brain similar to coffee (as per Dr. Amen's brain scan revelations shown in the article).
Kombucha & jun are gentler than the above, but can still worsen fungal/bacterial overgrowth and blow out the spleen due to its sugar/caffeine/alcohol content.
Alcohol produces a serotonin response in the body, thus providing its mood elevating effects, offset, of course, by its reduction of inhibitions and motor skills, endangering lives in many ways.
It need not be said for most of our readers, but I will mention it here anyway. Eliminate packaged, processed foods, and fast foods, due to the number of non-food chemical ingredients, rancid toxic oils, and concentrated sweeteners contained within most all of them.
As well, if you are not sure if a fruit or vegetable has not been genetically modified, best to avoid it all together.
If the animal products are not from 100% organically fed animals, you likely have GMO feed ingredients bred into the flesh and fat of the animal.
Sadly, most restaurants use conventional foods (commonly coated with RoundUp to speed harvesting times/yields) and canola oil, soy oil, peanut oil, or "vegetable" oil. Avoid these, as they promote inflammation throughout the body and increase the pathogen loads.
Important!
Remember to minimize liquids with and after meals
so as not to dilute essential digestive juices
and chew each bite thoroughly.
The best time to take your nutritional supplements
is before or during a meal. If you forget, just minimize
the amount of liquids consumed to get them down.
This will avoid some acid reflux and stagnant food in the gut issues.
1) building health prior to the holiday celebration,
2) separating sugars and fats into separate meals, and
3) minimizing harmful food & drink, junk foods, and food combining mistakes,
you will stand a greater chance of surviving the 5 major holiday seasons in greater health and in better spirits.
Many blessings of health & success,
Enjoy the simple gifts of Nature.
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