Week One - Online Raw Certifications

Introductory Segment: Basics of Health and the Raw-Vegan Diet

Introduction

This first week's course segment is all about health, and particularly about
becoming healthy on the raw vegan diet. This segment will give you a
well-rounded background of knowledge about health, nutrition, and why the
raw vegan diet works, all of which will be applicable to and useful with all
four of your Certifications.

The first week is dedicated to YOU! Subsequent weeks will deal with you as
Raw Chef, Raw Nutrition Specialist, and Raw Lifestyle and Fitness Coach.

But this first week is just about you as you, finding your own way to total health,

and getting you familiar with all the elements that contribute to your health,including the
raw diet.

In this course segment there are 7 sections. You can study at you own pace,
read the whole 7 sections in one sitting or perhaps read one section a day.
In the first section we will give you scientific backing for the raw vegan
diet so that you can feel secure in your way of life and in later helping
others achieve high levels of health on the raw vegan diet. Next we will
cover the basics of health including Healing Herbs, Juicing, Fasting,
Exercise, Sleep, and Water. We will discuss the Spirit/Soul/Body connection
because total health is not just about the body or accessible through our
physical natures alone. Then we will explore The Nature Connection and how
our own health and the health of the planet are inextricably linked! We will
fully explain Enzymes, Digestion, and The Human Body from a text-book
standpoint so you will have the knowledge that any mainstream nutritionist
possesses. We will discuss Food, Nutrition, and Photosynthesis. And in the
final section this week we will provide a list of Recommended Reading.

Please read the sections in this segment with an eye towards later speaking
on these topics in your community. This is a great way to inform the public
of health issues they don't hear enough about in the media and it is also a
great way to get clients for the raw services that you can offer with the
Certifications. I think its a natural law: What's good for the PLANET is
good for YOU! The world needs so badly to hear about how to be truly
healthy. And the planet needs it too.  Don't worry if you feel uncomfortable about public
speaking. We have lots of ideas to overcome this in the post-graduate
support materials you will be receiving! And there are other ways to
communicate too, that we will cover!


Segment 1, Section 1: Scientific proof for the raw-vegan diet

There is plenty of scientific evidence supporting the raw vegan diet. And
further evidence continues to come out all the time. Keep abreast of the
Health section of the newspaper. The medical establishment is largely funded
by the meat, dairy and processed food industries as well as the
pharmaceutical industry so a great deal of conflicting information is also
published. However, the truth is now more and more rapidly becoming known
and accepted more and more widely. A very telling new fact, although not
medical science but based on the science of statistics, is that insurance
companies now offer lower rates to vegetarians and vegans as it has been
proven that the vegetarian diet will extend your life by an average of 5
years and the vegan diet will extend your life by an average of 15 years.

Animals and humans have been proven to adapt to their changing environments.
Perhaps more and more young people are choosing to be vegetarian as an
adaptation to our global environment with its overpopulation and diminishing
rainforests which can not much longer support the current population as meat
eaters.

In this section I am going to reference articles that are available online
that provide scientific backing for the healthfulness of the raw vegan diet.
Please either read these now or print/download them and keep them filed
where you can have them at the ready if questions arise on any of these
common issues and questions that many people have regarding the
healthfulness of the raw vegan diet.

Articles:

More scientific proof than you ever wanted for the raw diet, by Arthur M.
Baker MA, NHE Self-Health Care Systems
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/rawfreshproduce.html

Dr. Gina Shaw on the B12 issue
http://www.rawfoods.com/articles/b12issue.html

Recent Scientific Study shows heating carbohydrates is toxic!
http://www.rawfoods.com/articles/carcinogens.html

Other Articles:
http://www.rawfoods.com/articles/


Section 1, Segment 2: Healing Herbs, Juicing, Fasting, Exercise, Sleep, and
Water

Healing Herbs:
For centuries people have gathered and used herbs to use as medicine.
However with the advent of the pharmaceutical industry we have seen many
useful herbal remedies forgotten. You can not patent an herb. Therefore
investors are not interested in herbs. And investors make the multi-trillion
dollar pharmaceutical world go round.

"Walter Lewis, professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis,
Missouri, states that the approach to research since the synthetic era, with
little regard for past data, "...has served to delay the application of many
potential benefits. For example, it is unfortunate that Cromolyn, the
miraculous prophylactic drug for asthma, has only recently been introduced,
though its use in the form of ammi seeds was part of Bedouin folk medicine
for centuries.

Pharmaceutical companies have begun to search for plants that can cope with
the diseases that are associated with our modern life-style. Stress,
coronary disease, ulcers, rheumatism, and other ailments have already
yielded to the power of plants. Even anti-tumor properties have been found
in several plant species."

- from Medical Botany by Walter H. Lewis, published by John Wiley & Sons,
NY, 1977.

"There may be a word of caution to the chemist who first isolates the
beneficial substance and leaves the rest of the root, bark, stem, leaf, or
flower behind. This purified chemical may act favorably on a particular part
of the body, but may also have deleterious effects on other parts of the
body. Side effects may include rashes, dizziness, fainting, palpitations,
blurred vision, diarrhea, or depression. The constituents of the plant that
were discarded in the laboratory may have an inherent balancing or modifying
mechanism that exerts control over the active principle".

Can we say "duh!"....well, yes, its easy for us, because we are coming full
circle and realizing that we need to go back to nature for answers. But at
the beginning of the scientific age, we became full of ourselves, and denied
both Father God and Mother Nature, who are really One. God is dead was the
battle-cry of early science. We could do better. We could improve on every
herb, every food, every element, by extracting, combining, processing, and
synthesizing. And I'm sure much good has come out of it. But now we have
come far enough to humble ourselves before nature's vast knowledge once
again, this time with more skills, abilities, and scientific acumen to be
able to work WITH her instead of AGAINST her. Its like we were rebellious
teenagers who had just learned to think for ourselves and who had to break
our umbilical cord with our Mother in order to mature. But now we are coming
of age, we have learned that our own passage through time has given us
wisdom and perspective, we realize now that our Mother has that and much
more, and we are ready to make use of our Mother's knowledge and Her love
for us once again, for the health of all.

Some of the herbs we use for healing are Yerba Mate for colds and headaches,
Goldenseal to prevent and heal infection in cuts, Goldenseal & Myrrh for
brushing our teeth, Cayenne for colds and headaches, Lemon for cleansing,
Garlic for colds, and Ginger for stomach ache.

Juicing:
Dr. Norman Walker's work - We recommend that you buy Dr. Walker's Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Juices. There is a list of ailments each with the specific
vegetable juice that can promote its healing. Dr. Walker spent years and
years researching and testing these formulas. We use them time and time
again with great success.

Fasting:
Why fasting is healing - Fasting gives your body a break from the work of
digestion, which gives it time to devote to healing and cleansing.  It gives your body

regular and abundant time to maintain perfect health.

Exercise:
Why exercise is crucial to health - A healthy body is the result of proper
nutrition combined with a regular pattern of physical exercise Exercise
imparts vigor and activity to all organs and secures and maintains healthful
integrity of all their functions. Exercise improves the tone and quality of
muscle tissue and stimulates the processes of digestion, absorption,
metabolism, and elimination. It also strengthens blood vessels, lungs, and
heart, resulting in improved transfer of oxygen to the cells and increased
circulation of the blood and lymph systems. Exercise develops grace, pose,
and symmetry of the body, helps in correcting defective development or
injuries, and stimulates the mind.

We are creatures of habit. Try exercising at the same time of day every day
and see how easy it becomes to stick to it!

Sleep:
Our body cleanses and repairs while we sleep. Staying up very late after
dark actually changes your body's blood sugar levels and can cause weight
gain. Beauty sleep is no myth. Many people do experience lessened need for
sleep on the raw vegan diet. I recommend at least 5-7 hours of sleep
nonetheless. Some people are tuned in to the moon cycles and prefer to sleep
less on the full moon and more on the dark moon. I believe this can be a
natural way to balance the amount of sleep you get, if you have less need
for sleep on the raw diet.

Water:
Why water is healing - Water goes to each cell in your body and through a
process of osmosis it removes the toxins in each cell and flushes them out
of the body. Drink plenty of water for a clean body! Fruits do contain a
special kind of water that is also beneficial and people who eat lots of
fruits feel they do not need to drink water. We advocate drinking at least
two to eight cups of water a day even if fruits are plentiful in the diet.
If you fast until noon it is good to drink a 32 oz. bottle of water
throughout the morning.

One should not drink water or any liquid for a half-hour before eating and
for two hours after eating. As raw food digests quicker than cooked food, if
you are eating raw you need only wait one hour after eating.

Trinity Water is one of the best bottled water available. It comes from deep within
the earth, 2 miles down, and has very special natural crystal *piping*. The
company is very conscious in bottling the water to maintain utmost purity.
One can taste the mineral content, and it is quite delicious. It is
expensive to buy from health food stores. Ordering directly from the company
is a good solution. They have a website and their 800 number is also on
their bottles.

Do not drink tap water if at all possible. The chemicals used to keep it
clean are very harmful to the body.


Segment 1, Section 3: Spirit/Soul/Body connection

Spirit:
Dominance of the Spirit - Our spirit controls the rest of our being. It is
the dominant and superior part of us. Therefore it is important to have a
regular daily spiritual practice, whether it is through a religion, a
personal relationship with God through prayer, and meditation.

Conclusive Research on Power of Prayer - Scientific studies using prayer for
sick people, monitored in hospitals, has proven conclusively that prayer
does indeed work. A book called The Prayer Diet recommends praying for
weight loss three times a day, and shows that this has been effective in
most cases.

An MD in Eastern Europe operates without using any anesthesia. He says to
his patients to repeat a few phrases including: "All of my organs are
working together in perfect harmony" and then he begins the operation and
since he has found the exact wording to use, through experimentation, he has
had no patients report any pain during operations. All kinds of serious
operations are performed on people who come to him from around the world.

Soul:
Mind, will and emotions.  Our mind is with what we think . With our mind we can talk, or think ourselves out of a healing with negative thinking (unbelief), or believe that we can be healthy through proper nutrition.  It has been said that 80% of diseases are psychosomatic related.  Our will, sometimes called "will power" or "dedication" or "disciplines" is our drive to do something. Our will determines whether we stay with a new lifestyle.  The final area of our soul is where our emotions or feelings are centered.  We can be defeated by our feeling of rejection by others because we eat differently, or we can have victory by recognizing and feeling the benefits of a raw vegan diet.

Body:
Search For Physical Health as Path to Total Health - When we seek perfection
of the body through diet and exercise and other health practices, and when
we achieve a high level of health, we will be drawn to spend time on our
spirit also, because we will feel so grateful for the miracle of health.

The Connection:
Spirit, Soul, and Body are related. True seeking in any one of these three
areas leads to health in all three. When you are healthy in Spirit, then the
health of your Soul and Body automatically follow. When you are healthy in
Mind, your healthy mental patterns will spill over as the Soul seeks the
realms of Spirit and Body. And when you are healthy in Body then Soul and
Spirit find a fertile home for maximum health potential. Don't think of
them as separate. You are not a separate spirit, mind, and body. You are a
being that consists of these three things - at least that is one way of
looking at ourselves in our never-ending quest to break things down into
understandable parts. But we are not parts. We are a whole. Our
Spirit/Soul/Body can really never be separated. In all things we use all
these parts and they are interwoven in their being and application. Perhaps
seekers have found these three parts of our being because they are a
reflection of some three-fold nature in the Universe, such as the Trinity
spoken of in Christianity.

Inner Peace
The reasons we seek are many. We seek happiness, comfort, to understand, to
have purpose, to help, to ease pain, to grow, to find God, to find Truth,
and to find Peace. It is in Inner Peace that we find the greatest hope for
True Health. If we seek and cultivate Inner Peace, we will hear exactly what
we need to do to attain health.


Segment 1, Section 4: The Nature Connection

Our Connection With Nature - We can not deny we are a part of nature.
Sometimes we can forget this as we have become so separate from nature in
our modern lives. But just as much as the trees and stars, we are a part of
the natural kingdom. Our bodies are formed from nature's elements and will
return to nature's elements in a million-year old recycling system. Just as
ocean water rises and becomes rain. The earth consists of four basic
elements: Earth, Water, Fire and Air. Our body also consists of these four
basic elements. Our flesh is basically earth. Our internal heat generated by
calories is our fire. Our blood is water. And our breath is Air.

The Importance of Being in Nature. As we are made of nature, and are a part
of nature, - even though this seems a foreign concept these days - and
perhaps that is the reason for our society's poor health - I believe it is
important to spend time in nature. This can be as simple as drinking a glass
of water, sunbathing, keeping your window cracked open at night, getting
away to the countryside on the weekend, going surfing, or eating nature's
bounty of raw vegetables and fruits. Or it can be as total as living in
nature, taking daily long walks, dipping in mountain streams, growing a
garden, eating from your garden, foraging for wild foods, and sleeping
outside. Our bodies are designed to be in nature. Our nervous system,
brainwaves, color sense, electro-chemical makeup, digestive system,
circulatory system, metabolic system, and spiritual system, are all set up
to thrive in nature, to live in nature, to be a part of nature. We have cut
ourselves off from nature through our cities, workplaces, homes, cars, and
lifestyles.  It is like being a plant that has been uprooted from the earth and placed in a pot. Although we are tremendously adaptable mentally and spiritually, physically this state of living uprooted can be traumatic to our health.

After millions of years of living in close contact with nature, we are now
cutting ourselves off from Her. Perhaps it is our desire to live longer. We
think it is safer to cut ourselves off from the wildness and
unpredictability of nature. And perhaps it is. But we can't really protect
ourselves against nature. She gets us one way or another in the end. But in
our fear, our obsession with safety, our desire to live pain-free, we
deprive ourselves of nature's gifts and make Her an enemy. We are in denial of
the cycle of life-and-death. This happened to us in the Industrial
Revolution. When we became so advanced that we could make machines, we
thought we had really conquered nature on a new level, and that we did not
have to be sick any longer, or die any longer. Pain and death have become
almost taboo horrors that we cut ourselves off from through medication,
operations, safety first, avoiding nature whenever possible,
living in synthetic homes, eating synthetic foods, wearing synthetic
clothes. Synthetic means we have taken elements from nature and with our new
scientific abilities we have combined and processed (synthesized) them into
a "man-made" (synthetic) material. Although in many ways our lifestyles have
improved and we have much to be grateful for, when we cut ourselves off from
death, we also cut ourselves off from life! Life and death are part of the
same cycle. If we live in denial of death and never expose ourselves to the
dangers of nature, then we never get to experience the incredible joys and
beauty of nature either! And for this our health suffers! And we die anyway.
Never having lived.

All men die. But not all men live. Health is about embracing living!

Our houses should be made from natural materials such as wood, stone, and
adobe rather than the synthetic (elements of nature combined and processed
by humans) ones we now inhabit made of stucco, concrete, and plaster. Our
food should be as natural as possible. We should live as close to nature as
possible. We should take in adequate amounts of water, air, and sun. We
should use fasting and herbs rather than drugs. You can not patent an herb,
or else doctors would prescribe them! You can not, however, improve on
Nature's Pharmacy! You can pump up the potency of the herbs by synthesizing
them, but not without adverse effects (any synthetic drug has numerous
side-effects that are sometimes worse than the condition they are originally
taken for!). Nature's balance is perfect. Fasting, herbs, prayer, love,
faith, and peace are far more healing for any condition than any drug can
be. I say this in order to provide the opposite extreme viewpoint from our
mainstream society. Obviously it is up to each individual to balance these
two points of view as appropriate to their own lives.


The Health of the Planet IS The Health of the Individual

Again, let's look at this statement in terms of the four elements. The
relationship is so direct as to be obvious. It is very strange that we are
so careless with the earth and her elements, as though we weren't connected
to it!

Air - When we damage the air of the planet, we obviously damage the air that
we breath. This results in a variety of illness and disease from toxicity to
lung cancer.

Water - When we damage the water of the planet, we obviously damage the
water that we drink. We are such a large percentage water, that this may
explain numerous modern ailments from bipolar disorder to lymphoma.

Fire - When we burn garbage we damage the ozone layer and we are exposed to
unfiltered sunlight which causes skin cancer.

Earth - When we damage the earth that nourishes the food that nourishes us,
we damage our own bodies. Putting pesticides, herbicides, and chemical
fertilizer into our soil depletes the soil of nutrients. It basically kills
the nutrients in the soil. Nutrients in the soil come from a delicate and
complex system of which bugs, organic fertilizer and weeds all play a part.


The Importance of Organics

Our world's soil has been depleted. Is it any wonder chronic fatigue is
epidemic? Is it any wonder we eat so much, in our instinctual quest for
nourishment? Not only is our soil depleted, it is actually toxic. Our food
is therefore toxic. The chemicals used in commercial agriculture are the
same chemicals as are feared in Chemical Warfare. We think that because we
use them in smaller quantities that we will not be affected. Are you
thinking clearly? If not, perhaps it is because you are eating commercial
produce! You may be an innocent casualty of commercial and industrial
agriculture's war against pests. Start eating organic foods and notice the
difference! You are not only helping yourself of course, but our world's
soil too! If we all bought organic produce, then the resulting demand would
necessitate that all farms become organic. Have you ever seen an organic
farm? Have you ever seen a commercial farm? An organic farm is an idyllic
thing of beauty while a commercial farm looks like a field factory. Soon our
country, our world, our landscape, would become an inspiringly beautiful
garden paradise! Do you want to help bring heaven on earth? Eat organic!
What's good for the planet, is good for YOU!

Organic food may cost a more than commercial food, but you will save much
more on your medical costs, your quality of life, and perhaps even length of
life than you will spend. You will be operating on premium fuel so you will
perform better and be able to generate much more than the difference in the
cost between commercial and organic food! There are many ways you can save
money that will also improve your health even further! You can use less
electricity, walk or bike more to save gas, cancel your cable TV, and stop
buying junk food or eating at restaurants, for instance. You will also find
that when you eat organic you will eat less, because the food is
nutrient-dense. You get many many more times the amounts of nutrients you
need from organic foods than from commercial foods, which are actually
toxic. Insist on organic food. Ask your supermarket to get an organic
section going. Find out about local farmers markets and/or visit local
organic farms and support them directly!

Organic Education:
One of the main reasons we have started this network and course, is because
we want to see this heaven on earth! We desperately need more education on
the importance of organics, and we believe the only way it is going to get
done is on a grass-roots level! So we encourage you to give talks on organic
foods in your community. Post and hand out flyers about the benefits of
organic food at your local health food stores, gyms, and supermarkets. Start
a program in your community coordinating between schools and organic farms
so that the schools do field trips to local organic farms and help work
planting, weeding, tilling, or harvesting. This helps the farmer out - free
labor! - and helps the kids re-connect with nature, its cycles, and their
relationship to the food they eat! You may see crime and vandalism rates in
your community just based on this therapeutic "Earth Therapy" experience
that helps to balance the kids in your area. You are also helping to
establish a taste for organic foods in the next generation of consumers!
This is one way you can beat the big-money junk food corporations in
influencing our society's children. A real-life farm experience is like a
real-life commercial. Once a child has tasted a vegetable that they have
picked directly from the ground, the taste is so far superior to any
vegetable that they have ever tasted before, that they will become hooked on
organics!

10 Really Good Reasons Why to Buy Organic

1. ORGANIC FOOD TASTES GREAT!

It's common sense-well-balanced soils grow strong healthy plants which taste
better. Simply try an organic orange or vine ripened tomato for a sweet and
juicy flavor treat! Recent research indicates organic foods may contain more
nutrients as well.

Great chefs just can't get enough of it. Across the continent many leading
restaurant chefs are using organic produce. Many have joined together in
"Chefs Collaborative 2000" designed to encourage production of superior
tasting foods through sound environmental practices

You get delicious, nutritious foods when you buy certified organic products-
an everyday practice that's also good for Mother Earth

2. CERTIFIED ORGANIC PRODUCTS CARRY A GUARANTEE

Starting in 1996, all food products labeled organic must be in compliance
with the US organic law. Certification is the public's guarantee that
products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without
toxic chemical inputs. Farmers and processors alike must keep detailed
records. All practices and procedures are annually inspected by a
third-party certifier. All farms and handlers are required to maintain
organic management plans. No prohibited substances are applied to the land
on which organic food is grown for at least three years.

3. ORGANIC PRODUCTION REDUCES HEALTH RISKS

Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research
linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Now, the Environmental
Protection Agency considers as potentially cancer causing 60% of all
herbicides (weed killers), 90% of all fungicides (mold killers), and 30% of
all insecticides (insect killers).

Children, farmers and farm workers are particularly vulnerable. According to
the 1933 National Academy of Sciences study Pesticides in the Diet of
Infants and Children, pesticide regulation and monitoring are outdated and
flawed. Risk assessment is based on adult consumption, assuming exposure to
only one pesticide at a time. IT does not take into consideration our
multiple exposures to chemicals in water, rug shampoos, common household
cleaners, flea powders and dozens of substances common in our modern
environment. The 1993 report Pesticides in Children's Food stated that, "the
average child exceeds the EPA lifetime on-in-a-million risk standard [of
cancer] by his or her first birthday."

Reducing the number of exposures to all toxic chemicals should be everyone's
goal.

4. ORGANIC FARMERS BUILD SOIL

Soil is the foundation of the food chain and the primary focus of organic
farming. By building healthy soil, plants are better able to resist disease
and insects. Each small piece of living soil contains thousands of
microorganisms which help retain water and provide nutrients to the plants.
Organic farmers foster soil fertility through proper tillage and crop
rotation.

Chemical-intensive agricultural practices result in farms with deal soil so
lacking in nutrients it requires large amounts of fertilizer. Reduced
organic matter diminishes the soil's ability to retain moisture. The result
is expensive irrigation using ever larger amounts of water. The resulting
runoff takes the soil and chemicals with it.

We're facing the worst topsoil erosion in history due to our current
agricultural practice of chemical intensive, mono-crop farming. The U.S.
Soil Conservation Service estimates over 3 billion tons of topsoil are
eroded from the U.S. crop lands each year, 25 billion tons globally.
"Sediment loading" in streams is a major factor in the decline of our fish
population. One third of all fish species nationwide are threatened or
endangered.

5. ORGANIC FARMS RESPECT OUR WATER RESOURCES

Water makes up two-thirds of our human body mass. It covers three-quarters
of our planet. While it may seem that there's and unlimited supply of clean
water, consider the current status report:

The EPA has found 98 different pesticides in the groundwater of 40 states,
contaminating the drinking water of over 100 million people. The agency has
identified agriculture as the number one non-point polluter nationwide.

The elimination of polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching, coupled with
soil-building efforts, protects and conserves water resources from nitrogen
contamination and sediment loading. Organic agriculture requires less water
because the humus in its living soil retains moisture.

6. ORGANIC PRODUCERS LEAD IN INNOVATIVE RESEARCH

Organic farmers have led the way, largely at their expense, with innovative
on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticides and minimizing agriculture's
impact on the environment. Organic agriculture's best known production
techniques include:


Cover cropping (green manure)
Use of beneficial insects
Crop rotation and diversification
Botanical and biological pest control
Composting
Close observation of natural soil, plant and wildlife systems
Cultural and mechanical weed control


Organic farming is not taught in standard textbooks. Farmers trying to shy
away from the 42 billion pounds of petrochemicals applied each year on food
and fiber crops could find it difficult. Fortunately, a network of
thoughtful farmers share on-farm research through journals, conferences,
electronic mail and, in some states, through the Land Grant colleges.

7. ORGANIC FARMING HELPS KEEP RURAL COMMUNITIES HEALTHY

Rural communities across the nation have watched employment shrink, family
farms nearly disappear and a sense of future for the young move towards the
cities. Many organic producers are independently owned and operated family
farms- a nearly extinct breed in this country. In the last decade the U.S.
has lost more than 650,000 family farms- 175 farms per day. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicts that by the year 2000, half the US
farm production will come from 1% farms.

Organic farming, often done on smaller acreage farmed more intensively, is
one of the few survival tactics left for the family farm and the rural
community.

8. ORGANIC PRODUCERS STRIVE TO PRESERVE DIVERSITY

President Clinton  placed the loss of biodiversity (the existence of a
large variety of species) at the very top of his environmental concerns.
Just a few years ago, the biodiversity was not a common topic. The good news
is that many organic farmers and gardeners have been aware of the problems
for decades, collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties.
"This living treasures of seeds", says Kenny Ausubel in Seeds of Change,
"comprises billions of years of evolution and at least twelve thousand years
of human selection for agriculture."

9. ORGANIC FARMERS WORK IN HARMONY WITH NATURE

We are just beginning to understand the impact of chemical-intensive
agricultural practices on the environment. Organic agriculture represents
the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem: birds and beneficial insects
control pests; wild life is an essential part of a total farm and encouraged
by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fence rows, wetlands
and other natural areas.

When you buy organic produce, you're helping farmers build a healthy
environment for wildlife.

10. ORGANIC ABUNDANCE - FOODS AND NON FOODS ALIKE!

In the past decade, we've seen exciting developments in organic production
of many food items, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains to name a
few.

The most visible non-food item is cotton. the one crop most experts said
could not be grown organically. Cotton is sprayed with more toxic
pesticides, in greater amounts, than any other crop in the nation. In
California's San Joaquin Valley alone, 100,000 acres are sprayed annually.
Yet, once again, organic farmers are showing that it can be done, and done
profitably.

Purchasing organic today ensures more organic choices tomorrow.


Using Nature for Healing

Air

Air is essential for life.  Deep breathing helps one  relax. Controlled breathing can
control pain, as in Lamaze for childbirth. So get plenty of fresh air. Sleep
with your window open. Some people find that sleeping outdoors gives them an
abundance of energy the next day! Try to live somewhere that has clean air.
Air, oxygen is transported to all the cells in our body through our
breathing, which is why exercise with its accompanying deep breathing is so
important. Our planet has less oxygen than it used to, and through exercise
we can obtain enough oxygen to make our cells happy and healthy.

Earth
The Healing Color Green - The color green is therapeutic. It brings peace
and healing.
Gardening -  It gets us back in touch with the Earth, which is healing beyond belief to our bodies and souls. And eating out of your garden is just about the healthiest nourishment you can treat
you body to.

Water
Dipping in mountain pools - a dip in a cold mountain stream is nothing
short of electrifying. The cold water strengthens our immunity, wakes up all
our organs, tightens our muscles, and burns off fat. You feel energized for
the rest of the day.
Electric water - water has electrolytes, electricity in it. Our bodies also
run on our own natural electricity caused by our neurons firing. Our nervous
system is electric. That includes our brain, the vast network of nerves that
transport messages to and from our brain to the rest of our body, and our
spinal column. Keeping this system well hydrated with high quality water
such as Trinity Water is very important.
Swimming - swimming in lakes or the ocean is a great way to tap into the
electrifying energizing power of water. Exercise in a pool is also very
healing especially for those who find exercise on land difficult because of
excess weight or skeletal damage.
Drinking - Drink fresh clean water every day to *flush* your system, provide
it with fresh electrolytes, and lots of great minerals for you body and
brain to use! Every cell in your body contains water. Do you want to feel
like an old swamp, or a fresh clean flowing mountain stream? You have a
choice. Just drink enough water and you will feel millions of times better,
no matter what else you do.
Washing -  Keeping clean with water is our first line of defense against germs.
Enemas - Enemas are a way of cleaning out you intestines. Far more gentle
than colonics. You simply get an enema bag from the drug store, fill it with
about 2 cups of hot water, hang it up on your shower head, hold the hose to
prevent the water from coming out until you are all set, put olive oil on
the nozzle beforehand and insert the nozzle in your rectum, crouch down on
all fours with your rear in the air, slowly release the hose to let the
water begin to flow, adjusting the speed of the flow of water with your hold
on the hose. You allow all the water to flow into your intestines. You stay
in this position or whatever position is most comfortable holding the water
inside for as long as you can. The pressure will mount fairly quickly and
you will be forced to release a bowel movement into the toilet. Wait for
several minutes as you may release a few more. Then repeat the whole enema
one or two more times to get your intestines totally clean. You will feel so
clean and clear you may not want to eat anything for a while just to hang on
to this feeling. Its a good way to break a binge, prepare for labor, or to
instantly cure many types of headaches and colds! Do not do this too often
as too frequent enemas can rid the colon of important intestinal flora too.

Sunlight
- sunbathing - The sun has so many vitamins, including vitamins A, D, and C,
and its radiant heat penetrates your whole system. It is very healing. Many
people like to sunbathe nude at around 10:00 AM for a half-hour to an hour
as the sun at this time of day is healthiest, and exposing the entire body -
including the lower intestines that are usually covered by a bathing suit,
is very healing, and promotes great skin health and an overall feeling of
wellbeing. It is also very effective in curing depression. Of course, these
days you don't want to overdo sunbathing. An hour in the morning and an hour
in the afternoon should be the most unless you are experienced with how your
body reacts to extended exposure to sunshine. Some raw vegans have found
that when they have been raw for a long period of time they no longer get
sunburned and no longer get bug bites.

Workouts in nature: Hiking, walking, cycling, swimming, anything!
A great way to make your time efficient is to get your healing sun, fresh
air, time in nature, alone time, and exercise all at once by working out in
nature. Working out in nature is a true Power Workout, and is soul
satisfying and fun too! It balances your entire body, mind, and spirit. It
is what we have been doing for millions of years, since the dawn of
humankind, until very very recently. My favorite nature workouts are hiking,
walking, running, cycling, and swimming. Tennis, playing tag with the kids,
practicing martial arts, stick fighting, jumping rope, jumping trampoline,
horseback-riding, and team sports are other great ways to get into nature,
or at least the outdoors, for your workouts. Some people find it easier to
stick to a work-out regimen in a gym or with videos at home. That's fine
too. Just try to get out into as natural area as possible when you can, and
maybe just sit and think or *be* in nature. The colors, smells, sights,
sounds, and air all combine to form the perfect environment for healing. We
try to imitate nature in food, candy, on TV, on the web, in music, in our
homes, - all our ideas and inventions come from nature - but no virtual
experience has yet been able to match the incredible magical subtle healing
symphony of nature that is a balm to our entire being, makes us feel a part
of our home planet, gives us a spiritual massage, and is like a soft embrace
from our Universal Mother! And this, one of the world's greatest gifts to
us, like love, like health, like happiness, like truth, like beauty, is a
gift that is free for everyone to enjoy!


Segment 1, Section 5: Enzymes, Digestion, and The Human Body

To be a raw teacher, chef, fitness coach, or Nutrition Specialist, it is important to understand
the very basics of enzymes, digestion, and the human body. So we have
compiled the basics that you learn in high school biology 101 and later
revisit if you study to be a nutritionist. Textbook sources have been
credited whenever possible. In addition, the uses of this information with
the raw diet has been explained when relevant.

The textbooks on digestion and nutrition are huge and complex. They explain
all the many different nutrients individually and in depth. They explain
how they work, what parts of the body and bodily functions they effect. And
they explain what other nutrients need to be combined with them for proper
functioning. And they explain what other nutrients prevent their proper
functioning. The way it is all presented makes it relatively impossible to
figure out what to eat, and therefore they all recommend that vitamins are
introduced.

However, what many raw vegans believe intuitively, or perhaps just out of
common sense, is that vitamins can not imitate nature exactly and can
therefore not possibly improve upon nature. We believe that the foods in
nature possess the complex *knowledge* and combinations of nutrients for
proper nourishment. Textbooks are financed by supplement companies, not
farmers. Health is the biggest Industry now that baby boomers have entered
mid-life. And the supplement industry is benefiting. Unfortunately
supplements often have little effect on health. There are elements in the
foods found in nature that science has not yet discovered. These
undiscovered, very tiny, very subtle, and very complex elements are just as
exact in their formulas, in their relationships with other elements and
nutrients, as the known vitamins and nutrients. And they have not been taken
into the equation by the manufacturers of supplements.

If a person eats meat (fat that has been deemed *bad fat* by the
mainstream), dairy (also containing *bad fat*), or heated carbohydrates
(deemed *toxic* by scientists) then their colons may be unable to absorb
nutrients whether they are in the form of foods or supplements. Regarding
the vitamin B12 issue, miniscule amounts (3 micrograms daily for adults) are
needed but essential.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is so serious that you know if you have it. You can
not walk for instance, if you are B12 deficient. And as I know several
long-term raw vegans who are very very healthy, I believe that if a raw
vegan diet is done right with a large variety of lots of fresh raw organic
fruits and vegetables, and if no toxic foods are ingested clogging the colon
and preventing absorption, then there is no danger of vitamin B12 deficiency
or any other nutrient deficiency.

Digestion 101, Enzymes explained

"The active materials in the digestive juices which cause the chemical
breakdown of food are called enzymes, complex proteins that are capable of
inducing chemical changes in other substances without themselves being
changed. Each enzyme is capable of breaking down only a single specific
substance. For example, an enzyme capable of breaking down fats cannot break
down proteins or carbohydrates, or vice versa. Enzymatic action originates
in four areas of the body: the salivary glands, the stomach, the pancreas,
and the wall of the small intestine."
- Nutrition Almanac, Third Edition, Lavon J. Dunne


Enzymes: The Difference Between Raw and Cooked Foods

by: Emily Kane ND

ENZYMES: The tiny and enormous difference between raw and cooked foods

Virtually all chronic degenerative diseases are caused or aggravated by
digestive problems. After the most extensive study on nutrition ever
undertaken by the government, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Nutrition
and Human Needs concluded in its 1978 report entitled "Diet and Killer
Diseases," that the average American diet is responsible for the development
of chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease, atherosclerosis,
cancer, diabetes, stroke, etc. Many of the most common health complaints
revolve around a 20-foot, mucus-lined tube that directly interfaces us with
our environment. This is no mystery: This is the gastro-intestinal tract,
affectionately abbreviated "GI." The job of the GI is to alchemically
transmute the food we eat into our flesh, blood, actions, thoughts and
feelings... with a little help from our friends the salivary glands, the
pancreas, the liver, and most importantly RAW FOOD -- all of which provide
(now we're getting to the point) ENZYMES.

Enzymes are delicate dynamos. Delicate because they are destroyed by
temperatures over 118 degrees (some by as little as 105 degrees), which
means that they may not survive even light steaming. Dynamos because they
are powerful biochemical catalysts; they speed burning or building reactions
in the body according to need. They are specialized proteins, often with
long complicated names ending in -ase.

The three primary digestive enzymes are protease, lipase and amylase which
digest, respectively, protein, fat (lipids), and carbohydrates (which
includes sugars). Amylase comes from the salivary glands: carbohydrates
start digesting right in our mouth. Have you ever chewed a piece of bread or
potato for an extra moment before swallowing, and tasted how sweet it is?
(It is a good idea to chew our foods thoroughly; literally making juice in
our mouths before swallowing.) Lipase is synthesized principally in the
liver and protease comes from the pancreas.

Although the enzyme-producing organs continue to function over the entire
course of a healthy life, they eventually wear down, especially with the
"standard American diet" (which, in the naturopathic community, we call
SAD.) Dr. Francis M. Pottenger's nutritional studies have shown that a
regular diet of cooked or canned foods causes the development of chronic
degenerative diseases and premature mortality. Professor Jackson of the
Dept. of Anatomy,
University of Minnesota, has shown that rats fed for 135 days on an 80
percent cooked food diet resulted in an increase pancreatic weight of 20 to
30 percent. What this means is that the pancreas is forced to work harder
with a cooked food diet. "Although the body can manufacture enzymes, the
more you use your enzyme potential, the faster it is going to run out..."
wrote Dr. Edward Howell, who pioneered research in the benefits of food
enzymes. A youth of 18 may produce amylase levels 30 times greater than
those of an 85 year old person.

Enzymes are what make seeds sprout. Sprouts are, in fact, one of the richest
sources of enzymes. Other excellent sources are papaya, pineapple and the
aspergillus plant. Science cannot duplicate enzymes, because they are the
stuff of life itself. Only raw food has functional "live" enzymes. Therefore
the liver, pancreas, stomach and intestines must come to the rescue and
furnish the requisite digestive enzymes to the individual nourished solely
on a cooked food diet.

This extra activity can be detrimental to health and longevity because it
continually taxes the reserve energy of our organs. Furthermore, cooked food
passes through the digestive tract more slowly than raw food, tends to
ferment, and throws poisons back into the body. Colon cancer is second only
to lung cancer as a killer in America and is related, in various ways, to
eating enzyme-deficient cooked food. Prolonged intestinal toxemia may
manifest the following symptoms: Fatigue, nervousness, gasto-intestinal
discomfort, recurrent infections, skin eruptions, hormonal disturbances,
headaches, arthritis, sciatica, low back pain, allergies, asthma, eye, ear,
nose and throat disorders, cardiac irregularities, pathological changes in
the breasts, and so forth. All of these conditions have been shown to
respond to therapy directed to correcting the bowel toxemia. Of course, it
is important to have fiber in the diet to scrub the colon walls clean, but
even more important are the enzymes which will allow proper digestion and
assimilation of vital nutrients. Cooked food often passes into the
bloodstream as unsplit molecules that are deposited, as waste, in various
parts of the body. If it is a fat molecule we know it as cholesterol plaque;
if calcium, arthritis; if sugar, diabetes. White blood cell count rises
dramatically after ingesting a meal of canned or cooked foods ("digestive
leukocytosis"). Elevated WBCs are correlated to bacterial infection,
inflammation and depressed immunity. Raw foods do not produce this reaction.
All raw foods contain exactly the right enzymes required to split every last
molecule into the basic building blocks of metabolism: Amino acids (from
protein), glucose (from complex carbohydrates) and essential fatty acids
(from unsaturated vegetable fats).

You are what you ate: Eat living foods (at least once daily!).

For more on enzymes please read:
http://www.rawfoods.com/articles/enzymes.html


The Human Body and Nutrition 101

This is what you would learn about the Human Body and Nutrition in 6th grade
Biology:

From Textbook: Nutrition Almanac, Third Edition, by Lavon J. Dunne:

Nutrition and Health

"Nutrition is the relationship of foods to the health of the human body.
Proper nutrition means that all the essential nutrients - that is,
carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water - are supplied
and utilized in adequate balance to maintain optimal heath ad well-being.
Nutritional deficiencies result whenever inadequate amounts of essential
nutrients are provided to tissues that must function normally over a long
period of time. Good nutrition is essential for normal organ development and
functioning, for normal reproduction, growth, and maintenance; for optimum
activity level and working efficiency; for resistance to infection and
disease; and for the ability to repair bodily damage or injury. Although specific
nutrients are known to be more important in the functions of certain parts
of the body, even these nutrients are totally dependent upon the presence of
other nutrients for their best effects. Every effort should therefore be
made to attain and maintain an adequate, balanced daily intake of all the
necessary nutrients throughout life".

(Note: The raw food diet is the most nutrient-dense diet, while the standard
American diet is nutrient-deficient).

Digestion, Absorption, and Metabolism:

"The foods eaten by humans are chemically complex. They must be broken down
by the body into simpler chemical forms so that they can be taken in through
the intestinal walls and transported by the blood to the cells. There they
provide energy and the correct building materials to maintain human life.
These are the processes of digestion, absorption, and metabolism".

Digestion

"Digestion is a series of physical and chemical changes by which food, taken
into the body, is broken down in preparation for absorption from the
intestinal tract into the bloodstream. These changes take place in the
digestive tract, which includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach,
small intestine, and large intestine".

Digestion is primarily the work of enzymes.

"Digestion actually begins in the mouth, where chewing breaks large pieces
of food into smaller pieces. The salivary glands in the mouth produce
saliva, a fluid that moistens food for swallowing and which contains
ptyalin, the enzyme necessary for carbohydrate breakdown. The masticated
food mass passes back to the pharynx under voluntary control, but from there
on and through the esophagus, the process of swallowing is carried on by
peristalsis, a slow wavelike motion occurring along the entire digestive
tract, which moves the food into the stomach

Active chemical digestion begins in the middle portion of the stomach, where
the food is mixed with gastric juices containing hydrochloric acid, water,
and enzymes that break up protein and other substances.

After 1-4 hours, depending upon the combination of foods ingested by the
system, peristalsis pushes the food, now in the liquid form of chyme, out of
the stomach and into the small intestine. Foodstuffs leave the stomach and
enter the small intestine in the following order: carbohydrates, protein,
and fat - which takes the longest to digest. When chyme enters the small
intestine, the pancreas secretes its digestive juices If fast are present in
the food, bile, an enzyme produced by the liver and stored in the
gallbladder, is also secreted. Bile separates the fat into small droplets so
that the pancreatic enzymes can break it down. The pancreas also secretes a
substance that neutralizes the digestive acids in the food, and it secretes
additional enzymes that continue the breakdown of proteins and
carbohydrates.

The remaining undigested products enter the large intestine and eventually
are excreted. No digestive enzymes are secreted in the large intestine, and
little change occurs there except for the absorption of water".



Segment 1, Section 6: Food, Nutrition, and Photosynthesis

Food/Nutrition Basics

The 3 sources of calories - Fats, Proteins and Carbohydrates

The Basics of Proper Food Combining - Do not combine proteins and
carbohydrates. Always eat fruit first or alone. It digests much faster than
other foods and if eaten after other foods it will sit on top of them and
ferment in the heat of the stomach, causing gas and making the fruit toxic.

Nutrient Absorption - "Absorption is the process by which nutrients in the
form of glucose (from carbohydrates), amino acids (from protein), and fatty
acids and glycerol (from fats) are taken up by the intestines and passed
into the bloodstream to facilitate cell metabolism.

Absorption takes place primarily in the small intestine The lining of the
small intestine is covered with small fingerlike projections called "villi".
These villi contain lymph channels and tiny blood vessels called
"capillaries" which are the principal channels of absorption, depending upon
the type of nutrient. Fats and fat-soluble vitamins move through the the
blood to the cells. Other nutrients are carried away from the villi by the
capillaries, which funnel them into the portal vein leading to the liver.

In the liver, many different enzymes help change the nutrient molecules into
new forms for specific purposes. Unlike earlier changes, which prepared
nutrients for absorption and transport, the reactions in the liver produce
the products needed by individual cells. Some of the products are used by
the liver, to be released into the body as needed The remainder go in to the
bloodstream, where they are picked up by the cells and put to work.
Water-soluble vitamins and minerals are also absorbed into the bloodstream
in the small intestine".

Metabolism

"At this point the handling of food within the body has reached its final
stage The process of metabolism involves all the chemical changes that
nutrients undergo from the time they are absorbed until they become a part
of the body or are excreted from the body. Metabolism is the conversion of
the digested nutrients into building material for living tissue or energy to
meet the body's needs.

Metabolism occurs in two general phases that occur simultaneously, anabolism
and catabolism. Anabolism involves all the chemical reactions that the
nutrients undergo in the destruction or building up of body chemicals and
tissues, such as blood, enzymes, hormones, glycogen, and others Catabolism
involves the reactions in which various compounds of the tissues are broken
down to supply energy. Energy for the cells is derived from the metabolism
of glucose, which combines with oxygen in a series of chemical reactions to
form carbon dioxide, water, and cellular energy The carbon dioxide and water
are waste products, carried away from the cells by the bloodstream. Energy
can also be derived from the metabolism of essential fatty acids and amino
acids, although the primary effect of the metabolism of amino acids is to
provide material for growth and the maintenance repair of tissues. The
waster products of essential fatty acid and amino acid metabolism are also
carried away from the cells by the bloodstream.

The process of metabolism requires that extensive systems of enzymes be
maintained to facilitate the thousands of different chemical reactions and
regulate the rate at which these reactions proceed. These enzymes often
require the presence of specific vitamins and minerals to perform their
functions".

-From Textbook: Nutrition Almanac, Third Edition, by Lavon J. Dunne


Photosynthesis and the Raw Vegan Diet

Photosynthesis is taught in grade school to show the relationship between
plants and animals. Plants consume carbon-dioxide and create oxygen. While
humans and animals consume oxygen and exhale carbon-dioxide. Photosynthesis
is the ability of green plants to turn sunlight into nutrients or energy.
This is the food chain's beginning. The sun is the source of all energy.
Plants take the energy of the sun and turn it into nutrients. Vegetarian
animals eat the plants. Carnivorous animals eat the vegetarian animals. The
closer we can get to deriving our energy from the sun, the closer we get to
the source of all energy, the higher the food-quality and the denser the
nutrients. At each step in the food chain the nutrients become more
diffused. Eating meat and animal products like dairy is eating a lot of food
with a very small amount of nutrients proportionately. Whereas plant foods
are NUTRIENT-DENSE. We don't need to eat very much to get lots of nutrients,
in a purer form.

But are humans supposed to be carnivores, omnivores, or vegetarians? Well,
according to Darwin, studies of the teeth of the earliest human skeletos
show that we were none of the above, but we were frugivores! We ate
exclusively fruit! Is is any wonder that this is the food that children are
most drawn to before their tastes are corrupted? Is it any wonder that these
foods are easily available, easily prepared, and easily digested? Is it any
wonder that the only calories the brain can use are those derived from fruit
sugars, glucose? Is it any wonder that fruit is delicious and beautiful?
There is no more perfect food than fruit. One can thrive for about three
years on a diet of exclusively fruit. However, as much of our earth's soil
is now nutrient deficient from years of chemical abuse, just as drug users
become barren, we must also consume dark leafy greens which are even richer
in minerals, in order to intake sufficient minerals for long-term health,
especially for healthy eyes, hair, teeth and bones. Many people can do well
on fruit all their lives if they live where wild (and therefore
nutrient-rich) fruits can be obtained, such as in the jungles of South-East
Asia where the gorillas eat wild fruit and thereby spread the
seeds of the fruit throughout the jungles, planting an abundance of wild
fruit trees.

But we must learn to know our own bodies. We must learn to listen, to be
intuitive, to be aware of our energy levels, our mental state, our spiritual
state. We must wean ourselves from junk food and toxins and eat more fresh
organic produce, thereby developing healthy cravings based on our bodies
needs instead of misleading ones based on addiction.


Segment 1, Section 7: Recommended Reading (available at
www.thegardendiet.com/books )

Books:

 
Backyard Composting-Harmonious Technology
Square Foot Gardening-Mel Bartholomew
David Wolfe - Nature's First Law, The Sunfood Diet Success System
Arnold Ehret - The Mucous-less Diet

Paul Nison - Raw Knowledge, Raw Power
Storm Talifero - The Garden Diet
Enzyme Nutrition-Dr Edward Howell
Prescription for Herbal Healing-Phyllis A Bach, CNC
Raw Food revolution-John Robbins

Magazines:

Fred Patenaude - Just Eat an Apple
David Klein - Living Nutrition
The Talilferos - The Raw Vegan DVD Video Magazine
 

Websites:

www.HomeCompost.com

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