ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS

A number of individual items are presented here. Singly, many of them would have only a minor impact on the overall quality of one's nutrition. However, collectively, the impact on nutritional quality can be substantial. Remember, the more recommendations that are followed, the better. Failing to follow all recommendations does not

 Optimal Nutrition for Optimal Health

mean you are destined to nutritive failure. Individual circumstances will always dictate varying degrees of compliance. If your present eating regimen is very far removed from these recommendations, try to gradually align yourself with this regimen. When changes are too drastic and too abrupt, we tend not to follow them. We are all creatures of habit, and gradualism is sometimes the best way to achieve permanent changes. When you see the positive effects that optimal nutrition has on your health and physical appearance, you will have all the motivation you need to continue this program for the rest of your life.

1. Do not avoid sources of good natural fat in your diet. Do
avoid as much as possible the hydrogenated fats found in
processed foods. Never eat foods that have been stripped of
natural fat and are advertised as low fat or fat free.

2. Never eat margarine or other butter substitutes.

3. Eat butter regularly. Include it routinely with most meat and
vegetable dishes, because it aids in the absorption and as­
similation of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in
those foods.

4. Cook mostly with butter or olive oil.

5. Avoid or minimize your consumption of all processed and
preserved foods. Exceptions would include properly dried
foods without preservatives. Shop frequently and eat food
that is as fresh as possible.

6. Avoid or minimize your consumption of pork and pork-
related products (ham, bacon, sausage).

7. Avoid or minimize your consumption of fish and other
seafood. Pregnant women should avoid seafood completely.

8. Whenever possible, eat organically raised foods.

9. Do not eat irradiated food. The nutrient value of food is
lowered by irradiation, which can also form toxic

Practical Suggestions

by-products inside the food. Also, irradiation kills bacteria but not poisons, so bad food that is already toxic will not rot, smell, and so warn you not to eat it.

10. Eat a variety of meats (but not in combination). If possible,
eat some wild game.

11. Eat whole fruits and vegetables rather than juicing them.
Juices that include the pulp are acceptable. However,
juices are much more desirable than nearly all commercial
drinks. Never routinely substitute juices for a full,
balanced meal.

12. Use salt as desired for taste. Restrict its intake only if you
are advised to do so by your physician. Always use the
purest sodium chloride available. Avoid sea salt.

13. Eat grains that have been processed as little as possible.
Organic grains are best, since they contain less fluoride and
other contaminants from standard fertilizers, and contain
more bioavailable vitamins and minerals.

14. Eat a variety of grains, but try to eat only one kind at a
sitting. Good digestion is supported by simplicity in
the meal, and multigrain products are not as readily and
completely digested.

15. Avoid pasteurized animal milks with cereal. Nut milks are
an excellent substitute; they combine well with grains and
cereals, and unlike most dairy products, they are not toxic.
If you cannot give up the taste of cow's milk, combine full
organic cream with either water, Rice Dream, or a nut milk.
A very small amount of cream diluted in this fashion gives
a great taste, and by using so little cream, you avoid most
of the problems associated with drinking milk, including
its toxicity and its poor combining with the cereal grain.

16. Eat eggs regularly, but chew them completely, regardless of
how they are cooked.

 Optimal Nutrition for Optimal Health

17. Avoid toxicity rather than cholesterol (see chapter 5).

18. Generally, try to cook foods at lower temperatures for
longer periods of time. Whenever possible, cook by
baking, broiling, poaching, or simmering in a crockpot.
Minimize frying, although a quick saute, as in a wok,
is a reasonable compromise. Pressure cooking is a good
way to minimize the loss of nutrients that occurs during
cooking.

19. Eat raw foods often. Whenever possible, eat meats rare, not
well done. Meat juices contain substantial amounts of
bioavailable nutrients.

20. Avoid refined sugar as much as possible, and never con­
sume it as a dessert following a regular meal. Eat sugar
only well after a meal or at least an hour before the next
meal.

21. If you are not allergic, sweeten your food sparingly with
raw honey. The nutritional food supplement stevia can also
be added to food or beverages for its nutrient and sweeten­
ing effects. Avoid aspartame and saccharin completely. Use
other sweeteners as little as possible.

22. Drink distilled water or water purified by reverse osmosis.
Try to drink at least 2 quarts of water a day. Drink at least
1 quart first thing upon arising, before eating breakfast or
taking supplements. Space the rest of your water consump­
tion out so as not to impair the digestion of foods that you
eat during the day.

23. Avoid caffeine as completely as possible.

24. Minimize your consumption of regular and herbal teas,
which may contain variable amounts of fluoride in addi­
tion to caffeine.

25. Avoid or minimize your consumption of carbonated sodas.
When you do indulge, drink those sweetened with fruit
juices or fructose.

Practical Suggestions

26. Avoid or minimize your consumption of alcohol, especially
with meals. Remember that beer contains maltose, which
has about the highest glycemic index of any food sub­
stance. Avoid American wines in favor of German, French,
or Italian wines. American wines contain an incredible
number of additives and adulterants.

27. Avoid monosodium glutamate (MSG). It is toxic in itself,
and it can mask the taste of partially spoiled food. When
traveling by airplane, request a sodium-free meal (eliminat­
ing MSG), and then add sodium chloride as desired.

28. Wash all fruits and vegetables, scrubbing anything that
can be scrubbed. Dilute hydrogen peroxide is one good
cleanser. Fit, a commercially available preparation that
contains citric acid, baking soda, and grapefruit seed oil,
also works well. Be especially diligent in removing wax
coatings.

29. Store food in glass rather than in plastic.

30. Use enameled iron or glass cookware, such as that made
by Le Creuset and Pyrex. Avoid aluminum and stainless
steel whenever possible.

31. Generally avoid mushrooms. If you eat them, cook them
thoroughly.

32. Enjoy nuts and seeds, but chew them extremely thor­
oughly. Whenever possible, eat them raw.

33. Avoid foods that you consistently do not digest well.
They will compromise the proper digestion of foods eaten
with them.

34. Take only bioavailable vitamins and supplements
(see chapter 8).

35. Take your optimal dose of vitamin С regularly. Consider
doing frequent C-flushes to minimize the presence of toxic,
rotting food in the intestines (see chapter 8).

 Optimal Nutrition for Optimal Health

This is by no means a complete or definitive list of guidelines. However, following all of these guidelines will help your body to ingest, absorb, assimilate, and eventually use all of the nutrients that you need to maintain optimal health. You may well discover many other ways to optimize your own nutrition as you become more attuned to your body and begin to learn what it appreciates having put into it.