The Women Warriors

[RawMahdiyah]

What to Eat



-Water: Purified water-reverse osmosis, carbon filtered (charged orgone water). Brita is not the best; it harbors mold and parasites. Herbal teas, hot water with lemon and cayenne pepper first thing in the morning.

-Sweeteners: Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, fruits (dates), agave, pure maple syrup, and stevia.

-Fruit: Fresh fruits (of the season). Eliminate those that cause a reaction. Fresh squeezed juices. Orange juice can cause constipation and grapefruit juice can interfere with liver function, especially if on prescription medications (see below). If this is the situation, eliminate them.

-Vegetables: All (except head lettuce and potatoes), unless there is individual intolerance. Raw, steamed, juiced, stir-fried, grilled or make soup.

-Dairy and Oils: Use Rice Dream or Almond 'milks'. Soy beverage can be difficult for some people to digest. Use only traditional fats and oils including organic butter or ghee, extra virgin (cold pressed) olive oil, sesame, flax, and cococut oil. Organic goat or sheep cheeses (kefir) and live yogurt (goat milk is easier to digest).

-Whole Grains: Soaked or sprouted; Amaranth, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgar, kamut, millet, oats, quinoa (keenwa), 100% rye, spelt.

-Cereal: oatmeal, quinoa, millet, rice congee, teff.

-Bread: Manna Bread 100% sprouted (Nature's Path), Ezekiel sprouted/flourless (Food for Life-Ezekiel 4:9 bread and buns), Kamut, 100% rye, spelt (Grainfields, Dimpflmeier, Stickling's), rice crackers and cakes.

-Pasta: Brown rice (Tinkyada brand), kamut, quinoa, spelt.

-Legumes: Soaked or Sprouted; Navy, kidney, adzuki, soy, mung, lentils, black beans, split peas, lima, red beans, chick peas, bean flours. To make a complete protein combine 2/3 cup grains with 1/3 cup legumes.

-Protein: Organic & Free range; Eggs, wild fish (cold water-salmon, trout, halibut, haddock, mackerel, sardines), poultry, lamb, veal, beef (in small portions) and tofu/tempeh, goat cheese or goat/sheep yogurt.
Nuts and seeds: raw, not roasted, blanched (&/or sprouted) almonds, walnuts, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, flax, sunflower, and nut butters made from these.

-Salad Dressing: Use fresh squeezed lemon, balsamic, apple cider or rice vinegar, combined with cold pressed organic olive oil and/or flaxseed oil, garlic, (unrefined) Celtic Sea Salt, and herbs/spices.
-Include sea vegetables and enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented food (such as miso, tamari, sauerkraut, kimchi etc.) in your diet on a regular basis.

* This is a general guideline. Variety is the key. Do not eat the same foods continuously. Rotate them as much as possible. Trust yourself.

Note: Take any natural supplements in divided amounts with meals not when just having fruit. Take a few deep breaths to relax before eating, be thankful and eat slowly (chewing food thoroughly to a pulp).




What to Avoid/ Eliminate


-Sugar and foods containing them: Sucrose, maltose, lactose, glucose, mannitol, galactose, corn syrup, white/brown sugar, all artifitial sweetners and aspartame (neurotoxins!)

-Fruit: Dried, candied, canned, bottled or frozen concentrated juices (very high in sugar and molds/perservatives=very acidic). (Learn to preserve and dry your own foods).

-Coffee and Regular tea: interferes with homeopathic medicines, digestion, and absorption of nutrients, elimination and flushes out minerals (irritates the stomach and causes premature dumping of the stomach, as well as tobacco). Stresses the adrenal glands, causing fatigue, nervous energy, irritability and sleep-related problems. Tannic acid in teas is hard on the kidneys (the organs of purification and detoxification).

-Alcohol: wine, beers, liquors and liqueurs.

-Carbonated Beverages: Avoid carbonated mineral water and pop/ Carbon dioxide interferes with oxygen delivery via red blood cells. Phosphoric acid acidifies the body. Pop also creates a potassium imbalance and leaches calcium out of the bones.

-Dairy: All dairy products-milk, cheese, cream, sour cream, icecream, flavored yogurts, (cottage, cream, moldy cheeses, lowfat, skim or powdered/imitation milks are the worst). Prepared foods with cheese or milk products-macaroni and cheese, pizza, and cheese containing snacks (often hidden milk ingredience). Do NOT eat margarine.

-Nuts: Peanuts, pistachios & products-peanut butter, cookies, desserts, snacks. These nuts contain mold (aflatoxin).

-Wheat: All white and whole-wheat flours/products-breads, wheat pastas, cereals, bagels, muffins, and pastries. The gluten (protein molecule in wheat/and other sources) is very difficult for many people to digest; it can damage intestinal microvilli and cause cramping and constipation. Celiac Disease: see below).

-Yeast/High Fats: Raised packed goods-breads, donuts, rolls, bagels, cakes and pastries.
Avoid all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils. Avoid all vegetable oils made from soy, corn, canola, safflower or cottonseed (toxic). Do not use polyunsaturated oils for cooking, sauteing or baking (denatures and becomes toxic).

-Processed/packaged, breaded and deep-fried foods. Corn and Popcorn (high allergy food due to over-processing).

-Pickled, processed and smoked meats: sausages, bacon, hot dogs, corned beef, pastrami, ham and luncheon meats, pickled herring. These are high in carcinogens-nitrates and nitrites.

-Condiments and White Vinegar, Foods Containing: Monosodium glutamate (MSG), pickled products, mayonnaise and bottled salad dressings. (Most soups, sauces and broth mixes and commercial condiments contain MSG, even if not so labeled.)

-Antibiotics: These cause an over growth of yeast. Viruses cause many infections and these do NOT respond to antibiotics. There are homeopathic and herbal formulas that work with the immune system to fight bacteria and viral infection.

-Synthetic vitamins and foods containing them (ie. enriched or fortified products and supplements).

-Avoid aluminum-containing foods such as commercial salt, baking powder or antacids. Do not use aluminum cookware or aluminum-containing deodorants.
-Do not use a microwave oven.




RawMahdiyah
_________________
"Cast down what is in your right hand. It will swallow up what they have wrought. Verily they have wrought only a sorcerer's stratagem; and a sorcerer does not succeed (no matter) from whatsoever (skilled group) he may come." (Quran-20:69)

[RawMahdiyah]

What To Eat

Organic live (raw) food is your best medicare, your ticket to prolonged youth. Eat natural food which appeals to you most (be in sync with listening to your body-kids naturally know how to push food away). Advance your diet according to the dictates of your body and the type of work you do.
Grow your own food (when possible) in your garden or in-door pots: herbs, vegetables, sprouts, fruit. BE thrifty; eating what is of season, grown organically with love, and local (try to know your food producer to determine the quality of the food you eat.)
Learn to eat no more than 16 ounces at a single meal. Never eat a large meal just before doing hard work. Before a difficult physical or mental task, center your energy; fast on fresh juices or water.

When To Eat

Eat only when hungry, after the previous meal is digested. (One 'should' have a regular bowel movement upon rising-if not fast on water/ginger teas. Close your eyes, press the eyeball with moderate pressure, if sore it indicates that the stomach is not emptied). A day will not be wasted on a small simple (or no) breakfast. No snack between meals (perhaps herbal teas, fresh fruit/juices). Many individuals have within the digestive tract three or more meals in a semi-digested, putrefactive state!
Eat the biggest meal at noon when the sun activity is the strongest. Solar vibrations aid digestion (agni). Eat a small meal before sunset for a longer night of fasting. Do not eat when in pain, emotionally upset, extremely tired or immediately after hard work. Rest or relax after a meal for 45 minutes. For those with a delicate digestion, lie down for at least 10 minutes before a meal. After retiring for the night, do not eat or drink.


How To Eat

Begin with the name of God. Be grateful, ask for control in appetite. Bring a tranquil mind to the meal. Think about the strength and health the food is to give you. Do not argue or rush. Think about the Omnipresent as you chew your food. Eat and share food with loving friends/neighbors. It is best not to indulge in conversation while eating, but if you have company, limit discussion to friendly love exchanges, no disputes. Only pleasant thoughts encourage good digestion (compared to "fight or flight' syndrome). While eating, one should not stare at anyone.
Do not read, listen to the radio or watch television. Rather, enjoy the music of birds and the brook; the silence of the sky. Breath deep and enjoy your food! (Take your shoes off!)
Wash your hands before and after.
Do not drink (or eat) cold or hot (beyond 104 degrees) substances. No liquids with meals, drink at least 30 minutes before or a few hours after a meal. Practice proper food combining for best digestion. Eat juicy foods prior to concentrated foods. Eat raw foods before cooked foods. Stop eating before you feel full.
All Praise Is For God Alone.....



RawMahdiyah
_________________
"Cast down what is in your right hand. It will swallow up what they have wrought. Verily they have wrought only a sorcerer's stratagem; and a sorcerer does not succeed (no matter) from whatsoever (skilled group) he may come." (Quran-20:69)

[RawMahdiyah]

Article found in The Toronto Star (Sunday, January 4th, 1998)
By Dr. Zoltan P. Rona


*If you swallow prescription pills with grapefruit juice, there is something very important that you should know.
Grapefruit juice can intensify the effects of some drugs because it can block the first phase of liver detoxification.
This grapefruit juice effect is attributed to a constituent of grapefruit juice called naringenin.
Naringenin inhibits an enzyme called cytochrome P450, which is found not only in the liver but also in the wall of the intestines.
Studies by Canadians Dr. David Bailey, Dr. Malcolm Arnold and Dr. David Spence indicate that the consumption of grapefruit juice may have significant effect on raising the blood levels of certain drugs like the antihistamine terfenadine (Seldane).
University if Western Ontario researchers have found that blending Seldane with grapefruit juice can boost levels of terfenadine, the active ingredient of Seldane, by 450%. And they warn that that could spark potentially fetal heart rhythm disturbances in vulnerable people.

DEPENDS ON INDIVIDUAL

The grapefruit juice effect is variable among individuals with drug levels being boosted anywhere from three to six times.
Besides terfenadine, other drugs affected by grapefruit juice are the calcium channel blocker nifedipine (Adalat), the anti-rejection drug cyclosporin, perscription estrogens and the sedative, triazolam (Halcion).
Calcium channel blockers are used to control high blood pressure and angina.
Nifedipine is one of the controversial calcium channel blocking drugs associated with a greater risk of fatal heart attacks and cancer in several American studies.
Blood levels of these drugs can jump as much as sixfolds in some individuals after drinking grapefruit juice.
If you 'must' take any of these drugs, the best advice is to avoid grapefruit juice even within 24 hours of taking the tablets of capsules.
Use water or [other fresh squeezed] juice to help swallow the prescriptions since neither will have significant effect in the blood levels of any of the drugs in question.
It is always a good policy to consult a knowledgable [and honest] pharmacist about drug-nutrient interactions when taking any perscription or over the counter DRUG.


RawMahdiyah
_________________
"Cast down what is in your right hand. It will swallow up what they have wrought. Verily they have wrought only a sorcerer's stratagem; and a sorcerer does not succeed (no matter) from whatsoever (skilled group) he may come." (Quran-20:69)

[RawMahdiyah]

*A.K.A. nontropical sprue, gluten-sensitive enteropathy, celuac sprue
*Characterized by bulky, frothy, foul-smelling greasy stools
*Damage to lining of small intestine caused by the body's inability to digest gluten and the subsequent immune response

Gluten- major protein component of cereal grains; composed of two portions:
1. Glutenins - not a factor in developing Celiac Disease
2. Gliadins - deficiency in enzyme responsible for breaking down gliadin triggers immune response that damages surrounding tissues in small intestine

*Microvilli get damaged or flattened (method of diagnosis), reducing absorptive surface and leading to other associated conditions

i) Lactose Intolerance
*Damage to microvilli leads to inability to produce intestinal lactase
*Result: lactose not digested, passes to large intestine and contributes to bacterial putrefaction (gas, bloating, cramps, diarrhea)

ii) General Malabsorption and/or "Leaky Gut"
*Important vitamins and minerals are not absorbed
*Partially-digested food particles are wrongfully absorbed into blood stream, triggering further immune responses (i.e. allergies)



Preventative Measures:

*Symptoms typically appear during first 3 years of life depending on:
i) time of introducing cereal grains into infant diet
ii) early introduction of cow's milk also a major causitive factor
iii) breast-fed vs. formula; breast-feeding may have preventative effect

*Once diagnosis made- GLUTEN-FREE DIET:
i) No wheat, rye, barley, triticale, oats, spelt, semolina, kamut
ii) milk and milk products eliminated (at least until intestinal strucure & function healed-should use raw organic dairy only)
iii) pancreatic enzymes (5000 IU lipase, 2900 IU amylase, 330 IU protease) during first 30 days of gluten-free diet
iv) correct for underlying nutrient deficiencies resulting from absorption using multi-vitamin/mineral formulas


Improvement:
30% improve within 3 days of treatment
60% within 2 months
10% within 2 1/2 years


If no improvement:
1. Incorrect diagnosis
2. Exposure of hidden sources of gluten!
3. Suffering from complications (i.e. Zinc deficiency - needed as cofactor in tissue repair)



Source: Murray, N.D., M. & Pizzorno, N.D., J.: Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine - 2nd Edition.


For more info. See:
Geoffrey Holmes. Coeliac Disease. 2000
Elaine Gottschall. Food and the Gut Reaction. 1986
Canadian Celiac Association (Celiac.ca)



RawMahdiyah

[RawMahdiyah]

Junk Foods Cause 'Mental Illness'




Felicity Lawrence
Monday January 16, 2006
The Guardian

Changes in diet over the past 50 years appear to be an important factor behind a significant rise in mental ill health in the UK, say two reports published today.

The Mental Health Foundation says scientific studies have clearly linked attention deficit disorder, depression, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia to junk food and the absence of essential fats, vitamins and minerals in industrialised diets.

A further report, Changing Diets, Changing Minds, is also published today by Sustain, the organisation that campaigns for better food. It warns that the NHS bill for mental illness, at almost £100bn a year, will continue to rise unless the government focuses on diet and the brain in its food, farming, education and environment policies.

"Food can have an immediate and lasting effect on mental health and behaviour because of the way it affects the structure and function of the brain," Sustain's report says. Its chairman, Tim Lang, said: "Mental health has been completely neglected by those working on food policy. If we don't address it and change the way we farm and fish, we may lose the means to prevent much diet-related ill health."

Both reports, which have been produced collaboratively, outline the growing scientific evidence linking poor diet to problems of behaviour and mood. Rates of depression have been shown to be higher in countries with low intakes of fish, for example. Lack of folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and the amino acid tryptophan are thought to play an important role in the illness. Deficiencies of essential fats and antioxidant vitamins are also thought to be a contributory factor in schizophrenia.

A pioneering nutrition and mental health programme, thought to be the only one of its kind in Britain, was carried out at Rotherham, South Yorkshire. According to Caroline Stokes, its research nutritionist, the mental health patients she saw generally had the poorest diets she had ever come across. "They are eating lots of convenience foods, snacks, takeaways, chocolate bars, crisps. It's very common for clients to be drinking a litre or two of cola a day. They get lots of sugar but a lot of them are eating only one portion of fruit or vegetable a day, if that."

The therapy includes omega-3 fatty acids and multivitamins, with advice on cutting out junk food and replacing it with oily fish, leafy vegetables for folic acid, Brazil nuts for selenium, and food providing tryptophan.

Some patients who resist treatment with drugs accept nutritional therapy and most have reported an improvement in mood and energy. Ms Stokes said: "Within the first month there's been a significant reduction in depression. We've had letters from [the patients'] psychiatrists saying they can see a huge difference."

One sufferer who benefited from a dietary change was James McLean, who was at university when first diagnosed with bipolar disorder (manic depression). After he had been sectioned repeatedly, his father read about the role of nutrition in mental health. The pair went privately to the Brain Bio Centre, in London, where Mr McLean's nutrient levels were checked; he was allergic to gluten and yeast and was given supplements, including vitamin B and essential fatty acids.

"I'd been eating lots of intense carbohydrate foods ... because they were cheap, and very little fruit or vegetables," Mr McLean said. Now, he excludes wheat from his diet too. He added: "I have more energy and confidence, I sleep better, and I came off the anti-psychotic drugs, although I still take mood stabilising ones."

Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, acknowledged that mental illness results from a complex interplay of biological, social, psychological and environmental factors, but thought diet should be an everyday component of mental health care. "It costs £1,000 a week to keep someone in a psychiatric hospital. How much does good food cost? We need mentally healthy school meals, and mentally healthy hospital foods," he said.

Best choices and worst:

Good for the brain:

Vegetables, especially leafy
Seeds and nuts
Fruit
Whole grains
Wheatgerm [WHOLE wheat if any]
Organic eggs
Organic wild fish, especially fatty fish

Bad for the brain:

Deep fried junk foods
Refined processed foods
Pesticides
Alcohol
Sugar
Tea and coffee
Most additives


Download "Changing Diets, Changing Minds" here:
http://www.sustainweb.org/mhealth_index.asp

The Mental Health Foundation's "Food and Mental Health" Campaign:
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/page.cfm?pagecode=PRFM