Foods that make us sick and well

A reader e-mailed me an ebook authored by Dr. Max Sidorov, in collaboration with other doctors in the International Council for Truth in Medicine (ICTM), on how diabetes could be put under control by intensifying healthy lifestyle changes, particularly our diet.

Although I don’t quite agree with what he suggests that antidiabetic medicines and other medicines only make patients worse, his pointers on health and well-being are worth sharing.

He and his colleagues at ICTM contend, rightfully so, that modern man is eating a lot of processed foods, which he wasn’t meant to eat. Our body systems were intended to digest natural and raw foods.

“The more natural and raw food you eat, the faster and easier you will lower your risk of countless diseases and regain your health,” he writes in his ebook.

He advises us to shun away from  “processed garbage food.” Instead, we should load our diets with nutritious fruits, vegetables, nuts, sprouted grains and other superfoods like raw unpasteurized milk, raw butter, spinach, spirulina and coconut oil.

Why raw milk? He cites studies showing that the pasteurization of milk, which is intended to kill bacteria contaminants in the raw milk, also kills the beneficial bacteria called probiotics; and eliminates all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients present in raw milk. Heating also denatures the proteins in milk, which has been implicated in some medical problems.

Not an easy shift

So, the golden rule he recommends is to eat and drink everything raw as much as possible. Processed foods should be totally avoided, and consumers should prefer  natural, whole, nutrient dense alternatives. He realizes though for those who have accustomed their palates to processed foods that changing one’s dietary habits is not an easy shift.

He advises: “If you have a craving for some junk, always give yourself an alternative and allow the gradual change to take effect. Take healthy snacks with you, make your own lunch, and get rid of all the temptations at home; throw away or donate all the junk food you have at home! And if you go to restaurants, find some local vegetarian ones, and taste for yourself how delicious and filling the meals can be.”

Making the shift is really a big challenge; but one just has to make the decision, just like the decision to quit smoking for good. If one is not really strongly motivated to do it, one will likely backslide at the slightest temptation.

Discard unhealthy foods

For the first step, he suggests we take a big garbage bag, open our fridge and pantry, and discard all the foods that are making us unhealthy and unwell without our realizing so.

Cookies? Cakes? Pastries? Chips? Chocolate bars? Frozen dinners? All these things should go to the garbage bag, says Dr. Sidorov. Well, you don’t have to throw them. We can perhaps donate them to homeless people who have nothing to eat. Junk food is certainly better than no food.

Next in the list of foods to avoid are slimming shakes or protein shakes that are loaded with sugars, flavor enhancers, high fructose corn syrup, and  hydrogenated oils. Some protein or energy bars also contain refined sugars, starches, filling but poorly digestible soy protein, mucous causing whey protein, artificial flavors and preservatives. Some are marketed as high-fiber protein bars, but they’re really devoid of any beneficial fiber.

Supposedly healthy low-calorie or sugar-free foods and drinks can also be deceiving.  Soft drinks, including diet soda, are loaded with either sugars or artificial sweeteners which can have long-term side-effects. He cites data suggesting that some artificial sweeteners simulate and/or promote the release of excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain.

“Neurotransmitters are amino acids or proteins, and when normal neurotransmitters such as aspartate and glutamate cross this barrier in excess such as when one drinks or eats anything with these artificial sweeteners, they will cause poisoning and lead to the death of the nerve cells within the brain and spinal cord. This is because the blood-brain barrier cannot discern the amount that is needed from too much, leading to various neurological disorders,” he explains.

This may not be an issue if one only takes an occasional glass of diet soda, but if one gulps 2 liters of diet soft drinks daily like some people I know, then this can really be a potentially serious problem.

Dr. Sidorov and his colleagues at the ICTM also do not recommend refined vegetable oils like canola, corn, soybean, sunflower or safflower. They may also cause some inflammatory response or gradual swelling of the linings of the arteries that can subsequently lead to heart disease and other problems.

How about the regular or whole grain cereals we eat for breakfast, which are supposed to be healthy breakfast meals. Not quite so, writes Dr. Sidorov. They are “sugar bombs filled with inflammatory oils, colors and artificial flavors leading to fat loss sabotage and disease.”

So what else can we eat and drink? We just have to go back to the golden rule—“Eat as much raw food and as little animal food as possible.” If the food is plant-based or tree-derived,  it must be good for our body, especially when eaten as raw as possible.

“As long as you eat more raw fruits and veggies, be they organic or nonorganic, you will have better health,” assures Dr. Sidorov.