by JuneMary | Nov 15, 2015 | All Renewed Health Articles, Healthy Foods, Healthy Living, Nutrition |
What is Diet and why is it important?
Real Food.
Prior to writing this article I looked up the definition of two words:-
Diet and Food.
Diet is defined as “way of feeding”.
In other words, it’s the food we eat out of habit.
Today the sad thing is that we are consistently being tricked into believing that if we can put it into our mouths and swallow it, it tastes good and stops us feeling hungry, it’s food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That is not true ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The definition of Food is “nourishment”.
In other words it’s the fuel the body needs so it can do all the tasks it’s designed to do and if we fail to put in real food, our bodies fail to work properly and we become unwell.
The internal environment of a healthy body is slightly alkaline = 7.4 on a scale of 1 to 14 where 14 is strongly alkaline.
Even a small change makes us ill.
Digestion of food leaves a residue or “ash” –acidic or alkaline — so it’s clear that in order to maintain this delicate internal balance, our choice of food is critical because the last thing we want is an acidic body!
I think it’s a good idea to give my body the fuel it needs, when it needs it and in the correct proportions and combinations to help it extract the most benefit.
To do this, there are certain facts we need to know.
The body’s 24 hour cycle
The body’s 24 hour cycle
The body doesn’t realise (or doesn’t care) that we live in a concrete jungle with a timetable and electric lights!
It continues to function on a natural cycle and goes through 3 phases in every 24 hour period.
These are approximately 6.00 am to noon, noon to 8.00pm and 8.00 pm to 6.00 am — basically, two phases during daylight hours and one during the hours of darkness.
Whilst we are asleep (hours of darkness) the body does its “housekeeping” tasks, ie. it clears out of the cells all the waste products caused by the day’s activities, sending them off to elimination points. It also replaces damaged and dead cells, making them out of what we have absorbed during the day. (This is why we need nutritious food! cf. we may have the ingredients to make a cake but unless we have cocoa powder, it won’t be a chocolate cake!!)
The automatic elimination of waste products starts at about 6.00 am because, under “natural” conditions, we’d wake up with the sun.
By mid-day, most of the elimination has been completed so, until dusk, apart from breathing etc., the body can turn its full attention to the tasks we consciously want it to do.
This cycle has implications for the way we provide the body with nourishment
Energy is needed to eliminate waste products.
Energy is needed for our daily work.
Energy is needed to digest food and for absorption of nutrients.
Some foods take a lot of time and energy to be digested so it makes sense to eat foods in the morning which are easily and quickly digested. In other words, foods which use only a little energy to quickly release large amounts of energy and not use up energy needed for waste elimination.
In the afternoon we need energy to continue our daily work so it’s sensible to eat foods at lunch-time which provide sustained-energy release.
At night, the body needs building materials to repair and construct cells so, again, it’s sensible to eat foods at the evening meal which supply building materials
Another fact we need to take into consideration
An acid environment is required to digest one type of food and an alkaline one is required to digest another type, so it would appear to be advantageous to eat these two types of food at different times.
As we all know, acid and alkali neutralise each other and when this occurs in the stomach, it causes poor digestion with its unpleasant symptoms of gas / wind and bloating. It also means that we fail to get full value from the food!
It is therefore beneficial to eat protein and carbohydrates at different meals.
Fresh organic greens provide good nutrients
What proportions of food are best?
The human body is designed to function on a diet that is 80% of our diet should consist of green vegetables and fruit, 20% protein and complex carbohydrate (the body can make protein).
[Essential fats are present in the above]
The body’s internal environment is alkaline.
When we digest our food, green veg leaves an alkaline ash whereas carbohydrates and proteins leave an acid ash, therefore the majority of our diet needs to be green veg…!
The Ideal Diet
Pure, clean water
2 Litres of Pure Water Every Day.
Water is the most important nutrient we need – as we all know, we die very quickly without it.
We are 70% water and we need it every day to enable our cells, organs and systems to perform their functions. We lose 1 ½ to 2 litres per day through the skin, lungs and gut and via the kidneys as urine, eliminating toxic substances from our bodies.
We need to drink 2 litres of pure, clean water every day, which means that we need to filter out impurities and chemicals.
(Coffee, tea, soft drinks, alcohol do not count — in fact, they dehydrate us so we need to add an extra glass of water to compensate for each one of those we consume).
Most of us are permanently dehydrated and don’t realise it. We think we only need to drink when we feel thirsty but thirst is a sign that we are already dehydrated!
It is important that our drinking water is at body temperature because our cells cannot absorb and use cold water.
Drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before eating helps with digestion but drinking water with a meal dilutes the gastric juices, making digestion difficult. Wait two more hours before drinking any more water.
Here are two simple ways to test whether your body needs water:-
Lightly pinch the skin (front of the neck or between the thumb and first finger). If it doesn’t spring back, you are short of water.
Your urine should be nearly colourless. If it isn’t, you are short of water.
Breakfast and Morning Snacks
Breakfast and Morning Snacks
Fresh fruit contains water. It is digested and out of the stomach in 15 minutes, releasing its energy (banana takes 30 minutes) so the body is not then using up energy that it needs for eliminating toxins.
You can top-up your energy by snacking on fruit any time you feel hungry during the morning.
Due to this rapid digestion, fruit should be eaten at other times as a Starter, NOT as a Dessert, 15 minutes prior to eating carbohydrates or proteins because they stay in the stomach for an hour or more and any fruit trapped in there just ferments ….Not good…!
Anything with seeds inside is a fruit.
Melon, grapes, pineapple, water melon, peaches, apricots, plums, greengages,
apples, oranges, pears, berries, tomatoes, peppers, courgette, cucumber.
My normal breakfast consists of five or six different fruits cut up into small pieces. I eat most of it, leaving a small amount to eat mid-morning.
Lunch
Lunch
Carbohydrates, salad, all vegetables (fresh/frozen). (complex carbohydrates give sustained -release energy which we need in order to work in the afternoon).
Wholemeal breads (especially rye and spelt) and pastas, brown rice, carrot, parsnip, potato, beetroot, radish
Lettuce, onion, cress, herbs, garlic
Green leafy vegetables:- sprouts, cabbage, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus
Vegetables are best eaten raw or lightly cooked. (Steamed/stirfried not boiled).
Dinner
Dinner
Protein & green vegetables. (the body requires protein to build and repair cells so it needs to be eaten in the evening )
Fish, poultry, egg, cheese, very little red meat.
Legumes (peas, beans, chick peas, lentils), not the root vegetables listed with breads (they are Starch-Carbohydrates
Is this way of eating easy to follow?
At first I found it really hard and very strange to eat this way but I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I mentally adapted to it.
Now, it feels right and normal and, although I sometimes like to eat a traditional Sunday Dinner or Christmas Dinner (I love Yorkshire Puddings), it otherwise never occurs to me to cook potatoes and carrots etc. to eat with meat or fish, I just have three-quarters of my plate full of five or six different kinds of green veg.
I’ve become quite innovative with salad for warmer days. I have greens like wild rocket, watercress, shredded cabbage etc, not just lettuce, shavings of fresh ginger root and thinly sliced raw courgette and raw stalks of cauliflower and broccoli as well as growing my own sprouted seeds –I just have to remember to eat them at the appropriate meal. I also grow Nasturtiums and eat the leaves, stalks and flowers.
Raw veg are nutritious. Cooking kills the enzymes.
I make my own salad dressing by adding crushed garlic, black peppercorns and fresh rosemary to a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Organic, of course. After about four days it tastes really nice and just gets better..!
Last Spring, I decided to have a parasitic and fungal cleanse so I stopped eating grains and root vegetables for a couple of months. A nice side effect was that I got rid of a stone of fat during the first two week. Lovely! I also had lots of energy and felt great.
When I re-introduced carbohydrates I did regain a little weight — about four or five pounds but that was ok because my body had rid itself of a stone and a half of unnecessary fat!
What do we need to remember?
Treats!!
I think it’s important to remember that the design of our bodies has not changed from when we were Hunter-Gatherers.
It struggles to cope with four-course meals where we consume protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, sugar, fancy desserts and puddings etc. all mixed in together.
I think we need to be sensible and bear in mind that a healthy body can stand some abuse as long as it’s not every day!
I like cake and sherry triffle and all sorts of yummy things and I eat them.
However, they are treats, not part of my normal everyday diet so when I do eat them, I really enjoy them!
What do YOU think?
Do you agree that the reasons I have given make a good case for eating in the way I recommend ?
by JuneMary | Nov 9, 2015 | All Renewed Health Articles, Health Hazards, Healthy Living, Nutritional Supplements, Optimum Health Topics |
Around 400 BC Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, said “All disease begins in the gut.”
Our alimentary canal is naturally populated by bacteria and if they are the correct ones — probiotics — then all is well. They do their thing and we are healthy! When it is overrun by the wrong ones — we’re in trouble.
As you can see on the picture above, the inside surface of our intestines is not smooth, those bumps are villi which hugely increase the surface for absorption of nutrients. It is vitally important that their surfaces are kept clean but today it is more and more common that they are buried beneath mucoid plaque ie. compacted rotting food which provides a lovely home for parasites and other nasties!
There are two reasons why a clean, healthy gut is vital:-
A gut populated by the wrong bacteria is, in itself, a painful problem ………
Digestive system disorders like:
— IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) with its nasty symptoms of bloating, constipation and diarrhoea
— ULCERS
— IBD (inflammatory bowel disorder) eg Diverticulitis and Crohn’s Disease
— a LEAKY GUT leading to all kinds of allergies
and this major source of toxicity also leads to……..
Arthritis, Poor memory, Bad skin, Circles under the eyes, Diabetes (yeasts in the blood), Cancer, Learning disorders (ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Autism), Depression, Anaemia……………….In fact, the latest independent research –Epigenetics – shows pathogenic bacteria to be at the root of DNA malfunction, leading to cancer!
How can the gut become populated by the wrong bacteria and yeasts?
When we are born we get our bacteria as we pass through the birth canal and from our mother’s milk. This is why a natural birth and breast feeding are so important and that the mother herself has the right kind of micro-organisms. Babies who are born by Caesarian Section and those who are bottle fed are at an immediate disadvantage!
Traditionally we topped up our good bacteria every day by consuming pickled/fermented foods plus fruit and vegetables which had not been subjected to irradiation and pesticides but this is not the case today!!
The following also cause damage:-
Repeat medication
The contraceptive pill
HRT
Radio- and chemo-therapies
A diet heavy in white flour and sugar upsets the balance (they feed the bad bacteria)
Anti-biotics are weapons of mass destruction which indiscriminately kill ALL bacteria, including the vital pro-biotics in the gut. Unfortunately, they do not kill the yeast Candida Albicans (thrush), an opportunistic pathogen which rapidly takes advantage of the vacuum thus created and which is at the base of many chronic conditions. The only way to get rid of yeast infections is at source ie. inside the gut.
Why are probiotic bacteria and yeasts so vital to our health? 
85% of our immune system is in the gut.
Our digestive tract contains trillions of micro-organisms that are a necessary part of us — the Micro-biome.
In fact, there is more DNA in the gut, belonging to these micro-organisms, than there is human DNA in the entire body!
We have a truly symbiotic relationship with these pro-biotic organisms – our health and well-being depend on them and the ratio of good (pro-biotic) to bad (pathogenic).
This should be 80:20 but today it is usual for it to be 20:80!!
The probiotic micro-organisms:-
Protect from infections
Keep the gut clean
Destroy toxins and carcinogens
Produce enzymes and enable the absorption of nutrients
Produce Vitamins B1,2,3,5,6,12, Biotin, Vitamin K (regulates blood clotting), short chain fatty acids (regulate production of cholesterol), Folic acid.
Does independent scientific research have anything to say?
Science is increasingly showing that maintaining a healthy level of the widest range of good bacteria is essential to our lives.
What can we do?
The natural remedy must be to replace as many of the good bacteria and fungi as possible, packaged in a way which ensures they get to the right place ~ dormant, freeze-dried, NO dairy or sugar ~
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has formulated the Modere Advanced Pro-Biotic supplement — “Protozymes”
800 strains of probiotics have been identified, 400 of which have been thoroughly researched. Protozymes provides standardised amounts of the most beneficial 5 strains – plus – a yeast which destroys candida albicans.
As with all supplements it takes 3 months for us to feel the real benefits because they are not drugs, they are nutrients, and body processes and healing take time.
Purchase 3 Protozymes and a bottle of Aloe Vera (to assist in the healing and correct functioning of the gut – and remember to eat lots of GREEN vegetables for the fibre.) to receive a £10 Discount.
To obtain Protozymes go to
to open a free account if you live in the UK or Europe.
If you live in the USA this is the link for you.
https://www.modere.com/?referralCode=994155
This pro-biotic is a slightly different formulation but just as effective.
Use the “Contact” button at the top of this page for personal help.
I advise you to listen to Natasha’s talk about Gut Health (in the Audio Section). As a Doctor, she is qualified to explain how to use her “Advanced ProBiotics” to deal with all kinds of problems.
To gain free access to this recording (you need a password), go to
to join my Healthy Homes Club and you will be sent a link.
(Diagrams courtesy of Larry Brooks.)
by JuneMary | Nov 9, 2015 | All Renewed Health Articles, Healthy Living, Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Optimum Health Topics |
Is malnutrition causing our health problems?
Scientists have shown that many diseases and conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis and M.E. have their basis in nutrient deficiency, and bio-chemical imbalances.
In simple terms, these health problems occur because the body is not receiving the nutrients it needs in order to function properly.
When we supply the body with the necessary nutrients it can correct / repair itself. That IS one of its normal functions.
We all know that a Rolls Royce engine will not operate properly on 2 star fuel and cheap oil.
In the same way, the human body will not function properly on a poor quality diet and the western diet IS a poor quality diet, being devoid of many essential nutrients and full of junk / non-food items and chemical additives.
In the midst of plenty, we are suffering from malnutrition..!
The dangers of this poor quality diet are multiplied by the toxicity from man-made chemicals to which we are subjected on a daily basis.
In 1940 chemical production was – 1 billion lbs annually
By 1988 chemical production had risen to – 600 billion lbs. annually.
Production is still rising.
Our exposure is mainly from:-
A. Prescription drugs.
B. Unknowing exposure at home and at work. ~~~~~~~~~ (Dr. Epstein)
Varying degrees of chemical exposure have now been implicated in:-
ADD / ADHD, Parkinson’s, ME, cancer, autism, motor neuron disease, infertility…
It is now known that good nutrition is vital to detoxify man-made chemicals within the human body.
This raises several questions.
**What essential nutrients are even “good” foods deficient in and why?
**Why are they essential nutrients?
**What can we do to help ourselves?
Nutrients which are classed as “Essential” are those nutrients which the body cannot manufacture and therefore must be consumed every day.
They are :-
- certain vitamins, especially vitamin C.
Vegetables and fruit lack MINERALS because, over time and more recently due to modern farming methods, the land has become exhausted.
The results of a world-wide survey on the mineral content of soils were reported to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio.
Mineral Depletion By Continent 1992
By continent, mineral depletion over the previous hundred years was as follows:-
85% – North America
76% – South America
76% – Asia
74% – Africa
72% – Europe
55% – Australia
This confirmed what Senate Document 264 had said in 1936 about the soil in the States.
The 1991 edition of “The Consumption of Foods” by the Royal Society of Chemistry and MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food — now called DEFRA) reported this staggering reduction in mineral content in our vegetables compared with the 1940s findings. Here are just four examples:-
In 1991, to get the same amount of iron that was in ONE apple in 1940, we should have to eat THREE apples!
They also reported that they were “concerned for the health of the UK population” and one solution “is supplementation…..with a well balanced, naturally derived, readily assimilated, liquid food supplement.”
Scary, isn’t it?
Are vitamins really in this food?
The majority of us have to buy our fruit and vegetables from a shop rather than picking them and eating them straight away. This is one reason that they lack VITAMINS.
Cooking destroys vitamins (and enzymes) – the hotter and the longer, the more is destroyed – that’s why eating them raw is best.
Another reason is that fruit is often picked before it is ripe.
The supermarkets actually make it a selling point, as if it’s desirable, -”Ripen at Home!”
The problem is that it’s the plant itself which uses the sunlight to make vitamins – to ripen the fruit – once picked, the fruit doesn’t “ripen”, it just softens.
It looks good and tastes ok but it is nutrient deficient.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS EPA and DHA vital
Many people lack the ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS EPA and DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexanoic acid) which are made from omega 3. Even if they eat sufficient fish or seeds, if they are older, or do not have the right nutrients present, their bodies cannot perform the steps necessary to produce the EPA or DHA.
A pregnant woman needs extra EFAs (omegas 3 and 6) to make the baby’s brain and nervous system. Apparently, if she doesn’t take in sufficient EFAs, the baby takes what it can anyway and her brain physically shrinks — hence, “Baby Blues” — pregnancy and post-natal depression.!
Isn’t nature wonderful? Let’s keep the species surviving and produce the best possible new generation.
AMINO ACIDS
Of the twenty-five AMINO ACIDS, eight are essential. Most of the other seventeen can be made from them.
These eight are essential because the body cannot function without them, although others are semi-essential under certain conditions.
Unfortunately, we do not always consume the right kind, or right quality of protein, to acquire them.
The twenty-five AMINO ACIDS — different forms of protein — are the building blocks of the body.
They are vital for the growth and repair of body tissue.
They are also used to make hormones, enzymes, anti-bodies (immune system) and neuro-transmitters (help in depression), and help transport substances around the body.
Some reasons why these nutrients are vital
MINERALS
Minerals keep the body’s internal acid / alkaline balance.
Minerals are the co-factors of vitamins – without a vitamin’s own mineral co-factor, the body can’t use the vitamin.
Minerals are also the co-factors of enzymes.
Some minerals are anti-oxidants.
Macro Minerals. (Needed in gram quantities). ~~ a few examples.
- Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus — to make bone
- Calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium –electrical properties for nerve impulses and muscle function.
Trace Minerals. (Needed in mcg or less quantities). ~~ a few examples.
- Zinc — fertility, healthy prostate, memory
- Iron — part of the E molecule in haemoglobin — carries oxygen
- Iodine — thyroid function
- Copper — needed to utilise iodine
- Selinium — protection against cancer
- Chromium and Vanadium — protects against diabetes
- Boron — facilitates bone metabolism.
As you can see, minerals do not work in isolation. They work together and therefore it is vital that they are present in the body in the correct proportions.
VITAMINS
Vitamins are co-factors of enzymes.
Some vitamins are anti-oxidants.
Here are some other jobs some of the vitamins do:-
- Vitamin C — an anti-oxidant, protects tissues and fluids in the body, ensures flexibility and strength of cell, vein and artery walls, necessary for a healthy sperm count and sperm mobility, helps immune cells to mature………..
- Vitamin E — an anti-oxidant, protects tissues and fluids in the body, a powerful anti-cancer agent (especially when teamed with the mineral selenium), healthy heart muscle, prevents blood clots, improves wound healing and fertility……….
- Vitamin K — controls blood clotting.
- Vitamin A — an anti-oxidant and immune system booster, essential for night vision……
- Vitamin B1 — energy production, digestion, brain function……
- Vitamin B3 — helps balance blood sugar, lowers cholesterol levels…..
- Vitamin B12 — needed for making use of protein, for making DNA….
Again, as you can see, vitamins work together with each other, as well as with minerals, so it is important that they are all present and in the necessary amounts.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS EFAs do lots and lots of jobs, too many to mention here, so I’ll just say :-
- If we want healthy, happy, intelligent, well-behaved children & adults,
- With no heart or circulatory problems,
- The right height & weight,
- Beautiful soft skin & hair,
we need to take the essential fatty acids of the Omega3 and 6 Families.
What can we do to help ourselves?
Mineral Solutions
The first thing I did was to take a liquid mineral and vitamin supplement.
Then I was introduced to a nutrition expert who has a doctorate in bio-chemistry. As a result of that, I changed my diet and way of eating to the one I wrote about in The connection between diet and health.
I buy organic food whenever I can, because it’s not contaminated with chemicals,research shows that it is more nutritious because the bacteria in the soil which help plants take up minerals aren’t killed off and it tastes better. (I’ll give you more info. about the benefits of organic food another time).
One supplement I took, and still do take, is a liquid mineral and vitamin supplement called Mineral Solutions. ~~~~~~ This is “My Magic Bottle”.
The ingredients are all natural — no synthetic ones — and it is what they call “bio-available”. I discovered that this big word means that as soon as you put some in your mouth, it starts to be absorbed through the tongue and lining of the mouth.
Very useful when someone is too ill to eat.!
I know this because a friend of mine had radiation treatment after the removal of a salivary gland. She felt really ill and couldn’t eat. She kept putting a few drops at a time onto her tongue and after a few days felt much better and was eating food again.
Another friend had a blood clot on her lungs and was rushed into Intensive Care. I saw her four days later when she was moved onto a Ward. She had had nothing to eat and just couldn’t eat the food they offered.
She had asked me to bring some of my Mineral Solutions so I took that and some Noni Juice. She had 15 ml Mineral Solutions and 30 ml Noni straight away. She took the same before going to sleep; in the morning; at lunch time and at teatime. She felt much better and was able to eat some fruit at teatime.
Twenty-four hours had elapsed between my visits and the change in her was dramatic. She had been white, limp, eyes dull and now she had her colour back, no longer limp and a sparkle back in her eyes. I had my friend back. This is no exaggeration– I really had been afraid she was going to die.
I’ve had two operations. I doubled up the amounts for two weeks before the operations and took them to hospital with me. On both occasions, I sailed through the operation with no problems and was home in record time.
How does all this happen? Simple! They give the body nutrients it can use.
Mineral Solutions contains the full range of plant sourced macro minerals and trace minerals (including rare earths) that we need,
major vitamins,
really powerful anti-oxidants from concentrated fruit extracts,
twelve amino acids (includes the 8 Essential ones),
something to feed the good bacteria in our gut,
in fact, more than 90 nutrients that we need every day.
The only ones not there are EFAs.
(We have Classic Mineral Solutions without the fruit extracts which is suitable for people with diabetes. Both are vegan-friendly.)
I won’t bore you with any more details but, as you can see, I am enamoured with this supplement. I have been taking it now since February 2000. I take 15 ml twice a day and intend to continue doing so because it works for me.
To find out if my “Magic Bottle” works for You, try it yourself.
This is nourishment, not a drug, so be prepared to take it for 3 months before deciding what benefits you are having. I suggest 15 ml twice a day for 14 days , then once a day before breakfast.
Omega 3 DHA, EPA& vitamin E
This is the Omega 3 Supplement I take.
I take 1 with breakfast and 1 with lunch so that I get boosts of energy during the day.
Purchase 2 bottles of Mineral Solutions and an Omega 3 and receive a £10 discount.
Go to
https://www.modere.eu/?referralCode=994155
to open a Free Account.
Or you can contact me direct by using the “Contact” button at the top of this page and we can discuss your needs.
NEWSFLASH!
In the summer of 2015 the UK Government finally acted upon the 1991 Report by MAFF and re-classified our Mineral Solutions as FOOD.
As a result it is even better value because it is now VAT free!
by JuneMary | Nov 8, 2015 | All Renewed Health Articles, Healthy Living, Nutritional Supplements, Optimum Health Topics |
There have been more than 177 sets of research done on how the bacteria in our gut affect our health and it has been shown that it is imperative that we have the right strains of bacteria populating our gut.
Research has confirmed that Hippocrates, 2500 years ago was correct when he stated that “All disease begins in the Gut”.
In other words, without a healthy gut, we cannot be well!
The webinar was recorded.
If you would like to view it, please contact me to arrange a mutually convenient time. You will need to use Skype to share my screen.
https://renewedhealth.co.uk/contact-renewed-health/
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.
JuneMary.
