Friday, July 30, 2010

"Free the Mind, Heal the Body, I'm talking Evolution" part 2 - Jay Elect







In a previous post I mentioned that a book written in the 1960's contained a large quantity of information that is just now becoming "main stream" today. One of the topics discuss included the consumption of nuts. The author of the text recommended that humans not consume nuts of any kind because of the difficulty digesting them and because they could be very harsh to the stomach. Nuts can be difficult to digest, sometimes causing bloating, gas and even allergic reactions. The reason for this is that the enzyme inhibitors of the nuts force the pancreas to work overtime, this stresses the pancres and slows digestion causing bloating. This is important because over time you will begin to depleate you enzyme reserves and begin having difficulty digesting vegetables like brocolli, califlour and other cruciferous vegetables.

How can you overcome the inhibitors? There are two ways to bypass the inhibitors, one way is to roast the nuts, the other is to "sprout" them. Roasting is what is most commonly used, however, the process defeats the purpose of consuming nuts because it denatures the proteins that we can derive from their consumption. Aside from killing all the proteins, they are heavily salted. Sprouting is more of a time consuming process but you are still left with all the nutrients and none of the enzyme inhibitors. My recommendation is to purchase nuts in their "raw" form, unsalted.

The sprouting process begins with a 8-12 hours soaking of them in spring water. After soaking, rinse and spread them out to dry. If you like the crunch you get from eating nuts you're going to need to purchase a dehydrator. The dehydrator should not be set above 105 degrees fahrenheit, the process will take between 24-48 hours depending on what type of nuts or seeds you have in the dehydrator.

When the process is complete, refrigerate what you do not plan on consuming within five days. Tip, if you just have to have the salt, sprinkle a little sea salt or Himalayan salt on them before you begin the dehydration process.


In the article Weiner's Pain Management A Practical Guide for Clinicians by Boswell and Cole, links to diet and pain have been made. There are two essential fatty acids (EFA) that are the focus, Omega 6 and Omega 3. Omega 6 EFA's are associated with inflammation which is linked to pain. Omega 3 EFA's are anti-inflammatory and necessary for the proper cell communication. Historically the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 were nearly 1:1, in the 1900's the ratio jumped to 4:1. With an annual increase of vegetable oil consumption of nearly 2 pounds per year since 1909 current ratios of Omega 6 to Omega 3 are 25:1 for the average american.

This is the cause of many American's chronic pain issues, commonly treated with steroids, aspirin and other NSAIDs they only perpetuate the cycle since many of them prevent the formation of the "good" omega 3's from forming. Maintaining a proper balance (similar to 1:1) between Omega fats can be a very important measure in reducing the likelihood of developing a chronic disease such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, irritable bowel syndrome and other autoimmune diseases associated with lifestyle.

If you would like to know your ratios, there is a company I know that can test them for you.