Nutrition (UPDATED)

“And God said, ‘See I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.’” Genesis 1:29 “‘And you shall eat the herb of the field.’” Genesis 3:18 You need to know this: Eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes in their whole form is nutritionally satisfying for most people. You may not believe this, but it is truth.

 We call this plant-based diet, God’s Life Activating Diet (GLAD).

• This way of eating is high in nutrients and fibre - so you can be sure of having plenty of energy throughout the day.
• This way of eating is lower in "free" fat than SAD and uses healthy fats - keeping the blood flowing freely (no clogged arteries).
• This way of eating has high vegetable and some fruit intake - keeping the blood alkaline and pure.

Whole plant foods contain fibre which slowly releases glucose into the bloodstream (from the digestive tract), keeping blood glucose levels normal. This means people eating a whole plant food diet have plenty of energy to last throughout the day.

In marked contrast the Standard Australasian Diet (SAD) is High in white wheat bread and white flour products, high in sugars, high in damaged, animal and processed fats, high in poor quality animal products and processed animal products. 

SAD is low in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. This means SAD is low in fibre and nutrients - and this means SAD contributes to cancer, heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

Animal foods are concentrated foods - even small servings of animal products contain high amounts of protein, often more than is necessary for an entire day. For instance, the World Cancer Research Fund recommends just 40g a day of meat, and the World Health Organisation recommends a protein intake of 37 grams a day for men and 29 grams a day for women. That is not much at all - more of a flavouring than a main event on the plate!

When people ask me, "If I eat still eat animal protein, how much?" I tell each person to first consider if their animal protein is high quality. Next, look at the palm of his or her hand, and make a small cup with their hand. Whatever fits in that small cup is usually sufficient for the entire day.

Some people need to change to a whole food plant based diet SLOWLY. Sudden changes can kickstart a detox and cleanse, and that might be uncomfortable. For instance, someone I know changed to a 100% whole food vegetarian diet suddenly, and a month later broke out in boils all over her body. Another person suddenly changed to a 100% whole food vegetarian diet and felt fantastic for a few months and then energy levels dropped. This person reintroduced animal protein for a few months, and then when his health was stable again, he slowly reduced animal foods without the sudden drop in energy.

And just as we are all unique individuals with unique health needs and personal histories, some people may find they are healthier in the long term by eating a mostly whole food plant based diet with a little highest quality, organically, grass fed animal product now and then. As a medicine, rather than the centre of daily fare. 

The average New Zealander eats 2-4 times as much protein as he or she needs.

We must not think heart disease begins somewhere in our thirties or forties. No, no. Read this:

“One of the most recent studies available shows 50% of 15 year olds had fatty streaks and plaque lesions in the coronary arteries and fatty streaks appeared early in childhood.”

Reference: Berenson GS et al. Association between multiple cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis in children and young adults. New England Journal of Medicine 1998; 338: pp1650-6.

So heart disease begins very early in life. 

Now while whole plant foods are rich in vitamin B6 and folic acid, unfortunately the people who eat high amounts of animal products often leave fresh fruits and vegetables off their plates, and can become nutrient deficient.

Instead of eating vegetables, many people find it easier to just pick up another slice of white bread, or quickly cook a pot of white rice, open a packet of biscuits...all of these are refined or processed grains and sugars. All these refined foods are deficient in vitamins, minerals and nutrients. And so over time the body maladapts, eventually there will be onset of symptoms - an indication that the time has come to clean up diet and lifestyle!

Another problem with high protein foods like meat, chicken, fish and dairy products is the high levels of phosphate and sulphur. Both these substances make the blood acidic. Pure blood is alkaline - not acidic. So calcium is drawn out of bones and sent into the blood to neutralise the acid. This calcium is then washed out of the body as urine. Reference: Uriel S. Barzel, MD. To the Editor. New England Journal of Medicine 1997; 337:637.

Can you see how osteoporosis, the disease of brittle bones, may not be a disease of too little calcium - but too much protein?

Plant foods, by the way, contain no cholesterol. They contain "good" fats.  The scientific name for fats is "fatty acids".

Some fatty acids are called essential fatty acids (EFA’s) because not only are they essential to health, we must also obtain them in our food as the body cannot make them. Some are called Omega 6 EFA’s and others Omega 3 EFA’s and others are described as Omega 9 EFA's.. You can get them all from plant foods.

Here are a sample of plant foods containing the EFA’s: flaxseeds (linseed), pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds, soya beans, walnuts, dark green leafy vegetables.

And remember, for best nutrition healthy fats are best eaten in their whole form. (Refined oils are stripped of their protective vitamins and minerals.)

Olives and avocados are high in monounsaturated fats which are beneficial in reducing LDL blood cholesterol.

Some people are concerned about the high levels of saturated fat in coconuts. Many studies as well as traditional societies have shown the natural fats in coconut cause no problems, as they are digested in a completely different manner. See Dr Fife on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZNCGOBMmwE&t=1922s

We could continue to list study after study showing the healing benefits of plant foods, particularly vegetables.

Why is all this information suddenly surfacing in many of the medical journals?

Could it be God wants people to become informed, to be able to choose health or disease?

Since the information on this page was first published in the late 1990's, in book form, and presented in nutrition seminars, there has been a revolution in diet and nutrition throughout the world. There's been a huge surge in people eating the "Paleo" way, and recently the "keto" way. There's been a huge increase in people who have "leaky gut", or have problems digesting carbohydrates. In short, in these times, what you eat has become a very individual choice - a journey of health discovery. But we cannot simply think of food as the only factor in our health!

Again, we can still be sure that eating mostly whole food and plant based is fantastic for human health. 

Much has been studied and published about different kinds of free fats, such as "vegetable" oils. We now know that most of these free fats are actually quite dangerous to the body, due to the growing, processing and bottling methods. You might have heard them called "trans fats". We also have learned that some traditional diets and lifestyles have interesting things to teach us in the so called "developed" world. Much of this information is still controversial. But we do know that eating good sources of whole food fats, still bound to their fibres, vitamins, minerals and trace elements are beneficial for the human body. 

Let's see what happens to damaged free fats in the bloodstream. Fat actually coats the red blood cells. The fat-coated cells stick together like a stack of coins. So instead of repelling each other and floating singly in the blood, the stacks of blood cells move through the blood tubes as groups. Now these stacks of blood cells can’t pick up as much oxygen to deliver to all the cells of the body.

And the stacks of blood cells simply cannot fit through the narrow capillaries (tiniest blood tubes).

Imagine how tiny the blood tubes are which lead to the workings of your eye. Do you think fat coated stacks of red blood cells could fit through those tiniest of tiny capillaries?

And what do you think happens when the cells in parts of the eye become low in oxygen? Yes, over time your eyesight begins to diminish. All too soon, you need reading glasses. Isn’t that a staggering thought? Of course, there are many people who must wear glasses due to physiological reasons. But how many people could have better eyesight by reducing or completely avoiding animal products?

A great thing to remember is that throwing out animal products and living on refined grains and sugars is not a healthy vegetarian diet. Refined grains and sugar have been stripped of their vital vitamins, minerals and fibre. They may look nice and white but, oh what a nutritional nightmare! In fact, there are many studies showing that eating a diet of refined and processed carohydrates, and these damaged "vegetable oils" is fuelling the obesity and Type 2 diabetes epidemic.

These refined goods, such as white bread, cakes, biscuits, almost all boxed cereals, white rice, white pasta and of course any refined sugar (white, brown, raw it makes no difference) are low in fibre. All too soon their consumption leads to constipation and the body can’t get rid of poisonous wastes bound up in the rotting stodge.

So what happens? The poisons are reabsorbed into the blood.

What happens to the poisons in the blood? They are transported around the body, squeezing into cells where they can and do cause havoc. These poisons eventually make their way to the liver, where they must be neutralised - an unnecessary extra job for the liver!

Did you know your liver has at least 500 jobs and works 24 hours a day?

For refined grains and sugars to be utilised in the human body, vitamins and minerals are needed. So the body actually pulls both vitamins and minerals from other cells of the body, to utlise the refined foods.

All too soon the cells are starving, irritability results, nerves are jangling, anxiety and fatigue sets in.

The trouble is these foods taste so nice in our mouths!

Whole foods taste delicious too, but our minds and taste buds take time to adjust to the more subtle flavours!!

The truth is this: A plant food diet such as GLAD protects against the modern killer diseases -  this truth has been well documented.

The American Cancer Society 1996 Advisory Committee on Diet, Nutrition and Cancer prevention recommended the following:

“Eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day...Eat other foods from plant sources, such as breads, cereals, grain products, rice, pasta, or beans several times each day....Choose whole grains in preference to processed (refined) grains. Choose beans as an alternative to meat.” The article (from  CA - A Cancer Journal for Clinicians November/December 1996, Vol 1.46 No 6.) continues:

“The scientific basis for these recommendations is very strong for cancers at many sites, particularly for cancers of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. The evidence is particularly strong that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of colon cancer.”

In 1994, the NZ Nutrition Foundation launched a programme to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables, you are probably aware of the campaign called “5+ A DAY” which has been promoting fruit and vegetables in New Zealand every since.

 The March 1995 Healthy Lives magazine published by the Public Health Commission reports:

“John Birkbeck of the Nutrition Foundation said there were a very large variety of components of vegetables and fruit that have previously been ignored because they were not considered ‘essential nutrients."

These compounds are a variety of types; some are antioxidants; some would be called ‘dietary fibre’; but others have effects which are quite different. There is a rapidly increasing body of experimental evidence to support this concept and while direct evidence of the effects on humans is usually lacking, there is no question that epidemiological studies show that the choice of a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits on a regular basis is associated with considerable improvement in health, and particularly a lesser risk of developing those chronic diseases, which include heart disease and stroke, diabetes and most of the common forms of cancer.

The other major benefit of the 5 Plus approach is that by choosing substantial amounts of these foods, the risk of obesity, with all its deleterious health consequences, is much diminished. A vegetable/fruit rich diet is optimally also a low-fat, energy-dilute diet.’ (page 9)

In the 1997 National Nutrition Survey we learn about New Zealanders fruit and vegetable eating habits:

“44% females and 66% males did not eat the recommended guideline of at least 2 servings of fruit per day. 33% of the population consumed less than the recommended 3 servings of vegetables a day.” NZ Food : NZ People

So where are New Zealanders spending their grocery money?

“New Zealanders spent $265 million on fresh fruit and $343 million on fresh vegetables in the year to March 1994.”

That sounds pretty healthy doesn’t it? But read on:

“By comparison, New Zealanders spent $457 million on tobacco products and $1215 million on meals out and takeaways in the same period. Source: NZ Household Economic Survey, Year ended March 1994, Statistics New Zealand.”

And did you know New Zealanders spent $1.47 million a WEEK on chocolate in 1995? That’s $76.44 million on chocolate in a year!

This figure is for chocolate or chocolate products. Another $314,500 a week was spent on boxed or loose chocolates.

And New Zealand households spent $1.70 million a week on ice cream in 1994-95. Reference: NZ Yearbook 1997.

You may not believe the information you have been reading. But unbelief does not change the truth. Check it out for yourself. And please remember, this is the truth as documented by large numbers of medical studies. And all along, the Bible has held the truth within its many pages.

If you decide to try the GLAD way of eating, how will you know you are eating a wide enough variety of plant foods to meet the needs of your cells?

Well consider the different foods you eat over a week. Are they of many different colours, shapes and sizes? If so, you will be eating a variety of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, fats and amino acids.

A basic daily guide (this will vary with individual needs, which you discover as you keep going along) is to eat the following:

• Two or three pieces of raw fruit. Make one a high vitamin C fruit such as a citrus fruit. 
• A yellow/orange vegetable such as carrots, pumpkin, corn or beetroot.
• A green vegetable such as broccoli or cabbage.
• A legume (soya beans, tofu, chick peas and lentils are examples). WARNING: If legumes are new to you - start LOW and SLOW. That means a little bit, perhaps some hummus (chick pea spread on bread).
• Two or three types of whole grains (barley, brown rice, millet, oats, whole wheat, rye or  grain like seeds such as buckwheat, quinoa or amaranth).
• Tubers (kumara, potato, taro, yam) as desired. If organic, simply scrub and leave the skin on.
• Tree Nuts (8-10 almonds for example) and seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin or linseed) or olives and avocado.

Such a diet will provide you with all the calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, proteins, fats, fibre and carbohydrate needed to keep your body in health.

There are literally hundreds of delicious ways to eat plant foods. And you don’t need to be a supercook to eat this way. You might decide to start by simply adding more raw food to your daily diet. Raw foods are simple to prepare and give our human bodies maximum benefits. A dish of sliced apple on the table with a few dates and nuts perhaps - instead of making or buying an apple pie. Or try serving a simple salad every second day with your main meal. Some people may not appreciate your changes - but maybe, just maybe they need educating too. Often a good example works wonders.

People who switch to the GLAD way of eating from a diet high in processed poor quality animal products, processed dairy products, empty sugar and fibreless processed foods, find their taste buds and sometimes their bodies take a while to adjust. Some people say the food is tasteless, or they feel weak. After about a week, maybe two, these people begin to taste flavours they have never noticed before. Most people lose weight effortlessly and begin to feel more energetic and zippy!

A few people don't notice any positive changes for several weeks. And a very few people might have an initial boost in energy, but over time start to decrease in energy. These very few people (I am one) need to look deeper into what has happened to them medically in the past, and carefully look at the entire STRENGTH way, to see if there is a hidden something they need to discover and clear out first. Or adapt a plant based diet to suit them. Be encouraged - the very fact you are seeking good health and wanting to do God's will in your life, means God can and will encourage and guide you.

In a surprisingly short time, you too could be thoroughly enjoying the delicate, pure flavours of healthy plant based meals. Read more>>