Eat Sensibly, Stay Healthy

By:  Andreas Moritz
Posted:  December, 2011 — updated 2016

It is best to avoid heavy, oily and fried food; aged cheeses; yogurt; onion and garlic, especially uncooked; highly processed and refined foods; fizzy drinks, alcohol, coffee, regular tea; artificial sweeteners; and commercial sugar.

Try to include one or two pieces of fresh fruit per day in your diet. If you drink fruit juice, make sure it is freshly prepared and not older than one hour (best diluted with water). Packaged fruit juices are pasteurized, which makes them acid-forming, deprives them of natural enzymes, and depletes the body of important minerals and vitamins. Many brands contain artificial sweeteners, which dehydrate the body and may damage the brain, nervous system and immune system. It is preferable to eat one kind of fruit at a time.

Fruit or fruit juices should always be taken on an empty stomach. Since fruit leaves the stomach within 20-40 minutes without requiring any stomach action, it is important not to eat fruit with other foods; doing so leads to fermentation, bloating, and even diarrhea. The best times to eat fruit are mid-morning and mid-afternoon, or for breakfast with nothing else.

For optimal digestion, fruit should preferably be consumed when it is in season. When picked too early, they have not reached their natural ripening stage and lack most vitamins and important sugars. They may also irritate the intestinal walls due to their high concentration of antibodies (acting as antigens in the body) and enzyme inhibitors (highly toxic). Once fully sun-ripened, the fruits’ toxins become neutralized. If you find that you have trouble digesting fruit, the reason could most often be that the fruit has been harvested too early.

Since they have a cooling influence, you may want to eat fruits more often during the summer months. They are less suitable during the cold season when we need more warming foods.

The best types of fruit are the ones that grow naturally in your local environment. To properly digest fruit from another country, we require different digestive enzymes. We can only produce these enzymes if we have lived there for some time and our bodies have adapted to that new environment.

You may eat soaked dried fruit such as sultanas, figs, dates or prunes, either for breakfast (without other foods) or as a snack like any other fruit. ‘Muscle test’ which ones are the most suitable for you! Dried fruits contain enzyme inhibitors, which can make them gas-forming and constipating. Soaking them overnight, or for at least a few hours, breaks down these natural chemicals and makes them more easily digestible.

Eat 8-12 almonds on a daily basis. This provides vital nutrients to the cells of the body, and particularly to the eyes and bones. Remove the skin by placing the almonds in boiled water for 15-20 minutes. The skins will easily slip off. Soaking them overnight increases their digestibility.

Note: The outer skin contains harmful acids used to protect the nut from insect attack and fungus. These acids may cause some irritation, or even allergies, in sensitive individuals.

It is best to avoid leftover foods, with the exception of rice and beans, which you may keep for a day or two, and then reheat. Research has shown there are more destructive bacteria in Grandma’s reheated soup than on a month-old kitchen sink sponge. With regard to vegetables, the active life force (Prana or Chi energy), as well as important enzymes and vitamins, dissipate after one hour of cooking them. Frozen food is void of this life force, and thus has diminished nutrient-absorption. Fruit should be eaten only fresh. Microwaves used to cook food cause total disintegration of the food’s molecular structure and destroy its life force. Without its life force, food cannot be digested and assimilated properly.

For deep tissue-cleansing, drink hot (ionized) water frequently: Boil water for 15-20 minutes. Keep it in a thermos flask. Every half hour, take 1-2 sips or more according to your thirst. To have a cleansing effect, the water must be boiled this long and be taken as hot as you would drink tea. You may put a small piece of fresh ginger in the flask to improve taste. By boiling the water continuously for at least 15 minutes, large numbers of negatively-charged oxygen ions are generated. When ingested by taking frequent sips of this water throughout the day, these negatively-charged ions systematically begin to cleanse the tissues of the body and help rid them of positively-charged ions – those associated with high acidity and toxins. If you have excessive body weight, this cleansing method can help you shed many pounds of body-waste without any major undesirable side effects. It can be used for any health issue related to congestion in any part of the body.

Avoid ice-cold foods or beverages as they can ‘extinguish’ AGNI, the digestive fire, for many hours. They may also damage the nerve endings of the stomach. A hand, held in icy water, becomes numb. Similarly, cold drinks or food items cause the stomach cells to contract and prevent them from secreting the required amounts of digestive juices. They also make the stomach insensitive to potentially harmful foods or beverages, and effectively disrupt its communication and potential warning signals to the brain. In addition, digestive enzymes require a very specific temperature to operate optimally. By cooling down the enzymes’ environment, their digestive and anti-cancer properties begin to diminish, too, predisposing a person to excessive weight gain and even cancer. Also, the sudden cold influence, as caused, for example, by ice cream or iced beverages, forces the body to increase its internal heat generation in order to compensate for the harmful drop in temperature. This response wastes the body’s energy reserves and may make it feel even hotter and thirstier than before, particularly during the summer period. Foods and beverages that are of room temperature or warm are the most suitable and natural ones for the human body.

Use the spices appropriate for your body type and do so generously. You will find them listed in Ayurvedic food charts. Spices not only enhance the flavor of food, but also contain vital nutrients and aromas that help with the digestion and metabolism of food. People who suffer from low metabolism (mainly Kapha types) can speed up their metabolic rate by as much as 30 percent by using warming or heating spices in their food. Chili peppers or chili-containing spice mixes should be avoided, though, as they affect the chest and cause mucus irritation in the stomach and intestines. If you like food to be hot and spicy, cayenne pepper is the best option.

If available, drink 2 to 4 ounces of freshly prepared carrot juice before lunch. Note: Pitta types should do the muscle test for carrot juice before attempting this regimen, since carrots can increase Pitta.

For one day per week or month, you may want to try following only a liquid diet (soups, freshly made juices, water, herbal teas, ionized water, etc.). Then gradually build up to a normal diet again. This may greatly relieve the digestive system of its daily workload and improve its ability to remove any accumulated toxic waste. Women benefit greatly if they have a ‘liquid day’ about one or two days before the onset of menstruation: this can help to make the menstrual period more comfortable and effective.