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By Colleen Huber, Naturopathy
Works
Birthday parties, "The Holidays," Valentine's Day, Halloween
and Thanksgiving. You can't get very far along in the year before
someone you know either thrusts a piece of cake or a box of donuts
in front of you, or begs you to help them eat the huge quantity
of baked goods they've made. Or, in a well-meaning gesture of niceness
and inclusiveness, you're offered some sweets in an effort to initiate
or reinforce a friendship.
In return, you want to show your appreciation for their kind thoughts.
The usual, unthinking way to do this is accept their "treat"
and eat some of it with them. That is, until you develop a habit,
which becomes so routine and far easier than accepting something
you know you'll regret later.
"Food sensitivities," you say. "Sugar actually makes
me sick."
Dare yourself to say this. The first time you do, you'll
wonder, "What the heck am I saying?" And then you have
to actually live up to the dare, and follow through with a conversation
that roughly follows something like this:
"Are you diabetic?" is a common response.
"No, but any kind of sweeteners has always made me feel kind
of sick. If I eat this now, I will feel miserable tomorrow. But
thank you so much anyway. I appreciate you thinking of me."
Your friend may not be satisfied by your response and remind you
of desserts you have enjoyed together in the past.
"Every time I eat that stuff, I feel terrible the next day.
I'm not eating it anymore." Say this last part with
a touch of defiance. After all, you are at long last refusing to
participate in this society's periodic mutual poisoning ritual.
In fact, now that you have just taken this courageous stand, you
will feel challenged and expected by others to maintain your position.
And you will gradually begin to receive fewer and fewer offers of
sweets.
A persistent bearer of sweets might then respond, "Oh, but
I made this myself with evaporated cane juice (or all-natural honey)."
"You made it yourself! No wonder it's so beautiful-looking.
What a lot of work you must have done! I don't tolerate sweeteners
though. Food sensitivity."
This bit of redundancy almost always ends the persistent offer.
But if you must continue, be prepared to do so. At this point, if
you are feeling cheeky, you might even add "doctor's orders,"
with a mental nod to Dr. Mercola, keeping in mind his advice. To
really understand the devastating effect of any sweeteners on the
body and mind, Dr. Mercola's
Total Health Program is an excellent primer on basic, sound
nutritional guidelines.
Then, if you're really feeling cheeky, you can turn the challenge
around and ask: "Did you know there are 124 ways that sugar
can ruin your health?" Dr. Nancy Appleton has gathered a large
amount of such information from peer-reviewed medical journal articles
and other medical literature. Her
list is well worth reading, especially before a trip to a supermarket
or restaurant.
Exchanging Carbs For Fats
People who eat refined carbohydrates or other processed foods often
do not realize, when they crave a treat they would be more thoroughly
satisfied by high-quality fat, not the carbs they have always used
to stifle the body's cries for fat. Nor do they realize hunger is
generally more completely satisfied by high-quality fat than refined
carbohydrates.
Why would we crave fat, when the processed food industry and medical
profession have told us that it is bad for so long? This might have
something to do with it: The brain is mostly made up of fat. As
Dr. Walter Crinnion says, "We're all a bunch of fatheads!"
The most desperately needed nutrient for growth and development
of the brain from mid-pregnancy through infancy and childhood especially
(but for adults also) is the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil
and freshly ground organic flax seeds. For infants, of course, the
fat of breast milk is the most suitable, but that milk is greatly
enriched by the mother's good nutrition and intake of omega-3 fatty
acids.
Anthropologists cite human intellectual and cultural development
as having first blossomed in the vicinity of water and along waterways.
Fish oil was an important part of the development of the human intellectual
heritage. So were omega-6 fatty acids, which played a somewhat lesser
but vital role. These are known as essential fatty acids because
humans -- omnivores that we naturally are -- need to consume them.
Healthier Treats
With that in mind, let's consider some saturated fat treats that
can be offered the next time you expect to be plied with refined
carbs.
- Sashimi
Sashimi is like sushi but without the rice. First, choose your
fish very carefully for both freshness and quality. Clean
wild Alaskan salmon is the high
omega-3 fish that is known to be not as contaminated with mercury
or PCBs as other fish.
To be authentic, you can either use the 1/8th-inch cut (sogi
zukuri) or the 3/8th-inch cut (hira zukuri). Cut across the
grain through rectangular pieces of fish. A serving could be
five or six pieces of the larger cut. Complement the fish with
lemon slices, wasabi or horseradish, and shredded carrot or
cucumber.
- Carob and Cream
If you have access to raw goat or sheep milk, good for you!
This is probably the best dairy available anywhere. If you do
not have a goat share or other access to such dairy, you can
also use cow milk. Cow dairy can be problematic for those not
of Northern or Western European ancestry, however. Goat proteins
are considerably smaller, more easily absorbed and seem to be
less allergenic for many people.
I like to take about 3 tablespoons of raw organic cream. Raw
milk will also do. Add 2 scoops of probiotic flora, such as
Primal Defense and a
quarter- to a half-teaspoon of carob powder. If constipation
is an issue, use moderation with carob powder, as large quantities
can have a constipating effect.
Stir well. No sweetener is needed for this creamy, delightful
treat, which is thick enough to be eaten as a pudding. It thickens
as it is left standing. Rice or almond milk may be used by those
who are lactose-intolerant for a different consistency, but
somewhat similar flavor.
- Cheese, Apples and Nuts
Cheeses of various kinds should be more widely considered as
snack food, fast food, appetizers and elements of lunch boxes.
Cheeses are now available in a variety of organic and/or raw
forms. They complement nuts and/or chunks of apples, which in
turn complement each other well for those who are lactose intolerance
and must omit the cheese.
- Chicken Soup
This time of year, chicken soup is most highly prized for its
soothing effect on upper respiratory infections. Why? Naturopathic
physician Kenneth Proefrock, NMD explains the high amount of
cysteine in chicken is a flatter molecule because of the sulfur
group than most amino acids, which have globular-shaped carbon
side chains.
This results in respiratory secretions becoming more fluid
and more easily slipping away from the nasopharyngeal membranes.
I cook chicken in a crockpot with onion, celery and sea salt.
If you are having a party or serving many people, the chicken
soup can be ladled into coffee mugs.
Just before serving, add minced garlic, chopped raw spinach
or raw cilantro, and to give it a very tasty Chinese interpretation,
toss in a tablespoon of sesame oil. Because these last ingredients
can either make or break the flavor of chicken soup for many
people, you may want to leave them on the table for people to
add as they please to the basic chicken soup that you give them.
 Colleen
Huber, 46, is a wife, mother and student at Southwest
College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Ariz., where she
is training to be a naturopathic physician. Her original research
on the mechanism of migraines has appeared in Lancet and Headache
Quarterly, and was reported in The Washington Post.
Her double blind placebo controlled research
in homeopathy has appeared in Journal of the American Institute
of Homeopathy, European Journal of Classical Homeopathy, and
Homeopathy Today. Her website Naturopathy
Works introduces naturopathic medicine to the layperson
and provides references to the abundant medical literature
demonstrating that natural medicine does work.
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