safe to say by now that we all know sugar is bad for our health.
We know that we shouldn’t consume it often, but that’s much easier said than done. Sugar is a sneaky, addictive substance and the break up isn’t always as easy as just making the decision to stop. That’s why we have to understand what it does to our biochemistry well enough to put an effective and long-lasting sugar-kicking strategy in place.
In some cases, it’s not our fault that we are collectively addicted to this stuff. Our food supply has changed so dramatically in the last 60 years, that we kind of got lulled into it.
For example, the average soda size in 1955 was only 7 ounces. Over the last five decades, it slowly crept up and now we have the Big Gulp weighing it at 128 ounces (that would be like 17 sodas in 1955)!
What Qualifies Something as an Addictive Substance?
1.	Having just a little bit creates a desire for more
2.	Suddenly quitting causes withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, mood swings, cravings, and fatigue
This addiction has led to a downward cycle of health issues including mineral deficiencies, thyroid imbalances, adrenal exhaustion, leaky gut syndrome, autoimmune conditions, and digestive and mood imbalances.
It’s a slippery slope, but sometimes the sugar cravings are bigger than us.
I have seen this so often in my practice and experienced it acutely myself. When someone comes to me with sugar cravings that “take over” (like a craving that has you running out for something sweet at 11pm in your pajamas) then I test him or her for Candida as a root cause not only of their sugar addiction, but also of all the issues listed above.
What is Candida?
Candida albicans is an opportunistic organism and pathogenic yeast. We all have it in our bodies, and most of the time, it’s harmless. But when it overgrows, it causes major problems and symptoms such as:
1.	Persistent constipation, bloating, or gas
2.	Mental fog you simply can’t shake
3.	Debilitating chronic fatigue/exhaustion
4.	Intense sugar cravings
5.	Chronic sinus infections
6.	Excess mucous
7.	Recurring vaginal yeast infections
8.	Persistent food or environmental allergies
9.	Depression and anxiety
10.	White coating on the tongue
11.	Hypothyroidism (Candida inhibits thyroid conversion)
In a perfect world, our good bacteria would keep Candida in check and it wouldn’t be a problem, only we are doing so many things daily to kill our good gut bacteria that so many people unknowingly struggle with it.
What Contributes to Candida Overgrowth?
1.	Antibiotics- even just one full-spectrum round can cause it
2.	Antibiotics in our meat supply
3.	Overconsumption of sugar and processed, refined foods
4.	Overconsumption of alcohol and coffee
5.	Chronic, prolonged stress
6.	C-section deliveries
7.	Mercury exposure from dental fillings, vaccines, & tattoos.
8.	Birth control pills
Any one or a combination of these things kill our good gut flora, thin our gut lining, and compromise our immunity enough to allow this opportunistic organism (and often times many other pathogens) to take over and dominate our gut health.
And when anything dominates our gut health, it’s only a short matter of time before it dominates our hormonal health and immune health.
How to Test for Candida
There are stool, blood, and saliva lab tests for Candida overgrowth. While I prefer to run an 8-day stool test on someone when looking for pathogens in their GI tract, many people cannot afford to run labs and many don’t want to go through the hassle of testing.
When that is the case, there is a fast, easy, free DIY Candida spit test you can do at home.
For six days, keep a pen and paper in the bathroom. When you wake up, (before you eat or drink anything), fill a glass of water halfway and spit a dime-sized amount of saliva into the glass.
Watch it a few times (you don’t have to stare it down) over a 45-minute period and record your results each day for six days.
Your saliva will either stay floating on top, it will sink to the bottom, or it will grow legs. If it stays floating on top, there is likely no Candida overgrowth to worry about, but if it grows legs or especially if it sinks, then Candida is likely an issue for you.
I have run this test in tandem with stool, saliva, and blood tests many times and it has proven accurate. The reason you must test daily for six days is to mitigate variables. Keep to your normal diet while testing.
I have a short video showing you exactly how to do this DIY test here.
How to Get Rid of Candida
If you have Candida, don’t worry; you can get it back in balance. You can break up with sugar, for good. You can get your thyroid working well again so that you have mental clarity and can lose weight and keep it off with greater ease. You can have good digestion, a strong immune system, and good moods.
If you suspect you have Candida and want to know more about how to get rid of it, I have a 30-minute TV episode that shares my protocol on how I’ve helped countless others kick it in 6 weeks time.
We use a combination of a carefully crafted no sugar, no fermentation, diet (here are 52 Candida-diet friendly recipes) along with a 16-day antifungal rotation that includes grapefruit seed extract, oregano oil, olive leaf extract, and Pau D’arco. There are also GI cleansing agents involved like food grade diatomaceous earth and bentonite clay as well as the yeast eating strain of probiotic called saccharomyces boulardii.
This cleanse is then followed up with gut rebuilding agents to re-establish good gut flora, repair the mucosal lining, and rebuild hydrochloric acid. All of these components are necessary for lasting positive health changes and to be sure the Candida does not return. After digestive repair is achieved, then we give the thyroid and adrenals a boost.
Note: if you are pregnant or nursing, you cannot take the majority of the supplements I recommend in my Candida Protocol except the probiotics. You can instead do it through the Candida diet and by increasing antifungal food sources on a smaller scale.
After a decade in private practice and working with thousands of real people, I cannot have a stronger belief in the power of the human body. When you give the body what it needs and remove what burdens it, it will heal itself and it will thrive.
You don’t have to live your life craving sugar, being tired, or managing a litany of other uncomfortable symptoms. You can use food as your medicine to heal and to thrive
I eat a sort of raw food, plant-based, paleo-ish, Weston-A-Price style fusion. From largest proportion of my diet to the smallest:
•	Raw fruit and raw vegetables—collectively, these are probably at least 80% of my diet 
•	Raw fish and cooked or raw shellfish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, oysters, mussels, clams, roe); usually daily 
•	Coconut water; usually daily 
•	Cooked organ meats, usually chicken liver or chicken hearts; a few times per month 
•	Raw eggs or sunny-side-up eggs, usually from ducks; a few times per week 
•	Raw vegetable juice; a few times per week 
•	Cooked tubers; once or twice per week 
•	Cooked vegetables; once or twice per week 
•	Sushi rice 
•	Cooked gelatinous animal foods like tendons; a few times per month 
•	Home-made bone broth; more frequently in the winter 
•	Seaweeds 
•	Kimchi and sauerkraut 
•	Occasionally: avocados, olives, nuts, seeds
I eat red meat once every few years (not a typo!) and don’t typically use isolated animal fats like butter or lard, unless they’re in a dish someone else made and I’ve been cajoled into eating. The only oils I use are a very small amount of olive oil when cooking organ meats or eggs. I doHow To Restore Digestive Health
Posted on September 22, 2004 by Jordan S. Rubin, NMD, CNC • 7 Comments 
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Chronic disease wreaks havoc on the American populace. One million Americans suffer from AIDS; eight million have cancer, and twelve million battle heart disease. However, there is one disorder that afflicts more individuals than the combined total of all of these other potentially deadly disorders, and, surprisingly, it is rarely mentioned. Thirty-eight million Americans are victims of digestive disorders, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, celiac disease, IBS, constipation, diarrhea, GERD, candida and food allergies.
If these staggering numbers of digestive disorders, along with the pain and discomfort that accompany them, were not enough, there is also the added burden of treatment costs. The economic impact of digestive disorders is $123 billion per year, compared to $17 billion for cancer, $58 billion for neurological disorders, and $88 billion for circulatory problems. Sufferers from IBS (the most common gastrointestinal disorder) incur an estimated $10 billion more in direct medical charges per year than a similar control group of people the same age and gender.
In 1995 at the age of nineteen, I was one of these statistics; I was diagnosed with “incurable” Crohn’s disease. Back in 1995 the incidence of Crohn’s disease was 1 out of every 10,000 people; today, it is 1 out of every 500 to 1,000 people. That is a 10- to 20-fold increase in less than 10 years, and the incidence of all the digestive disorders is increasing. Like many of the sufferers of digestive disorders today, I was given confusing, sometimes contradictory, and often costly “answers” during my search to regain my health. The problem was that nothing worked until I discovered three weapons I used to fight back against my digestive disorder. Those weapons are:
•	Eat the right foods. 
•	Take the right supplements. 
•	Remove the wrong toxins
Use these weapons and aim them at digestive disorders. It worked for me. It can work for you.
Eat the Right Foods
What constitutes the right foods for digestive health? Eating the right foods for good digestion can be accomplished in four major steps; the first one is to reduce or avoid intake of foods high in hard-to-digest components such as complex sugars and carbohydrates, phytates and gluten.
Bad Carbs
The most critical macronutrient group to consider is carbohydrates. We hear about “low carb” diets, and are beginning to realize that carbohydrates are not always good for our bodies. Also, we know that whole foods are superior to processed foods. However, the constituency of carbohydrates will make them either healthy or unhealthy for digestion. Of primary importance is avoiding foods high in disaccharides (sugars in groups of two) or polysaccharides (compounds consisting of many sugars joined together) and foods rich in the nutrient inhibitors known as phytates.
Disaccharides include lactose (milk sugar) and sucrose. Many people do not produce the enzymes needed to break down disaccharides, which then remain undigested in the colon and become putrefied by the microorganisms that live there. Thus, it’s easy to understand why reducing disaccharides is imperative for those with digestive problems; the more disaccharides ingested, the more putrefaction in the colon–leading to digestive distress. Disaccharide foods include anything containing sucrose (that is, all sugars, including whole sugars like dehydrated cane sugar juice) and unfermented or non-cultured, fluid dairy products such as milk, ice cream and some soft cheeses.
Starches found in grains are polysaccharides; that is, long chains of glucose molecules hooked together. If grains are sprouted or sour-leavened, they are easier to digest because the polysaccharides are somewhat broken down into individual glucose molecules.
Not only do grains contain starch molecules, but grains also contain phytates, which rob the body of minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc, and gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye, that is very hard to digest and causes allergic reactions. Once again, when grains are properly prepared by soaking, sprouting and sour leavening, these components are largely neutralized.
Of course all table sugar should be avoided as well as high fructose corn syrup. (Fructose is a monosaccharide, but high fructose corn syrup also contains sucrose, which is a disaccharide.) Also a problem for those with digestive prolems are potatoes and corn–considered vegetables, but, when cooked, are really starches. One of the worst foods for those with digestive problems is the Jerusalem artichoke (tubers from the sunflower family). These contain complex carbohydrates called inulins, which are extremely difficult to break down.
Another difficult-to-digest food category is legumes or beans, especially soy, and they add to digestive distress because they are high in nutrient inhibitors. However, when fermented, soy foods such as miso, tempe, or natto contain virtually no phytates and are probably fine in small amounts.
Reducing foods rich in polysaccharides and disaccharides is the first step in your quest to recovery. But you need not feel deprived–there are still many foods you can eat. Fermented dairy products such as kefir, yogurt and many hard cheeses are fine. That’s because the disaccharide lactose that they contain is broken down into simple sugars during the fermentation process. Properly prepared grains in small amounts, nuts that have been soaked in salt water and dehydrated and non-starchy vegetables can all be part of your diet. You should eat these vegetables cooked–even vegetables normally eaten raw, such as lettuce and tomatoes, can cause problems for those suffering from digestive disorders.
The Right Oils
Most individuals with digestive disorders have some inflammation which is exacerbated by an overabundance of omega-6 fatty acids. Thus, a major step to regaining digestive health is avoiding all commercial liquid vegetable oils. Trans fatty acids also contribute to inflammation so these must be avoided also.
At the same time, you will need to increase your consumption of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, including salmon and other wild-caught cold water fish, eggs from pastured chickens, walnuts, organ meats and flax seeds and a small amount of flax oil.
Key to recovery is cod liver oil, which is not only high in special anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids but also fat-soluble vitamins A and D. Both of these nutrients help fight inflammation and build the immune system, so critical to restoring digestive health, especially in persons with inflammatory bowel disease.
Vitamin D is important for those with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis as they often become vitamin D deficient, allowing for rickets-like indications. When I was ill with Crohn’s disease, I developed rickets-like symptoms; my bones were robbed of vitamin D and my legs became bowed. Fortunately, I followed these steps before it was too late–and restored my digestive health, which, in turn, took care of my other health challenges.
Some are concerned about mercury levels in cod liver oil, but testing of high quality cod liver oil reveals that these oils are virtually free of mercury and other heavy metals–especially if the fish are caught in the cold waters of Iceland or Norway.
Incidentally, Icelanders are blessed with longevity and intelligence. Cod liver oil certainly plays a role in their good health. Icelandic women–while they are pregnant–consume two teaspoons of cod liver oil a day, and cod liver oil is served at breakfast, even in hotels!
Anti-Microbial Saturated Fats
Certain fats have anti-microbial properties. People with digestive disorders often suffer from
candida (yeast), fungi, parasites, viruses and other unfriendly microorganism invasions as a result of damaged digestive terrain. Anti-microbial saturated fats help to combat these; the two best sources are coconut oil and butter from grass-fed dairy cattle. Coconut oil is anti-viral, and contains lauric, capric and caprylic acids–recommended to combat candida. Coconut oil is so beneficial for digestive health that years ago a person suffering from Crohn’s disease wrote to “Dear Abby” insisting that eating macaroons eliminated symptoms of the disease. The macaroons contained sugar, white flour, bad oils and guess what. . . 6 to 8 grams of fats from coconut! Even amidst the bad ingredients, the fatty acids in coconut oil helped this person with Crohn’s!
Grass-fed, organic butter also contains anti-microbial fatty acids including butyric acid, which has strong anti-fungal effects. Coconut oil and butter are not only anti-microbial, but they also help heal the lining of the gut; therefore, they are preferred for cooking, baking or eating right off the spoon.
Soups and Stocks
In the old days, people made soups and stocks out of animal bones and cartilage, but no longer. The elimination of soups and stocks from our diets has contributed to digestive problems as well as joint problems. Stock and soups made from the bones of chicken, turkey, duck, beef, lamb and fish are anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and contain nutrients which help build the integrity of the digestive tract. When a person is suffering from a digestive disorder, a soup based on bone stock can bring fast relief.
Consuming soups and stocks can bring about results similar to those used by practitioners who give drug therapies to combat inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. While medications simply mask the problem, soups or stocks get to the root of the digestive disorder, to soothe and help bring healing to the condition.
The Right Supplements
Those suffering from digestive disorders face a bewildering array of products said to help with digestive problems–from alka-seltzer for the stomach to herbs for parasites. During my illness, I tried most of these nostrums, to no avail. Here are the ones that worked.
Whole food probiotic
Essential to digestive health is taking a whole food probiotic. Healthy bacteria found in healthy soil and plants are missing from our modern food supply. They protect the plants in the soil, and also protect humans who ingest them. A major discovery in the battle against digestive disorders is how beneficial bacteria can help people with “leaky gut syndrome,” as the use of beneficial bacteria can reduce the hyper-permeability of the gut. Before the days of modern hygiene and chemical farming, these bacteria were in the soil and hence on the surface of our vegetables; they thus helped colonize the gut with beneficial flora whenever people ate raw fruits and vegetables–and whenever children played in the dirt! Homeostatic soil organisms (HSO) were the key to my own recovery and the basis of Primal Defense, the first product that I developed for Garden of Life.
A recent, soon-to-be-published, double-blind placebo controlled study, carried out by Linda Kim, ND and her team at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, found that ingestion of homeostatic soil organisms (HSO) for as little as 90 days brought cases of very “leaky gut” down to high levels of normal; that is greatly significant to sufferers of food allergies–which is primarily a digestive problem, not an environmental one.
In this study, HSOs also reduced the population of bad bacteria in the gut. Increased urinary indicators in test subjects showed that the level of dysbiosis went from a high level to within normal range after use of HSOs for the same 90-day period, even without dietary changes.
Additionally, probiotics containing HSOs enhance the immune system and detoxify the colon; those are major benefits for all people, but especially for those who suffer from digestive disorders.
Lacto-fermented foods such as yogurt and sauerkraut also provided healthy bacteria in traditional diets and these should be part of the diet of any person suffering from digestive problems. But probiotic formulations can help “jump start” the system in those with serious digestive problems as they will quickly populate the gut with beneficial organisims.
Digestive Enzymes
Enzymes help break down the foods we eat. Broad-spectrum, plant-based enzyme formulations contain high levels of carbohydrases–lactase to break down lactose, sucrase to break down sucrose, etc. People with digestive problems cannot break down disaccharides very well, but many still choose to eat foods high in disaccharides. Digestive enzymes help break down these food and can help break the vicious cycle that afflicts so many with digestive problems. Additionally, these formulations contain proteases–enzymes that digest proteins–which assist in the breakdown of harmful accompaniments sometimes ingested with meals, such as pathogenic microorganisms found in improperly prepared food from food handlers who did not thoroughly wash their hands.
Whole food fiber
People with digestive disorders need their whole food probiotic supplements to help clean and seal up the gut, along with enzymes to help break food down so that it will not putrefy in the colon. What is needed next is a way to move the waste out, especially the toxins generated by the dying bad bacteria. A whole food fiber blend is the answer.
Whole food fiber products for sufferers of digestive orders should not contain psyllium; it can cause gas and bloating, and it contains compounds that will exacerbate their disorder. Garden of Life has developed a whole food fiber product called Super Seed containing flaxseed, chia, sesame or pumpkin seed and legumes, all of which have been fermented. It is recommended for constipation and minor digestive disorders. For best results, the product should be consumed first thing in the morning and just prior to bedtime.
However, those suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or diverticulitis should be cautious with additional fiber. In those cases it might be more prudent to use some type of detoxifying clay; one to two tablespoons of clay twice a day is beneficial for those with IBD.
Remove the Wrong Toxins
The third component of our healing strategy involves removal of harmful toxins.
Air
We are inundated with commercials for purified air, and the indoor air we breathe is extremely important, particularly because we spend the majority of our time indoors. Air purifiers are very affordable and definitely work to reduce molds, yeasts and other microorganisms, minimizing overall exposure and keeping overall health optimal.
I also recommend changing air filters more often, opening windows and having house plants.
Water
Any person with a digestive disorder (and everybody else) should use purified water for drinking and cooking.
Of critical importance is avoidance of chlorine in showers, baths and swimming pools. Each shower we take is equivalent to drinking six to eight glasses of tap water; plus, the warm water opens our pores up so that we absorb the chlorine more efficiently.
Chlorine is a harmful toxin, and when it is combined with other chemicals like aspartame, nitrates, or nitrites, it can cause even more damage. To circumvent this, install a simple, carbon-block shower filter, and look into a salt water system for the pool–as it can reduce the free chlorine content by 90 percent or more.
Skin Care and Cosmetics
Anything put on the skin is absorbed systemically; therefore, we should not put anything on our hair or skin that we would not eat! We know that anti-perspirants not only block the lymphatic detoxification, but also introduce aluminum and heavy metals such as lead into the body. Likewise, we absorb the harmful chemicals contained in shampoos and lipsticks. Health food stores sell cosmetics, shampoos, creams, etc. that do not contain these unwanted elements. It is worth looking into.
You Can Win
The battle for healthy digestion can be won by eating the right foods, taking the right supplements, and removing toxins–three effective weapons that can help you win the battle against digestive disorders. You don’t have to be a statistic. You can fight back and win!
n’t eat any dairy due to massive congestion and skin-breaky-outy episodes that ensue.
Reducing arsenic when eating right
•	Eating white rice, generally significantly lower in arsenic than brown, has been a simple choice. We just make sure we are getting our mineral and vitamin needs from other foods. 
•	Rinsing white rice until the water runs clear before cooking, also can reduce arsenic levels up to 30%. We did this already as it is a traditional Asian practice. 
•	For US grown rice, rice grown in California is much lower in arsenic than rice grown in the south- where high arsenic pesticides were used in cotton farming years ago (arsenic stays in the environment for years and years). One company I like is Lundberg. They have a list of their arsenic testing here, which shows that their long grain white rice and basmati rice are especially low in arsenic. You can see all of the test results from Consumer Reports (link below)– but keep in mind that these test results could change year to year for companies, especially if they aren’t committed to reducing arsenic. 
•	Aromatic rice seem to be lower in general, such as Jasmine and Basmati. Imported Jasmine and Basmati rice are typically significant lower in arsenic than most US grown rice. Thailand rice is not only found to be low in arsenic in the latest testing, but last I heard they had banned genetically modified rice from their country, another important aspect to rice eating to consider. 
•	There are other options, such as cooking rice in large amounts of water, and then draining the rice, like pasta, to reduce arsenic as well. You just may not make very Asian-perfect rice this way. See this link for more information. 
•	And, of course, it makes sense to vary the grains you eat. For us that means enjoying other gluten-free grains, such as millet and quinoa, or starchy roots (without the peels). 
•	Don’t feed rice cereal to infants. I don’t recommend feeding rice cereal to babies anyways, but this is another good reason to avoid the practice. 
•	If you are dairy-free, use dairy-free milks other than rice milk. 
•	Rice cakes, and such, aren’t very nutritious, and can be a higher source of arsenic, as can be brown rice noodles and other packaged foods made with rice flours. Avoid these products. 
•	Use other natural sweeteners instead of rice syrup.
Why Muslims Have White Teeth by Dr. Wu Tao-Wei Everyone has white teeth because it is natural. It is a sign of good health, good nutrition and proper dental hygiene for them to be white. But some people who are lacking in one or more of these prerequisites may have teeth that are off-white or yellow in color, especially if they smoke tobacco or drink coffee. And if the diet includes refined sugar, white flour, white rice and synthetic chemicals, flavorings and preservatives, then the teeth become yellow or grey in color. They become spotted with brown and black dental caries, painful cavities, red and swollen gums; and they loosen and fall out. For Americans, more than half of them over the age of 55 have no natural teeth left in their mouths at all! Oh, their smiles are genuine and warm-hearted enough, but their teeth are false. They have been betrayed by the Jewish dentists. I suppose that my data from the "American Dental Association News" (4/6/87) is a little bit old, but later data would be even scarier on this Halloween, so this will have to do for now. According to this, it is stated that dental services cost Americans $30 billion dollars per year. So, you see, there is a lot of money to be made when people have rotten teeth. Ever true to their form as arch liars and deceivers, the Jews who control the American Dental Associations put the blame for this on the People rather than accepting the blame, themselves, for false leadership and self-serving bad advice. How often do you hear from your own dentist questions like, "Are you brushing and flossing?" Whether your dentist is a Jew or not doesn't matter since all dentists are trained in Jew-controlled dental colleges. They cannot graduate without following the curriculum and answering the questions as specified by their instructors. So, it is not always the dentists' fault if he is ignorant and deceived. They are only granted dental licenses if they practice dentistry as the Jews have trained them to practice. And like most students who trust their teachers, they don't question the truth of what they are taught. In fact, brushing and flossing has ZERO benefits toward healthy, white teeth if you are on a natural diet. This was proved in the early 1920s and 1930s by a Dr. Weston Price. This dentist was unique from all other dentists. When he went on vacation, he didn't just enjoy himself. He went on vacation to look at teeth. He traveled to the Artic, to Africa, to Australia, to Polynesia and to Peru to inspect peoples' teeth and to dig up 500 year-old mummies. He inspected museum collections of pre-historic skulls and their toothy grins. Wherever he went, he inspected the teeth of the native peoples, people who NEVER brushed or flossed. What he discovered was that people who NEVER brushed their teeth, who didn't even know what a tooth brush is, and who NEVER flossed, were people who had perfect, white teeth with a nearly ZERO incidence of tooth decay. He found that their teeth might be smeared with food particles but in every 100 people, he "might" find one single, small dental cavity. Dr. Price published his findings and was completely ignored by the Jewish dental societies and the Jewish media. You see, among their many services dentists make money by filling cavities and making false teeth. And it is completely hypocritical for them to advertise for you to "be sure to brush and floss everyday because we would love to be put out of business if everyone never got cavities." If this was true, then they would tell you that a rinse of bicarbonate of soda (ordinary baking soda) in water, kills on contact the bacteria responsible for tooth decay. But they are not interested in simple and cheap preventive remedies since they and their cousins in the insurance industry profit from your suffering. Dr. Price found that native peoples never brushed or flossed and never or rarely got dental cavities. They generally had perfect, white teeth because they ate natural foods that grew all around them and they ate the local animals which they hunted. But the natives who came in contact with tradesmen from modern countries, got cavities just like modern people. For example, the Polynesians who traded their copra for tinned biscuits, cookies and candy soon had a high suicide rate. They would jump off of cliffs because they could not stand the pain from their rotten teeth. The trade ships brought them candy and cookies but did not bring them dentists. The Australian aborigines in the Outback all had perfect teeth, too, except for the Abos who were cooks in the settlers' camps. They ate the same food as the white people ate -- sugared coffee, biscuits with jam, etc. -- and they got the same incidence of tooth decay. But how is it that modern day Muslims have such white teeth even though they eat modern foods? Their secret is that cleanliness is a part of their religious ritual. And they do not use a toothbrush but prefer the method taught to them by Mohammad. That is, they clean their teeth with a simple stick or twig from a fibrous bush. It is true that a modern toothbrush and dental floss will remove SOME of the bacteria-feeding scum that results from a modern diet. But plastic bristles are YIN. The bacteria and food film coating the teeth are also yin. Thus, the plastic bristles and floss cannot scrub off this food-for-bacteria on the microscopic level. Rather, these synthetic fibers slip and wiggle and glide over this thin film and its colonies of tooth-destroying bacteria and plaque, leaving them in place. But the stick that the Muslims use is totally natural. It is a piece of a branch or a twig from a fibrous bush that grows in the Middle East. The Muslims call it a "miswak", if I remember their word correctly. It is soft enough not to cut the gums and as it mixes with saliva, the fibers soften into a brush-like nub that thoroughly scrubs the film of food off of the teeth. Because it is a naturally growing plant fiber (and is YANG in QI energy), the "miswak" strongly rubs the teeth which are also Yang. With both the yang strength of the teeth and the yang strength of the "miswak" working against the Yin energy of the bacteria and food film, the food film and its clinging bacteria are repelled from off of the teeth leaving no residue. Those Muslims who read this, can now understand how a "miswak" actually works so well, if you understand this Chinese knowledge of yin and yang. Rubbing your teeth after meals with a twig from a fibrous bush is better than using a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss. You can buy a bundle of "miswak" sticks wherever you find Muslim food supplies. However, if you don't want to buy a bunch of dry sticks imported from the Middle East by white-toothed Muslim fanatics, then you can grow your own. The best substitute that I have found is the twigs and branches of the marijuana plant. They are gentle on the gums and have good quality fibers. However, if you grow your own, just be sure to throw away the tops and leaves and keep the sticks, otherwise the laws of the Jewish monopoly system will judge you harshly. --------------------------------------------------------------- Second Publication Rights Granted as long as the following is credited: First Published in the Chinese Swaztika Newsletter, for free subscription send blank eMail to: <chinswaz@bamboo-delight.com>
Practically Paleo Perspective: Rice 
A commenter asked me for my opinion on rice, so here you have it.

[Updated 4/20/12: The original version of this post illustrates some of the poor reasoning I fell into as a result of reading books and blogs by people advocating paleo diet, while ignoring the bulk of research on diet and health. My critiques and corrections of the original appear in brackets.] 

Botany and Antinutrients

Rice is the seed of a monocotyledonous plant known to botanists as Oryza sativa. 

Like other seeds, whole (brown) rice contains chemical defenses against predation, primarily present in the hull and bran of the seed. They include phytin (phytate), trypsin inhibitor, oryzacystatin and haemagglutinin-lectin.

Phytate binds minerals including calcium, zinc and iron; it also binds with protein. Heat (cooking) does not denature phytate. Studies have found that subjects fed brown rice diets have poorer mineral balance when compared to subjects fed milled rice diets. On the other hand, phytate protects against dental caries, so white rice promotes dental decay more than brown rice.

[4/20/12: Phytate fears are not founded on good science. Science does not support claims that dietary phytate causes harm to humans. Humans adapt to phytate ingestion, dietary vitamin C cancels the negative effect of phytate on mineral absorption, phytate adversely affects mineral balance only if the diet is deficient in minerals, and research has shown that dietary phytate has a strong health benefits for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer; it even inhibits the growth of malignant tumors.]

Trypsin inhibitor occurs in rice bran. Steaming rice bran at 100 degrees C (212 F) inactivates trypsin inhibitor. [4/20/12: This means that boiled brown rice has no active trypsin inhibitor.] Polishing rice eliminates trypsin inhibitor.

Haemagglutinins or lectins consist of globulins that agglutinate mammalian red blood cells and precipitate glycoconjugates or polysaccharides. Lectins bind to specific carbohydrate receptor sites on the intestinal mucosal cells and thus interfere with the absorption of nutrients across the intestinal wall. Rice lectin agglutinates human A, B and O group erythrocytes. According to the FAO, rice lectin sharply loses activity when heated to 100 degrees C. [4/20/12: Hence, since we boil rice at 100 degrees C before eating it, we don't have to worry about this lectin.] 

Oryzacystatin is an inhibitor of protein-digesting enzymes. Oryzacystatin remains 100% active after at least 30 minutes of boiling. 

Rice also contains an allergenic protein that occurs primarily in the milled rice, not the bran, and remains stable (60%) even after boiling for 60 minutes at 100 C (212 F).

[4/20/12: Rice allergies occur in only 10% of atopic patients in Japan and less in Europeans and Americans. Compare this to beef allergy: 

"The prevalence of beef allergy is between 3% and 6.5% among children with atopic dermatitis and can be up to 20% in cow's milk allergic children. Several studies reported an incidence of 1-2% of food-induced anaphylactic reactions caused by ingestion of beef. In another study an even higher figure of 9% of anaphylactic events from foods were induced by beef." 
These data appear to indicate a much greater incidence of anaphylactic events triggered by beef than by rice.]

Nutritional value

Rice has a very high carbohydrate content and low levels of micronutrients compared to vegetables or fruits. The following table compares the levels of selected vitamins and minerals in 50-kcal portions of brown rice and a selection of vegetables and fruits. Red numbers indicate items with the highest levels among the foods compared. Click on image to see larger version.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3Hk10MXU4MI/S8-51Sz_LpI/AAAAAAAAAVA/f4Abk2e9Nxg/s1600/5dTctb.jpeghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3Hk10MXU4MI/S8-51Sz_LpI/AAAAAAAAAVA/f4Abk2e9Nxg/s1600/5dTctb.jpeg

Notice that brown rice does not have the highest level of any of the nutrients listed. White potatoes have twice as much riboflavin (B2), 2.5 times as much folate, vitamin C not present in rice, 10 times more potassium, more than 3 times as much iron, and 25% more calcium than brown rice. Sweet potatoes supply carotenes (provitamin A) and vitamin C not present in brown rice, three times as much B2, 5.5 times as much folate, 9 times as much potassium, slightly more iron, and more than 3 times as much calcium. Winter squash also makes brown rice pale in comparison.

Strawberries have 10 times as much B2, 12.5 times as much potassium, nearly 3 times as much iron, and more than 5 times as much calcium.

No matter which vegetable or fruit you compare to brown rice, you find the vegetable or fruit makes brown rice pale in comparison.

Then if you compare brown to white rice:

Brown Rice vs. White Rice			

Nutrient	Brown Rice (1 cup)	White Rice (1 cup)	
Energy (kcal)	218	241	
Protein (g)	4.5	4.4	
Carbohydrate (g)	46	53	
Fat (g)	1.6	0.4	
Fiber (g)	3.5	NA	
Thiamin (mg)	0.2	0.3 (synthetic)	
Riboflavin (mg)	0.02	0.03 (synthetic)	
Niacin (mg)	2.6	2.8 (synthetic)	
Pyridoxine (mg)	0.29	0.11	
Folacin (mcg)	7.8	109.8 (synthetic)	
Calcium (mg) 	19.5	1.9	
Iron	1.0	2.7 (fortified)	
Magnesium	86	15	
Phosphorus	150	61	
Potassium	154	48	
Zinc	1.2	0.74	

Laying aside the synthetic fortification, brown rice supplies nearly 3 times as much pyridoxine, 10 times as much calcium, almost 6 times as much magnesium, more than 3 times as much phosphorus, more than 3 times as much potassium, and almost twice as much zinc. Therefore, white rice doesn't hold a candle to brown rice, and brown rice doesn't hold a candle to white potatoes.

[4/20/12: Turn this around, and judge by energy, protein, and carbohydrate delivery per unit volume, and you find that brown rice surpasses non-starchy vegetables and fruits. We need some foods for energy and macronutrients, and some foods for micronutrients. Brown rice is a nutrient-dense starch and energy source compared to white rice.]

White or brown, rice is basically filler with little nutritional value compared to vegetables and fruits. If you eat rice, you crowd out more nutrient-dense sources of carbohydrate. 

[4/20/12: Wow, what a ridiculous argument! Both brown and white rice are much more nutrient-dense than fats like butter, lard, and olive oil, so I would have been more correct to state that fats are fillers compared to brown rice. When I compared the micronutrient content of two equicaloric diets, one high in meat and supplying most of its energy from fat, and the other low in meat and supplying most of its energy from starches like brown rice, the starch-based diet won hands down.]

Ecology

Environmentalist vegetarians like to blame livestock for global warming, but according to Wikipedia:

In many countries where rice is the main cereal crop, rice cultivation is responsible for most of the methane emissions....Methane is twenty times more effective as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
[4/20/12: This is an example of the half-truths used to support paleo perspectives. How about taking a look at relative contributions of rice compared to animal products? A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition calculated the amounts of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) emitted in the production of 22 different commonly consumed foods, in kg of CO2 equivalents per kg of final product: Rice, 1.3; eggs, 2.5; rapeseed oil, 3.0; chicken, 4.3; cod, 8.5; pork, 9.3; cheese, 11; beef, 30. So the favored foods of low carb and paleo diets produce 2 to 23 times as much greenhouse gas emissions as rice.] 

Further, rice fields are the principal breeding grounds for mosquitos that carry malaria.

So there you have my perspective on rice. I do not recommend regular consumption of either brown or white rice. [Line through added on 4/20/12.]

[4/20/12: I now highly recommend eating rice and other grains as staple foods, and I no longer recommend eating eggs, poultry, fish, pork, or beef or beef products. Grains are far superior to meats and fats as human energy sources and for health support, and have much less deleterious effect on the environment. Science has shown us that meat- and fat-based paleo dieting is not beneficial to human health, animal welfare, or for ecosystem preservation.]