Nature Medicine Clinic

Nature Medicine Weight Loss Tips

Losing weight is not a simple task. Taking a miracle pill and immediately losing all our excess weight would of course be ideal, but we all know that it does not work like that. Your body had to work to put on the weight and therefore you must work to take off the extra pounds. There are few tips and tricks you can use in order to help make weight loss easier for you.

The Mind

There is a neurological component strongly associated with weight gain. First, there is eating for emotional comfort. Appetite is the body’s natural way to balance food consumption with energy expenditure to maintain a stable and healthy body weight. A number of different hormones signal the brain when food is needed or not. These signals are received by dopamine-producing neurons in the hypothalamus of the brain, modifying the brain’s reward center and motivation for food.

During periods of stress, sadness or grief, it is very common to eat in order to feel better. In some cases, emotional binging occurs. When we binge, we eat much larger quantities than we normally would and more than our bodies can handle.  Unfortunately, this easily contributes to putting on the pounds. We eat more because the hormones responsible for controlling appetite become deregulated, specifically leptin and insulin. Leptin is released from fat cells to decrease appetite when the body has had enough. Insulin suppresses appetite when blood sugar is high.

When these hormones become unbalanced, dopamine levels in the reward center of the brain are elevated, triggering unnecessary and inappropriate hunger. Binge eating also leads more food cravings and less satisfaction, similar to the diminishing pleasure alcoholics or drug addicts experience. Binge eating actually triggers the same dopamine response in the reward center as nicotine and cocaine. The 20-second rule can be employed to help with removal of processed food stuffs.

Second, weight gain is also a form of protection. We have all heard of building a wall around us; we keep our feelings inside and become closed off from others. We can also build this wall physically. Our mind feels the need to keep us safe from the stresses we are facing in our lives and so the switch to turn off our hunger is overridden and we continue to eat to feel secure. With extra weight, people cannot get as close to you. Our mind is very strong. While it can help protect us emotionally and physically, it can also play tricks on us.  It is not easy for the body to let go of the extra weight.

We go to the gym and eat less, but nothing happens. In our mind, we are still threatened by the stresses in our lives and letting go of the weight will make us vulnerable, so the mind will hold onto the weight. Once we begin to deal with these conflicts and build security, the weight will start to come off. Some women feel threatened by undue sexual energy directed towards them and they may put on weight just to stop it. Men may have felt bullied when they were younger, so the excess weight gain makes it harder to be pushed around.

Hunger and Thirst

The connection the mind has to the body is very real. As discussed above, emotional eating can easily turn off the signal that we are full. The mind can suppress our ‘stop eating’ mechanism.  After a while we begin to eat because we think we should and not necessarily because we are hungry. Your body needs to relearn what hunger is. Next time you think about eating, take a moment and make sure that you are truly hungry. You do not have to skip any meals, but you may notice that you do not have to snack as often.

Knowledge is power. Learn to recognize true hunger vs. emotional eating). As we said the mind can be tricky. The mind can also confuse thirst with hunger. Often times we feel hungry so we go for a snack, but in fact what the body really wants is fluid. Relearning the difference between thirst and hunger is something we may also need to do. When you do feel hungry, before reaching for a snack, try having a glass of water first to see if that corrects the problem. Eventually your mind and body will be able to distinguish between the two.

Am I Full?

As you can tell, resetting the body and mind connection is very important with weight loss. The next step is taking the time to enjoy your food. Living in a high paced society, we have grown accustomed to eating on the go and eating quickly. Did you know that it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it is full? Eating quickly can lead to second helpings and overfilling the stomach before the mind can tell you to stop. Ever feel too full once you are done eating?

This is because, by the time you stop eating, the stomach has already expanded beyond its optimal capacity and now needs to work harder. Taking 20 minutes to enjoy a meal can let the brain know you have had enough and allow it to turn off the hunger signal. Learning to take your time to eat may take a few days. Some tips that may help are:

1. Chew slowly. Try not to eat quickly, chew each bite. Counting a certain number of chews per bite helps prepare your food for proper digestion for the stomach (e.g. minimum 15 chews per bite).
2. Pause in between bites and put your fork down while you are chewing.
3. Try eating with your opposite hand. It will not only take longer, but you will definitely have a good laugh. You may even become ambidextrous. If necessary sit on your eating hand.

Positive Food Environment

Like emotions, our environment can play a role in our eating habits. Eating while watching television or a movie can actually cause you to eat more. We eat faster as we get more involved with the program and pay less attention to what and how much we are eating. Sit at the table away from the TV, computers or talking on the phone. Pay attention to your food and enjoy it. Put your taste buds to work. Surround yourself with positive conversation at the table and avoid any negative topics until after you are done eating.

Make a Plate

What we put on our plate is very important to eating a proper diet, maintaining blood sugar and balancing our appetite. Protein is essential for the body to keep insulin levels normalized and prevent them from spiking. Elevated levels of insulin over time lead to weight gain and insulin resistance (contributing to type II diabetes). Fiber will help to curb your appetite, keep you full for longer periods and is essential for the proper functioning of the digestive system. Preparing your plate for each meal is a necessary step.

1. Select a small dinner plate. Contemporary plate styles are quite large and look great but are very misleading about portion sizes. Filling a smaller plate looks better and is more appealing to our tricky brain.
2.       Fill your plate with the appropriate portions of protein, carbohydrate and vegetables. Your plate should resemble the following diagram.

1. Remember to wait 20 minutes before going for seconds. If you are still hungry, then have more vegetables or a little bit of everything. Do not refill the plate with the same amount.

Portion Sizes

Every person has a different body type and does not require the same amount of food or nutrients. Your body can actually tell you how much you should be eating. Use your hand as a guide when you set up a plate to determine your individual portion sizes.

1. Protein: equivalent to the palm of your hand
2.   Carbohydrates: make a fist.
   • Loose fist for complex carbohydrate
   • Tight fist for simple carbohydrate
3. Veggies: open up your hand nice and wide. This is one portion not to skimp on.

 Make a habit

Remember it takes 21 days to introduce a new habit. Be patient and stick with it! (see Changing Habits section).

Weight loss is a multifactorial approach and many factors need to be addressed. Important factors that can also be addressed are:

Blood sugar

Exercise

Pop

Alcohol

Stress

MRT

Fasting is one of the oldest known health therapies. Throughout history, various cultures and religions have embraced the value of therapeutic fasting. Ancient Greek literature, the Koran and the Bible all make various references to fasting. The Bible mentions fasting on 74 different occasions. Moses fasted forty days and nights before receiving the Ten Commandments and Jesus fasted 40 days in the desert prior to starting his ministry. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, routinely recommended prolonged fasting. Pythagoras (c582-c500), a famous Greek philosopher, would not accept a potential student until they had fasted for 40 days. Even Benjamin Franklin often proposed that “the best of all medicines are rest and fasting.” Evidently the benefits of a fast have been recognized for thousands of years.

Although research exists from the late 1800s on fasting, it remains a subject of limited study within the medical and scientific community. Fasting typically refers to the abstinence from food and drink except water for a specific period of time. But there are many variations depending upon the goal of the fast. There are fruit fasts, juice fasts and vegetable fasts. The fasting process spares the essential tissues (e.g. vital organs) while utilizing non-essential tissue (e.g. fat) for fuel. Alternatively, starvation utilizes essential tissue for energy. During starvation, the body uses protein from organs and muscles to function, since fat stores have been depleted. The following figure describes the stages of fasting.

Stage 1: Early Fasting

Glucose (sugar) is synthesized by the liver during the initial lack of food. The liver stores of glycogen are depleted in the first few hours to make glucose (glycogenolysis). Afterwards glucose is generated (gluconeogenesis) from amino acids in the liver and muscle.

Stage 2: Fasting

Fatty acids (triglycerides) are the main energy source during fasting. Certain metabolic processes however do require amino acids for fuel causing protein stores to be broken down. A 160-pound man could safely fast for up to 2-3 months before starvation sets in.

Stage 3: Starvation

Once fat reserves are depleted and significant protein is used for energy production starvation can result. Protein stores are adequate for only a few weeks (gluconeogenesis). Eventually essential proteins are utilized and death can occur. Food is required after maximum fasting period (several weeks to months, dependent upon fat stores, metabolism and activity) to prevent Stage 3.

Research has shown the benefit of therapeutic fasting for a variety of conditions including: diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, cardiovascular disease,  dermatological ailments, gastrointestinal disorders, arthritis, allergies, mental illness and chemical poisoning.

• At the University of Minnesota in 1950, 32 volunteers fasted for 8 months. In comparison to food deprivation cases during World War II, the observations confirmed that the fasting period did not lead to any deficiencies in vitamins or minerals. Improvements did occur in diabetes and skin ailments.
• Fasting alone was recommended in the treatment of mild to moderate acute pancreatitis following a random trial of 88 patients in 1984.
• In 1984, the American Journal of Industrial Medicine studied patients who had ingested rice oil contaminated with PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyls). Following a 7-10 day fast, subjects reported symptom improvement. Caution was noted with patients known to suffer from significant contamination of fat-soluble toxins as toxic levels may be reached in the bloodstream. (i.e. DDT, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, is mobilized into blood during a fast and may lead to toxic levels to the nervous system).
• In 1991, Dr. Jan Palmblad MD, PhD. concluded in the Nutrition and Rheumatoid Disease journal that “total fasting may be the most rapid and available means of inducing relief of arthritic pain and swelling for those who have rheumatoid arthritis. It can be done with a minimum of discomfort and safely if not prolonged more than one week. The mechanisms of the beneficial effects of fasting still remain to be discovered. Immune anti-inflammatory systems are changed by fasting.”
• Further literature has suggested the benefit of fasting to: eczema, psoriasis, IBS, depression, schizophrenia, ulcers, fibroids, autoimmune disease, etc.

What can be expected during a fast?

Fasts are individualized and can vary in length from 3 to 7 days. In general, in the first 1-15 days as the body uses up glucose, hypoglycemic reactions can occur. The severity can vary and symptoms may range from nothing at all to feeling lightheaded or faint to mood swings, to headaches and body aches.

After glucose stores have been exhausted and the body begins to mobilize fat, the extent of fat soluble toxins present in the body will directly correspond to the symptoms experienced. The majority of harmful materials are either fat or water-soluble. Water-soluble toxins are eliminated by the kidneys. The fat-soluble toxins are predominantly removed by the liver. The body is continuously exposed to chemicals in food as preservatives and stabilizers or as pesticides on the surface of fruits and vegetables. Pesticides and herbicides are generally fat soluble so they attach to the plant and do not wash off in the rain (water-soluble). The fat-soluble toxins concentrated in the liver and cells are mobilized during the fast. The greater the amounts the more prolonged and severe your symptoms may be. Feeling ill from detoxification could last for 2 to 5 days depending upon the fast. The symptoms during toxin elimination are equivalent to a healing crisis.

Imagine your blood with food molecules in it. As you start fasting the food molecules are consumed. The cells without food utilize the stored glucose and then metabolize fat for fuel, simultaneously mobilizing fat soluble toxins. Initially the liver and kidneys are overwhelmed by the burden placed on them (the bodies symptoms of brain fog, headaches, bloating and pain are all a reflection of this). Once the liver and kidneys begin to catch up, symptoms subside, energy increases, mental clarity improves and there is frequently a strong sense of well-being. A feeling of euphoria is often expressed from those who chose to meditate or pray during their healing journey (this is commonly the religious benefit of fasting). Supplements are prescribed to accelerate the detox process in order to achieve faster results.

There is often a concern of whether sensations of hunger will be experienced throughout the fast. Intense hunger usually lasts for the first few days followed by almost no hunger at all. Incidentally, those who attach a high social and psychological stigma to food can find the fast quite difficult.

Therapeutic fasting is advantageous for disease management and prevention. To attain optimal health fasting once a year for more than three days is recommended until good clarity of thought, energy stability and decreased symptoms are achieved. It is advised to consult a licensed practitioner well versed in fasting protocols for your first endeavor.

*must be a patient of Nature Medicine in order to receive treatment protocol

References:

1. Pizzorno, J. & Murray M. Textbook of Natural Medicine. 3^rd edition. 2006. Elsevier Ltd. Churchill, Livingstone. pg. 533-545.
2. http://www.chuckrowtaichi.com/Fasting.html
3. Prytula, M. Therapeutic Fasting. Nature Medicine www.NaturoMedic.com. posted online Oct 2004.

Allergenic Foods and Food Sensitivities

Even though a food is classified as “healthy” or being a good source of nutrition, it does not mean that everyone can freely consume it without consequences. People can have an allergy or intolerance to many nutrient rich foods.

At Nature Medicine every patient is given a diet diary on his/her first visit to help the ND understand what you are eating. Many are not aware of what they consume and how food can have a dramatic effect on one’s health. The diet diary includes a symptom column to bring patterns and associations with foods to light. Common ailments such as asthma, allergies, eczema, headaches, fatigue, bloating, gas and gastro-intestinal upset of any kind are directly affected by certain foods. It can be difficult to tell which foods are a problem because your body may be constantly overwhelmed with a chronic low-grade reaction-this has become your “normal”. In order to determine the common offenders elimination diets are the next step. Foods that can trigger many health problems, (for example “the five white sins”: white flour (breads and pastas), sugar, salt, fat (bad fats) and dairy are removed from the diet. Citrus (lemon is usually ok), wheat products, food additives and colorings can also create problems.

The Cleansing Diet used at Nature Medicine temporarily eliminates the most common problem foods from the diet for 5-10 days, giving the body an opportunity to rest. Many will notice a significant change in how they feel and a relief of symptoms. Foods are reintroduced one at a time. One food item per day is consumed at each meal. During the reintroduction period, if you have a re-occurrence of symptoms or the appearance of new symptoms, you most likely have a food sensitivity to that item. Think of your body with all its symptoms as being like a dirty kitchen floor; if you add more dirt, the kitchen floor it is still dirty. On the other hand, if you add dirt to a spotless kitchen floor, you will immediately see the dirt. The cleansing diet “cleans” out the body so we can see what is really happening.  If certain foods are causing symptoms, the patient should be tested and treated for food sensitivities using the Eliminate Allergy Technique (EAT).

Gluten Free Diet

Gluten is a protein found in many grains, especially wheat. Celiac disease is a condition where gluten cannot be tolerated in the diet. The gluten causes an autoimmune reaction in the intestines making it difficult to absorb nutrients.  As many as 1 in 133 people are diagnosed with Celiac disease in Canada. It is also possible to be sensitive to gluten and not have Celiac disease; this is referred to as often gluten intolerance. Common symptoms associated with gluten intolerance or Celiac are: gas, bloating, pain, diarrhea, nausea, acid reflux, fatigue, anemia, tingling and numbness in the legs, etc.

Dairy Free Diet

After infancy we are generally not well suited to consume milk. More than 7 million Canadians (20%) lack the enzymes to break down milk sugar, a condition known as lactose intolerance. In South Eastern Asia, lactose intolerance is prevalent in 100% of Asians. Native Americans are 90% intolerant, South Americans, other Asians and most Africans are 50% lactose intolerant. The lowest prevalence is in North Western Europe and Scandinavia where the populations are 3-8% lactose intolerant. In the Mediterranean the prevalence rises to 70%. Milk contains many allergenic proteins such as casein.  Common complaints associated with dairy intolerance include gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, gastro-intestinal bleeding, anemia, nausea and vomiting, acid reflux, headaches/migraines, joint pain or arthritis, ear infections, hay fever, asthma, eczema, ADHD and bedwetting in children.

When You Cannot Buy Organic

For vegetables:  Avoid the ‘dirty dozen’ and consume foods with the least contamination (please refer to the Pesticides for more information).  Remember to thoroughly wash your foods with soap or with a vegetable wash from your local supermarket or health food store.

For Meat: Buy lean cuts of pesticide free meats. Trim the fat as the majority of the chemicals from pesticides are stored in the fatty parts of the animal.

If You Are Pressed For Time

Make recipes in large batches on your days off and freeze extra portions for readymade meals.  Soups, stews, chili and brown rice can be cooked in larger quantities and used for a few days after. A slow cooker is another great way to save time and make food in advance.

Steaming Veggies

A gentle way to cook vegetables and retain most of the nutrients is steaming. Add an expandable steamer insert to any pot or purchase a steamer pot with a perforated insert.  Lightly steam the vegetables to a crisp-tender consistency to maintain maximum nutrients.  Reuse the water in soups for added vitamins.  You can buy parchment paper in rolls like aluminum foil or in ready-made bags to wrap up veggies, fish, herbs and spices for readymade meals. Place the fresh raw ingredient in the bag or wrap it in the paper so the steam cannot escape and put in the oven.  It is a quick method to cook and an easy clean-up too.

Tips for understanding ingredients labels

The following information was referenced from www.naturalnews.com:

1. Remember that ingredients are listed in order of their proportion in the product. This means the first 3 ingredients matter far more than anything else. The top 3 ingredients are what you are primarily eating.
2. If the list of ingredients contains long, chemical-sounding words that you cannot pronounce, avoid that item. It likely contains various toxic chemicals. Make sure you can recognize each ingredient.
3. When it comes to flour, wheat can be misleading. All flour derived from wheat can be called “wheat flour,” even if it is processed, bleached and stripped of its nutrition. Only “whole grain wheat flour” is a healthful form of wheat flour. (Many consumers mistakenly believe that “wheat flour” products are whole grain products. In fact, this is not the case).
4. Be aware of serving sizes.  For example, 2 chips have blank calories, but who really eats two chips? Food manufacturers can and do use this tactic to seemingly reduce the number of calories, grams of sugar or grams of fat in the package.
5. Certain brown products are not healthier than white products. Brown sugar is just white sugar with brown coloring and flavoring added, unless it is 100% natural brown sugar. Brown bread may not be healthier than white bread, unless it is made with whole grains.
6. Be conscious of where products that use herbs as an added health benefit are on the ingredient list.  Some foods that include “goji berries” towards the end of the list actually contain very small amounts. A good product that really wants to use this herb will be listed closer to the front.
7. Remember that ingredients lists do not have to list chemical contaminants. Foods can be contaminated with pesticides, solvents, acrylamides, PFOA, perchlorate (rocket fuel) and other toxic chemicals without needing to list them at all. The best way to minimize your ingestion of toxic chemicals is to buy organic, or go with fresh, minimally-processed foods.
8. Look for words like “sprouted” or “raw” to indicate a higher-quality of natural foods. Sprouted grains and seeds are far healthier than non-sprouted. Raw ingredients are generally healthier than processed or cooked. Whole grains are healthier than “enriched” grains.

For more tips and recipes refer to the Nature Medicine Healthy Living Cookbook. You can download a free pdf copy from the following link http://naturomedic.com/

Kitchen Tools for Healthy Living

Remember the 21-day rule to make a new habit and the 20-second rule to ensure your chance of ongoing successful changes (please refer to Changing Habits).

References:

1. www.celiac.com
2. www.gluten.org
3. http://www.foodreactions.org/intolerance/lactose/prevalence.html
4. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/using-utiliser/label-etiquet-eng.php
5. http://www.naturalnews.com/024414_food_fat_foods.html
6. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-facts/NU00293
7. http://www.naturalnews.com/
8. http://women.webmd.com/how-to-read-food-label

The soft, fat-like substance found in each cell of the body and in the bloodstream can be a sneaky culprit. Although your body makes all the cholesterol it requires, excess can accumulate from diet, increased weight, lack of physical activity, family history, smoking and certain medications. To reduce your cholesterol it is time to increase the “good” and lower the “bad”.  Understanding the differences between HDL and LDL will help you on your path to success.

To Reduce Bad LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) Cholesterol

Oat bran is highly recommended for binding and removing excess cholesterol from the body. Additional LDL lowering foods include: oatmeal and dried beans, including plain baked beans out of the can. Soybeans (organic) are great for reducing genetically induced high cholesterol at any age. Grapefruit (segments and membrane, not the juice) drives down cholesterol. Fresh oranges, apples, yogurt, skim milk, carrots, garlic, onions, barley, ginger, eggplant, artichoke, unripe plantain, shiitake mushrooms and olive oil beneficially reduce cholesterol. Substitute seafood, including shellfish, for meat and chicken. Strawberries and bananas are high in the cholesterol reducing complex carbohydrate, pectin.

To Raise Good HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) Cholesterol

Strong, raw onions are excellent HDL raising food. Try to have at least a half a medium onion per day. Substitute olive oil for other vegetable oils and saturated fats. Have alcoholic drinks, such as wine, beer and spirits in moderation (one or two drinks a day can boost HDL’s). Remember to drink responsibly!

Additional Suggestions

Strictly limit total fat, especially saturated fats like animal-type fats, coconut and palm oils as they counteract the effects of the above natural cholesterol-fighters.

Cholesterol Rich Foods

1. For a low cholesterol diet restrict cholesterol to 50-100 g per day.
2. For a moderately low cholesterol diet restrict cholesterol to 100-150 g per day.

The following lists contain increased levels of cholesterol.

Very high amounts of cholesterol: 150-2000mg/100g edible portion:

• Brains
• Butter
• Caviar
• Egg yolk
• Whole egg
• Heart
• Kidney
• Liver
• Lobster
• Oysters
• Sweetbreads (thymus)

High amounts of cholesterol: 50-150mg/100g edible portion

• Beef
• Cheddar cheese
• Cream cheese
• Hard cheeses
• Cheese spread
• Chicken
• Crab
• Fish
• Lamb
• Lard and other animal fat
• Margarine (animal fat and vegetable fat combined)
• Mutton
• Pork
• Shrimp
• Veal

Moderate amounts of cholesterol: up to 50mg/100g edible portion

• Cottage cheese
• Low-fat cheese
• Ice cream
• Milk

References:

1. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/Good-vs-Bad-Cholesterol_UCM_305561_Article.jsp
2. http://watchlearnlive.heart.org/CVML_Player.php?moduleSelect=hdlldl

The Cleansing Diet is designed for a 5-7-or 10-day period. The diet will provide you with all the nutrition you need while your body cleanses, detoxifies and heals. On this diet, calories are not counted nor are food weighed. Strict attention is given to the selection and quality of the food consumed during the diet. Below is a list of restricted and permitted foods.

Please Note: Everything that is consumed while on the cleansing diet should not have any preservatives, no artificial colourings/flavourings, no stimulants, no salt, no pepper and no chemicals added what so ever. They should not be consumed from cans or plastic but glass containers. This cleansing diet is absolutely dairy and wheat free. All foods eaten during the diet should be unaltered by man as much as possible and fresh with all the wholesome goodness nature has made.

Guidelines:

1. Eat until you feel full but not engorged. It is better to eat six to eight small meals rather than three large ones daily. This will vary from person to person depending on your daily activities, demands and type of job.
2. Refrain from drinking 15-20 minutes before or after eating, even water. This dilutes the enzymes in the stomach needed to properly digest the foods eaten.
3. Eat all fruits and drink fruit juices separately from all other foods. Consume these no less than 30 minutes before meals and one hour after meals.
4. Eat organic whenever and as often as possible (refer to the Dirty Dozen at www.ewg.org). Otherwise try to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables in season. Wash all fruits and vegetables with mild dish soap and rinse thoroughly before eating.
5. Buy unsulphured dried fruit only. These can be found at health food stores. Ask for unsulphured if not clearly marked on package.
6. Always read the ingredients on every food package before you buy it. (please refer to our Tips for Understanding Ingredient Labels in the following Diet section)
7. Drink plenty of filtered water daily, approximately 6-8 glasses per day.

Coming off the diet: Reintroduce a new food with each meal and notice any reactions that result by keeping an accurate log of your results. This may include a reoccurrence of old symptoms, decreased energy levels and an obscured thinking process. You can test yourself through the slow introduction of foods. If you do notice changes in your health after reintroducing foods, you should be tested for food sensitivities and be treated with the Eliminate Allergy Technique (E.A.T.). If you notice no change in your health, you may not have food sensitivities and do not need to be tested for them.

Healthy Eating Habits:  THE SEVEN STEP PLAN

1. Eliminate all “funky foods”:  All sugars, starches such as potatoes, white flour, white rice, caffeine and alcohol.
2. Eat fruit alone and on an empty stomach
3. Eat proteins (such as meat and eggs) and fats (such as butter and cheese) with vegetables.
4. Eat carbohydrates such as whole-grain pasta, with vegetables.
5. Do not eat proteins and fats with carbohydrates
6. Wait three hours between meals if switching from a protein/fat meal to a carbohydrate meal or vice versa.
7. Do not skip meals. Eat at least three a day and eat until you feel comfortably full.

Definitions

Organic: grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, petrochemically derived fertilizers, fumigants etc. and without being irradiated

Pasture-fed/Grass-fed: the animal has been raised outdoors and grass-fed. Some organic grain (like corn) may have been given as feed but the animal was pasture-fed during a large portion of its life. No antibiotics and/or carcinogenic hormones are given to the animal or included in its diet.

This diet has been composed expressly for the patients of Nature Medicine. All others who follow this diet do so at their own risk. Consult your primary health care provider about the applicability of such a diet in your particular case. (please read the Diet for more information)