Appetite Training by:  C. Harrison

The functions of the human body are complicated. As long as humans have existed, most of these functions have remained a mystery. What was safe to eat was discovered by trial and error. If someone ate something that made them sick or caused death; the information was passed to everyone within that society. Cave men drew pictures on walls to indicate the things that were good or bad to eat. 

This system worked as well as possible until about 80 years ago. An allergy doctor, named Theron Randolph, asked his patients to stop using different foods. He discovered that most of those who stopped using wheat were cured of their other allergies. Another large group was cured when they avoided dairy products. Since that time thousands of research projects have revealed many facts about what we eat and how it affects our bodies. 

These studies have revealed a range of problems caused by various chemicals in food products. The major offender in wheat is gluten; in dairy products it is casein. Both of these chemicals cause damage to the digestive tract. As the lining of the intestines is eroded, they function less effectively and allow undigested particles to pass through. The result is malnutrition. 

Cigarettes, soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, candy, cake, pie, doughnuts, acetaminophen, aspirin or other NSAIDS are all harmful. You will not see any of these things on the list of acceptable items. If you choose to use any of these things, that could be the item that harms you beyond the ability to be helped by healthy eating.

The premise of appetite training is that anyone can train their appetite to like different foods than those they grew up liking. It does not take extensive studies to know that this works. Think of all the people who smoke cigarettes; I don't know anyone who liked the taste of their first smoke. A person had to decide that they wanted to be a smoker; then they fought through the horrible taste, the coughing and nausea, until they could tolerate it. Why not decide that you want to be a healthy eater and try it with the knowledge that those raw and lightly steamed vegetables can cure disease and/or keep you vital and healthy. I did it and now I love most of these foods. Some took longer than others; I'm still working on raw red & yellow peppers. Once you have made the decision, all that remains is what to eat and why. Here are the basics of my Appetite Training system:

1. All foods contain multiple chemical compounds. Some are beneficial and some are harmful. Since 1935, researchers have been seeking the keys to determine where to draw the line between foods that are more positive than negative nutritionally. 

If you are already vegan, you may skip to #8

2.  Meat is not just beef. If it did not come from a plant, it is a meat product. Chicken, fish and shellfish are meats. As recognized by your body, cheese is a fatty form of meat. Eggs, milk and all other dairy products are forms of meat; their proteins are recognized by the body in the same fashion. 

3. The average person eats far too much meat. It is high in protein and fat. Both are harmful to the human body in more than tiny amounts. Protein leeches calcium from the bones and places it in the bloodstream. It raises homocysteine levels and causes kidney and gall stones. Studies show that humans would be at their healthiest if the only meat they consumed was 4 ounces of poached fish every two weeks. My compromise is to eat fish or free-range chicken sparingly once every 2nd or 3rd day. 

4. When you eat a particular meat, make a note of any arthritis or other pain over the next 24 hours. I had a car wreck several years ago and had constant back pain from bulging discs. When I ate only the items on the charts, I lost 40 pounds and the back pain went away. Everyone said it was the weight-loss, but after being pain-free for months; I ate an eight-ounce filet one evening and woke up with back pain the next morning.

5.The stomach releases acidic enzymes to digest meats and alkaline enzymes to digest starches. Either enzyme digests vegetables. If you eat meat and starch at the same meal, the stomach will release both types of enzymes and they will neutralize each other. This will cause the food mix to remain in the stomach several hours longer. Imagine this mix of food, acid and alkaline all sitting for 5 or 6 hours at 98.6 degrees. 

6. It became a diet standard to eat meat and starch together so we could span more hours without getting hungry. We now know that it causes food to spoil in the stomach. By the time the mix enters the intestine, it has become toxic and as it passes through, a large part of what is absorbed by the body is poison. The liver and kidneys are then called upon to remove the poisons. As we age, they become overloaded, function less efficiently and allow the toxins to move about the body and cause all manner of disease. 

7. Milk, cheese, butter and yogurt have been shown to cause osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer. The evidence against them has existed for over 70 years. As long as they can continue to fool the public, they will keep making money. They do contain calcium, but in a form that is not well absorbed by the body. The excessive amount of protein in dairy products leeches calcium from the bones, so the result is a net loss of bone density. Green leafy vegetables provide the most absorbable calcium without the excess protein.

8. Drinking anything while eating dilutes stomach enzymes and hampers proper digestion. Drinking or eating cold things with your food slows digestion because it cools your stomach, which does not function unless the temperature is at or near 98.6 degrees. See more about food combining at the links below.

9. Eat fruit by itself. Most fruits pass directly through the stomach and undergo all processing in the intestines. If they are in the stomach with other foods, they will not enter the intestine as they should. They will remain in the stomach and spoil any other food there. The food becomes toxic like the mix of meats and starches.

10. Anything deep fat fried is too close to being pure fat for humans to consume. Eliminate all "fried" foods, including French fries, fried vegetables and chips from a bag at the store or at the Mexican restaurant.

11. Drink only purified water. Coffee and tea have numerous chemicals that wreak havoc on the human immune system. Caffeine is one of the least harmful of these. Tea does contain a few positive chemicals, but not enough to over come the bad ones. A small amount of herbal tea may not harm you.

12. Sweetened drinks are all harmful to the immune system. Artificial sweeteners are the worst. Aspartame poisoning is now quite common in people who use it daily. I suggest avoiding it totally and learning to like unsweetened foods & purified water.

13. Drinking pure fruit juice is harmful. It takes 10 to 12 apples to make one 8-ounce glass of apple juice. That is too much sugar and too much concentrated chemicals from a fruit that is known to contain harmful compounds. Oranges are the most highly allergenic fruit and apples are a close second. They may not cause normal allergic reactions, but could cause other diseases to develop. If you do consume any juice, try 2-ounce servings of pure pomegranate, cranberry or blueberry.

14. Wheat is an enemy of health for several reasons. Nearly 100% of the population has some level of intolerance to wheat and/or the gluten in wheat. Casein in dairy products and gluten in wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt and Kamut enflame and destroy the digestive tract. Smaller percentages of the population have extreme intolerance to wheat and dairy. Wheat was one of the items my doctor had me eliminate to lower my cholesterol. It went from 264 to 149 after 5 weeks eating only the items on the charts. The bad (LDL) cholesterol went from 189 to 90 during the same period. An unexpected side effect was the total elimination of my life-long nasal allergies and I have gone six years without getting a cold or flu. 

15. Vinegar and yeast are forms of mold. Mold is toxic for most people. I can occasionally eat a small amount of wheat without any noticeable effect, but one slice of bread can cause my nose to run. I know it is the combination of wheat and yeast. I also avoid anything containing vinegar. Most prepared mustard contains vinegar; Coleman's makes one that does not.

16. Stop using salt. In 1951, Linus Pauling wrote that Americans eat too much salt, sugar and fat. I read a reprint of the article while a freshman in college. I stopped using sugar in my tea, became careful to trim fat from any meats and never again picked up a salt shaker. All foods contain salt, so it is never necessary to add it for any reason other than taste. Once you start eating salt free foods, you soon lose the abnormal craving for it. Virtually all processed foods are loaded with salt.

17. Black pepper does not digest and has zero food value. There is no reason to eat it other than taste. It gets lodged in the folds of the intestine and slices through the walls into the bile, often causing "leaky gut syndrome." The liver, kidneys or gall bladder must then process the piece of pepper by coating it. Your body will coat a grain of pepper until it becomes a gallstone or kidney stone. 

18. Consume nuts and seeds in moderation. They are high in fat and the amino acid L-arginine, which can hamper the immune system and reduce the ability of the body fight disease. It has also been implicated in increasing the risk of death in heart patients. If you have cancer or any other disease, avoid them until you are cured.

19. If you have irregular thyroid function you could try adding or avoiding certain foods. Foods that suppress thyroid function are soy, peanuts, pine nuts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, peaches, spinach, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, mustard and turnips. In addition to suppressing thyroid function; coffee, tea, cola and chocolate, may cause thyroid cancer. Iodine supplementation can help prevent thyroid cancer. Foods that stimulate thyroid function are avocado, coconut and saturated fat.

20. The healthiest foods are vegetables, the healthiest vegetables are sea-vegetables (like kelp, dulse & nori) and dark leafy greens (like collard greens, kale & lettuce). All can be mixed in a blender with purified water and seasonings to make a healthy drink. Many people have cured themselves of cancer and other diseases by flooding their intestines with these drinks all day long. I suggest one 8 ounce glass for healthy maintenance and three or more to cure cancer or any other disease. Green drink mixes from health food stores are a quick and easy method, but not a good as freshly juiced raw vegetables. Vita-Mix & Jack La Lanne make blenders that juice the whole vegetable & spin at high speeds to break the foods down to their cellular level. This enables mixing some fruit with the vegetables to improve taste. The nutrients will pass through an empty stomach rapidly & be easily absorbed by the intestines.

The charts below show suggested & allowed foods. For optimum health, immediately consume only the items on the list. If you are unwilling to do it all at once, start by eliminating the worst items as quickly as you are able. Most diabetics will discover their blood sugar remains normal without insulin by eating this way. 

Suggested menus for getting started; you can exchange anything that disagrees with you for items from the lists below.

  Breakfast              Snack            Lunch                                Snack            Dinner

There is a reason for eating only one or two items at a meal. When you eat a particular food, make a note of any nausea, pain, sinus drainage or psychological changes over the next few hours. Continue testing different items until you determine all the items causing a negative response. Stop eating the suspect foods for a few weeks and then try an item without any other foods. Another negative reaction will confirm that you should avoid that food permanently. 

All weights are dry, uncooked. You may vary the portions to suit your needs, eating every two or three hours will keep you from being hungry. Eating this way will streamline your metabolism and the food will digest rapidly. The old way of eating allowed the food to sit and rot, but it kept you feeling full. All vegetables are raw or lightly steamed, organic if possible. You may season with anything other than salt and black or white pepper. You may use FLAX SEED OIL on all items. Two tablespoons per day is optimal. Different brands have different tastes. It is the only oil with slightly positive health benefit; olive and Canola are neutral, they have antioxidants and they are low in the worst types of fat, but all oils are still 100% fat. Fish is poached or steamed. You may add lemon, dill or other herbs to the water. After cooking I sometimes use a little Coleman's no vinegar mustard. You will get small amounts of fat from the vegetables, slightly more from the fish, and pure fat from the flax, olive and Canola. Canola is the only oil I suggest heating. The others should be added after any cooking. 

*Buckwheat is not related to wheat. The fruits of buckwheat are like small (5 mm or 0.2 inch) beechnuts and they have more or less the same color. These little beechnuts are milled to a flour or crushed to make groats. So buckwheat is used as a grain, while it is botanically not a grain at all. Years ago, when it was named, the chemistry of the plant was not known. Cook it according to the directions, then add a tablespoon or two of flax oil. Optional: a little agave nectar, maple syrup or Smart Balance spread.            

**HEB has Canoe brand wild rice in a 12oz container. Health food stores have it in bulk. Place 4 ounces of wild rice, a small can of drained mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon of crushed tarragon in 2½ cups of purified water. (Makes one serving.) Cook covered at a gentle boil for one hour and check for texture. Add more water if it gets too dry during the last 15 minutes. It should be tender to taste. I like it just as the water is almost gone. I usually cook it the evening before and warm it for breakfast. When it is ready to eat, add two tablespoons of flax oil. Optional: a touch of olive oil, Smart Balance, Jane's Mixed Up Salt, sea salt, fennel or other herbs.

*** Regular Quinoa (keen-wa) must be rinsed, Quinoa flakes are faster and more convenient. Alternate using both.

More options, most fruits & vegetables listed on the next page can be substituted. You may have two or more vegetables per meal.

 *Made with "Arrowhead Mills Wheat Free All Purpose Baking Mix"; "Ener-G Egg Replacer"; "Canola Oil"; and "Agave Nectar" (in place of honey). More breakfast and snack alternatives: Nature's Choice Wheat Free Cereal Bars, any wheat-free cereal w/minimal nuts or sweeteners w/Westsoy organic unsweetened soymilk. When converting from dairy, you may use almond milk or rice milk.

**Or Amaranth Flakes/Ezekial 4:9 sprouted grain cereal (sprouted wheat is nutritionally different), w/org. unsweetened soy milk.

For the first two months, eat single foods at a meal until you determine which give you a bad reaction. If you feel nauseated after eating a food, mark it on the list, replace it and eat it only in moderation if at all. It is best to stay on this regimen as closely as possible for the first two months. Check your blood (Health Check) and other symptoms. If you are doing okay, you can start letting in a few unlisted (forbidden) items. Always limit wheat, dairy, meats, coffee and tea. If you need salt and other forbidden items for taste, use a little less than you really want. Continue this practice and you will soon not need any.

This is a 10-10-80 diet. You need to consume 10 percent of your calories from fat, 10 percent from protein and 80 percent from complex carbohydrates. Do not pay attention to food labels that list the percentage of fat on the front. That figure is based on the weight of the fat in relation to the weight of the product, including the weight of the water. Water has no calories, but it is heavy. Learn to read nutrition labels. For example, if a product has 420 total calories in a serving, the calories from fat must be less than 42 to be under 10% fat. Starch (simple) carbohydrates (carbs) are the grains you have for breakfast, potatoes, rice, any wheat (bread, pasta, flour tortillas). It is possible to find rice pasta, but avoid all wheat products until you are well. Complex carbs are fruits and vegetables. Two fruits a day is enough. Fifteen servings of raw/steamed vegetables will heal you faster than any other foods.

After 30 to 60 days, get your blood tested. If your levels are in the acceptable range, you can have some white meat chicken and turkey (boiled is best).  Another 30 to 60 days with good levels and you can have lean roast beef or pork loin every two weeks (boiled is best). As long as your blood tests/symptoms remain in the acceptable range, you can cheat slightly w/other foods.

After the first two months, you can eat small servings of multiple compatible foods at lunch and dinner. Continue to rotate grains and eat fruit by itself. Do not combine starches and meats in the same meal. Do not drink anything while you are eating. Drink lots of purified water all day. Use chlorine filters on all faucets and showers. 1 out of 5 people can eat a small amount of wheat every 4^th day, the others should avoid it totally. No one should eat dairy products.

More information and a book that explains the process in detail are available at: www.preventivecare.com

  Fruits (alphabetical)                  Vegetables (alphabetical)

Fish in order of health benefit*             Legumes**

*Some fish may be eaten raw, but most should be poached or steamed. Avoid all shellfish as they are high in mercury and dioxin.

**Most legumes should be cooked unless they are sprouted. There are opposing schools of thought as to whether the sprouts should be cooked or raw. Do your own research and decide in which camp you feel comfortable.

Ranking of the healthiest vegetables based on nutrients, fiber, antioxidants and amino acid balance.

Most may be eaten raw or lightly steamed. 

Notes: Kelp and other sea vegetables have moved to the top of the list. They have a wider variety of minerals than any other food. They also contain iodine, vitamin K, magnesium, iron, calcium, folate, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and lignans, which provide an array of health benefits. See more about sea vegetables at the links below.

The descending order indicates the level of minor problems with most vegetables: goitrogens (listed above) which only affect those with under-active thyroid problems, oxalic acid in Swiss chard & spinach which may be slightly negative nutritionally in high amounts, arginine in onions, corn & cabbage which blocks the absorption of lysine (lysine improves nutrient absorption, boosts the immune system & blocks cholesterol from attaching to arterial cells). Taking 2 or 3 grams per day as a supplement should overcome a diet high in arginine containing foods.

Other useful supplements are: Digestive enzymes, a multi B vitamin, & (for natural cholesterol reduction) Red Yeast Rice and Co Q10 .

© C. Harrison 1995-2008