Conscious Eating Part 31

Magnesium is another critical nutrient for fetal development. A study in West Germany on one thousand women found that women who took four hundred milligrams per day of magnesium had babies with higher birth weights and higher vitality and neurological alertness. These women had fewer miscarriages and fewer pregnancy complications. Magnesium is also an important co-factor in the omega-3 metabolic cycle for making DHA. According to the USDA, 80% of Americans are deficient in magnesium, so pregnancy puts an additional stress on an already-lowered mineral.

Magnesium is involved in more than three hundred different biological functions in the body. It is essential for heart function, immune system function, blood pressure regulation, blood sugar balance, stroke prevention, muscle strength and relaxation, energy production, calming the nervous system, and muscle growth. It helps mitral valve prolapse, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and a number of other problems. Good sources of magnesium are the leafy greens, buckwheat, sea vegetables, nuts, and seeds. The highest amounts of magnesium are found in sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds. Many people enjoy consuming these seeds as nut b.u.t.ters because they are often easier to digest. Presently I only recommend nut b.u.t.ters from Rejuvenative Foods, 831-457-2418, because their raw nut b.u.t.ters are the only ones I know that are prepared at temperatures that do not destroy the enzymes.

The green concentrate foods like spirulina and chlorella are very high in magnesium. One tablespoon of chlorella has about forty-eight milligrams of magnesium; spirulina has approximately thirty milligrams. My first choice is to go high on magnesium foods, but I also recommend a food-concentrated type of magnesium such as yeast-grown food concentrate similar to what I described for calcium. If that is not available, I suggest a magnesium citrate. If one is suffering from muscle cramps, fatigue, constipation, insomnia, and anxiety, I suggest taking more than the recommended four hundred milligrams of magnesium per day for a short time because these are signs of magnesium deficiency. The cell salt Mag Phos enhances magnesium absorption. People who are slow oxidizers or sympathetic types need to take higher amounts of magnesium and lower amounts of calcium, although both need to be increased for pregnancy. I also recommend that magnesium be taken separate from the calcium except for a small amount needed to balance the calcium.

Iron is needed for the development of fetal red blood cells, white blood cells, and to support the blood volume which is increased by 50% to help build immunity and for the development of the placenta. There seems to be a large variation in the ability to absorb iron. Dairy products block the absorption of iron, and vitamin C enhances the absorption. The recommended daily allowance is thirty to sixty milligrams per day, which is a high amount. Women whose systems are better able to absorb iron can get most of this from foods such as raisins, green leafy vegetables, wheat, oats, barley, millet, corn, buckwheat, apricots, nuts, seeds, spirulina, chlorella, and sorghum mola.s.ses. One tablespoon of chlorella supplies approximately twenty-five milligrams of iron, and one tablespoon of spirulina supplies approximately nine milligrams. This is amplified by the four milligrams of vitamin C in the chlorella. The natural vitamin C in fruits and vegetables also significantly amplifies the absorption of iron. A good way to monitor your iron needs is to measure your hemoglobin at the beginning of pregnancy and then recheck it every month. If the hemoglobin drops below twelve, then it's a good idea to take an iron supplement. The best supplements are liquid herbal iron concentrates and chlorella or spirulina. They cause the least amount of constipation and are natural.

Zinc is another crucial mineral for pregnancy. It is important for many aspects of fetal growth and critical for the development of the thymus. T-cells are produced in the thymus, which is one of the most important mediators and organs in the immune system. Zinc is found in high concentrations in whole grains, mushrooms, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, green leafy vegetables, miso, tofu, bee pollen, and brewer's yeast. For insurance, take fifteen to twenty milligrams in a separate zinc food concentrate tablet from a plant or yeast source.

Other important minerals include copper, manganese, selenium, chromium, and iodine. Copper is needed for optimal development of the immune system and brain. The need is about one milligram per day. Beans and nuts are good sources. Manganese helps prevent birth defects. It is found in high concentrations in grains, nuts, and seeds. Selenium helps protect the immune system and antioxidant system, and also helps prevent birth defects. Chromium helps to regulate the blood sugar. Brewer's yeast is high in selenium, manganese, and chromium. The importance of iodine and kelp supplementation has already been discussed.

The most important vitamins are A, B-complex, C, D, and E (the whole first part of the alphabet). Vitamin A is a co-factor in the metabolism of EFAs and crucial for the development of vision and the enhancement of the immune system. According to Dr. Airola, vitamin A has been shown to increase life expectancy, regulate the stability of the cell membranes, keep the skin young, maintain the health of all the mucous membrane linings of the body, and improve cellular oxygenation. Approximately ten thousand units are needed per day. One tablespoon of chlorella contains about twelve thousand units of beta-carotene, which is amplified by all the additional carotenoids. These help protect against cancer and heart disease. Yellow vegetables such as carrots are also great sources of vitamin A, as are tomatoes and green leafy vegetables. Spirulina is excellent too.

Vitamin C is found in high concentrations in fruits and some vegetables. Vitamin C is important for building the collagen in the connective tissue, for metabolizing the EFAs, for building the immune system, is one of the most important antioxidants, helps to strengthen the adrenals, generally stimulates all the endocrine glands including the s.e.x glands, and is a first-cla.s.s healer for almost every type of medical condition. It helps protect against viral and bacterial infections. Vitamin C is an excellent detoxifier for heavy metals and other toxins. It can also help to protect against stretch marks. Peculiar to pregnancy, vitamin C with the bioflavonoids may not be a good idea, because some research has found that rutin can be converted into another bioflavonoid called quercetin that can damage chromosomes. To be on the safe side, I recommend the vitamin C without bioflavonoids. I suggest taking at least two thousand milligrams.

Vitamin D is important because it increases our ability to absorb calcium and enhances calcium metabolism. Usually thirty minutes of sunlight will provide the daily need of vitamin D. An excess of vitamin D can be toxic to the fetus and mother and can make calcium deposits in the soft tissues. If you are getting thirty minutes of sun per day, you don't need vitamin D supplementation. Sprouted seeds, mushrooms, kelp, and sunflower seeds contain some natural vitamin D. If one lives in a cold climate and can't get outside, one can take up to four hundred units of plant-derived ergocalciferol per day. Using full-spectrum lighting three to six hours a day may be another way to stimulate your own vitamin D production.

Vitamin E, as I pointed out before, helps prevent spontaneous abortions, and it is an excellent antioxidant of the system in general and the brain in particular. Vitamin E helps protect the cell membranes of the neurons from free radicals. Vitamin E is also crucial for the healthy development of the pituitary gland, which affects all aspects of the growth of the fetus. Paavo Airola, in Every Woman's Book, considers vitamin E the number-one rejuvenation vitamin. It protects the heart, prevents the formation of an aging pigment called ceroid, helps build fertility for men and women, and is an anti-stress vitamin. The best sources of vitamin E are grains, seeds, and nuts.

General B-vitamin support during pregnancy is important for development of the body and its nervous system. Vitamin B6 is particularly important for making prostaglandins to support the immune system and aiding the general metabolic function of the brain cells. It also helps create healthy nerves and mucous membranes. Folic acid is important for development of the nervous system, building white blood cells for the immune system, and preventing the congenital defect called spina bifida occulta. The need for folic acid doubles during pregnancy. Brewer's yeast, dark green leafy vegetables, and dates are excellent sources of folic acid. For insurance, I suggest going high on these foods, especially the brewer's yeast, and then taking eight hundred micrograms of a folic acid supplement (a microgram is one-millionth of a gram). Vitamin B12 is very important also. It has been discussed thoroughly in Chapter 15 and earlier in this chapter. There is no need to take a supplement of B12 if one is eating good amounts of spirulina, chlorella, algae from Klamath Lake, sea vegetables, bee pollen, and brewer's yeast.

Leo Galland, in his book Superimmunity for Kids, makes an important point about how to take nutritional supplements. Some multivitamin-mineral tablets have been proven to actually interfere with nutrient absorption. Research shows that calcium can block the body's ability to absorb zinc, iron, and copper. Zinc and iron can interfere with each other's absorption. The absorption of selenium is partially blocked by vitamin C and zinc. When B12 is added to a multivitamin it combines with B1, vitamin C, and copper to produce a B12 a.n.a.log that is inactive in the body. One British study showed that the usual prenatal vitamin caused a 30% reduction of zinc absorption. Vitamin E and iron taken at the same time also interfere with each other.

The answer is to take each supplement separately and in a way that does not interfere with other nutrients. It seems that iron and calcium are the two that cause the most interference. Calcium is best taken at bedtime. Iron can be taken at the evening meal. The rest of the vitamins can be taken in the morning and at lunch. It is best to take the vitamins with the meals. By eating the high-quality foods and food concentrates recommended, one does not have to take many supplements. I suggest taking one tablespoon of chlorella or spirulina before the evening meal since it is so high in iron. The brewer's yeast and bee pollen that are so high in B vitamins and trace elements can be taken as a mid-morning snack with juice. You will find that when you add up the protein, vitamin, and mineral content of the food concentrates and the whole natural foods, you may need less supplements than you expected. More is not better. An excess of any vitamin or mineral can also interfere with development. The idea is balance and moderation. Once you begin to understand the whole natural foods and food concentrates, it can actually be fun to nurture yourself in this way. When we are eating whole foods and whole food concentrates, we are biting into the life force of nature. It is a different experience than taking a synthetic vitamin or mineral.

Flow of Pregnancy.

UNDERSTANDING THE DEVELOPMENTAL FLOW of pregnancy is another part of a successful prenatal nutrition program. In the first trimester, the fetus is the most sensitive to all toxins such as drugs, alcohol, and X-rays. During the first three months, the fetus develops almost all of its vital organs, endocrine system, s.e.xual system, digestive organs, circulatory system, and the basics of the nervous system and brain. The fetus is at its most vulnerable stage. If the mother's nutrition is inadequate during the first trimester, the development of the fetal brain, nervous system, and vital organs can be compromised. For example, as I point out in Chapter 29, one X-ray during the first trimester increases the rate of leukemia by a factor of twelve. An X-ray during the second and third trimester increases the rate of leukemia by a factor of two. During pregnancy in general and the first trimester specifically, I do not recommend flying since we are exposed to up to ten times the normal amount of radiation at thirty thousand feet above the planet.

The first trimester is the time to begin nest building and enjoy being pregnant. During this stage there may be some morning sickness. My observation is that it is often less severe when one is well prepared for pregnancy. As a first step Paavo Airola in Every Woman's Book suggests taking a brisk walk in the morning. Another successful approach to morning sickness is to eat five to six small and frequent meals during the day. I have found homeopathic remedies to be very successful in treating such nausea. Dr. Galland, in his book Superimmunity for Kids, suggests one hundred milligrams of vitamin B6 plus a ten-milligram injection of vitamin K to combat morning sickness. This often works within a few days. If a vitamin K injection is not available, ten milligrams of vitamin K per day orally will work, but it will take longer. I only recommend this latter approach if nothing else is successful.

In the second trimester the mother's weight gain more obviously begins. How much one should gain varies according to const.i.tutional type and general state of health. During pregnancy it is best to enjoy your food. Don't skip meals, diet, or create any other type of nutritional stress. If your weight is less than twenty pounds above the median for your height and weight, gaining twenty-five to thirty-five pounds is fine. If one is more than twenty pounds overweight before pregnancy, it is still important to gain at least twenty-four pounds during pregnancy.

By the third trimester the baby is usually thirteen inches long and weighs about one and one-half pounds. During the third trimester, the nutrient demand goes up and you may want to increase your general supplement input and your food concentrates. During this time you may want to add digestive enzymes to increase your ability to absorb nutrients. The baby will absorb up to 85% of the calcium and iron the mother a.s.similates. During the third trimester you may want to increase vitamin C and E, zinc, and silicon. Horsetail tea and the Tachyonized silica are good sources of silicon. Rub Tachyonized vitamin E and A creams on your skin and a liquid vitamin C from Vital Image called C-Serum. These will strengthen the tissues locally to increase elasticity as well as bring increased energy to them. Stretch marks are minimized if your nutrition is optimal starting one year before conception. During this time it is good to prepare your b.r.e.a.s.t.s for nursing by gently ma.s.saging them and gently pulling them out. Going without a bra helps to stimulate nipples into more readiness for nursing by exposing them to the air and to the gentle friction of the clothing. If one's nipples are inverted, it is even more important to ma.s.sage several times per day and gently pull out the nipples.

The third trimester is the time to have your nest prepared and your life in order so you can fully focus on the baby.

Lactation.

AFTER BIRTH, BREAST FEEDING REQUIRES approximately the same level of nutrient input as pregnancy. The protein intake, however, can be dropped by ten grams per day to approximately sixty-five. One exception is to stop any manganese supplements, as the infant brain is susceptible to manganese toxicity An excess of manganese may be a.s.sociated with hyperactivity later on. Vitamin B6 intake above two hundred milligrams per day may suppress lactation. During breast feeding it is important to continue to avoid all toxic substances, since most of it is transmitted through the breast milk. Let the baby be an inspiration for you to keep a high level of health.

Breast feeding is so far superior to any other approach to infant nutrition that it is hard to understand how the medical profession moved away from this after World War II. Thankfully the medical profession in the nineties has become more open to breast feeding, as has the general public. The exceptions to breast feeding are if the mother has a disease which requires medicines that might be toxic to the baby, or if the baby has jaundice. Breast milk has substances that slow the excretion of bilirubin out of the system, which is the pigment that causes the yellow color in jaundice.

Breast milk transfers immunity to the child in many ways, including substances that protect the infant's intestinal tract from infection. These substances include bifidus growth factor, which protects and enhances the health of the intestinal tract; immunoglobulins, which protect against infection; interferon, which protects against viral infection; enzymes to help digest the mother's milk; iron and lactoferrin, which support the immune system and build red blood cells; antioxidants, especially selenium and taurine; and GLA needed for proper metabolism of the prostaglandins, which protect against allergies and other immune problems.

A properly nourished mother's breast milk has high concentrations of DHA, which is crucial for brain development in the first year. No baby should be cut off from the flow of DHA because it is so critical for brain development. This is a particularly important point for the feeding of premature babies who cannot breast feed. They need to be given DHA in their tube feeding for the development of their brain and nervous system.

Breast milk is better digested than formula and cow's milk. Breast feeding encourages good facial and dental development. It lowers infant mortality. The protein quality of mother's milk is significantly better than cow's milk. Nearly 100% of breast milk protein is utilized, but only 50% of cow milk protein is used. The fats in cow's milk do not have the high levels of long-chain fatty acids needed for brain development (such as DHA) that are found in mother's milk. Although the fat content is the same, the composition is different. The cow's milk is more difficult to a.s.similate. Breast milk contains twice as much lactose, which is needed for the development of myelin sheaths of the neurons. Human milk also is much higher in Lac-tobacillus bifidus, which is the best flora for protecting the intestines from infection and developing normal flora in the infant's intestines.

Breast feeding deepens the connection between mother and baby, connecting the baby to the heartbeat of the mother and to love. It is the most simple, natural, and best approach for the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual development of the baby. I feel that one should breast feed as long as is comfortable, but for at least nine months to one year.

Perspective.

ONE THING TO REMEMBER after months of preparation is that there are many unknowns in this whole process of birth. In the story of life, we are not the authors. The baby comes in with its destiny, you have yours, our society has its own destiny too. We can neither control it all nor are we responsible for it all. We can only do our part of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual preparation to optimize the coming into the world of this baby. If you have followed this program, be at peace that you have done a great job preparing yourself and optimizing your baby's total expression in the world. All that remains is to allow yourself to be in a state of love and to surrender as this wondrous process unfolds.

Part IV. The Art of Live-Food Preparation.

The Art of Live-Food Preparation.

THE ART OF LIVE-FOOD PREPARATION is a joyful interplay between your intuition and the principles and conceptual frameworks elaborated in this book. These recipes are starting points for you to use your intuitive understanding to create recipes that are just perfect for you. In the recipe section I am primarily concerned with how each recipe affects your individualized const.i.tution considerations, including the Ayurvedic dosha and metabolic/autonomic type, as well as the recipe's seasonal effect.

An important focus of my concern in the evolution of these recipes was the preservation of both the taste and energetic qualities of the original food. I have developed the recipes to bring out the energetic interplay of individual foods in conjunction with the properties of herbs. At the same time, they have been created to be tasty, artful, interesting, and practical for helping the reader individualize the diet to his or her own const.i.tution. There is also a brief section on how various herbs affect the Ayurvedic doshas, including whether these herbs are heating or cooling.

The Conscious Eating recipes lead us to a slightly new twist on food combining. Traditional food-combining concepts were concerned with such issues as not combining fruits with vegetables, carbohydrates with proteins, etc. In the Conscious Eating approach, these traditional concerns still have some importance; however. we are now adding the Ayurvedic doshas and metabolic/autonomic considerations. For example, from the Ayurvedic perspective, one does better not to combine two heavy foods. Although avocado is a fruit and theoretically could be combined with other fruits, if it is combined with banana, another heavy fruit, it will cause an imbalance, especially for kaphas. For a pitta person, one tries not to combine foods that are all pitta-unbalancing. Foods with major opposite actions, such as milk and flesh foods, are best not combined. On the other hand, one may choose to combine foods and herbs that modify each other's action. For example, garbanzo beans, which unbalance vata, can be eaten with tahini, garlic, and lemon, which balance vata-making a good combination that we enjoy as hummus. By adding warming herbs (which activate the digestive fire) to vegetables that normally unbalance vata, we are able to broaden the range of foods a vata person can eat without being thrown out of balance. The same principle applies to the kapha and pitta doshas. From an autonomic and metabolic perspective, our concern about food combining is the ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (which should be the same with each meal). These ratios vary according to one's const.i.tution as a fast oxidizer, slow oxidizer, parasympathetic or sympathetic type. In this context, food preparation becomes an artful endeavor.

The recipes are entirely composed of live-food preparations without the use of refined oils, sugar, or dairy. In the recipes there is an occasional use of miso, which although derived from cooked soybeans, becomes enlivened by a beneficial nonalcoholic fermentation process that creates a great number of enzymes. Miso is very high in many minerals, adds a salty taste, has a strong yang energy, has specific anti-irradiation effects, and is an excellent nerve and stomach calmer and balancer for vata. It has a neutral effect on kapha, and if taken in small quant.i.ties by pitta, does not cause an imbalance.

Occasionally honey is suggested in the recipes. Although honey comes from bees and hence does not fit into a strictly vegan concept, honey is highly recommended in the Ayurvedic system as a food specifically indicated for balancing the kapha dosha. Paavo Airola, in his book Worldwide Secrets for Staying Young, reports some very interesting longevity research conducted by famed Russian experimental botanist Dr. Nicolai Tsitsin. Dr. Tsitsin, who is Russia's chief biologist and botanist in the bee industry, surveyed approximately 150 Russian people who were all greater than one hundred twenty-five years old. He said: All of the 150 or more people past 125 years old in Russia, without exception, have stated their princ.i.p.al food has always been pollen and honey-mostly pollen.

The honey these Russians ate was not the store-bought, pasteurized, and filtered honey that many of us are familiar with, but an unpasteurized, unfiltered, unprocessed, raw mix of honey and bee pollen found at the bottom of the honey containers. Interestingly enough, many of these Russian centenarians turned out also to be beekeepers. In Worldwide Secrets for Staying Young, Airola claims that honey boosts calcium retention, increases red blood cell count for nutritional anemias stemming from iron and copper deficiencies, and has a beneficial effect on arthritis, colds, poor circulation, constipation, liver and kidney disorders, poor complexion, and insomnia.

The fact that honey and bee pollen are rejuvenating foods was known long before the Russians discovered it. Pythagoras, the Greek spiritual teacher and mathematician, used raw foods for healing and recommended honey for health and long life as far back as 500 B.C.

Although honey, strictly speaking, is a bee product and not a plant product, it is possible to find beekeepers who do not engage in an exploitive relations.h.i.+p with their bees. Ideally they avoid such practices as taking all the honey and feeding the bees sugar or antibiotics. Most often, the kind of beekeeper that cares about the welfare of the bees will also sell honey and bee pollen in its unadulterated, totally raw form. For one who adheres to a strict vegan philosophy this may still not feel "correct," but for others who follow the living law of harmony, honey in this context may feel acceptable. As I have discussed earlier, the principle of "harmlessness" is always a relative one in a world where each and every organism takes life in some form in order to survive. My ultimate guide is to eat that which enhances my communion with the Divine and which also does not violate my own spiritual sensitivities in light of the principle of harmlessness. The value and necessity of using honey differ with const.i.tutional type. Honey is drying, warming, and astringent. Those with kapha const.i.tutions are positively balanced and brought into a higher level of harmony and health by the use of honey. Pitta people, on the other hand, can become unbalanced by the use of too much honey. In any case, in the few times where I recommend honey in recipes, apple juice, dates, raisins, or figs can usually be easily subst.i.tuted without affecting the recipes significantly.

These recipes originate from several sources and have emerged as a product of collaboration in a great number of cases. Some of them are used in the Spiritual Nutrition Workshops that I developed. Other recipes were developed independently or in collaboration with Eliot Jay Rosen, our first live-food chef for the Spiritual Nutrition Workshops, and Pat Furger, a former food preparation chef. I also thank Shanti Golds, who teaches vegan and live-food preparation, for her generous help and contributions to this recipe section. I extend my grat.i.tude to Bobbie Spurr, a naturopathic and Ayurvedic pract.i.tioner, and Kiana Rose, an Ayurvedically knowledgeable yoga instructor, who double-checked the dosha balancing of these recipes. I am particularly grateful for the generosity of Renee Underkoffler, co-author of Have Your Cake and Eat It Too and The Raw Truth: the Art of Loving Food, who sent me some of her special recipes with permission to adapt them for this book. And finally, thanks to the chefs at the Tree of Life Cafe at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, where the final form of these recipes has evolved and been put into practice. These recipes are truly living.

Information is provided above each of the Conscious Eating recipes that indicates the overall effect of the combined foods on each dosha. In designating the specific effects of a certain recipe, the word "balances" denotes that the dish brings a particular dosha back into balance. The word "unbalances" means that the dish causes a disharmony in that dosha. For example, a pitta person tends to have his or her pitta energy more easily unbalanced than a kapha or vata person by heating foods and herbs. Therefore, pittas are more p.r.o.ne to be thrown out of balance by foods and herbs that increase the pitta energy. A kapha person who is low in pitta energy will often be brought into balance by the heating energy of the same food or herb. Throughout the recipes, K means kapha, P means pitta, and V means vata. Many recipes also suggest modifications that make it more balancing for a certain dosha. Although the following recipes may be eaten in any season, the times of the year in which a particular recipe is more balancing for all three doshas are also provided.

Because metabolic and autonomic individualization depends on the total carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake for the whole meal, this information is not provided for each dish. In general, a fast oxidizer and parasympathetic diet includes 50-55% protein, 30-35% carbohydrates, and 20-25% fat at each meal. Parasympathetic types can have more grain than fast oxidizers. Both of these types do best when minimizing high-glycemic-index foods, such as white potatoes and white rice. Slow oxidizers and sympathetic types do best with a ratio of 50-60% carbohydrates, 30-40% protein, and 10-15% fat with each meal. Those with sympathetic const.i.tutions can even have less protein. The key is the ratio being the same at each meal, and not the total amount of food. For example, a person who is a fast oxidizer could eat 50% protein, but if they are not eating much food at each meal, they will still have a low total protein intake. This is just fine, so long as the ratio is balanced appropriately for their const.i.tution. With this understanding, we see that a fast oxidizer does not really need a high total quant.i.ty of protein, just the correct ratio.

Most of these ratios are designed for one or two servings. My primary goal is to create an appreciation of the different food and herb energies and to give the reader a basic repertoire of recipes that represents patterns of raw-food preparation so that he or she may begin to create his or her own recipes based on the principles behind these "template" recipes. With a proper understanding of these recipe patterns, one can develop a tasty diet that consistently balances const.i.tutional doshas, maintains a balanced pH, builds or cleanses, and heats or cools the body as one chooses.

The Conscious Eating Kitchen.

IN ORDER TO BEST SERVE YOU IN YOUR LIVE-FOOD PREPARATION, I would like to provide a brief introduction to the optimal live-food kitchen for preparing the following recipes. This includes both general and specific information about equipment, produce, and basic food preparation techniques.

I recommend always using fresh, raw, organic produce. The fresher the better. Garden fresh, like we have at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, is ideal; however, high-quality organic produce is available through wholefood stores, farmer's markets, co-ops, mail order, and in some conventional grocery stores. Although organic produce is generally more expensive than commercially grown produce, as discussed earlier, it is significantly higher in its content of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and enzymes. In addition to avoiding the detrimental effects of pesticides, irradiation, and produce waxes, you actually get a lot more nutrition for your money There are some important things to remember about specific foods and how they are incorporated into the Conscious Eating Kitchen. The Conscious Eating kitchen aims to support and enhance spiritual growth as well as your personal const.i.tution. As discussed earlier, the Ayurvedic system cla.s.sifies food according to the influence upon one's consciousness as well as physical body. Onions and garlic, although beneficial medicinally, often have an over-stimulating effect on the mind. For this reason I do not use onion, but subst.i.tute hing, also known as asafoetida. Garlic is used sparingly or in moderation, with appreciation for its strong medicinal properties.

I do not include Braggs Liquid Amino Acids or other salty tasting preparations in the Conscious Eating recipes; instead, I generally recommend Celtic salt, which is live. Celtic salt is a sun-dried sea salt that is very high in minerals. It is superior to many other sea salts, which are heat processed. Celtic salt can be purchased in some whole-food stores or from The Grain and Salt Society: 800-867-7258.

In some of the recipes stevia is recommended as a sweetener. Stevia rebaudiana is a South American herb that adds a very sweet taste to foods, yet paradoxically doesn't contain sugars. Some anecdotal cases suggest that it may actually help the function of the pancreas. Stevia comes in several forms: clear liquid, dark liquid, white powder, green powder, and crushed leaf form. The green powder and the crushed leaf form are the least processed.

In order to reap the benefits of all the enzymes in our food, we recommend using fresh juices, ideally within thirty to sixty minutes of juicing. Packaged foods should be organic and/or raw. Some important foods to keep in stock are tahini, tamari, miso, apple cider vinegar, nori sheets, and honey. Because these items are available in both cooked and raw forms, be sure to check the labels for "raw" and "organic." Spices should be organic and non-irradiated.

For the best a.s.similation it is important to soak all nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes before consuming. Please refer to the Soaking and Sprouting section at the end of Part IV.

Recommended equipment for your live-food kitchen includes a Vita-Mix blender, the Champion Juicer, a nut/spice grinder, food dehydrator, food processor, and a Saladacco "veggie noodle maker." The Vita-Mix is a high-powered, heavy-duty blender that is good for just about anything that needs to be blended. It is excellent for blending seed sauces, salad dressing, and soups. The Champion Juicer is not only a juicer, but can be used to h.o.m.ogenize foods for dips, pates, spreads, breads, and dehydrated cookies.

Many of the recipes offered in this book rely on electrical appliances for preparation. Ultimately a live-food diet does not require any equipment other than your teeth. However, the electrical equipment makes food preparation far easier. My research has shown that in order to nullify the potential negative effects of AC 60-cycle electricity, the Tachyon Silica Disk applied directly to the electrical device, or covering the electrical fuse box of your building structure, completely neutralizes any negative electrical effects. Tachyon Silica Disks can be purchased through the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center at 520-394-2533, or through our internet web site at www.treeoflife.nu.

With this information you are now empowered to embark upon a marvelous journey into the world of live-food preparation. I hope the following recipes are helpful in bringing health, harmony, and spirit into your kitchen and your life.

Simple Secrets for Warming, and Not Killing, Live Foods.

THESE TECHNIQUES FOR WARMING LIVE FOODS preserve the enzymes and other unknown heat-sensitive factors in food.

One easy way to create warmth is to warm the empty plate in the oven or the sun. One can also warm the plate with the food on it for several minutes until warm to the touch.

As long as one doesn't go above 115-118 F for more than 2-3 minutes, one can warm raw soups, grain dishes, and vegetables in a regular saucepan. An easy rule of the "fingertip" is: If it is warm to the touch of a finger, it is approximately 115 F. Just how much above 115 F, and for how long food can be heated and still retain its enzymes is not entirely clear, so I recommend taking away the heat as soon as the food becomes warm to the touch.

If one is able to find a crock pot which heats at 115 F or below, it is possible to slow-heat certain foods. Small, thinly cut potatoes will actually taste like cooked potatoes after 12 hours in a crock pot. In such a low-heat crock pot it is also possible to make raw stews and vegetable soups. One potential danger to this type of 12-hour, low-heat food preparation is that it makes a good medium in which bacteria multiply. With potatoes, this is not particularly a problem, but with soaking vegetables it may be more so. One way to minimize this potential is to scrub the vegetables well before using. Another difficulty to the extended warming approach is that despite the low temperature of the cooking, the food loses its energy over the extended cooking time.

Another interesting way to bring external heat to the food is by warming sauces and pouring them over the rest of the food. One can even warm some of the food to 115 F and mix it with the other raw food. This technique is used with the Wilted Spinach Salad (see Salads).

Many foods do not create a marked cooling to the body if they are simply served at room temperature rather than chilling them in the refrigerator before serving.

Balancing Your Doshas While You Eat.

HOW WE COMBINE THE DIFFERENT TASTES, food qualities, and herbs has the power to balance the overall dos.h.i.+c effect of a meal.

A number of herbs specifically enhance digestion, dry or moisten the body, and heat or cool the body. Many of these herbs are particularly beneficial to the vata and kapha const.i.tutional types, whose digestive fire is often low and who therefore receive benefit from the heat- and digestive-stimulating properties of certain herbs. There are also some cooling herbs for pitta const.i.tutional types. The interplay of the dos.h.i.+c effect of the foods and herbs is what creates the balance. Most of this herbal information is taken from my own direct experience as well as other books, including The Yoga of Herbs, by Dr. Vasant Lad and David Frawley, and Cla.s.sical Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking by Julie Sahni. These healing and culinary herbs are one of the secrets to how one can increase digestive fire and total body heat while eating live foods.

Herbs for Balancing Doshas.

FOLLOWING ARE A FEW HERBS commonly used in food preparation. I have provided information on their seasonal and dos.h.i.+c effects. Once you become familiar with the properties of the different herbs, you can use them to tailor many of the Conscious Eating recipes to your own dosha.

Allspice is pungent, heating, balances K and V, and unbalances P. It relieves gas, promotes peristalsis, and stimulates metabolism.

Best for fall, winter, and spring.

Anise is pungent, heating, balances K and V, and unbalances P. It relieves gas and promotes digestion. It comes from the tiny seeds of both Anisum vulgare and Anisum officinalis. In India it is known as "foreign fennel."

Best for fall, winter, and spring.

Asafoetida (king) is pungent, heating, balances K and V, and unbalances P. It is a powerful stimulant of the digestive fire and dispeller of intestinal gas, pain, and bloating. It is one of the best herbs for removing V imbalance in the colon. It comes from the dry gum of the living rhizome of several species of Ferula growing in India, Kashmir, and Afghanistan. If available, it is preferable to buy asafoetida in what one might call "lump" form because when it is in powdered form it often has added gum arabic, barley, wheat, or flour. In its lump form it is odorless. When ground, asafoetida gives off an onion-like smell due to the sulfur compounds of its volatile oils.

Best for fall, winter, and spring.

Basil is pungent, heating, balances K and V, and unbalances P if taken in excess. Basil is said to open the heart and mind to the Divine. There is a variety of basil plants. The most famous basil is called tulsi, or holy basil, in India. There it is said to have an a.s.sociation with Lord Vishnu that dates back to Vedic times. "Holy" basil juice is said to be a longevity drink.

Good for all seasons, but less in the summer.

Bay leaves are pungent, heating, balance K and V, and unbalance P if taken in excess. They stimulate digestion and relieve gas. The Indian bay leaves are the leaf of the ca.s.sia tree. The tree grows in India and eastern Asia. American bay leaves, called laurel bay, are more pungent, as well as more expensive.

Best for fall, winter, and spring.

Black pepper is pungent, heating, balances K and V, and is neutral to P, but unbalances P if taken in excess. It is a powerful digestive stimulant that relieves gas, neutralizes toxins, and burns up mucus. It has been used in food and ceremonies since Vedic times in India.