The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition

food and nutrition 57

with antibiotics, fed on hormones and
synthetic proteins, and were even, until
recently, fed dead animals as a
“recycling” policy, making them toxic
to our bodies and especially to our
livers. Beef contains high quantities of
creatine, a member of the family of
chemicals that includes caffeine and
theine, which are heart and kidney
stimulants. Pork is very high in fat
(67.4 percent on average) and very low
in protein (only 9.4 percent). All meat
putrefi es in the intestine and strips
calcium from the body. If you wish to
eat meat, then strive to fi nd organic
suppliers and avoid eating huge quantities, putting slivers rather than big
chunks on your plate, more in keeping with our sedentary lives. Always
cook meat with herbs like oregano and thyme to reduce parasites and
microbes in general.
A four-ounce portion of red meat typically contains 100 mg of
cholesterol, even after it has been skinned. The excessive fats found in
meat raise cholesterol and uric acid levels in the tissues and interfere with
the proper metabolism of carbohydrates. They encourage diabetes and
dull the brain by causing clogging of capillaries, reducing the amount of
available oxygen. Some cultures balance their meat consumption by
mixing lean meat with grains, seeds, and vegetables. Meat, being a heavy
protein, requires maximum digestive abilities and, if the body is too sick
or undernourished to do this, toxicity and further sickness will result.
Genetically engineered meat may become more prevalent. These
genetic creations are believed to be the future of meat, with extra meat
and less fat being the goal; but some unpleasant side effects have been
observed. I fi nd it wholly frightening. It is not natural selection and runs
contrary to principles of biodiversity.
If you want to move from meat eating to vegetarianism or veganism,
take it very slowly over a period of a year or more to give your body time
to adjust. It is also important to make sure you know where to gain
adequate vegetable protein, which is vital for growing bodies. Organic
meat is certainly an option, but ensure that the machinery used in the
slaughterhouses has been thoroughly washed and sterilized to prevent the
risk of cross-infection, which according to meat inspectors is prevalent.

57 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition

The whole grain

Endosperm

(white bread)

Bran

Germ