Part 2 (1/2)

WHAT IS LIFE?.

”Where there is love there is life.”

-Mahatma Gandhi.

What is the most important ingredient in the human diet? Is it protein? Carbohydrates? Fat? Vitamins? Minerals? All of these components are essential, but I consider the most important element in human food to be life. Does cooking our foods add more life to our meals? Unfortunately, the opposite is true: cooking irreversibly destroys the life in our foods.

To ill.u.s.trate, let us compare two almond seeds (nuts). One seed is raw and one is roasted. To the eye, they look identical; and many nutritionists will claim that they have the same nutritional content. Yet let us put these two seeds in good fertile soil and wait. The one that is roasted will quickly rot, while the raw almond seed will not. The wise little raw kernel will manage to stay intact until springtime. When the waters from melted snow unlock the inhibitors, the almond seed will start to grow into a beautiful tree that will yield thousands more almonds every year. Nothing will ever grow out of the roasted seed.

Obviously, there is a big difference between the raw almond and the roasted one. This difference is as significant as the difference between life and death. Imagine that somewhere in your body, you need a certain nutrient. Would you want this nutrient to come from an almond that has no life in it, or from the one in which every cell is filled with life?

Every one of us is alive. We think we know a lot about life. Yet do we know exactly what life is? This question is more than just complicated: it is, indeed, unanswerable. That's right, to this day, a universal definition of ”life” has not been found. Most researchers generally accept that ”life is the characteristic state of organisms that exhibit the following common properties: they are cellular; they are carbon-and water-based with a complex organization; they have a metabolism; they have the capacity to grow; they respond to stimuli; they reproduce; they adapt through natural selection.

An ent.i.ty with the above properties is considered to be alive.”1 I trust that this definition is accurate according to the scientific point of view. However, to me, life is a lot more exciting than merely being an ent.i.ty that responds to stimuli and has the capacity to grow. Here is my personal perception of the meaning of the word ”life.”

How do I know that I am alive? It is not because I am moving, since cars are moving too, although they are not alive. It is not because I am breathing, as a vacuum cleaner ”breathes” also. It is not because I smile; there are smiling toys in every toy store. I believe that the question ”What is life?” is a mystical question, and that life cannot be measured by any scientific means.

I feel my own aliveness through the feelings that come from within me. I feel my own presence inside my body. I feel that I am the life in my body. I care for that life more than for my body itself because I won't care much for my own body after my life ends. I only value my body while my life is in it.

The second ”simple” question is, ”Where is life in my body?” Is it just in my head, or in my heart, or in my fingers, or in the parts that are moving? I feel that life is everywhere in my body, in every one of my 75 trillion tiny cells.

I can see life pouring from people's eyes. They say that eyes are the ”windows of the soul.” Why do we feel a certain discomfort when looking into another person's eyes? I can look into a doll's eyes and I won't feel any discomfort whatsoever. But when I look into a person's eyes, I definitely experience a sensation, which can sometimes be dramatic. I know that I can sense a lot with my eyes. For example, I can tell if a person is looking at me or not from a remote distance, such as the other side of a soccer field. Many times I have wondered, how am I able to tell? The pupils of the human eye are as tiny as letters in a book. While I cannot read a book from the other side of a soccer field, I can tell for sure if my friend is looking at me because I can feel the connection with this person through our eyes. Awareness of this magnificent power in me, called ”life,” fills me with joy and appreciation.

There is life in every single cell of the body and maybe even beyond the body. Once, my husband and I partic.i.p.ated in a health expo in Canada. Soon after our arrival we discovered the ”Advanced Photography” booth that offered pictures of whole-body electromagnetic fields taken with a special camera. Both Igor and I ordered these pictures. We were amazed to discover that our energy on those pictures appeared to be a lot bigger than our physical bodies, and it looked like an oval-shaped cloud. After spending two long, hardworking days at that expo, each one of us took a second picture from the same photographer. This time, we were disappointed because our energy clouds looked a lot smaller and were not evenly shaped. From that experience, I concluded that our life energy is constantly changing, depending on our actions and the conditions in which we live.

From biology, we know that inside plant cells, tiny organelles called ”mitochondria” break down carbohydrate and sugar molecules to provide energy. These organelles are alive and constantly at work, but only while the plant is alive, not after it is cooked. Therefore, consuming food that has life in it holds an immense benefit for humans. I have heard from many people that when they stopped eating cooked food, the very first change they noticed was a dramatic increase in their energy levels.

Wild animals intuitively prefer fresher, more alive foods. If given a choice, goats, rabbits, and horses will always choose green gra.s.s over hay. We can find numerous examples in nature of various creatures that sustain themselves by eating live food only. For example, a caterpillar from Maui feeds solely on live snails. Most spiders consume exclusively live flies and bugs and would never eat dead insects. If you have ever possessed a lizard as your pet, you know that lizards would rather die from hunger than eat a dead bug, even a freshly caught one. A cheetah eats only fresh meat, consuming just enough to satisfy its hunger.

Of course, there are some animals like vultures, flies, or other scavengers that eat rotten food, including dead meat. However, even those animals do not cook their food. They still get life from their meal but in a different form-as microorganisms. Their bodies have adjusted to digesting decaying food. These creatures usually have a particularly or extraordinarily high concentration of stomach acid capable of killing pathogenic bacteria.

Wild creatures that eat their natural foods rarely develop degenerative diseases. In contrast, it has become almost expected for domesticated animals to develop cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and other illnesses typical of humans who eat the standard American diet. A growing number of vets contend that processed pet food is the main cause of illness and premature death in the modern dog and cat. In December 1995, the British Journal of Small Animal Practice published a paper stating that processed pet food suppresses the immune system and damages the liver, kidneys, heart, and other organs. This research, initially conducted by Dr. Tom Lonsdale, was replicated by the Australian Veterinary a.s.sociation, and was proven to be valid.2 Dr. Gyorgy Kollath of the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm also headed a study of animals. When young animals were fed cooked and processed foods, they initially appeared to be healthy. However, as the animals reached adulthood, they began to age more quickly than normal and also developed chronic degenerative disease symptoms. Members of a control group of animals raised on raw foods aged less quickly and were free of degenerative disease. In nature, we see that wild animals eating entirely enzyme-rich raw foods are free of the degenerative diseases that afflict humans.3 I believe the time has come to finally recognize the most important ingredient in our food-life, this invisible yet precious quality-and its significance in the realm of health.

Chapter 6.

YOUR BODY NEVER.

MAKES MISTAKES.

”Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack. We give it orders which make no sense.”

-Henry Miller.

Wouldn't it be nice if every time your car broke down, it would fix itself? This sounds like a fantasy; however, this is just what your beautiful body can do! When you get a cut, the blood washes the dirt out and seals the wound; the skin begins to grow faster; and within a matter of days, you cannot find a trace of injury. If you ingest toxins, your body will develop diarrhea or vomiting to purge the unwanted substance as soon as possible. In the case of injury, our bodies know exactly how to repair themselves in the most efficient way.

Every living thing is dedicated to survival, to prolonging its life to the maximum. Each organism will do its best to adjust to any change in the environment in order to survive. This miracle has been called ”The Universal Law of Vital Adjustment.” This law has always existed, and it always will. We can see vast evidence of this law in every blade of gra.s.s striving to emerge through the concrete, in every rabbit changing the color of its fur with the seasons, and in every human being surviving in today's challenging and constantly changing world. It continues to amaze me how this Universal Law of Vital Adjustment applies to every one of us in many ways. When we understand this important law, we lose the fear that for some mysterious reason our bodies could become ill and that illness could kill us. Our bodies are dedicated to our survival, not our death. The disease-like conditions that our bodies develop, such as coughing, sneezing, fever, pain, and high blood pressure, are in actuality the body's effort to survive. Ironically, when the body heals after taking pills, it most likely heals not because of, but in spite of the medicine. I feel sad that such a serious misunderstanding exists even among many health professionals. I wish scientists would carry out more research on how to help the body heal itself, instead of merely treating its symptoms. By suppressing symptoms, we counteract the wise efforts of the intelligent human body.

According to The Universal Law of Vital Adjustment, our bodies adjust to changes in our environment, including harmful changes such as pollution, radiation, noise, lack of sunlight, etc. Similarly, the body adjusts to the consumption of harmful substances. It develops a new pattern that is actually the best way of coping with the situation. This pattern can quickly become a habit. That doesn't mean that your super-intelligent body is craving harmful substances, but rather that it has adjusted to the toxins. I find it amazing, even amusing, that the human body continues to survive in spite of the many damaging factors of modern life. They include smoking, taking drugs, and overeating harmful foods saturated with chemicals. More and more people spend significant parts of their lifetime indoors without fresh air or sunlight, nearly motionless, surrounded by high-voltage electromagnetic fields and radiation, breathing in all kinds of indoor pollution. They shower daily with fluoridated and chlorinated water, experience constant stress, etc., and on top of that, they adopt numerous smaller habits that may seem innocuous but are in fact additional stressors on the body, like wearing high heels and makeup, sleeping on soft beds, wearing dark gla.s.ses, drinking coffee, eating candy, and more. It took me many years to discover that various habits I was lovingly taught to struggle to acquire were actually harmful. In fact, I have changed so many commonly accepted habits that I can't discuss them all in my book, in part for fear of losing credibility. Yet those changes have made my body healthier and my life more joyous.

There is so much confusion in our lives today that we pay top money for workshops and seminars to learn how to do the simplest things that every animal knows naturally. The most popular cla.s.ses today are not ”Is There Life on Mars?” or ”How to Become a Millionaire” but those that teach fundamental behaviors, like how to eat, how to sleep, how to run properly, and how to relax. We seek teachers to learn how to stand straight, how to sit correctly, how to see without gla.s.ses, how to exercise, and how to spontaneously express emotions. We ask professionals for guidance on issues such as how much water to drink, how to breathe, even how to go to the bathroom. There was a time when we knew all these things naturally. I try to imagine what a natural human being looks like, and I cannot.

Every one of us is living with thousands of adjustments that our body has succ.u.mbed to in order for us to survive. We pay for each one of them with reduced quality of health and shortened life span. The way to better health lies in the unburdening of our organisms from having to adjust. However small, every effort towards natural living makes a positive difference. For example, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, sleeping with an open window at night, wearing clothes made from natural fibers, drinking pure water, exercising, getting sunlight regularly, not suppressing sneezing, yawning, or stretching, and reducing stress can all help. So can turning off electrical devices when not using them to rest from harmful electrical fields, reducing your use of soap and chemicals, buying organic produce, and thousands more small acts, including ”applying” a hammer to your microwave oven.

However, one should never introduce new changes into one's lifestyle simply because some authority recommends it. Always observe the reactions your body has to those changes. If you feel better, continue. For example, I used to have a habit of eating before bedtime. When I tried eating just two hours earlier, I immediately began to sleep more soundly. My body showed me that this was a good change, and I adopted this new habit. I realized that such little changes add a great deal of health and enjoyment to my life.

Sometimes our bodies have adjusted to harmful habits so deeply that it takes longer periods of time for the health benefits to surface once the habit is stopped or changed. For example, I used to like to sleep on a soft mattress. Then I read an article describing how healthy it is to sleep on a hard surface. I tried sleeping on the floor but had such an achy back the next morning that I immediately quit. Many years later, I went hiking in the Cascade Mountains and slept on the ground every night for one month. During the first week, I had an achy back. Then my sleep became so sweet, as never before in all my life. Since then I have slept on a hard surface. In addition, soft beds now make my back achy.

I encourage you to follow your own intuition, your own feeling, and your own experience. I do not want you to do anything because somebody who is considered an expert-including me-says so. We are each unique individuals with different bodily requirements. We need to be our own best expert.

Let's do an experiment. If you went to an organic fruit stand today and picked out one fruit, what would it be? A pear, apple, orange, fig, papaya, banana, grape, avocado, mango, or cherry? Do you think that everyone reading this book would pick the same fruit? Most likely not. We are all individuals. Your body knows what you need. Whatever fruit you choose, that is what your body is ordering from you today. Your job is to get your organism what it needs. Tomorrow you may want the same fruit or something new. Let your body lead.

Your body is always ready to act on your behalf. Let's imagine that a piece of dust is falling into your right eye. Which eye will blink? Your right eye, of course. Your left eye won't blink by mistake, because your body never makes mistakes. We have been created perfectly. When we underestimate the wisdom of nature and stop listening to the messages our bodies give us, we get into trouble. Let us take, for example, fever. I trust that if my body has created a fever, then I need a fever. Researchers believe that turning up the heat is the body's way of fighting the pathogens that cause infection by making the body a less comfortable place for them. What is the standard response to fever in our culture? Aspirin. Are we aspirin-deficient? Why do we take aspirin? Aspirin blocks important enzyme activities and can cause gastrointestinal bleeding.1 Our bodies don't expect this kind of cruelty from us, but they keep fighting for our survival no matter what we do. After we take aspirin, the body immediately re-directs its efforts from the healing process to the removal of aspirin from the organism, because the human body always works on the greater threat first. In the case of taking aspirin, the body is compelled to work especially hard and often becomes so weak that even maintaining a normal body temperature becomes a challenge.

To add insult to injury, when our energy is already low we cla.s.sically attempt to eat heavy foods, such as chicken soup. However, it's usually the case that when we get ill, we lose our appet.i.te. Our body's message to us is ”Don't eat!” And yet we think we need to eat ”to have more energy.” I used to feed chicken soup to my children when they had a fever. Most of the time they were unable to keep this food down. In response to eating during this ”don't eat” stage, a healthy organism attempts to evacuate food from the stomach by throwing up, in order to utilize the maximum amount of energy for healing. Digesting heavy food would severely deplete energy resources that are essential for healing. Cooperating with the body is always the shortest path towards becoming well. Instead of suppressing the fever, we need to help our body conserve energy through eating lighter and resting.

Another example of a useful (if unpleasant) symptom is diarrhea. According to the health research,2 diarrhea is the body's defense mechanism to minimize contact time between gut pathogens or ingested toxins and intestinal mucosa.

As I write these lines, I become fascinated with the fact that I used to have symptoms such as diarrhea and fever regularly. But since I've adopted a more natural lifestyle, I haven't been sick for many years now. Taking medications to stop fever, diarrhea, or other symptoms works against the wisdom of the body. The body never makes mistakes. If we listen carefully to our bodies, we can all know what we need to do to feel better.

I would like to share with you a story that ill.u.s.trates how I first began to listen to my body. Some years ago, when my family had been on raw food for only two months, my children began craving different fruits. Sergei asked for mangoes and blueberries, and Valya asked for olives, grapefruits, and figs. When I gave Sergei a mango, he ate it right away and immediately wanted another. As a result, I bought him a whole flat of mangoes, thinking it would last him a week. He ate the entire flat in one day, peels and all. He then said, ”I wish there were more mangoes!” The same thing happened with blueberries. I bought him a two-pound bag of blueberries, and he ate it in one sitting.

Valya liked figs. She'd ask for fresh figs, dry figs, black figs, or green figs. She could never have enough figs; she also liked eating olives and grapefruits.

That summer, we visited Dr. Bernard Jensen, a world-famous clinical nutritionist. I asked Dr. Jensen what Sergei needed to eat to help him recover from diabetes. Dr. Jensen looked in his books and told me that the best things for Sergei to eat would be mangoes and blueberries. I was shocked. I then asked him what Valya needed to eat to help her asthma. He said, ”Figs, olives, and grapefruits.” I couldn't believe his words. I said, ”That's exactly what my children have been asking for!” Dr. Jensen then asked me what my cravings were. I told him that I didn't know because I always ate what was on sale.

Dr. Jensen helped me to understand that our bodies naturally crave foods that aid healing. My children's bodies communicated with them sooner than my poor confused adult body did. My husband and I started to pay more attention to what our bodies were telling us, and within several weeks, we became aware of our own cravings.

Today, everyone in my family eats slightly differently, even when sitting at the same table. I know that when we develop an appet.i.te for certain healthy things (not coffee and doughnuts), it is our bodies asking for particular nutrients.

The human body is more beautiful and wise than we can comprehend. Just remember, your body never makes mistakes.

Chapter 7.

WHAT THE FIRST.