ABOUT 2,400 years ago, Hippocrates, regarded as the father of modern medicine, gave the following advice: “Let food be thy medicine” in the treatment of many illnesses.
But not just any kind of food, of course! There is food that is beneficial to our health and that which is not. Yet food is not given much importance in modern medical practice. Physicians have become so dependent on prescribing drugs to cure diseases that they do not bother to consider food as medicine.
Several years ago, I read a book written by Dr. Ray D. Strand with the long but arresting title, “What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Nutrition May Be Killing You.” In the book, Doctor Strand revealed the amazing results of his studies showing how the right kind of food and supplements can cure many common diseases that plague modern man. But, as expected, his findings and prescriptions were criticized, if not ignored by mainstream medical practitioners.
But slowly, nutritional or metabolic medicine is beginning to be accepted by a growing number of holistic physicians and health practitioners, including some progressive mainstream doctors.
It is interesting that many of the suggestions given by current holistic health practitioners are similar to those given by the American psychic and prophet Edgar Cayce, who died in 1945. During his lifetime, Cayce gave some 14,500 psychic readings while in a state of trance in response to questions by thousands of people on various topics, most of which consisted of medical or health problems. When he woke up from his trance state, he could not remember anything he had said.
Cayce’s large body of “readings” have been collected and classified by an organization he set up called the Association for Research and Enlightenment (ARE) based in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Food for health
What kind of food is good for our health, according to the readings? The advice varies from individual to individual because of differences in age, state of health and needs of the person concerned. But there were certain pieces of advice he gave which are common. This should not be taken, however, as good or effective for everybody.
In the morning Edgar Cayce advised to take “citrus fruit juices, combining oranges and lemon juice, grapefruit or pineapple; also coddled egg using only the yolk. Eat only whole wheat bread, never white bread.”
At noontime drink juices of vegetables combined with juices of meat (beef) but not the beef itself. Take “well balanced salad made of green vegetables combined with celery, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, radish, carrots with some oil dressing.”
In the evening, “Eat well cooked vegetables with only meats consisting of fowl and lamb. No fried meats or fried foods of any kind.”
Cayce advised against taking cereals and citrus fruits together at the same time but said they may be eaten separately.
Avoid fried food
He did not advocate a strictly vegetarian diet but emphasized that no red meat be eaten, nor anything fried, as said earlier. And if meat or fish is eaten it should be in very small quantities.
One should eat 80 percent alkaline-producing food and only 20 percent acid producing ones. Some alkaline forming food items are: artichokes, asparagus, beans, cabbage, carrots, celery, cauliflower, green peas, mushroom, okra, white onion, parsley, sweet potato, radish, sprouts, spinach, string beans, tomatoes and turnips.
Among the alkaline-forming fruits are apples (eaten alone), avocados, bananas, berries (except cranberry), cherries, dates, figs, grapes, guava, oranges, papaya, peaches, pears, pineapple, pomegranate, prunes and raisins.
Among the acid-forming food options are: fish (never fried), seafood of all kinds, bread, cereals, barley, corn, rice, wheat germ, crackers, pancakes, meats (never fried), beef (lean, well done), beef juice, lamb, chicken and turkey.
Avoid the following as much as possible: animal fats, raw apples, bananas (if you have arthritis), beer, candy, sugar, carbonated drinks, hard liquor, pastry and pork.
Red wine has been recommended as a blood and body builder. Coffee may be taken but without milk.
No to stress eating
Aside from eating the right kind of food, Edgar Cayce also emphasized the importance of attitudes and spiritual values. He advised against eating when one is angry or upset or under stress, or when very tired. A negative attitude will upset the assimilation of food and upset one’s stomach, according to him.
He also emphasized the beneficial effects of meditation on one’s health and wellbeing. He defined meditation as “emptying self of all that hinders the creative forces from rising along the natural channels of the physical man to be distributed through those centers and sources that create the activities of the physical, the mental and the spiritual man.” I think what he meant by these is that meditation distributes these forces through the different channels of energies called Chakras or psychic centers. If properly done, meditation, according to Cayce, makes one stronger mentally and physically.
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