As I am sitting here typing, I am having pretty strong bowel cramps. Yeah for me!! I am happy to know that my bowels are working and trying to keep me healthy and strong. Do you want to know what I ate that is giving me cramps? Raw Kim Chee!! To be honest, I am not surprised. I had forgotten the reaction that I have had in the past when eating it but I soon remembered as soon as the discomfort started.

I somewhat swore off all fermented foods when I started this diet change about a year ago. I found that they tended to give me gas and discomfort that didn’t sit well with me. I understand now that anytime we are having bloating, gas or cramping, our bodies are telling us that what we ate is not digesting well and to really tune in to what we might be needing to change.

Fermented foods actually create gas during the fermentation process because of the excess carbon dioxide production. I used to eat quite a bit of fermented foods. Heck, I used to teach classes on how to ferment your own foods. There was a time when I have 12 batches of Kombucha tea brewing at the same time, along with my sauerkraut and keifer. I am not saying that I am against fermented foods. I have just found that, for me, I can no longer tolerate to ingest them. I learned that in order to keep foods from going bad during the fermenting process, you have to add TONS of salt. Salt actually slows down the production of enzymes since enzymes are what break our foods down. I have recently learned salt is a antibiotic, which anti meaning against and biotic meaning life. The final conclusion, salt would be anti life. I do not agree that salt is anti life when eaten in it’s own natural state which would be eating it in the form of seaweeds. I do believe that seaweeds are some of the MOST beneficial foods for us.

Here is a quote on the health benefits of seaweed. It is from a book by Russ Horne. Please forgive me but the source from which I received this information did not state which book of his it was written in. You can find his books on the 2 websites I have listed below.
from Russ Horne’s book:

Voisin emphasised that administering mineral salts to experimental animals led to wrong conclusions being formed because the only way the body can properly assimilate minerals is in organic form, having been first taken up from the soil and changed to a colloid form by the plant used as food.

That the content of various minerals in a plant can vary enormously depending on the soil, the water content of the soil, the weather and so on means that the best way to obtain your minerals is from a variety of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. A part from vitamins and other nutrients in raw fruit and vegetables–preferably organically grown–the abundance of organic minerals they contain explains why patients with cancer respond so well when restricted to these foods.

That the mineral content of seawater is practically the same as blood is significant, and it is a fact, according to Dr Maynard Murray, that seawater contains all the trace minerals needed by humans. Dr Murray demonstrated forcefully that animals fed on his crops fertilized sparingly with diluted seawater exhibited superior growth and health compared to other animals.

This is described in Dr Murray’s book Sea Energy Agriculture (see Chaptere 8). Said Dr Murray:
“The disease resistance of plants and animals in the sea is remarkably different from disease resistance in land animals and comparisons between animals of the same or similar species are most interesting. For example, fresh-water trout all develop terminal cancer of the liver at the average age of 5-1/2 years; cancer has never been found in sea trout. It is also known that all land animals develop arterio sclerosis, yet sea animals have never been diagnosed as arteriosclerotic. Investigators have also established the startling absence of disease in the sea, citing not only the absence of ‘chronic’ disease forms, but especially the general vigorous health of sea animals that has apparently lengthened life many times in comparison to similar land species. These longevity differences are especially evident in such sea mammals as whales, seals and porpoises who have identical physiological systems with the majority of land animals important to man. And the major differences between sea and land life appear to be attributable to the superior food chain of the sea!”

Dr Murray’s many experiments with all kinds of crops and animals all showed dramatic benefits from sea minerals. For instance:
“Started feeding mice both experimental and control food that was raised on the Ray Heine and Sons Farm. The experimental food had been raised on soil fertilized with 2200 pounds (per acre) complete sea solids. The control food was the same as the experimental with the exception that it was not fertilized with complete sea solids. The food consisted of a combination of one part soybean, two parts oats, four parts corn, balanced food proteins, carbohydrates and fats for mammals.

C3H mice were obtained for this feeding experiment. This strain of mice has been bred so all the females develop breast cancer which causes their demise. The mice were two months of age when received and started on the feeding experiments. The life expectancy of this strain for females is no more than nine months which included the production of two or three litters. The experimental and control groups both consisted of 200 C3H mice and those fed on control food were all dead within eight months seven days. The experimental mice that were fed food grown on the sea solids fertilized soil lived until they were sacrificed at 16 months; definitive examination revealed no cancerous tissue. The experimental group produced ten litters compared to the usual two to three litters and none developed breast cancer.

In the next experiments, twenty-four rabbits were obtained. Twelve were designated experimental and fed on food grown on sea solids while the remaining twelve were labelled control and fed accordingly. All of the rabbits were given a high cholesterol diet for six months which produces hardening of the arteries. The control group did develop hardening of the arteries and all had died within ten months. The experimental group did not exhibit hardening of the arteries.”

Another way people can obtain all the colloidal minerals they need is from fresh seawater taken about a teaspoon a day. Health from the Sea and Soil, by Charles B. Ahlson (Exposition Press, NY, 1962), described the remarkable health improvements by people with different ailments gained simply by taking fresh seawater. It is important that the seawater is fresh and unheated, because once heated the minerals lose their colloidal status necessary for the body to properly utilize them.

Fresh kelp and even dehydrated kelp is a good source of minerals from the sea and it is becoming common practice for farmers desiring the best crops while at the same time avoiding poisonous spraying to fertilize them with fertilizers derived from sea kelp.

And finally, on the subject of seawater minerals is a recent item from the Queensland Fruit and Vegetable News:
“There may be hope for Australian deserts if recent Israeli research is any indication.
Today thirsty plants are not only drinking but thriving on seawater at an experimental farm near the town of Ashkelon on the Mediterranean Sea.

Dr Dov Pasternak from the Boyko Institute at Ben Gurion University, is overseeing the project which is studying 150 species of plants irrigated by sea water.

The research into seawater for irrigation is directly related to the successful efforts of Dr Samuel Mendlinger, also from the Boyko Institute, to produce a special strain of sweet, high quality autumn melon grown on brackish water using drip and sprinkler irrigation.

Among other fruits and vegetables being successfully irrigated by saline water from underground aquifers are asparagus, broccoli, sorghum, olives, peas, and pomegranates.

Agricultural production in 14 southern Israel settlements is now based on underground saline water, and instead of costly desalination Israelis are taking advantage of Nature’s abundance, learning to harness sea and sub-soil water to grow crops.”

I have purchased a few lessons from The Life Science Health System that was created by T.C. Fry years ago. Here and Here are a couple of links to some free books and articles that you can download from the internet that are written by T.C. Fry and other like minded people. Now, mind you, I do NOT agree with all the info that the Natural Hygienists preach but do feel they teach some truths that if applied can help to move each of us to better health. I have found that the more I follow the principles of proper food combining, monoeating, and staying as close to nature in my eating habits as I possibly can, I feel the best and DO NOT have the bowel cramping. Big surprise! It is only when I stray from these new ideas that I find my body is letting me know that something may not be working for me.

I am going to post the info about salt from the lessons I have read. I do still eat salt but…I take LONG breaks from eating it. I did believe at one point that I was going to cut out salt and NEVER eat it again. I found that in the world we live in, it was VERY hard for me to apply. What I do now, is when I am home, I refrain from eating salt, 95% of the time. When I am out or traveling, I am not so much a stickler about it. Life is meant to be FUN and with where I am with food, at times, is still part of the bonding with others. I believe in loving others in the ways they want to be loved and “breaking bread” with them is what they might need to feel that love.

There is LOTS of controversial information out there on SO MANY different subjects. Here is some of the info I have read over the past year that through experimentation, I have found to be true for me.

“The most common defense for salt is, that the body has certain sodium and chlorine mineral needs that the sodium chloride (table salt) crystals are thought to fulfill. Sodium is used by the body to maintain a water balance, to integrate nervous functioning and to aid in the formation of digestive juices. Chlorine helps sustain normal heart activity, plays an important role in the body’s acid-alkaline balance and aids digestion and elimination.

Salt (sodium chloride) cannot be used by the body to meet any of these mineral requirements. Salt is an inorganic mineral that cannot be metabolized by the body. Salt enters the body as sodium chloride, it circulates in the body as sodium chloride, and it leaves the body as sodium chloride. At no point is it broken down into sodium and chlorine and used by the body. Sodium chloride is a very strong and stable molecule, It cannot be broken down in the digestive tract or by the liver. The body cannot use the bonded sodium chloride molecule in any way. The body can use organic sodium and organic chlorine as found in living food (vegetables, fruits, etc.), but it can never use the inorganic sodium chloride compound.

So, if the body cannot break salt down, if it cannot use it in any way, if it only must be eliminated from the body in the same form as which it entered the body, then how can salt be termed “necessary” for life?
Moreover, salt eating has only been around for the last few thousand years of man’s millions of years of existence. Primitive man did not eat salt. The American Indians never used salt until the white man introduced it. Many cultures today have never seen a salt shaker. Thousands of Hygienists and health-minded people in this country eat not one speck of salt.
Can you still believe that salt is essential for life?”

Pretty interesting, eh? My bowels are now doing their work to eliminate as quickly as possible it’s contents to prevent complete absorption of what it saw as a poison. My body is also not used to the cayenne pepper and other spices that were in the Kim Chee. As I have experimented on my body, I have found that slowing my consumption of too many spices has been beneficial to my overall health.

I LOVE how each of us can learn to REALLY listen to our own inner knowing. There was a time when I felt I truly needed LOTS of spices, fermented foods, supplements and so on. And I truly believe there is a time and a season for all things to relearn how to truly be happy and find peace with ourselves, God, and the universe. It states in the King James version of the Bible in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

I do LOVE these verses! I feel this is important for me to remember as I form my ideas about myself and life as a whole. I believe these verses help me stay balanced, open to change and new discovery and growth. When I decide to close down and not apply new concepts that might aid in my learning, I am closing a door to some form of understanding at that moment that I may need to know.

WOW! I am always surprised what I come up with when I am posting. I find that I sit down with some ideas of what I am going to write but I have yet to stick with it. So much for expectations! I am trying to lessen my anyway. What a GREAT learning experience for me!! I would like to mention one more prayer of gratitude for Chamomile tea! I am already feeling the calming effects of this WONDERFUL herb. Thank you Mother Earth!

We should be out of town until Monday night. We flew an overnighter last night. I slept about an hour on the plane that left at 11:30 pm. I was VERY grateful for the overnighters at the births I had been too. I think this helped me deal with the lack of sleep much better. When we finally arrived at our designation, we found a hotel room and took a VERY long and VERY needed nap. So…I didn’t actually eat anything until 4 o’ clock today.

Here is what I ate today.

Thursday, June 21st:
2 small cantaloupes
1 cup fresh blueberries
3 bananas with strawberries
3 cups raw seaweed salad with dulse and Kim Chee

I have to admit that I LOVED every bite of my salad but feel blessed to learn, yet again, what works for me right now and what doesn’t. And to find that my listening to my body is the BEST way to LOVE it and show appreciation for all it does for me!!

Hopefully, tomorrow I will have pictures to go along with my post. I have actually been taking them since we left. Now I just need to buy the little cord that makes it so I can post them. Oh, and I will tell you a REALLY funny story of how “out of this world” I really am. Check back for that one. You really won’t want to miss it.

Abundant peace to you all,
Rachel