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What are the basic principles of right living, to ensure the best health you can have with the limitations imposed by the body you have?
Here are 120 principles of healthful living. Many more could be mentioned:
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH
1 - Regularity in meals. Do not eat them early or late, but maintain a regular schedule. Your stomach is used to eating at certain times each day.
2 - Moderation. Only eat as much as you need. Never overeat. Only eat to satisfy hunger, and then stop.
3 - Take small bites. Only put a small amount in your mouth at a time. You will chew and salivate it better, and tend to eat less at that meal.
4 - Relax and eat slowly. If you are too rushed to eat, then do not eat. Do not be hurried, anxious, worried, fatigued, or angry.
5 - Chew your food well. You will derive far more energy out of less food, if you do this.
6 - Do not eat too many things at a meal. Three or four items (plus a little salt, oil, etc.) are all you need.
7 - Avoid complicated mixtures. Say no to the gravies, vegetable loaves, gluten foods, and all the rest. Keep your meal simple.
8 - Avoid peculiar additives, such as vinegar, monosodium glutamate, etc., which only upset your stomach and slow digestion.
9 - Vary your diet from meal to meal. If you ate oatmeal this morning, try rye or wheat tomorrow.
10 - The food should be palatable. But if it is good food, this should not be hard to do.
11 - Never eat anything prepared in aluminum. Never drink water or juice out of an aluminum container. Alzheimer's is worth avoiding.
12 - Aside from fresh, raw, juices or the green drink, drink all your liquids (water) between meals, not with your meals.
13 - As a rule, eat your fruits at one meal and vegetables at another. Acid fruits (such as citrus) can be eaten with either.
14 - Greens have more compacted vitamins and minerals than other type of food. They only lack vitamin D, which the body can get from sunlight. But they do not have adequate amounts of trace minerals.
15 - Nova Scotia dulse and Norwegian kelp (two types of seaweed) are the only rich source of trace minerals.
16 - Blackstrap molasses is the only very rich source of iron. It is also a very rich source of choline and inositol, the two B vitamins used in the largest quantities.
17 - The best pattern is to rest before the meal, and walk around after it, not vice versa.
FRUITS
1 - The more natural, the better. Raw fruits and vegetables are better than cooked ones, although some find that a little cooking is necessary. Store-bought canned goods are even less nutritious.
2 - Wash the fruit before eating it.
3 - Do not eat melons, cantaloupes, and watermelons with other foods; eat them alone.
4 - Always soak dried fruit (prunes, apricots, etc.) before eating them.
5 - Never eat sulphured fruit. It may be golden in color, but the sulphur is not good inside of you.
VEGETABLES
1 - The best is fresh, raw, vegetable juice, made from carrots, with some beets, and possibly some celery. This is made in a vegetable juicing machine. It is one of the most valuable appliances you can purchase. Use it every day. The juice is best drunk fresh, within a couple minutes of making it. But, when you know you will be away from home that day, make it in the morning and drink it later as part of a sack lunch.
2 - Also good is the "green drink." This is pineapple juice with some greens whizzed in and is made in a food blender.
3 - Some people's digestive systems cannot tolerate a diet of totally raw vegetables. Each must do that which works best for him.
4 - Eat largely of raw vegetables, with possibly some steamed. A good way to cook vegetables is to keep records on the amount of water used and the time it takes to cook the vegetables, so all the water is gone. For example, broccoli can be lightly cooked for 15 minutes or softer in 30. Find how much water is required to do this, and only have a very small amount of water left in the pan at the end of that time.
5 - Never pour off the vegetable water! Make it part of the meal. For this reason, prepare the food so that very little of the water remains (not over an eighth of a cup) when the cooking is finished. Then drink that water during the meal. Other than the cooking water and a glass of fresh juice, drink no other liquids with the meal.
6 - Beets, potatoes, and squash are excellent foods. Cut out the growing eyes of the white potatoes, but otherwise do not peel them! The outer half inch of the white potato is rich in potassium and is the best part.
7 - All the greens are outstanding, but avoid too much spinach; it is higher in oxalic acid. Enjoy broccoli, Brussel sprouts, celery, kale, collards, beet greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, and some lettuce. The deeper the greenness, the more vitamins and minerals it has. (By the way, never eat rhubarb; it is terribly high in oxalic acid which leaches calcium from your bones.)
8 - Fiber is very important in the diet, for the bowels and the arteries. It can protect you from intestinal problems and heart disease. Oat bran is the best, but whole grains and other vegetable and fruit roughage is very helpful.
GRAINS
1 - Only eat whole grains. This includes whole-grain cereals and breads. Never eat processed grains, such as white-flour products.
2 - If you can eat wheat (many cannot), make zwieback of your bread. Place the slices in the oven and toast them until firm, but not rock-hard. This dextrinizes the starch and renders it more digestible.
3 - Avoid toasted wheat germ, for the oils in it will be rancid. Raw wheat germ should be stored in the refrigerator at the health food store and in your own refrigerator, when you arrive home. It should smell very fresh.
4 - Oats is one of the best grains. Rye, millet, and buckwheat are also. If you are out on the road and want to have a grain with you which is easily obtained, can be eaten as it is, and is very nourishing, eat Cheerios. Make sure it was recently purchased. Many people are allergic to wheat and products made with wheat.
5 - You are better off having a varied grain diet rather than just rice. Yet rice is a very good food. Make sure it is unpolished (brown rice).
6 - Chew each bite of grain products very well before swallowing. Digestion of starches begins in the mouth.
NUTS AND SEEDS
1 - The nuts and seeds you eat should be fresh. Rancid oil and decaying protein are not good for you.
2 - Nuts, seeds, nut butters, seed butters, and peanut butter are very rich in protein and should only be eaten sparingly. Chew these foods very well. This breaks the food down so the amino acids will be better processed by the stomach acid.
3 - Most commercial peanut butter has the peanut oil removed, and cheap oils in its place. These oils are generally hydrogenated, and thus even more dangerous. Never use peanut butter which does not have floating oil on the top and does not smell fresh.
FATS
According to your body's needs, use little or no added oil. But you do need vitamin F (the essential unsaturated fatty acids). The best sources are flaxseed oil and wheat germ oil; second-best are sunflower seed oil, soy oil, and corn oil. Never use cottonseed oil. Safflower oil is not as good as some believe.
SWEETENING
1 - For your sweetening, only use fresh fruit, dried fruit, a little honey, or blackstrap molasses.
2 - If you want the best, eat a small amount of blackstrap at the end of your meal. It will fill your sweet tooth, is the richest natural source of iron, and one of the richest in calcium and several important B vitamins.
OTHER NUTRIENTS
1 - Salt. Some say that all the salt you need is in the food, but that may or may not be true. You may need to add a little salt, but do not add very much. The best way is to put no salt in the cooking; then add a slight amount of salt to the food at the table. Pour a little into the palm of your hand and sprinkle it where you want it. In this way you will get the exact small amount you need, and no more.
2 - The type of salt to use: Regular store-bought, free-flowing salt has aluminum in it. If you cannot do better, buy iodized salt at the store (never non-iodized). Better yet, buy a non-free-flowing salt. It will cake somewhat (salt attracts moisture). Even better, use dulse or kelp!
3 - Nova Scotia dulse comes from western Canada. By checking around, you can locate a food source. This is an outstanding source of trace minerals—including iodine, as well as of common salt (sodium chloride). Eat only enough to satisfy your salt intake needs,—and you will have supplied all your iodine and trace mineral requirements as well. Norwegian kelp is an alternate. California kelp is not as good.
4 - Certain kitchen herbs are helpful; and, when used in small amounts, they can be used to flavor foods. This would include sage, dill, garlic powder, dried parsley, thyme, fennel seed, celery seed, oregano, marjoram, summer savory, basil, rosemary, and ginger.
5 - Cayenne is a very useful medicinal herb; but, if used more than a very little at mealtime, this can lead to pleurisy.
VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Here is a brief introduction to principles concerning the use of vitamins and minerals.
1 - Always take a full vitamin/mineral supplement with every main meal. Buy them from a source you are sure is supplying you with new stock, that has not been on a room temperature shelf for a month or two. Keep the bottle in the refrigerator until it is used.
2 - Vitamin A: Unless you are ill and need it right away, use a carotene source, not vitamin A. Because it is an oil-soluble vitamin, over a period of time, you can get too much vitamin A.
3 - Vitamin B complex: The complete B complex contains a dozen or so different, related, vitamins. Make sure you are getting them all in your supplement(s). These are water soluble, so you can never get too much of them.
4 - Vitamin C: Ascorbic acid by itself is not as useful as many believe. Take a "total C" formula, which also contains bioflavonoids (vitamin P). You will pay a little more, but it is worth it. It is also water soluble, so you cannot take too much. (If you oversaturate on C, the excess will be excreted through the bowels as a brief diarrhea. This will tell you that, just then, you have taken a little more than your body needs. This is what it means to take vitamin C "to bowel tolerance.")
5 - Vitamin D: Do not take animal or fish liver oil; it can damage your heart muscle. Instead, go out in the sunlight every so often and you will get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D is oil soluble and is the most dangerous vitamin. It is vital that you have some of this for your bones, but you do not want too much.
6 - Vitamin E: Make sure your vitamin E supplement says "tocopherols," not "tocopheryls" which is synthetic and worthless. Do not rely on a multivitamin supplement for vitamin E. Take vitamin E capsules, either 200 or 400 IU per capsule. Although it is oil soluble, the possibility of overdosing is rare in the extreme.
7 - Vitamin F: This is your essential fatty acids, which is best obtained from the flaxseed oil or wheat germ oil, mentioned earlier.
8 - The most important minerals are calcium, potassium, magnesium, iodine, zinc, selenium, and manganese. Avoid phosphorus supplements. Your body always gets all the phosphorus it needs in the food you eat; too much locks with calcium and causes your bones to become weak.
9 - Most people need a calcium supplement. Take half a spoonful of powdered calcium twice or three times a day. Do not use a calcium supplement which has phosphorus in it.
10 - Be careful about iron supplements. They are generally not good for you. Especially avoid them during pregnancy! Use blackstrap instead.
11 - What about the capsules? They are made from animals from the slaughterhouse, generally pigs. If it is a split capsule, open and pour it into a spoon. If it is a sealed capsule, crack it in your mouth and spit out the capsule.
SUMMARY
In summary, some of the best foods for you to eat are these:
1 - Fresh, raw, fruits. You may also wish to make some fresh, raw fruit juice.
2 - Fresh, raw, vegetables and, possibly, some moderately cooked vegetables prepared in a small amount of water, all of which will be used in the meal.
3 - Fresh, raw, vegetable juices made from carrots, beets, and possibly some celery. This drink is outstanding! Green drink (pineapple juice and greens) made in a blender is also good.
4 - Beets, potatoes, and squash are excellent foods. Do not peel white potatoes.
5 - Whole grain cereals or bread toasted in the oven into zwieback. Chew starches extra well.
6 - Add some supplemental fiber to your diet. You will be thankful later that you did. Fiber will help your digestive tract, colon, liver, heart, and blood vessels.
7 - A few fresh nuts and seeds, chewed extra well. Brewer's yeast is another good protein source; so are beans. White potatoes are low in protein, but they are very well-assimilated.
8 - A good vitamin/mineral supplement, vitamin E capsules, calcium, plus other nutrients as needed. Each person will have special needs.
9 - Eat some kelp or dulse each day for iodine and other trace minerals. You do well to use it instead of salt.
10 - Drink pure water, and only between meals.
11 - Should you use milk and/or eggs? Each one will have to decide that for himself. Both are known to frequently be contaminated with disease germs. Yet some need the blood-building properties in these products. It is well-known that more people are allergic to cow's milk or wheat than anything else. It is best if you can work away from using them.
12 - Do not eat very much. Be relaxed and thankful, chew your food well; and, aside from the fresh juices or green drink, drink all your liquids (water) between meals.
THINGS TO AVOID
"Avoid" means do not use at all.
1 - Avoid sugar and sugar foods. This is food which has added corn syrup, glucose, or other sugar additives in it. Many canned and processed foods are sugar foods. Do not eat candy.
2 - Do not use white sugar, granulated sugar, or brown sugar.
3 - Avoid spices and condiments which cause stomach upset and worse. This would include black pepper, white pepper, cinnamon, and mustard.
4 - Avoid grease. Grease remains firm at room temperature, and includes Crisco, butter, margarine, and all meat fat.
5 - Avoid hydrogenated oils. An atom of hydrogen has been added to them; so, like grease, they can only be used to coat your arteries and produce fat cells.
6 - Do not use fried foods. Anything fried in oil should be avoided. Your life is too important.
7 - Avoid rich gravies, pastries, ice cream, and all the other delicacies.
8 - Avoid white-flour products: cookies, biscuits, sour bread, bagels, doughnuts, soda crackers, etc. Avoid the glue foods. Along with cheese, these are the sticky, white-flour stuff which is hard on your intestinal tract
9 - Avoid processed foods. This includes a wide variety of "food" which you will find in the store.
10 - Do not eat cheese. In order to normalize your intestinal flora, you may need a little plain yogurt for a time.
11 - Do not eat baker's yeast. This is fresh bread yeast. (Brewer's yeast and torula yeast is all right.)
12 - Avoid junk food and no-food. This includes soft drinks, cola drinks, potato chips, corn chips, and all the rest. Do not drink non-caffeinated soft drinks.
13 - Do not eat vinegar or foods made with it (pickles and mayonnaise).
14 - Never eat meat or fish! They are heavily contaminated with bacteria, parasites, dangerous fat, and uric acid (urine). As soon as they are slain, the flesh begins rotting.
15 - Avoid the food additives. You will find them listed on the labels of most all processed foods at the store. They lead to arthritic, cardiac, and cancer problems.
16 - Many people are allergic to cow's milk; you may be one of them. Every public health officer knows that meat and milk are the two most contaminated and diseased foods in the country. Eggs rank close behind them. It is best to avoid them also.
17 - Do not use caffeine products. This includes chocolate, coffee, China tea (also called black tea), and caffeinated drinks, such as Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola.
18 - Do not use nicotine products. Tobacco is responsible for an astonishing number of deaths in our world today. Avoid side smoke; do not be in rooms where people are smoking. Chewing snuff causes cancer of the mouth and throat.
19 - Do not drink spiritous liquors: beer, wine, whiskey, or vodka.
20 - Do not use hard (street) drugs.
21 - Avoid medicinal drugs, to whatever extent that you can. Careful living and eating will generally help you avoid having to take them.
22 - Find the foods and other substances you are allergic to, and avoid them. The most common allergenic foods are cow's milk and wheat products.
NON-DIETETIC FACTORS
1 - Obtain fresh air during the day and while sleeping at night. A slight current of air should pass through your sleeping room at night. When you have the opportunity to go outside, breathe deeply of the fresh air. Practice good posture at certain times. Negative ions are important for good health, and they are primarily outside the house.
2 - Sunlight is important. Get a little every day. There is a higher rate of breast cancer in localities where there is less sunlight.
3 - Exercise is important; and, as everybody says, walking outside is the best way to get it. If you are going to do vigorous exercise, warm up first. Do some vigorous walking every day.
4 - Rest is of vital consequence. As you grow older, try to rest a little before preparing the meal. Then, when the meal is over, go outside and walk around a little.
5 - Do not do heavy reading or study just before bedtime, or your brain will be congested and it will be harder to go to sleep. Instead, go outside and walk around in the cool night air, breathing deeply. You will more easily drop right off to sleep.
6 - Maintain a cheerful, sunny, thankful, contented attitude. This is a powerful health-building recipe.
7 - Trust in God; He is the only One who can help you through the problems and trials of life.
8 - You need periods of rest and relaxation every so often. Purposive living, when the objective is to help others, is powerful for good—and excellent for your health. But do not overwork.
9 - Cleanliness is important. Keep your yard clean, your house clean, your clothes clean, and your body clean. Wash the outside with water (take a shower every day), and wash the inside by drinking enough liquids. At certain times, take an enema or colonic when needed, especially when you are sick. Showers are generally better than tub baths; they are quicker and more sanitary.
10 - Do not wear belts, corsets, garters. The clothes should be supported from the shoulders, not at the waist. Men should wear suspenders as part of the way to avoid later prostate problems.
11 - The right exercise of the will is crucial. You are well, you become well, you resist disease, you choose not the wrong, and choose to do the right—through the power of the will, strengthened by firm reliance on God and obedience to His Written Word.
12 - As much as possible, live on a scheduled routine. In this way, you will get your meals, water, rest, exercise, and fresh air. You will have time to eat, to think, and make right decisions. Maintaining regular hours is a great benefit to health. Avoid staying up late at night! Use your will and go to bed when you are supposed to.
13 - Avoid chilling or overheating. Avoid drafts. The danger is in chilling or overheating the blood; either can cause trouble. Dress properly; keep the limbs covered. They should be as warm as the trunk.
14 - Fast occasionally. Skip a meal and just drink fruit or vegetable juice instead. If you are in good health, you can carry on your work on a lighter load till the next meal. If you are frail, go to bed and rest. This will do you wonders in rebuilding and strengthening your body, so you will avoid later development of chronic and degenerative diseases.
15 - Keep your blood circulation equalized. Do not chill the extremities. Do not overeat or eat wrong foods. Maintain moderate exercise. Do what it takes to live right, and you will be richly rewarded.
16 - Avoid anger, fear, worry, and enervation. An excellent way to ruin yourself is by indulging in excess sex or forbidden sex. Happiness comes through self-control, not indulgence.
17 - Never overdo your immune system. It protects you, only as you do not make it work too hard in the process.
18 - Do not overwork one body part more than the others. Many occupational injuries occur because this rule is violated. Take time to rest, when you are not busily working. Look a little closer at athletes, boxers, and karate experts. They are usually physically damaged in their joints by the time they are 50. This is not necessary. Live well by living moderately. Too much food, too much work, and too much relaxation can each be a problem. Learn to balance it all.
19 - Have a careful attitude. Avoid falls, blows, hazards, and dangerous activities. More quadriplegia occurs from diving into shallow water than any other single cause. Get extra rest when you work near sick people.
20 - Learn the distant early warning signs. What are the first indications that you are headed toward sickness? Find out what they are—for yourself, your loved ones, and your children. When you see trouble coming, get extra rest; retire earlier. Skip a meal or two, go to bed and fast on water and lemon juice.
21 - Automobiles are one of the most dangerous things in Western civilization. Treat them with care; avoid them as much as you can. Aside from gluttony, tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, they can maim or kill you faster than most anything in your environment. If you are trying to live healthfully, they are your primary danger of crippling or premature death. Drive carefully, always a distance from the car in front of you. Also be watchful of any situation in which cars are turning in or out. Twilight times, evenings, and night are the most dangerous.
22 - When able to do so, avoid jet lag and traveling in foreign countries. They have different intestinal bacteria, and you can surely get sick over there.
23 - Avoid loud sounds, such as chain saws and other loud machinery. Wear ear protectors.
24 - Avoid dust, smoke, and chemical vapors.
25 - Move out to the country, if you want the best of health! Away from the noise, the fumes, the rush and turmoil. Out to where there is quietness, peace, fresh air, negative ions, and better sunlight.
26 - Do not live in the lowlands, by a creek. Do not live where it is always damp around the house. Settle in an upper area where it tends to be drier.
27 - Do not have trees close to your house. Do not have your windows covered up with curtains; let the sunlight come through. It purifies every room it enters. Skylight is purifying also, but lesser so.
28 - Vegetable, fruit, berry, and flower gardening is an outstanding way to maintain your health—in several ways. But avoid using chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and other garden chemicals.
29 - Learn how to give water therapy (hydrotherapy) treatments. Learn how to prepare and use simple herbs. Keep a few on hand. As we try to help others, our own health improves.
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