There is now so much information available on the various forms of nutrition, diets, recommendations and theories that it has become difficult to find your way through the forest. Due to my own health problems, I have been researching this topic extensively in order to find the optimal diet for humans. To cut a long story short, there is no such thing as an optimal diet for everyone. There is an optimal personal diet for each individual, but no globally applicable, standardised diet that would suit everyone. On the one hand, our bodies are extremely adaptable, on the other hand, our life circumstances are so different that every person has completely different requirements. These can also change constantly. This means that what is good for you today may not be so ideal next week. That doesn't make it any easier.
In 2015 a study was carried out in Israel to investigate how different foods affect blood sugar levels. This value is crucial when it comes to diseases such as diabetes. In the following video the head of the study presents the results at a TEDx conference. He can show that the current official dietary guidelines do more harm to most people than anything else. The full study can be viewed at https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(15)01481-6.
In the following, I will explain the basics in a somewhat simplified way, address some myths and try to give you a few general tips so that you can find your own optimal diet. It's not that difficult. If you are not interested in the details, you can easily skip individual sections.
Depending on age, gender and state of health, the human body consists of around 50-80% water, packed into a network of trillions of human cells, bacteria and fungi. Interestingly, bacteria by far outnumber all other cells. To keep this miracle of natural symbiosis in good shape, we need to ingest as a minimum the following substances through our diet:
All minerals and trace elements are conveniently contained in natural salts in pretty much the right ratios. This is a great way to cover these two groups of substances. We can produce some of the proteins, amino acids, vitamins, fats and sugars ourselves. We obtain the rest mainly from vegetables, herbs, spices, fruits and animal products. In principle, it can be said that every natural food contains almost everything we need. The big differences in the effect of the products result from the different ratios of the substances they contain. Of course, some substances may be missing, which is why it is important to combine the right foods with each other. This is particularly important when following restrictive diets.
Anyone who cooks for themselves will have realised that certain combinations go together perfectly while others are simply inedible. Our body uses our sense of taste and smell to tell us whether it considers the food on offer to be valuable or not. When we taste something, we give our body a small sample to analyse and ask for its opinion. If it tastes good, it agrees to eat it. If it doesn't taste good, it is against it. So we can simply ask to find out what would be good for our body. Smelling something briefly is usually enough. With a little practice, it is also enough to simply imagine eating it. Then either pleasure or aversion arises. The body talks to us. We just have to learn to switch off our heads for a moment and listen.
The big problem with industrially produced foods is that they are artificially enriched with flavourings and fragrances with the aim of tricking the body's own sensors. We are led to believe through our senses that these products are valuable, even though they often contain little to almost no useful nutrients. What is even worse is that toxins which the body would normally detect and reject can be masked with these chemicals. So the whole thing only works reliably if we eat natural foods and prepare our food ourselves as often as possible. In my opinion, industrialised food is worthless and dangerous. We are starving and poisoning ourselves with it. Take a look at the article on food additives and you'll see what I mean.
Secondary plant substances and bitter substances are not included in the list above because they are not officially considered essential. However, this does not mean that they are not important. Theoretically, we could apparently live without them, but as they are involved in many metabolic processes, our health would suffer as a result. Bitter substances are particularly important for digestion. Secondary plant substances are necessary so that the other substances can be properly utilised in the first place. This category also includes colouring and flavouring substances. For example, plants show us when fruits are ripe with their colouring and therefore when it's the best time to eat them. If the colour is not clear, you can smell it. If this is not clear enough either, you will know whether the fruit is ripe or not after taking a bite. The body recognises this without us having to actively learn anything. But here, too, the industry deceives us by artificially colouring products. It can happen that you buy apples in a supermarket that look wonderfully red and crunchy, but then turn out to be unripe or old.
We can avoid the tricks of the food industry when we prefer to buy locally from farmers or at the weekly market. Experience has shown that the quality is better there than in the supermarkets. Of course, the goods are also fresher there, because by the time they arrive in the supermarkets they have often already spent quite a while in warehouses. This is unfavourable from an energy point of view. Immediately after harvest, food has a high energy content. It is used up over time due to natural processes. Logically, this also applies to storage at home. Especially if you are doing large weekly shopping trips, you should remember to consume salads, fruits and similar foods quickly. Otherwise the energy will be gone after a few days and you will feel it after eating. You may have noticed that we instinctively look for the fresher produce when we go shopping. This is because the body recognises the energy, even if we can't see it. The body is intelligent and it has the ability to influence our behaviour to a certain extent.
Every food, even every ingredient, has a certain frequency. When we eat something, we integrate this energy into our own. The frequency of our body adapts to the frequency of the food. In physics, this is known as resonance. This is not esoteric mumbo-jumbo. Fresh, living food has a positive effect, dead food a negative one. Industrial processing and certain preparation methods in our own kitchens can change the energetic imprint. It also makes a big difference whether something has grown naturally in the earth or artificially in a greenhouse. We humans are part of the earth. Everything that grows in the earth naturally has the right frequency for us. Artificial fertilisers, pesticides and genetic modifications change the frequencies. Our bodies don't know how to handle these disturbed frequencies. In the beginning, this is not very noticeable as we can cope well with a slight deviation from the optimum frequency. In the long term, however, it makes us ill. Naturally grown food from the local area has the most harmonious frequencies for us.
If you look at it very closely, you realise that we basically feed on light. Nutrients are of course important for building and maintaining body structure, but the energy that keeps our bodies alive is pure light. Plants capture light from the sun through photosynthesis and store it in nutrients, mainly carbohydrates, fats and proteins. One of the ways they obtain the carbon (chemical: C for carbon) for this process is by separating it from carbon dioxide (chemical: CO2) in the ambient air. We consume these nutrients, convert them into fuel (sugar), which we then burn with the help of oxygen (O2) from the air in order to release the stored energy. The CO2 returns to the plant through the air and the cycle begins anew. The CO2 we breathe out feeds the plants and in return they provide us with energy from the sun. Without this ingenious CO2circuit, there would be no life on our planet. It is the perfect symbiosis between plants and animals. Let that sink in for a moment, please. In the current climate hysteria, this detail is unfortunately being completely forgotten. Yet it is primary school material. You can read about it in any biology book. Without CO2 no life on planet Earth. No plants, no animals. Everything gone.
What the general public is not yet aware of is the fact that our bodies also capture and metabolise sunlight. For example, ultraviolet light (UV) is required for the production of vitamin D and infrared light (IR) for the production of ATP. This substance is known as the cells' battery. Every day we produce the equivalent of our own weight in ATP in the tissue under the skin, which is then delivered to wherever energy is needed. Once it arrives at its destination, it is chemically broken down and the captured light energy is released. The fact that we humans find a campfire extremely pleasant is probably due to the fact that huge amounts of infrared light are emitted by the fire. We perceive this radiation as warmth. Our body thanks us for the extra energy with a feeling of bliss.
Another fact that also receives too little attention is that our bodies primarily function electrically. Electrically, then chemically, then physically. All metabolic processes are based on the exchange of electrons. If the flow of electrons in a part of the body stops, the tissue dies and is subsequently broken down into its individual molecular parts by bacteria and fungi so that these are returned to nature to be used as building blocks for new life. This applies to all living organisms known to me, be it plants, animals, microorganisms, etc. Electrons are nothing more than energy packets. The pH value serves as a unit of measurement for the electron content of a liquid. It indicates the electrical charge, so to speak. If there are excess electrons, we call it a base. If there is a lack of electrons, we call it an acid. So when you read the recommendation to eat an alkaline surplus diet, it means that you should supply your body with free electrons. Excellent sources for this are all kinds of fruit and vegetables. Provided, of course, that they have not been stored for too long and still contain energy. The following therefore applies to all foods: the fresher, the better.
Since the discovery of biophotons (biological light) the energy content of food can be visualised using technical devices. This is an exciting topic, which I will cover in another article in due course. It's still quite new to me.
Digestion begins in the mouth during chewing. The food is mechanically broken down and mixed with saliva. It contains enzymes that already begin to break down the food. Unfortunately, we are so stressed today that we neglect this step. Food should actually be chewed slowly and thoroughly. The next step is an acid bath in the stomach, where proteins, among other things, are broken down into their individual parts. Up to this point, everything is just preparation for the actual digestion process, which only takes place in the intestine. This is largely carried out not by human cells, but by the bacteria that live there. This habitat in the intestine is called the microbiome. The bacteria are known as the microbiota.
The composition of the microbiome is crucial for the effectiveness of the digestion and the selection of foods that we can digest. It is constantly changing and can be actively trained. The food we eat determines which bacteria live in our gut. A food that is eaten for the first time is not processed as efficiently as one that we have been consuming since childhood. You notice this, for example, when travelling from Europe to Asia for the first time. Many people experience diarrhoea shortly after arrival. This is partly due to the change in climate and partly due to the microbiome adapting to the local food. It's completely normal and usually has nothing to do with impurities in the food. If you don't intervene with medication, the spook is over after a few days and the microbiome has adapted. On the next trip, the change is completed much more quickly because the body already knows the required bacteria.
The body provides a home for intestinal bacteria in the appendix, also known as the caecum. When a doctor diagnoses an infection caused by harmful bacteria and then prescribes antibiotics (Greek: anti = against, bio = life), this not only eliminates the "bad" bacteria but also the "good" ones. After treatment, the intestine is recolonised from the appendix. It's an extremely ingenious device invented by nature. But at this point you have to ask yourself which bacteria will recolonise the gut. We live with them in a symbiotic relationship. Bacteria are living organisms like any other. They colonise the areas wherever they find food suitable for their species. They fulfil two extremely important tasks in our body. First, they remove waste and thus help with detoxification. Secondly, they process our food and convert it into a form that can be utilised by our cells. Without them, we would starve to death because human cells cannot do much with food in its original form. Only the processing by the intestinal bacteria makes the nutrients accessible to us. If you want to prevent unfavourable bacteria from settling in, you have to adapt your diet accordingly. A good diet leads to good bacteria, a bad diet to bad bacteria. A certain consistency would certainly also be an advantage. If the choice of food is constantly changed, this leads to the microbiome having to be permanently reconstructed. Digestion becomes inefficient as a result.
The field of nutritional science is vast and a wide variety of diets are now being touted to us. Below is a small selection of the most common terms:
It is noticeable that in some diets, individual foods or even entire food groups are completely prohibited. In the case of regional and culture-specific variants, everything is usually allowed, but emphasis is placed on certain food combinations and processing and preparation techniques. Apart from the formula diets, I have tried everything on this list. Please note that the following is an experience report.
I grew up with a diet that was a mixture of Swiss and Mediterranean cuisine. Not a bad combination actually. Unfortunately, for cost reasons, the choice of ingredients wasn't necessarily optimal and we also ate a lot of convenience food, as my parents both worked a lot. Over time, this meant that I was significantly overweight and had problems with my joints. Sometimes I could only move my fingers with difficulty. Sometimes I would even wake up and have no feeling in my arms at all. That's not exactly favourable when you're working on a computer. One day my father told me to stop eating pork. He had exactly the same problem and this step had helped him. He also showed me the supplements he was taking. At that time, the concept of food in tablet form was completely new to me.
I then started experimenting. One month without meat: no more pain. One week with meat: pain was back. I tested different types of meat over longer periods of time. In between, I took breaks during which I ate a vegetarian diet. The result was that pork did indeed play a role, but not only. The problem also occurred with beef and poultry, just not as much. The only thing that completely eliminated the pain was organic meat. And it didn't matter whether it was pork, beef or poultry. The type of meat made no difference, the quality was the deciding factor. That was a real eye-opener. There is obviously something wrong with industrially produced meat. It makes us sick. If you do a little research, you will quickly find the cause. Because these animals are constantly ill, they are given a lot of chemicals and medications such as vaccinations and antibiotics, they are often not fed a species-appropriate diet and spend their lives locked up in stalls. When we consume their meat, it all passes on to us and makes us ill too.
I have invested years in testing the various diets. In the case of diets that involve exclusions, I have found that they are ideal for compensating for specific deficits. You can achieve positive results very quickly. However, they should not be used on a long-term basis, as this can lead to new deficits sooner or later. Then one problem has been solved, but a new one has been created elsewhere. Of course you can counteract this with dietary supplements, but honestly, if I have to swallow pills to avoid health problems, then in my opinion it's not the right diet for me. That's a big problem with the vegan diet, for example. Most people who have now jumped on this bandwagon have no idea that they will run out of vitamin B12 after a few years, as this is produced exclusively by animals and some microorganisms. That's the point at which health will go down the drain if you don't take targeted supplements. A look at YouTube demonstrates this impressively. First, a video appears in which someone proudly declares that he or she is now vegan. A few years later comes a video entitled "Why I'm no longer a vegan". The content is practically identical to the first: "Since I've been doing this, I feel so much better…" They jump from one extreme to the other.
The other forms of nutrition, namely wholefoods and regional and culture-specific variants, do not have this problem. They all represent wholesome diets. This is not surprising, as they are usually based on centuries-old traditions. In my opinion, they are preferable in the long term. For me personally, Indian and Mediterranean work best. Mostly vegetarian, but occasionally meat is also served. As it has become clear that the quality problem with fruit and vegetables is just as bad as with meat, I now only buy organic. Interestingly, switching to organic has inadvertently led to intermittent fasting. As I am now much better supplied with nutrients than before, I am much less hungry. I usually only eat one meal a day.
Did you know that food has a major influence on our mental well-being? In her book "This Is Your Brain on Food", psychiatrist Dr Uma Naidoo describes how depression, anxiety, ADHD and much more can be treated with the right diet. Scientific studies have shown that traditional forms of nutrition are quite good at protecting against mental disorders and can also reduce them. Mediterranean cuisine, for example, is a suitable countermeasure for depression. This is not surprising, because fine food is well known to make us happy. It ensures that our brain is flooded with happiness hormones. That's how the body rewards us for valuable nutrients. Bad food does exactly the opposite. It inhibits the production of happiness hormones. The gut is significantly involved in the production and release of these substances. It doesn't all come from the brain. Our diet has a decisive influence on the microbiome, which in turn has a decisive influence on the health of the gut. After all, it is the bacteria that build up the gut and keep it healthy. They communicate directly with our brain via various channels. If the gut is sick, it robs us of energy and makes us unhappy. The same applies to the liver. It is worth taking care of these two organs.
Have you ever noticed that eating with your hands is much more enjoyable than with a knife and fork and that food tastes better that way? If you are sad or suffering from mental health problems, use your hands. The more you increase sensory interaction with your food, the bigger the effect on your psyche. Conversely, our mental state also has a strong influence on the processing of food. For example, when we are stressed, angry, anxious or sad, digestion no longer works efficiently. This is because the body is in flight and fight mode and shuts down all functions that are not absolutely necessary to ensure short-term survival. This includes digestion. One should eat in peace and quiet in a stress-free environment and really devote oneself to the food. This means not eating at a desk, not watching TV while eating, not arguing with anyone, etc. Afterwards, we should rest a little and give our digestion the time it needs to process the food. Unfortunately, this is hardly possible in today's working environment. So we constantly eat far too much and are still hungry because we can't really utilise what we have eaten. Only in the Mediterranean region is the tradition of long lunch breaks still alive. We should reintroduce the siesta worldwide. It would do us all good and slow down life a bit in general.
If you want to change your eating habits, make sure you realise your habits and beliefs first. These are programmes that are stored in your subconscious and are carried out automatically every day. They are the biggest stumbling blocks that can prevent a successful transition. Do you need three meals a day so that you don't starve? Do you always have to eat at the same time? Is coffee absolutely necessary in the morning? Do you really always have to empty your plate? The answer to all these questions is clearly "no". However, if we unconsciously cling to such statements, this creates tensions that prevent change. We eat at very specific times, even if we are not hungry, because we are used to eating something in that moment. If we skip a meal at the usual time, we get nervous and stressed until we get something edible between our teeth. Be aware that this is basically an imagined fear of starvation and usually has nothing to do with real hunger. It's the habit that causes the stress. You can wake up perfectly well without your morning coffee. However, if the ritual is already so internalised that you firmly believe in the need, the belief prevents it. It's the same with all the changes that a change in diet entails. If you are aware of your beliefs and habits, it's much easier to deal with difficulties because you then have the power to change them. You can simply decide that you will no longer do things the way you used to. You can change the programmes in your subconscious at any time. But you have to tell it, otherwise it will continue as before.
Our food has a great influence on spirituality. All teachings emphasise the importance of eating pure and living foods. Ayurveda has turned this into a real art form. When the body is energetically balanced, it has a noticeable effect on our consciousness. Clean healthy food raises our vibration, unhealthy food lowers it. In this context, there is no place for pesticides, genetic engineering and industrially processed products. Care should also be taken to use locally grown food wherever possible. They are fresher and the energetic imprint of the environment corresponds to our own. This creates harmony on an energetic level. It is clear that today it is not easy to eat accordingly. Supermarkets are flooded with energetically unfavourable goods. Very few people can grow everything themselves. But it doesn't have to be perfect. A little mindfulness goes a long way.
In some cultures, it is customary to bless the food before eating it. This can be done in various ways. You can pray together, sing mantras or simply give silent thanks to Mother Nature. In my opinion, the expression of gratitude is crucial here. Ever since Dr Masaru Emoto published his research, we have known what a positive effect a simple "thank you" can have on the molecular structure of water. Our food consists to a large extent of water and we can assume that this effect does not only occur with water. Unfortunately, other substances have not yet been investigated. That is why here we are still in the dark. The Hare Krishnas bless all their food before serving it. They use normal Indian recipes. The consistent blessing is the only difference in the way they prepare their food. I have got into the habit of saying thank you during the preparation. I thank the plants for the wonderful fruits they give us, and when I eat meat I also thank the animal that gave its life to feed me. Since I know what the expression of gratitude triggers in me, there is no doubt in my mind that this also has an effect on my food. With the herbs I grow at home, I express my gratitude already when I harvest them. This may seem a little excessive to some and I can certainly understand that. However, a small expression of gratitude before eating should be possible, despite any doubts one might have. Just give it a try. It costs nothing and certainly has no negative effects.
I lived in India for a few months with a wise old man who taught me about the energetic aspects of food. A lot of time has passed since then and I have learnt that you can roughly orientate yourself by where something thrives. On the Chakra page, take a look at the diagram right at the beginning. It shows the location of the seven chakras on the human body. Now imagine that you take the chakras away from this diagram and place them on the diagram of a tree, which also shows the roots under the earth. Something like the well-known symbol of the tree of life. The root chakra is then located at the very bottom at the roots and the crown chakra at the very top at the crown of the tree. The heart chakra is in the centre at about the thinnest point, where the lower branches extend outwards. Now place food on it. Potatoes in the soil by the roots, fruit at the top in the branches, leafy vegetables just above the ground, etc. I am deliberately not providing an illustration here because I want you to visualise it in your mind's eye.
Okay. And now, when you eat something, pay conscious attention to what it does to you. You will find that this schematic categorisation describes the effect of food surprisingly well. Root vegetables, pumpkins and the like ground you. They have an effect on the lower chakras. Fruits that grow high in the trees wake you up and refresh you. They act on the upper chakras. Green leafy vegetables lie somewhere in the centre around the solar plexus. These plants catch a lot of sunlight, just like the solar plexus in humans. Red meat is heavy, it is grounding. Poultry feels lighter. It's not 100% accurate, but it's a well enough guide. If you do this for a while, you will automatically refine your sense for the energy of the food. This exercise is not intended to create a universally valid categorisation of food. It is designed to improve your communication with your own body so that you become more aware of its whisperings. It may well be that your neighbour describes different effects. This is completely normal. The sensation is individual. I eat a lot of fruit and I am constantly being told that I should ground myself more. Last time it was a shaman who told me that, before that it was my Reiki teacher. Whenever I hear something like this, a suitable food intuitively appears before my inner eye. When I then prepare it, it has exactly the desired effect.
Why is this important? You can find the answer on the Chakra page. The aim of spiritual practices is to awaken the kundalini. To achieve this, all chakras must be open and balanced. Food is an important aspect in this regard. Living food strengthens the chakras, dead food weakens them. If you are aware of what the different foods do to you, you can use them in a targeted way. You recognise what helps you and what doesn't. If you use this technique in the future, I would be delighted to receive your feedback ;)
If you have read the previous sections, it should already be clear where I stand on this statement. Yes, it has been proven that meat contributes to hyperacidity of the body. No, meat is not bad for us per se. Even today, there are still indigenous peoples who live exclusively on animal products because of their environment. If the area is so dry that there are no plants that can be used by humans, there is no alternative but to resort to animals. There are huge areas in Africa where this is the case. What these peoples do differently to us in Europe is that they immediately eat the slaughtered animals entirely. They drink the blood and eat the rest. In the end, only bones and hair remain. We, on the other hand, throw most of it away. Anything that is not juicy muscle meat is no longer eaten. The valuable parts that would counteract hyperacidity end up in the rubbish bin. If we ate that too, we would probably have no problem with meat. Interestingly, these peoples are completely unaware of the widespread diseases of civilisation that plague our society. They enjoy excellent health.
What also makes a huge difference, of course, is the life history of the animals. The meat of a cow that has spent its entire life in the sun on the pasture of an organic farm and has been cuddled to death has a completely different energetic imprint than the meat of a cow that has spent its life locked up in a 2m2 box in the barn of an industrial farm and has then been executed in the cruellest way possible. The memory of the animals' live remains energetically stored in the meat. We eat it and integrate this information into our own energy field. Depending on this it either pulls us down or not. Animal products are not bad per se. How we deal with them is the problem.
Even if you give up meat entirely, I would at least keep eggs and real butter made from raw milk in the diet. This butter consists of almost 100% high-quality fat and eggs provide us with valuable vitamins, hormones and other substances we need. I have already mentioned vitamin B12 above. There is no plant-based substitute that comes even close to the nutritional profile of an egg. It's really bad with butter. Substitute products such as margarine are largely made from the cheapest vegetable oils, which can really only be described as industrial waste. A little flavouring, colouring and other questionable ingredients are added to create a substance with a consistency and appearance that resembles real butter. Once again, our senses are being played with. I would highly recommend anyone who consumes such products to take a closer look.
The disappearance of high-quality animal fats from our diet is a real problem. They have been replaced by cheap vegetable oils, which according to the Austrian doctor Dr Retzek are responsible for almost all chronic diseases. He has published a long article on https://ganzemedizin.at/pflanzliche-oele-krankheiten/ in which he discusses the topic in detail. Very informative and absolutely worth reading! Personally, I have exclusively been using real butter, coconut oil and olive oil in my kitchen for a long time now.
What about milk? There would probably be nothing wrong with natural raw milk from grazing cows. Cows are sacred in India. As they are not allowed to be killed, the only reason left for worshipping them is the milk. This speaks in favour of a valuable foodstuff. However, the standardised milk from the supermarket is so heavily processed that it can no longer be compared with the original product. Milk from thousands of cows is mixed together, the fat particles are crushed and the liquid is pasteurised. In other words, it is heated for a short time, which destroys a varying proportion of the vitamins, hormones, enzymes and proteins it contains, depending on the process used. Depending on the manufacturer, it may or may not be artificially revitalised afterwards. The advantage of this method is that the milk can be stored for longer and always tastes the same. However, this also means that it is dead. I cannot judge what an effect the defective ingredients have on our bodies. Energetically, however, this product is not good at all. Especially when it comes to feeding small children, the mother's breast milk would definitely be preferable.
Personally, I no longer use industrial milk and I feel better that way. However, I also wonder how healthy the available substitute products can be. After all, they are no less processed. Whether they keep their promises remains to be seen. Ultimately, in both cases it is industrialised food with all the advantages and disadvantages that go with it.
The topic of cholesterol is one of the major areas of tension between the traditional and alternative medicine scene. On the one hand, you read that it is evil and an absolute killer that causes heart attacks and must therefore be combated with medication. On the other hand, it is said that this is a lie that has been peddled to get consumers to buy products made from cheap vegetable oils. I already touched on the problems with these oils in the previous section. In the long term, the suppression of cholesterol by means of medication is said to lead to diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia. I don't know which side is right in this discussion. As always, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. That's why I don't want to take a clear position here and instead point out a few facts that seem important to me.
Cholesterol is a substance that is produced by our body in the liver. Only a small proportion is absorbed through food. We are talking about a few percent here. So the claim that the cholesterol contained in meat is responsible for all the heart attacks is almost certainly not correct. The body regulates the amount of cholesterol in circulation on its own. It can release cholesterol from the liver and also withdraw it again. Food has only a marginal influence on it. It may even be possible to ignore this completely, because if we eat more of it, the body will reduce its own production as required and vice versa. In this case, food would be irrelevant for the cholesterol level. This does not mean that the substance is not involved in heart attacks. I'm just talking about the influence of food.
Now the question arises as to what the body's own cholesterol does. The body does not produce it for nothing and certainly not to harm itself. It turns out that cholesterol fulfils extremely important tasks throughout the body. It is essential for digestion, the immune system, the production of hormones, vitamins, protection against cancer and it is a necessary building block of the cell membranes of all cells in our bodies. If we interfere with the body's self-regulation, we must therefore expect to cause immense disruptions. If the available cholesterol is not sufficient to keep the cell membranes intact, all our cells will be damaged over time. Of course, this also applies to the blood vessels. There appears to be a connection between vitamin D and cholesterol. Vitamin D is extremely important for the health of the blood vessels. These can become brittle and rigid, whereupon the constant pressure fluctuations of the blood can cause small cracks to form in the vessel walls through which the blood escapes. Vitamin D is needed to repair these tears. A lack of vitamin D leads to high cholesterol levels because the body plugs up damage to the blood vessels with cholesterol. The deposits in the blood vessels, which can later lead to high blood pressure and heart attacks, are therefore a reaction of the body to the vitamin D deficiency. If vitamin D levels are increased, cholesterol levels fall as a result. This has been scientifically proven. I assume that the adhesions/deposits in the blood vessels are then also broken down.
What about Alzheimer's and dementia? Well, the cell membrane acts as an insulator for nerves and brain cells. What happens if we have power cables with defective insulation lying around and switch on the power? A short circuit! It is not difficult to imagine how this can lead to disturbances in the brain. We're talking about a gigantic tangle of cables in which considerable amounts of electricity are constantly being pumped through the skull. A short circuit in such a system can have devastating consequences. The whole brain is involved in accessing memories. Images are generated, words, sounds, odours, feelings, etc. The whole range of impressions of our perception are part of our memories. If a part of the brain is paralysed due to an electrical disorder, our memory logically no longer functions as usual. We then refer to this condition as Alzheimer's disease. Dementia goes even further and involves disturbances in the thought process, language, motor skills, etc. The cause is the same. If the signal transmission is disturbed, all these processes no longer work.
As I said, the truth lies probably somewhere in the middle. Personally, I wouldn't worry about cholesterol and concentrate on vitamin D instead. Ditch the sun cream and get out in the sun! Coincidentally, vitamin D is also a very good defence against skin cancer. Add to that some exercise and a healthy diet. This should also include enough vitamin B12, as a deficiency of this can also lead to dementia.
Recently, there has been an increasing amount of information floating around that taking dietary supplements and vitamin supplements is now absolutely necessary. I am sceptical about this. Sure, if you only eat fast food or have specific deficiencies, it is necessary. Otherwise, the question is probably what you want to spend your money on. Such supplements are not exactly cheap. Especially if you take them on a long-term basis, it really hits the budget. I tend to invest my money in high-quality and above all nutritious food rather than pills. That seems more sensible to me. But everyone has to decide for themselves.
Anyone who takes food supplements or vitamin preparations should always check the contents. Unfortunately, many of these supplements are produced artificially in laboratories. An artificial vitamin is not the same as a natural one. It is questionable how well the body can utilise these substances at all. And then there is also the question of the secondary plant substances that are required for processing. If these are not present, either directly in the preparation or in the food, the body simply excretes the vitamins. In this case, you are literally flushing your money down the toilet. There are preparations that are made from whole plant parts and those that contain individually isolated substances. Those made from whole plant parts are certainly more useful. They cover both points.
When it comes to switching to organic, which I recommend to everyone based on my personal experience, I am always confronted with two arguments. I would like to briefly address them here.
1. Organic is too expensive. I can't or don't want to afford it.
Yes, organic is more expensive. No, it doesn't cost more in the long term. What distinguishes organic from chemically produced goods is the nutritional value. Organic food contains significantly more nutrients than other products. You get more for your money, even if it doesn't look like it. The energy content is also totally different. It's more expensive at the beginning. That's true. But you don't spend more money in the long term. In fact, I dare to say you spend less. Quite simply because you consume less. As soon as the deficits resulting from the consumption of "conventional" food have been reduced, you no longer need to eat as much. It makes a huge difference. I can say that from experience. I'm always amazed at how little money I spend on food now compared to the past.
2. Organic is pure fraud. It's exactly the same product, just packaged differently.
I can't agree with that. Genuine organic products are much less contaminated with toxins on the one hand and richer in nutrients on the other. That's why they are more expensive. See point 1. Studies are regularly carried out and statistics published to prove this. But, and I fully agree with this objection, not all labels are trustworthy. I am thinking in particular of the official EU label. It is definitely no good because it is awarded worldwide and no checks are carried out. Unfortunately. However, there is a very simple solution to this: whenever possible, buy directly from local farmers or at the weekly market. There are now also delivery services available that deliver the goods directly to your doorstep. This makes them even cheaper because you avoid the traders. And you know where your food comes from.
It is probably best to carry out a simple test yourself: Buy two tomatoes and two cucumbers. One organic and one non-organic. And then take a bite. More flavour = more nutrients. Maybe that will convince one or the other reader. If not, that's ok too, of course. The point here is to find the best diet for you.
The topic of proper nutrition from a social point of view comes up again and again in conversations. People are obviously insecure. Understandably, they want to do the right thing. To be honest, for me the discussion about which is the better and more correct diet has now taken on a dimension that can only be described as religious fanaticism. It's no longer about what would be better for society and the planet. It's about political and religious dogma. In the past, the priest in the church told people what to do so that they didn't end up in hell. Today, influencers and politicians take on this function. As a majority vegetarian, I sometimes experience pressure from all sides. I am ridiculed by carnivores and hated by vegans. I ask myself, is this really necessary? Every person is unique with their own personal needs. Some need meat, others don't. Some drink milk, others soya. What's the problem?
If you can't see the trees in the forest anymore with all this drama, try to remove yourself from the discussion. None of these diets is better than the others. They are simply different. That's all there is to it. If you've read this far, you probably want to find out which diet is right for you and your body. So work it out with your body. Learn to communicate with your body. Learn to hear the whispers of your body. That's the essence of this page. Exactly what I am trying to convey to you here. You and your body are a team. Do it together. Take input from others. This will broaden your horizon. But don't blindly follow some self-appointed guru. And certainly not me. Your body is your guru. Follow it. It has all the answers.
Otakara Klettke's book "Hear Your Body Whisper" introduces the topic of body communication beautifully.
Dr Uma Naidoo is a psychiatrist, trained chef and nutrition expert. She writes books about our nutrition and its effects on the brain. She specifically addresses widespread mental disorders like depression, explains the correlations and makes suggestions for an adapted diet. Her website has a section with delicious recipes for a good mood.
How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger. Discover foods that extend your life.
If you want to know exactly how nutrition works, I can highly recommend the Burgerstein Nutrient Handbook. It explains pretty much everything that science currently has to say about this topic. Not sure it's available in English though. You'll have to check.
The information published here is based on my current knowledge at the time of publication. This is preceded by years of research and personal experience. I make no claim to the completeness and correctness of the information provided. It is intended for informational purposes only and is meant to show the reader options. What is written does not serve as a diagnosis or therapy and can in no way replace a visit to a qualified medical professional. If you take measures independently, you do so at your own risk. Let the naturopath or doctor of your choice advise and accompany you. Inform yourself further, research, exchange ideas with other affected people. If you find something that you think belongs in this article, please let me know. Thanks!