In our society food is ever-present for most people and it is often eaten for reasons beyond basic sustenance. As we gather together, food and visiting are commonaly combined and we may eat and not even be conscious of what we are eating. At other times certain emotional states can trigger eating or lack of eating responses and some cultural practices often prescribe specific foods. It is usual to eat without awareness and with little thought.

B.E.S.T. answers the question, “What should we eat?” by looking at basic physiology. In studying the human body we find that the saliva is more alkaline and the digestive track is longer which is more suited for digesting starch compared to that of a cat, for example, that has acid saliva and a short digestive tract and thrives eating meat. In addition a human’s teeth are flat and blunter like a cow’s teeth, perfect for eating plants and grains, while a cat’s teeth are sharp and pointy and excel at eating meat.

These distinctions provide the logical foundation that humans are biologically designed to eat plants and grains and will thrive when their diet includes more vegetables and fruits than meat. This doesn’t mean someone who is accustomed to eating the traditional American diet which includes a lot of meat suddenly must eat no meat. Instead it means eat less meat and add more fruits and vegetables being sure to make a slow transition to allow the body to adapt to the changes.

It may be that any food cravings and desires to eat more than needed, if they are present, will go away as your body receives the mineral and vitamins that it needs from the fruits and vegetables.

Other issues like weight gain, aching joints, lack of energy and skin outbreaks or health concerns like kidney stones, gallbladder troubles, osteoporosis could resolve themselves too. All conditions can be related back to the acid/alkaline balance and that brings us to another important point.

“The body is alkaline by design and acid by function.” M.T. Morter, Jr.

Humans can only maintain life within a very small range of a low level of alkalinity (blood pH between 7.35 and 7.45). Because day to day living naturally produces acid in the system, eating high acid producing foods like meat only creates more need for the neutralizing minerals that are found in plants. If foods do not supply these needed balancing minerals they will be pulled from existing stores in the bones, teeth and other body tissues which results in the various health conditions manifesting over time.

So a healthy diet will consist of the right balance of alkaline to acid producing foods and in B.E.S.T., we recommend 75% fruits and vegetables to 25% meats, nuts, grains and everything else.

Here is a chart listing the more common Alkaline and Acid producing foods.

Our bodies are mostly water, it makes sense that we need water to maintain health. We are what we eat and become what we drink so it is good to drink the cleanest water we can. I personally favor live spring water coming right from the earth if it is available and pure. Filtered water is next.

Many folks advocate R O water or reverse osmosis filtering. I have my questions about this water, which is pure but potentially lacking minerals. I won’t make any suggestions beyond what I have already said plus the added caution in choosing to drink bottled water from the store. Other then being an expensive solution it is potentially not a good choice for three more reasons. First, it is difficult to know if the water is pure and second, to buy bottled water is to support the multi-national corporations in their quest to privatize open source water supplies and control water. Third, bottled water comes in bottles and these bottles are polluting our environment more often than they are being recycled.

Pure water is what is needed for proper fluid replenishment and healthy cell function. Other liquids like cola, coffee, tea, coco, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages all need to be processed by the body and therefore introduce stress. In addition some of these introduce caffeine which is another outside stress. Only pure water is immediately available and easily accessed by the cells.

How much water is good? There are a few things to consider. Do you live in a wet climate or a dry climate, a hot climate or a cold climate? Different conditions determine varying needs. How many (wet) fruits and vegetables as opposed to (dry) foodstuffs do you eat? Fruits and vegetables are convenient little packages of fresh, pure water so as they are consumed the need for water from other sources is less.

Sometimes there is sleep but it is not restful. If you can’t rest, you can’t heal even if it is only to rejuvenate  from the past day’s activities and stress. This is how important our rest is because without restful sleep our bodes are on a downward spiral. Maintaining and building health is the goal.

1. Make conscious choices about your bed, a comfortable bed is a necessity.

2. End each day in a place of positivity and gratefulness. Select uplifting things to read, watch, think and talk about before bed.

3. Take care to be properly hydrated before bed but not overloaded with food and beverages. Drink water earlier in the evening.

4. Sleep in a dark environment. Turn off all lighted dials, digital component lights and night lights that are blue or green as this color frequency will disrupt melatonin secretion and decrease the quality of sleep.

5. If you are EMF sensitive consider what electricity and EMF fields (clocks, radios, telephones, TVs, computers, wiring in the walls etc) are present in the room and turn them off or position yourself away from them.

Finally, sleep time is the opportunity to commune with your soul and aspects of your being that are more available when the conscious mind is quiet. It is possible to learn things and receive direction that can guide  your daytime life. Be aware and open to this benefit.

Most people are probably aware of the danger of breathing second hand cigarette smoke and the air pollution in metropolitan areas. Air pollution puts a direct toxic load on our bodies as there is no pre-filtering by other body systems like the liver. The toxins go right into the blood stream.

There are also other pollution sources to be aware of. In damp conditions mold can be present in the air. In enclosed underground spaces like basements or walkout level, earth-sheltered living spaces there may be radon gas present. Wood smoke could be leaking out of a wood stove. Agricultural spraying out of doors and outgassing from synthetic materials inside buildings and vehicles all affect the air we breathe.

Because we are surrounded by unsavory things in the air we breathe, there can be a tendency not to breathe. Breathing shallow breaths to avoid taking in ‘bad air’ sets up a unhealthy breathing habit that can limit overall aeration of the body even when it is safe to breathe.