The History of Basil
"Basil" is derived from the Greek word basilikon for "royal." Native to India, Africa and Asia, basil has been known:
- As a token of love in Italy
Primo Health Food Model
Whole Foods Foundation for Primo Health
What is the perfect diet that will keep everyone healthy, lean, energetic and happy? That's sort of like asking what is the perfect haircut and color that will make anyone look beautiful, young and happy. Humans are perfectly unique not only on the outside with our shape, size and color. But we are perfectly unique on the inside as well. We each have our own distinct genetic stamp inside of every one of our cells. And that genetic stamp or code makes each and everyone of use who we are inside and out.
Our bodies, organs and organ systems pretty much function the same way. But the more we learn about our body down to its smallest units is that we have slight differences in how well we carry on certain functions, and what we need to carry those processes out. This is the principle of holistic nutrition known as biochemical individuality. Roger J. Williams was a pioneer in nutrition and this concept of biochemical individuality. He explained the need to address each person's unique nutritional needs based on their genetic distinctness. How we determine our own unique nutritional needs is a project that should be undertaken with time and attention, preferably with the assistance of a well trained professional. And this is not the focus of this message today.
The point that I'm trying to make is that there is no perfect diet or weight loss program out there that works perfectly for everyone. It just does not exist. This is the main reason that many diet programs fail, because they do not work for everyone. That's not to say that you can't lose weight on some of these programs. And they may work perfectly for some people for a short time. But if we do not address this issue of biochemical individuality, we may end up frustrated and downtrodden for not succeeding on any particular program. And that's not to mention that you may be out a hefty sum of money for having attempted the latest celebrity craze!
The good news, however, is that there are principles we can all share when designing our own plan for PRIMO HEALTH. When we know these principles, we can start building on them so that we may find our own unique and perfect prescription for health and wellness.
The field of nutrition can be very controversial. But there is one principle that would be difficult for anyone to argue. That principle is that whole foods are good for you! Does that mean you have to purchase all your groceries at a Whole Foods Market chain? No! Whole foods are foods that are as close to how they were grown as possible (as close to nature as possible). So if you can pick it from a tree looking that way; or if you can gather it from a bush looking that way; or if it came out of the ground looking that way; or if it came directly from the animal looking that way (after cleaning and butchering in the case of meat), then it's a WHOLE FOOD.
The further from the original food item, the more refined that food is. White rice, for example, doesn't start out white! I know! Go figure! What rice is brown rice first. And then it is beat and cleaned to remove the outer layers to reveal the innermost white part of the grain. White rice is a refined grain. It has been stripped of some of it's nutrients and fiber. Although we could argue that white rice is still pretty close to the original, it has lost some of its nutrient value in the refinement process and not as beneficial as the original brown rice.
This is one of the most important foundational truths for developing a healthy diet that everyone must pay attention to. Whole foods are good for you! I challenge all of you to open up your cupboards and pantries and pick up each food item in there one at a time and ask yourself, "can I go find this out in nature looking like this?" Open up your refrigerators and look on your shelves and ask yourself, "are these whole foods?"
A PRIMO HEALTH DIET will be a predominantly whole foods diet. The standard American diet (aka SAD) is a highly refined, highly processed diet. And the SAD diet is making America sick! We need to move away from this way of eating if we are to turn the health of this country around. So if you want to make one simple change that can have dramatic affects on your health and the health of your children, clean out your kitchen! Remove items that are highly refined. They are not healthy! They have been stripped of nutrients. Sure they have calories, but our bodies need more than just calories. We need nutrients! These nutrients are best found in unrefined whole foods.
My next blog will detail specific food items and ingredients that we should avoid like the plague if we want to experience PRIMO HEALTH. Until then, happy healthy eating!
What is the perfect diet that will keep everyone healthy, lean, energetic and happy? That's sort of like asking what is the perfect haircut and color that will make anyone look beautiful, young and happy. Humans are perfectly unique not only on the outside with our shape, size and color. But we are perfectly unique on the inside as well. We each have our own distinct genetic stamp inside of every one of our cells. And that genetic stamp or code makes each and everyone of use who we are inside and out.
Our bodies, organs and organ systems pretty much function the same way. But the more we learn about our body down to its smallest units is that we have slight differences in how well we carry on certain functions, and what we need to carry those processes out. This is the principle of holistic nutrition known as biochemical individuality. Roger J. Williams was a pioneer in nutrition and this concept of biochemical individuality. He explained the need to address each person's unique nutritional needs based on their genetic distinctness. How we determine our own unique nutritional needs is a project that should be undertaken with time and attention, preferably with the assistance of a well trained professional. And this is not the focus of this message today.
The point that I'm trying to make is that there is no perfect diet or weight loss program out there that works perfectly for everyone. It just does not exist. This is the main reason that many diet programs fail, because they do not work for everyone. That's not to say that you can't lose weight on some of these programs. And they may work perfectly for some people for a short time. But if we do not address this issue of biochemical individuality, we may end up frustrated and downtrodden for not succeeding on any particular program. And that's not to mention that you may be out a hefty sum of money for having attempted the latest celebrity craze!
The good news, however, is that there are principles we can all share when designing our own plan for PRIMO HEALTH. When we know these principles, we can start building on them so that we may find our own unique and perfect prescription for health and wellness.
The field of nutrition can be very controversial. But there is one principle that would be difficult for anyone to argue. That principle is that whole foods are good for you! Does that mean you have to purchase all your groceries at a Whole Foods Market chain? No! Whole foods are foods that are as close to how they were grown as possible (as close to nature as possible). So if you can pick it from a tree looking that way; or if you can gather it from a bush looking that way; or if it came out of the ground looking that way; or if it came directly from the animal looking that way (after cleaning and butchering in the case of meat), then it's a WHOLE FOOD.
The further from the original food item, the more refined that food is. White rice, for example, doesn't start out white! I know! Go figure! What rice is brown rice first. And then it is beat and cleaned to remove the outer layers to reveal the innermost white part of the grain. White rice is a refined grain. It has been stripped of some of it's nutrients and fiber. Although we could argue that white rice is still pretty close to the original, it has lost some of its nutrient value in the refinement process and not as beneficial as the original brown rice.
This is one of the most important foundational truths for developing a healthy diet that everyone must pay attention to. Whole foods are good for you! I challenge all of you to open up your cupboards and pantries and pick up each food item in there one at a time and ask yourself, "can I go find this out in nature looking like this?" Open up your refrigerators and look on your shelves and ask yourself, "are these whole foods?"
A PRIMO HEALTH DIET will be a predominantly whole foods diet. The standard American diet (aka SAD) is a highly refined, highly processed diet. And the SAD diet is making America sick! We need to move away from this way of eating if we are to turn the health of this country around. So if you want to make one simple change that can have dramatic affects on your health and the health of your children, clean out your kitchen! Remove items that are highly refined. They are not healthy! They have been stripped of nutrients. Sure they have calories, but our bodies need more than just calories. We need nutrients! These nutrients are best found in unrefined whole foods.
My next blog will detail specific food items and ingredients that we should avoid like the plague if we want to experience PRIMO HEALTH. Until then, happy healthy eating!
