TenDecades: Philosophies and Beliefs about a Raw Foods Lifestyle
First, let me say that we do not claim to “know it all”. In fact, it is just the opposite. There is so much conflicting information and data available, and thus, conflicting beliefs that sometimes we aren’t sure about anything when it comes to what is “right” or “wrong” about diet and lifestyle choices. For this reason, we are each individually responsible to be on our own paths to wellness through trial and error, and listening to our own bodies.
Which brings me to my next point. We will not try to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. We will not try to tell you what is “right” or “wrong” about a particular diet or lifestyle choice. We rely on our own experience and the personal testimonies of other individuals, as well as the scientific data that is available. We hold each person capable of managing their own health and being responsible for their own individual experience of wellness. Your own body, mind and spirit have their own unique wisdom which, when listened to, will guide you in the direction(s) that is best for you.
What we will do is try to offer information that we have learned (which of course can change as we gain more knowledge and experience) that can help enlighten you or intrigue you to seek more knowledge for yourself. The information presented on our website or that comes from us is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended or construed as medical advice, nor is it intended to lead anyone away from a qualified health practitioner. We do not prescribe or diagnose and we make absolutely no claims of any cure for any disease. We cannot take responsibility for those who treat themselves. If you have a medical condition, we urge you to be supervised by a qualified health professional of your choice. There are many philosophies on health and wellness and we hope you will choose the one that best fits your needs.
As far as the “healthy lifestyle” that we mention on our website, we need to explain and clarify several points.
First, in our definition, a “healthy lifestyle” includes a balance of elements, which we believe can lead to an overall sense of wellness and well-being, including good nutrition, plenty of pure water, sunshine, exercise, rewarding work, rest and relaxation, recreation and stress-relief, rewarding communication and relationships with other people, and last but certainly not least, an active exploration of spirituality (in whatever form that takes for you).
As far as “good nutrition”, what we mean is this. We believe that our society is set up in such a way that we are constantly and unknowingly bombarded with chemicals and toxins. We are also bombarded with food choices that include “fast foods” that are pre-processed, pre-packaged, loaded with chemical preservatives and devoid of most of their nutritional value when compared to the nutritional composition of raw fruits, vegetables and grains that still contain live enzymes, minerals and phytochemicals. The problem is, even if or when we were to introduce raw foods into our lifestyle, our bodies are not necessarily able to assimilate them immediately until some internal changes take place first.
Most of us grew up being schooled about the traditional food pyramid that includes meat and dairy products. However, our belief is that meat and dairy products, in particular, can create an adverse ecology inside our bodies, which in turn leads to other potential health problems. We also believe that our intestines build up a layer of “mucoid plaque” that stays locked in our intestines, thereby locking in other toxins that our bodies would normally expel, as well as preventing our intestines from being efficient at absorbing the vital nutrients that our bodies need. At the extreme end of this, if you think about diverticulitis, that condition occurs when pockets form in the intestines and the pockets collect waste products that cannot be expelled and thus the waste products decay and become poisonous to our bodies. We all know that plaque can form on our teeth and even in our arteries, so it also stands to reason that our intestines can also build up a layer of “plaque”. As a result, we believe that the first step in a wellness plan involves cleaning out our intestinal tract by doing a colon cleanse, which is designed to dislodge the layer(s) of mucoid plaque that has built up, thereby eliminating toxins that may have been stored in our bodies for a long time. We understand that there are conflicting beliefs about colon cleansing and that a colon cleanse may not be in your wellness plan. However, we encourage you to do some research of your own and seek guidance from one or more health professionals when deciding whether or not a colon cleanse is right for you.
At any rate, in the ideal world, a healthy colon with good colon motility would be clean and clear and loaded with probiotic aerobic bacteria to aid in the digestion process. Ideally, a healthy colon would have you having at least 1-2 bowel movements per day, and preferably a bowel movement for every meal that was eaten. In this way, your body would be efficiently absorbing vital nutrients from your food and efficiently eliminating waste and toxins from your body instead of storing them. Until this happens, you will not be in the best position to gain the most benefits from the foods that you eat, regardless of what those food choices actually are.
As far as our diets are concerned, we do not claim to promote any special “diet” per se. Instead, we believe that if we get the ecology of our bodies in balance, and we listen to our bodies, then over time, we will naturally be led to make food choices that are intuitive and supportive for our bodies. In our experience with a raw foods lifestyle, here is how it has felt to us. First of all, creating a lifestyle is a process. It takes time. It won’t be (and doesn’t need to be) an act of will power. It won’t feel like you are depriving yourself of anything. You won’t feel unfulfilled. The changes will likely (and should be) be gradual, and perhaps subtle, but noticeable. In our experience, the sense of self (or self-esteem) actually improves naturally because we begin to feel better naturally, with a sense of energy and vitality. When we feel better, we tend to be more optimistic, active and present in our work and family environments. Health issues or symptoms that we may have been experiencing can go away, and the sense that we are doing something positive for ourselves actually enhances the feelings of success and self-esteem, thus improving self-image regardless of how our bodies actually look from the outside. If you listen to your body, you will be naturally drawn towards the raw foods that are appealing to you. When you eat something that your body doesn’t want or need, you will notice it. For example, speaking for myself, I have now noticed that if I eat meat, I will immediately experience acid reflux for a few days afterwards.
According to the research we have done, we are learning that our bodies are complete ecosystems, just like our planet is a large ecosystem. Our body ecology includes many factors such as the acidity or alkalinity of our bodies, as well as the types and amounts of good (and bad) bacteria present in our bodies. Research shows that when we consume animal products such as meat, cheese and dairy, as well as some carbohydrates and refined sugars, that our body chemistry becomes more acidic. When our bodies become more acidic, then we unwittingly create an environment that allows for growth of free radicals and conditions for cancers or other diseases. We encourage you to perform your own research and come to your own conclusions about body ecology.
If you do research, you will also find that there are some conflicting beliefs about juicing, blending and dehydrating. Some believe that juicing is essential because it allows the nutrients to be unlocked from the food and presented in a liquid form that can be readily assimilated by the body without having to do the work of digestion that would normally occur if you were chewing the entire fruit or vegetable. However, there are also many vital nutrients that are contained in the pulp, skins, stems and seeds which may not be unlocked during juicing (or chewing for that matter). In this case, some people believe that instead of just juicing, the entire fruit or vegetable including skins, seeds and stems should be completely pureed in a high-powered blender and consumed. Also, certain fruits and vegetables (such as carrots) contain high amounts of natural sugars, so the belief is that a person should not necessarily consume excessive amounts because they will actually be doing themselves more harm than good by consuming sugars, since sugars can lead the body to not only become more acidic, but cause the excessive release of insulin in order to break down the sugars. (However, we also believe that there is a big difference between the natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables compared to refined sugars such as those found in soft drinks and packaged foods).
Some people believe that juicing should only be a short-term practice when you are just beginning to adopt a raw foods lifestyle. Again, we will not try to tell you what you should and should not do. You will need to experiment, do research and listen to your own body’s natural messages. If and when juicing is no longer a viable option for you, then we believe that you will intuitively know it, and you may wish to experiment with blending your foods in their entirety. Or, you may wish to juice and blend – you do not have to choose one method over the other.
Ultimately, we believe that moderation and variety are key elements in a raw foods lifestyle. In other words, don’t go crazy and drink carrot juice ten times a day and think that more is better. We suggest mixing up your food choices with a variety of different fruits and vegetables. We advocate eating salads in addition to blending and/or juicing. We also feel that eating some cooked food is okay, such as cooked rice, baked potatoes or steamed vegetables. However, we feel that cooked foods should not exceed 25% of your total dietary intake. Again, your choices will be highly personal and we urge you to experiment and listen to your own body’s natural wisdom. We also urge you to obtain some raw food recipe books to help you discover unique and interesting recipes.
As far as dehydrating is concerned, the vegan and vegetarian purists are against the use of dehydrators for the purpose of making meat jerky. Also, some feel that the nutritional benefit of dehydrated foods is questionable, so they do not advocate dehydrating. While it is probably true that the nutritional value of dried foods is less than that of their fresh counterparts, we believe that having dried fruits and vegetables on hand can be a great and convenient thing when you are traveling or working. You can easily carry a baggie of dried fruits and vegetables for when you want to eat something during the day.
In summary, we believe that each person will have their own definition of wellness. Just like with most of life, the path to wellness and vitality is a journey, not a destination in and of itself. There are no absolutes, or “right” and “wrong”, except to say that if you are experiencing some adverse conditions in your health and wellness, then perhaps there is a cause based on your current lifestyle choices, and it is your responsibility to yourself to identify those causes and make the changes that seem appropriate for you.
What we have tried to offer with the TenDecades website is a place where people can come to find the information and products that they can utilize as they explore their own wellness journeys. We have tried to offer high-quality products at competitive prices to assist people in their own lifestyle choices, wherever they happen to be along their own personal and financial paths. We also use many of these products ourselves in our own lifestyles, and we will continue to add and/or remove products as we deem necessary according to our own experience.
Finally, we strive to be open-minded in our quest for knowledge. If you have knowledge or information that either supports or contradicts the information we have presented, we encourage you to submit your articles, questions, feedback and suggestions and product reviews so that we may present a wider breadth of knowledge to our audience. Please feel free to contact customerservice@tendecades.com with any submissions you may have.
Thank you for your interest and your patronage of our site, which helps us continue to offer information and products to others who are also seeking wellness and vitality in their own lives.
Sincerely,
Doug Wilson
TenDecades.com
