While we were in Colorado, a friend sent us a copy of the book Superfoods, by David Wolfe.
One of the main themes that kept coming up while we were out in Colorado was the theme of food and health.
Quite a few doctors, medical professionals, and therapists told us that if my son was to fully recover, he was going to need to eat properly.
Our diet before we went to Colorado was actually pretty good. But like everyone’s diet, it was far from perfect.
While in Colorado, I decided to run an experiment on myself. If my son was going to have to change his diet to help his brain recover, I decided I might as well change my diet as well.
For years I have been trying to eliminate sugar from my diet. It’s been one long string of failures. But this time, it seemed different.
For my son to recover fully, he really must avoid sugar and junk food for quite some time. My wife and I decided it would likely be easier on him if he weren’t alone.
So, we have attempted again to eliminate sugar.
While in Colorado I started reading Superfoods, by David Wolfe. I just finished it a few days ago.
I’m always a little skeptical of books like this one. It seems that quite often the health food crowd oversells their products. I’ve seen some rather ridiculous claims associated with herbal supplements, teas and cleanses.
Maybe they work, maybe they don’t. I remain skeptical.
But Superfoods was intriguing. After all, David Wolf wasn’t really trying to sell his products to me. He seems intent on educating the reader. He simply tells the reader that there are certain foods out there so rich in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants they ought to be known as superfoods.
The book opens with a fascinating statement.
“A new day is dawning on the world of nutrition. Our nutrition potential has finally caught up to our technology. Shipping, communication, and increased knowledge about nutrition are allowing us to access incredible quality food products from around the planet in a way that had heretofore been impossible or simply unknown.”
He’s right, you know.
Many of the foods he recommends in super foods were unavailable to my parents when I was a kid. I doubt my parents even knew about them. They didn’t possess the knowledge of these foods, let alone the ability to order them.
Today, however, we have the information and the food at our fingertips.
The first superfood the author mentions is Cacao. I decided to try this one first. I read about it in the book, went online, landed on Amazon.com, and ordered this: http://amzn.to/2tShVQq.
I chose “yesterday shipping” turned around and noticed a bag of Cacao on the kitchen table.
We really do live in amazing times.
The structure of the book is pretty simple. Mr. Wolf takes each superfood, gives us its Latin name, a bit of its history, and then he describes the benefits of the food. He ends each chapter with recipes.
I really like that Mr. Wolf added short histories to each of the superfoods. For example, in the chapter on honey, Mr. Wolf points out that honey doesn’t expire. Archaeologists have discovered edible honey in ancient Egyptian tombs. This stunned me. I had no idea.
I also didn’t know that honey was a superfood. But that’s just an example of information that we have lost in our modern age. The ancient Egyptians knew. The Greeks knew. The Romans knew. In fact, according to Mr. Wolf, honey was so prized among the Greeks they even transported Alexander the great’s body back to Greece in a coffin filled with honey.
I’ve decided that’s how I want to go. I have added a clause to my will.
In the chapter on hemp, we discover a bit of a disappointing history. Evidently, hemp was once one of the main products of the United States.
Not only are the hemp seeds a superfood, but the sturdy plant provided the material for rope, clothing, and numerous other products.
The plant is hardy and does not require pesticides. Cotton, on the other hand, requires inordinate amounts of pesticides.
Fortunately for all of us, the U.S. government got involved. According to the author,
“In 1937, Popular Science magazine called hemp ‘the new billion-dollar crop.’ A machine that simplified the hemp paper making process had just been invented. But the promise of hemp was never fulfilled.
In the early 1930’s one of the great media conspiracies of the 20th Century unfolded. Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, along with the DuPont Corporation, a group of petroleum interests, the American cotton growing lobby, international bankers, and a group of ignorant politicians (are there any other kind?), lead a crusade to ban hemp.” (Italics are mine.)
As the story unfolds, we learn that petroleum and petroleum based products eventually replace the cheaply manufactured and versatile hemp. As always, thank you all knowing, all powerful government. We bow our heads in humble gratitude.
As I said, I’m running an experiment on myself. I’ve gone vegan.
I intended to do this only for three months. I just want to see what will happen. Will I get sick? Will I get healthier? I don’t know. It remains to be seen.
I suspect the results are going to delight me. Already, I’ve lost quite a few extra pounds. And I seem to be gaining energy and mental clarity.
I suspect in the long run things are going to go very, very well.
After all, things went well for Jim Morris. He died last year at 80 years old. This is what it looks like when he died.
Yeah. I think I would like to look like that at 80.
Things have also gone well for Dr. Ellsworth Wareham. As far as I know, he is still alive. He was born in 1914. In the following video, he was interviewed when he was 98 years old. He had just retired. He was a surgeon.
Things seem to be going well for vegan endurance athlete Rich Roll:
I’ve been ordering many of the foods David Wolf recommends in the book. I have pretty much been tossing the foods into a smoothie every morning before I start the day.
I loosely started in Colorado, but I have been hitting it hard for the last little bit. I am trying to go 90 days without sugar, without skipping a workout, without meat, and without dairy.
We will see how it goes.
So far, the toughest part has been the schedule change. I have to get up every morning at four to begin milking the almonds.
So, yeah. I recommend Superfoods by David Wolfe. I think you might enjoy it. I certainly did.
Plus, it just might change your life.
