Hey there all, it's been a while. Sid Hillman here....My wife gave birth to two healthy babies! Needless to say, time is a bit more restricted. Anyhow, I'm still in my nutritional consultant course. I have finished all the course-work and am currently working on my case studies and then have to complete the final exam. The whole process has been great for me and has opened me up to excellent new information on the nutritional front. And yet....
So much of what I've read (going on 20-30 books by now at least) on nutrition leads me back to the same message: that the farther away we go from nature, the more problems we see in our bodies and minds. Nutritionally speaking that means that the farther away our food is from it's natural state (i.e. on a tree or in the ground) the less nutritious and sometimes more dangerous it is. This even means that the longer a piece of fruit is out of the ground the less nutrients are in it. Think about how long our produce travels to get to the market, think about how many changes a hot dog goes through before a person consumes it (and how much is added to it). I saw a video on youtube recently by Dr. Lodi (oasis of healing) and he makes the point that even wolves won't eat meat that is over a day old or so. Humans kill the meat (that is pumped with antibiotics and hormones) and then cure it, store it, package it or whatever....by the time it is consumed it is so far from being 'fresh' that it is so much more unhealthy than at the point of slaughter. Same thing with concentrated juices etc. The advice I'm giving to those I'm working with currently, is that if in doubt, err on the side of what's more natural...
In this way, I've stumbled upon the concept of grounding our bodies to the earth. There are now studies going on to measure it's effects. What it means specifically is that there is a positive charge in the atmosphere and a negative charge on the earth. Because we wear rubber soled shoes (i.e. farther away from our natural skin....) we are shielded from the negative electrons on the surface on the earth, and an imbalance is created. Free radical damage, about which so many of you have heard, is basically a positively charged ion that steals an electron from a molecule so that it can balance itself.The problem is that it leaves the new molecule unbalanced itself and will cause that new molecule to steal yet another negative electron and so on. Oxygen is the tool in our body that is capable of stealing the electron, causing 'oxidation' (think about rust for instance....). This is where 'anti-oxidants' come into play via our diets (plants are full of anti-oxidants, animals flesh and dairy is not...simple as that). They neutralize the free-radicals and prevent them from stealing negative electrons....
But here's the interesting info on grounding....That by walking barefoot directly on the earth (or by touching a tree or metal pole that is in the earth) we receive the negative electrons that we need. These negative electrons can go to balancing out the free-radicals so that they don't steal the electrons from our healthy tissues/molecules. But here's the thing: it is friggin' common sense when you think about it. WE ARE ANIMALS. We spend our days in cars, in offices, in houses, and in shoes, and rarely if ever actually come in contact with the earth. So again, the farther we get from nature, the more problems occur in us (psychologically, physically etc.)...
Try, especially if you're feeling bogged down, stressed, depressed, etc. just popping off your shoes and taking a short walk outside. See how you feel...Likewise, if you're feeling physically bogged down etc., eat more raw plants (ideally grown in your own garden or locally). Trust me, it makes a difference...