Natural Weight Loss - When Blackberries Speak
By Gary
Scott
Afternoon mists fall on ripe green. Cool mountain meadows hide in the hemlocks
and fir. A quiet brook sings to robins and squirrels as Merri and I hiked
the farm over the weekend on a pick and eat program with the cooperating
wild blackberries that had turned luscious and black.
While in a deep glen competing with the birds and the bears for this delicious
ripening fruit, I was reminded how nature reminds us of what to eat.
I have been reading and rereading John Douillard's book, "Three Season
Diet" which shows how to lose weight, increase health and vitality by
eating different foods at different times of the year. The concept is based
partly on Ayurved, the Indian science of life and well being, which views
the body as having three essences; vata (essence of motion), pitta (essence
of transformation-digestion) and kapha (essence of solidity). These essences
are also described as vata-air, pitta, fire and kapha, earth/water. A key
in Ayurved is to keep the three in balance.
Ayurved also recognizes differences in seasons, spring, being a moist, fertile
time of growth of course is a kapha period. Summer, naturally is a time of
heat or pitta when the seeds transform into food. Finally, autumn and winter
turn windy and cold. Things become brittle and dried, the time of vata. So
the tendency in summer is for the fire in us (pitta) to grow excessively,
spring brings kapha problems and winter hosts vata imbalances.
Seeing how delicious the blackberries looked (and tasted) now in the summer
reminded me of text from John's book. He wrote this about blackberries.
Native to Europe, these berries are harvested in late spring and early summer,
from April through July, but are out of season in the winter and are too
cool for most winter climates. They are sweet, sour and astringent and help
cool the body down and to treat diarrhoea, a classic summer condition in
which the stool is liquefied by excess heat. Blackberries are also very alkaline,
high in iron and are the best blood builders although they have a constipating
quality.
So you can see that blackberries (growing practically everywhere in the
country) are the perfect food for us in summer!
Over past months as we have worked with medical practitioners who are using
BIRM - see http://www.garyascott.com/birm/ - in their practice we learned
that alkalinity is another key factor in maintaining health (more about this
in next week's message). Alkalinity is linked to the immune and blood sugar
system, so maintaining the correct balance helps avoid disease and illness
such as diabetes.
John's book shows some other great summer foods that help blood sugar disorders
as well. Here is what the book says:
"Bitter Melon" Originally harvested throughout China and India,
bitter melon is used to treat diabetes in Asia. It has twice as much potassium
as bananas and is proven to increase the number of beta cells (which produce
insulin) in the pancreas. It is high in iron and has twice the beta-carotene
of broccoli and twice the calcium of spinach. It is bitter in taste and cooling
to the body, but is too cooling and bitter for winter.
Blue berries are another good blood sugar regulating food as the books says:
"Blueberries, Native to North America, are harvested from May through
August and are both sweet and astringent. Traditionally known to help strengthen
the pancreas and stabilize blood sugar levels, blueberries serve to offset
the high energy demands and sugar content of the summer fruit harvest. They
are not cooling as blackberries or raspberries and are okay in the winter
also. Recent studies have found blueberries to be a very powerful antioxidant."
You can learn more about this book at http://www.garyascott.com/health/587/
John is currently offering a free ongoing weight loss study in progress
for his latest book that is very powerful. You can get information from John
Douillard about this at info@lifespa.com. This
is a great opportunity to work with such an outstanding master of the diet
of Ayurved.
We continue to get raves about BIRM such as.
"Hi Merri, I am getting close to the end of my first bottle of Birm
and I an impressed with the effects and results, subtle, consistent and beneficial!
For my next order, can you please tell me how many bottles you can safely
fit in that neat little box, without increasing the shipping cost? I imagine
3 or 4, but please advise.
JD Canada
"Two BIRM creams would be nice. I have never felt anything so amazing
before. "
DC New Jersey
Our next message Global Health Secret will delve into the importance of
alkalinity. Gotta run now, it's summer and the blueberries are ripening down
by the creek with more blackberries and dewberries not far behind! Until
next message, I hope that your good health is no secret!
Gary
P.S. While much of the U.S. burns up this summer we enjoy cool nights (mid
50s) sleeping under blankets without screens (translation-there are no mosquitoes
here). Rarely does it reach 80 during the day and if it does a quick dip
in the creek cools us right down. We have farms houses, cottages, cabins
and tipis you can stay in and enjoy. Rockers on the front porch (best for
watching fireflies at night and eating sunny breakfasts), quiet pools to
chill watermelon, waterfalls in which to soak, horses to chase, chickens
and ducks to feed and we would enjoy meeting you. If you get too hot, send
me a note at gary@garyascott.com to see if any of these accommodations are
available for a break. See http://www.littlehorsecreek.com/
Everyone who comes wants to come back and right now we can treat you to
some fresh blackberry pie!
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