Foods that Heal: an Interview with David Wolfe

What makes a goji berry more nutritionally potent that an apple? Why is chocolate a certified love potion? Nutritionist David Wolfe shares some of the most life-supporting foods on the planet…

What are the best five superfoods and their benefits?
I have selected 20 of the world’s best superfoods and described their history and benefits in my book: Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future. Here are five of my favorites:

Goji Berry
A complete protein source, #1 in the carotene Zeaxanthin (orange-red pigment that supports healthy eyes), sesquiterpenes that increase the natural production of human growth hormone, rich in beta-carotene and liver cleansing betaine, one of the highest antioxidants sources known, #1 in Chinese medicine, delicious.

Cacao (raw chocolate)
#1 antioxidant food in the world, #1 magnesium/chromium/iron/manganese, rich in tryptophan, serotonin, and the bliss chemical anandamide, loaded with PEA (love chemicals), low in caffeine, high in theobromine (heart support), known to extend life.

Maca
This super-root from the Andes is known to contain 20 trace minerals, 17 amino acids, hormone pre-cursors, thyroid supporting compounds, and some essential fatty acids. Maca increases vigor in all ages and acts as an aphrodisiac when the endocrine system is topped up with maca nutrients.

Bee Pollen (not vegan)
This superfood is composed of 22 amino acids with higher amounts of the 8 essential amino acids than most high protein foods. Bee pollen is rich in B-complex, vitamin C, D, E, lecithin, cysteine, RNA, DNA, good calcium, magnesium, beta carotene, and selenium. Bee pollen reduces the production of histamine and lowers the allergic response. Bee pollen improves beauty as it helps clear acne and reverses aging and wrinkling. Athletes take it to increase strength, endurance, energy and speed; quicker recovery from exercise; return heart rate to normal; and to improves endurance for repeat exertion.

Camu Berry
The camu berry is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, the amino acids serine, valine and leucine, as well as small amounts of the vitamins thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. Traditionally, camu has been used to support the immune system, maintain excellent eyesight, ward off viral infections, support strong collagen, tendons, and ligaments and decrease inflammation.

What are the best five superherbs and their benefits?
I am writing a book on herbalism at the moment. Here are some of my current favorites. These favorites shift slightly with the seasons and my location, nevertheless, they are fantastic superherbs.

Reishi Mushroom (spirit mushroom)
A tremendous shen (heart and aura) building herb known to the Chinese for 5,000 years. It’s immune modulating and is a great liver support herb, a heart tonifying herb (great for high blood pressure), and an adaptogenic. Reishi is one of the great providers for well-being on Earth. Reishi is found in forests all over the world.

Asparagus Root
The root of common asparagus is considered one of the greatest superherbs in Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine. It nourishes the kidneys and lungs. It nourishes the sympathetic nervous system and builds bodily fluids. Asparagus root is a tonic, adrenal rejuvenator, anti-ulcerous and anti-inflammatory. The root of asparagus is also used in the treatment of nervous disorders, dyspepsia, diarrhea, dysentery, tumours, hyperdipsia, neuropathy and liver disease. This plant is reported to have immuno-modulating and antihepatotoxic and activities.

Chaga Mushroom
Perhaps the most powerful anti-cancer herb in the world. Chaga is the highest antioxidant food/herb substance in the temperate regions of the world. Its extraordinary concentration of non-polar polysaccharides as well as betulinic acid have been cited as the major source of its immune modulating activities. Chaga has anti-inflammatory properties. Chaga tea is my favorite tea of all time.

Pau D’Arco (Lapacho)
This delicious tree bark from the Amazon and jungles of Central America contains powerful anti-fungal compounds. Pau d’Arco effectively fights fungal infections such as candida as well as cancer. This bark reduces fevers, assists in healing ulcers and is also used for venereal and rheumatic disorders. It is especially useful for fungal and viral skin disorders — especially eczema and herpes. Lapacho multiplies the body’s production of red blood cells. Pau d’Arco tea is often combined with an anti-viral superherb Una da Gato (Cat’s Claw).

Ho Shou Wu (Fo-Ti)
This prepared root nourishes and tonifies the kidneys, liver, and the blood. It is a hair restoring tonic (fights baldness). This root builds and replenishes kidney, adrenal, and sexual energy as well as increases fertility. This longevity tonic contains antioxidants that help produce the super enzyme SOD (super-oxide dismutase).

Are raw foods, superfoods, superherbs and spring water only for some types of people? Vegetarians for example.
Everyone can benefit from raw foods, superfoods, superherbs, and spring water including vegetarians, vegans, omnivores, and carnivores. As a point of reference, due to the danger of consuming animal products created by poor quality control, antibiotics, growth hormones, animal diseases such as Mad Cow, Hoof and Mouth, Blue Tongue, chicken cancers, etc, as well as greed, animal products are becoming less and less reliable sources of protein or any nutrition at all. Raw foods, superfoods, superherbs, and living spring water represent clean, safe, controllable resources for the food choices of the future.

Are these foods and herbs suitable for children?
Yes. Raw plant foods, superfoods, and superherbs are suitable for children. Certainly they are more appropriate for children than pesticide-sprayed canned baby foods, soy formulas, candy, breakfast cereals, factory-farmed meat, fish, and chicken products, and other heavily processed food items sold via marketing campaigns to parents and children. Consider the simplicity of a child eating an avocado, lettuce, an apple, blueberries, almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc. Children stand to benefit greatly from the addition of raw, organic plant foods, fresh juices, superfoods, superherbs (i.e. immune modulating medicinal mushrooms such as reishi, chaga, maitake, agaricus, shiitake, etc.) in their diet.

Who is it suitable for and for whom absolutely not?
I recommend 80% raw and organic plant foods in one’s diet, because this approach is relatively easy to attain for most people over a period of several years. This is, in fact, good enough for everyone to experience excellent improvements in their health. Those with sensitivity to fiber (cellulose found in vegetables) due to metabolism or a history of Crone’s disease need to make appropriate adjustments with the types of raw foods they are eating. All of us should be careful with ingesting too much sugar (fruit).

All of us can find benefits in drinking fresh celery juice. Raw berries are great for nearly every type of metabolism. Raw chocolate is wonderful for celebration, yet inappropriate for those with chocolate allergies or neurotic behaviors and addictions. Superherbs such as medicinal mushrooms (i.e. reishi, chaga, maitake, agaricus, shiitake, lion’s mane, cordyceps, etc.) are great for immune system nutrition.  Living spring water is excellent for folks looking to expand consciousness.

The point is: there is something in raw food, superfoods, superherbs, and living spring water for everyone. Especially in the beginning, eating 80-100% raw food is inappropriate for some people due to many reasons, including: being excessively thin, having very poor mineralization (poor teeth and bones), being too alkaline, and other extreme “vata” (Ayurvedic thin, nervous body type) conditions.

Is it easy or difficult to make? What do you have to take in consideration?
Start consuming superfoods such as cacao, maca, goji berry, marine phytoplankton, etc in a super smoothie every day. Simply replace heavily processed protein powders with real foods — superfoods! Take superherbs as deep nourishment and medicine. Drink fresh vegetable juice (celery based) whenever possible. Reduce cooked foods to one item per meal. Eat that meal with an organic salad.
Take raw, uncooking classes and/or read raw recipe books and find out how to make lasagnas, pizzas, breads, sauces, pates, desserts, and all kinds of other treats without cooking and without side effects.

Have fun with your food again. Discover natural highs. Go organic. End GMOs (Genetically modified organisms or Frankenfoods).
Avoid factory farmed animal products immediately — that means avoiding just about all animal products on the market today.
As fast as you can, slow down fast fooding. Fast food is completely toxic to a consciousness of abundance.

Is it easy to maintain, keep going?
Any of the superfoods and superherbs can be added into anyone’s diet. Simply discover the ones you like and stick with them. Get out a blender and make entirely new types of shakes, smoothies, and beverages out of superfoods. Make all kinds of teas with the herbs. Better yet, take your superherb tea and blend it with superfoods. Throw some raw berries in there and everybody is happy. Interestingly, superfoods and superherbs meet and exceed all our protein requirements, our vitamin and mineral requirements, glyconutrient (essential polysaccharide sugar) requirements, essential fatty acid requirements, immune system requirements, and so much more!

Superfoods can be (and should be) consumed raw because 150 years of research has now demonstrated that living, raw food is superior in vitamin content, enzymes, co-enzymes, usable protein, usable minerals, glyconutrients, and many other elements of nutrition. Additionally, raw food is natural. Raw is how Nature provides us with food.

Can you integrate it in a more traditional cooking way of life or do you have to go all the way?
By eating raw foods, one learns how to cook better. For example, one learns how to sprout beans first, then cook them, providing even more nutrition. Also, one learns the importance of eating salads with cooked foods. Another factor that raw foods teach us is simplicity. One learns how to eat simply and graciously. Cooking with raw coconut oil (which is resistant to rancidity and oxidation) can radically transform one’s favorite dishes. Raw coconut oil is even better to cook with than olive oil.

How can you make the transition the most easy? What disadvantages can you come across?
I have found the best way for people to eat raw food, superfoods, and superherbs is to add them to their diet without feeling like they are being deprived. I especially advocate fresh vegetable juices and superfood smoothies daily. Once people see how good they feel, then they naturally want to explore deeper.
Remember: the law of attraction is constantly at work. We can attract health and healthy foods into our life. My goal is to eat “the best food ever” — so I attract this all the time into my life. You can too. This is the power of a decision.

Is there any advantage in going raw for one day a week or does it do nothing?
Any amount of organic raw food helps! Any amount of superfoods and superherbs is better than none.
What we eat helps to guide our path. Eating determines what level of health our body will experience. Every bite of food put into the body should add to our strength, spirituality, and beauty. Each meal becomes part of who we are at the deepest level. A day of eating raw foods or a week or two of a raw-foods detox can do wonders for everyone. Consuming tonic superherbs does wonders to restore our immune system to a state of optimum vitality and health.

What about raw chocolate? Some more explanation?
People always ask me what I eat. Raw, organic cacao beans (raw chocolate nuts) are a wonderful part of my diet. Cacao is the superfood of the future. Cacao beans are truly the food of the gods; the best food ever! What is cacao? Cacao is the seed (nut) of a fruit of an Amazonian tree that was brought to Central America during or before the time of the Olmecs. Cacao beans were so revered by the Mayans, Toltecs, Mixtecs, and Aztecs that they used them as money!

The raw cacao bean is one of nature’s most fantastic superfoods due to its mineral content (magnesium, iron, chromium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, and copper) as well as due to its wide array of unique and varied properties including an extraordinary content of: antioxidants, PEA, anandamide, and soluble fiber. Research has conclusively demonstrated that people who eat chocolate live longer and are less likely to experience a heart attack.

Since many of the special properties of cacao are destroyed or lost by cooking, refining, and processing, we feel that planet Earth’s favorite food is still unknown to most of us. Now we get to reconnect with the power of real, original, natural, dark, raw chocolate (no sugar, no additives). You can read more about the world’s greatest food in my book, Naked Chocolate.

Article reprinted with the permission of ECOLUXE magazine. Conscious Living—Luxurious Style.

Read more at Diary of a Vegan