Introvert Versus Extrovert . . . When & Why "Just Being Yourself" Doesn't Work!

Introvert Vs Extrovert

At the end of September 2013 my husband and I returned from a five month trip to Kaua'i island. Upon returning to Buffalo NY (where we were living at the time), we found that our priorities had changed. It became clear to me that human relationships are really the “stuff of life”. Lytenian and I both identified as “introverts” our entire lives, but in late 2013, I began thinking of myself more as an “extrovert” for the first time.

An introvert is someone who “fuels up” or “gets their energy” from being alone. When enough energy is stored up, an introvert can be socialize, which “drains” them. For an extrovert, the opposite is true. Socializing gives an extrovert fuel, and being alone drains them again.

Growing up the definition I heard was simply that introverts prefer solitude, and I identified with that. But why? I now have a surprising answer to that question.

Humans are naturally social, but we turn introverted and solitude-seeking in environments perceived as hostile. Not feeling free to be yourself makes an environment seem threatening. And it is! If you can't be who you really are then you're not safe to communicate your needs and have them met.

People say “be yourself” and then others will “like you”. I've found that to be false. My “self” is honest, open, opinionated, highly sensitive, open to correction, introspective, adventurous, and rather ignorant of what is going on in pop-culture, fashion, sports, and movies. This “self” has never fit in with the majority of people.

When I was sixteen I realized that I could create a version of myself that would be popular. I spent a year learning to dress, speak and act like a teenager my age. It was an unpleasant struggle, yet by the age of seventeen I was hosting house-parties and constantly answering my cell phone. Everyone wanted to hang out with "me" – yet I wasn't being me at all! After a little over a year of this, I gave up my popularity in favor of being myself again. I was rather relieved!

So what is an introvert really?

Introverts are people who differ enough from the norm that social situations are not “safe” for their true inclinations.

No wonder there are an increasing number of self-identified introverts!

So why did I become more extroverted in 2013? While I was on Kaua'i island, I began to socialize with people in a different way. Many of my interactions had to do with survival. What was I going to eat that day? Where could I harvest my food? When communicating about my basic needs it was easy to relate to other human beings. We all need to find food, transportation to that food, clean water, and so on. There was no need for me to be anything other than myself when communicating with others about these basic needs. And thus, for the first time in my life, being around people was life-affirming and energizing.

After the five-month trip, I began identifying parts of myself that I am not afraid to share with anyone. In fact, the whole trip increased my faith in the universe, decreasing my overall level of fear. Because of this, socializing in general felt less threatening.

Because my overall fear of socializing was reduced, I began to creatively seek people I could interact with in a way that felt good to me. I began thinking more outside of the box about social interactions. In 2014 I began attending new and interesting sorts of activities – acro-yoga, sewing parties, juggling workshops, and even beer-brewing workshops despite my own choice to not drink. I found that people who attended these unusual activities were great, open-minded conversationalists.

In 2017, I started up my own Ithaca Raw Food & Consciousness Alchemy meetup group to start hosting my own creative events. I came up with the concept of the Conscious Social where ice-breakers, meditations and unconventional socializing standards were normalized and woven into the social atmosphere.

Much of being social as an unconventional, high-anxiety person is learning what topics to bring up with which people. If the conversation starts heading down a path you're not comfortable with, don't perpetuate it . The moment you add to the discussion, you're forwarding that topic. Think of something insightful that is relevant to a recently dropped thread of the conversation to steer the conversation, or find a different group of people to speak with. Whatever you do, don't continue to participate in a conversation that feels draining or limits your authenticity.

It is critical that you maintain your authenticity and some level of comfort in your social interactions if you want to be able to socialize without feeling drained. If you're already someone who identifies as an introvert, then you have experienced a lot of draining social interactions. Through the very powerful mechanism of association, your mind is already set up to view all social situations as potentially harmful. This perceived threat is very real, because the associated emotional damage is very real. To heal this wound, you need to make socializing safe for yourself.

I've learned that it really is okay for me to exclude myself or leave a situation. When you know you can do that, the pressure is off. You never have to “pretend” to be anything that you are not or suffer through a situation where being yourself is not comfortable.

Lytenian (my husband), a notoriously anti-social person, has come through this same journey with me. We discovered that he can be quite social for hours on end when he is feeling like he is “safe”. We first discovered this as at a polyamory gathering in 2012. In this setting of alternative relationship styles, there was a sense of radical acceptance. Suddenly we were not weird for our choices in food, clothing, recreation, and study. We were just more unique, interesting individuals – just like the other fifty attendees!

Prior to this gathering in 2012, Lytenian had always shied away from social situations. He would prefer to hide behind books, computers, and power tools. He would make any excuse to be away from people. But at this gathering, he spent the entire four-day weekend socializing and he didn't feel drained. For me, this was all the proof I needed. In the years since then, my conviction about the true nature of introversion has only grown stronger.

We're All Actually Ambiverts

In reality, there are no people who simply are always drained by social exchanges from birth, or people who are always fueled by social exchanges from birth. We're all ambiverts – people who can be drained or fueled by socializing depending on the circumstances. However, there's a catch! Our associations are a large aspect of the circumstances! This means that every past negative social experience is relevant when calculating whether or not you're likely to experience a social interaction as fueling or draining.

What can be done about these past negative associations? The key is to stop reinforcing them. Stop attending events or activities that you already know will feel draining. Start attending events that will have an unpredictable emotional result for you. Go to new social activities that you've never done before, and go into it expecting a different experience. Set yourself up for a successfully pleasant experience by bringing everything you need to feel safe. That might include comfort foods, a best friend, an extra fluffy sweater, an extra canteen of water, a favorite essential oil, or a book to read.

How Moving from Introvert to Extrovert Has Changed My Life

After discovering this new aspect of myself that actually likes socializing, I began to orchestrate my life in new ways. In 2014 I led my first series of in-person classes. Where most of my work had previously revolved around long-distance clients that I took by phone and e-mail, I began to actually teach live classes in my home. I discovered that one of the easiest ways for me to personally feel safe is to be the facilitator of an activity or event. As the event host and leader, I could set my own norms. This made it possible for me to create classes that felt safe to other "introverts" like myself by cultivating an environment of radical acceptance.

I still recommend that people who take my in-person classes start with my e-books, such as Collecting Calcium (a nutritionally complete meal plan specifically designed for overcoming and preventing bone problems such as arthritis and osteoporosis), and The Ultimate Nutrition Reference. There is a place for hermit-like home-study in everyone's life.

For me, being hermit-like has been the story of my childhood and teenage years. The long years of introspection were powerful in my development. My twenties have been dedicated to learning how to socialize. As you may already know, when you struggle with something or come to it late in life, you make a better teacher than a natural. A natural swimmer, like myself, has a hard time teaching someone else to swim. I don't think about swimming – I just do it! But when it has come to my digestive system or socializing – I've struggled incredibly. And I've persevered. I've kept trying in the face of hundreds of failures. This is precisely why I've become a master at the things I have – because of the struggle. Mastering the art of interacting with other humans is still a work in progress, but it is one of the most satisfying challenges for me to overcome.

Interaction Using Structure

One of the most popular ways for "introverts" to gather is over board games. The structure of the game creates a way to interact that everyone agrees upon when going into the game. The game comes with its own jargon and methodologies. For the period of the game, the players put themselves into the prescribed roles of playing the game. Within that construct, the players are allowed to be themselves safely. Because of this, board games were the primary way I was able to socialize as a child, and thereby I became passionate about gaming in my teens.

This led to my creation of several games including Heir to the Phoenix Crown, a hard-core strategy game; A Voice of Conscience, a party game of ethical quandaries that is easy to learn and teach; Decisive Desserts, a game that combines a recipe book with several card games; Numinous Nonflict, a medium strategy game; and Other Temperate Fruits, a party game that takes word-association to a new level of fun. Creating games and hosting board game gatherings has been a critical bridge for me in times when I didn't know how else to connect with others.

Other structured events include: berry picking excursions, hiking, yoga, dance classes, jewelry making workshops, and consciousness alchemy sessions.

Spending Time Alone

I'm still fairly "introverted" by most standards. I work from home. I meditate, read, write, paint, clean and do many other activities alone each day. But this doesn't mean I don't crave social interaction. Lytenian used to complain: "She never leaves me alone." He would sometimes even say, "I can only escape her by working while she sleeps." This seems to be another common trend among "introverted" people. While they may shy away from large groups of people, they'll be found clinging (often quite physically) to their primary partner in life for much of each day.

How Priorities Impact Energy Levels

Many people use the excuse that they "don't have time" for something when they explain why they are not doing it. This is never really true. We have time for anything we prioritize. Often, we prioritize things that are actually very draining both physically and emotionally. When we do this, it exacerbates any existing associations with socialization. If we cling to social events as our one source of energy, we'll be even more attached to attending any party we're invited to if we work in a draining atmosphere. And if we cling to our alone time as our one source of rejuvenation outside of our stressful workplace, then we'll be even less likely to branch out and attend a party.

If you really want something, then energy will be generated by giving yourself complete permission to prioritize that want. I started designing board games while I was simultaneously traveling, working to support Lytenian and myself, working on refining my house-guest skills, and maintaining a low-budget healthy lifestyle. (The low-budget aspect combined with the healthy aspect meant taking every offer of discounted organic produce at grocery stores and finding ways to turn it into delicious meals for my husband and I.) Can you imagine squeezing hours of design, development and game testing into such a busy lifestyle? Yet I really wanted it, and I made it a priority.

Looking at your life as a cluttered time line with no room for anything new is very stressful. This outlook – all by itself – is a strong contributor to feeling attached to one's existing association with social activities.

I learned that I had a lot more time than I thought I did while I was on Kaua'i island. I experienced what it was like to wake up with the sun each morning and head outdoors to find my breakfast. In a single day I might lay a row of plants, harvest a basket of mangoes, pick and enjoy figs, check up on the aquaponic system and work on it for a while, water the greenhouse, go for a walk, enjoy a conversation with a friend and neighbor, spend time working for a client or two, clean my outdoor kitchen, do dishes, prepare meals, and more. Each day was incredibly full.

That made my days in Buffalo seem quite empty by contrast. I realized that I had plenty of time.

Of course, how much time you have is consistent. It is your level of energy that is in flux. I had more energy while I was on Kaua'i island. The air was pristine. I was getting more exercise and harvesting the food I ate. My social interactions were life-affirming. These factors all seemed to magically give me "more time" but in reality, these factors were giving me more energy.

After returning to Buffalo from Kaua'i island, I started putting some of my extra energy into expanding my non-fiction reading. The trend of expansion, inspiration and growing energy was furthered by reading Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations with God. I've found that having uplifting reading material creates a lot more energy in my life, allowing me to prioritize more of the things I really want.

Identifying What People Really Are At A Deeper Level

What people are inherently is potential itself. Very little about a person is impossible to change. That said, there are aspects of people which are so deeply ingrained they are very unlikely to ever change. For example, take representational systems. Whether or not you're more of a visual processor or a auditory processor is unlikely to ever change. My primary system is kinesthetic. This means that when I recall something, the most vivid aspect of the memory is generally what I felt – the texture, the shape, the positioning, and the emotions. When I think of a board game, one of the first things that occurs to me is how the pieces feel in my fingers, and how the texture of the cards and board feel. An auditory processor will quickly notice the sound of birds or music and recall these aspects more sharply than people who are more visual or kinesthetic.

Representational systems are core how how you perceive the world, and thus, they're unlikely to ever change. Whether or not you feel drained by social interactions is how you respond to a given type of stimuli. It is mostly controlled by your associations, feelings and thoughts during a given instance. That makes it much more malleable.

This has become my primary area of study – the layers of your personality and what makes you who you are, and how to explore and adjust who you are to fulfill your greatest visions for yourself. If you're interested in more of my insights, sign up for my newsletter below.

~ Raederle

The Consciousness Alchemist

Your Second Reference Page

This is your second reference page. You can go to the first one by clicking here.

Here are some quick reminders:

• Akea Essentials
• Snapware Glasslock Food Containers
• Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles
• Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo: "What's wrong with gluten?"
• Lugal's Iodine (5%)
• Here is a beautiful story of a woman who cured her Lupus with raw food.

Dental Care

I recommend either Tooth Soap Cinnamon Shreds or Good Gums Powder.

For your gums, you may find that this inexpensive Gum Stimulator is particularly useful. It's just a tool to gently and easily stimulate the gums and clean them. I use one and rather like it.

I have more on dental health on this page here.

Great Books on Health

There are lots of great books on what foods to eat. One book that I particularly enjoyed was The Hippocrates Diet. I have a full recommendations list for books on this page.

Other Notes

Besides amazon, I also shop on SunBurst Superfoods which has some of the best deals on carob, spirulina, pomegranate powder, blueberry powder, goji berries and mulberries.

~ Raederle

Diet For Intestinal Flora Health

If you came here seeking a flora-restart plan for you, this blog will be a great read. Also look at this protocol for curing candida, H pylori, and other flora issues.

My babyhood flora situation

I have come to the conclusion that my health problems developed before my birth. Not just because of my mother's amalgam fillings, which gave me a dose of mercury while developing, but because my mother has been repeatedly on antibiotics for much of her lifetime. In fact, she was on antibiotics for ten years straight during her early years. This was what doctors used to do if you got scarlet fever, to make sure you never got it again. Because if you got it again, you died.

What does it mean for the baby if the mother has taken antibiotics a lot in her lifetime?

Babies are born with the flora of their mother. My mother had imbalanced intestinal flora. To make things worse, I developed rheumatic fever as a newborn and took antibiotics for that. It's a vicious cycle. You have a poor immune system, so you get sick more easily. Then they give you antibiotics to kill off the bad bacterias which weakens your immune system and so you get sick more easily.

I was sick a lot as a kid. By sixteen my gut was destroyed. I was constantly burping, getting sick, experiencing very painful acid reflux, bloating, constipation, locking jaw, yeast infections, and so on. When conventional medicine failed to help, I started researching. At the age of seventeen I put into action some of what I'd learned from the web, and I discovered what it felt like to have energy for the first time in my life. As a result, I became fascinated with food, nutrition and biology.

Over the years, I've become an expert in intestinal health. I've struggled with it so much that I've had to learn more and more about it. By the age of twenty I was taking on clients and helping them with their intestinal issues.

I've taken antibiotics over and over in my life time, somewhere between ten and fourteen times as a child. If you've taken antibiotics more than three times in your life without a restoration plan, the chances are that your flora is a total disaster. This reduces your ability to absorb nutrition and successfully fend off disease.

If two or more of the following symptoms apply to you, then your flora could use some radical improvement.

• Stomach pains, bloating, gas and/or acid reflux
• Skin problems (skin infections, eczema, psoriasis, acne, itchy skin)
• Foggy brain, difficulty concentrating
• Constant tiredness, exhaustion and/or adrenal fatigue
• Mood swings, irritability , anger outbursts, or anxiety attacks
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Intense cravings for sugars, sweets, and breads
• Headaches

I used to have all of the above symptoms and more. I experienced a major shift from removing many toxins from my diet in 2008, but it wasn't until I tried an exclusively raw vegan diet in 2010 that this all shifted. I was living in California at the time and I found that for the first time in my life – as a direct result of switching to raw food – I enjoyed sunshine! Always before it had given me headaches and made my skin immediately feel as if it were burning.

In 2011 I was frustrated that some of these symptoms came back. Of the raw foodists I knew, it seemed like they weren't having this problem after a year of raw veganism, so why was I have a return of problems?

I was on a mission to experience perfect health, so I wasn't content with my improved list of symptoms which I described like this in 2011:

• Twice a week I get a strong craving for something starchy/bready or sweet, or fatty.
• Twice a month I get "in a mood" where I'm apathetic/depressed for a few hours.
• Three times a month I get stomach pains, generally following a large meal containing both fruits and fats
• Mild skin breakouts

I came to the conclusion that I needed to balance the bacteria in my gut. Of course, I didn't realize at the time that nobody really knows how to do that. Science doesn't have a magic recipe for good gut flora. We only have piles of anecdotal evidence about what has worked for some cultures and some individuals.

In April 2011 I moved from Walnut Creek, California to Buffalo, New York. I experienced the worst shift in my health that month than I had since going raw vegan. The stress was so intense that I actually binged on deep-fried shrimp and fries – foods I hadn't eaten in years!

So how to get back on track? I devised a system, that I will detail in a moment, but first, another question.

Why doesn't a raw vegan diet provide good bacteria?

Unless you're eating fermented food at least twice a day, you're not getting a significant influx of good bacteria in a modern life. Most people no longer eat dirt on their own home-grown vegetables or consume home-made sauerkraut regularly.

Some raw vegans make their own sauerkraut in huge batches, but most tend to stumble into raw food through comfort foods – raw vegan pies and cheesecakes, raw vegan crepes and wraps, raw vegan pizzas and crackers. These recipes are fun, delicious and wholesome, but they're not probiotic. In fact, most of these recipes are dehydrating enough to be counterproductive when you're trying to clean up your intestinal environment.

In 2011, in a single week I would consume a bottle of kombucha, two servings of sauerkraut, two servings of fermented nut cheese, and a serving of home-made coconut kefir. I learned that this would never be enough to overcome an unbalanced intestinal tract. Even adding probiotic supplements isn't enough because you have to deal with the existing, unwanted, entrenched flora.

Rebalancing Your Intestinal Flora

Here I present to you a combination plan to tackle the bad bacteria full force, and then send in a flood of healthy bacteria.

The diet illustrated below has been indicated as a method for curing cancer, candidiasis, diabetes and many other conditions quite rapidly. I learned about these techniques from Misty Mountain Retreat in Australia, Dr. Gerson, Dr. Ritamarie, Dr. Gundry and many other pioneers.

This diet has two phases: Starve; Replenish

The starve and kill phase is about starving and killing bad bacteria. The replenish phase is for filling the body with good bacteria.

Phase 1: Starve unwanted parasites, bacteria, fungi, etc

A raw vegan diet already does a good job of limiting flora problems. The big imbalances come from pasta, flour, bread, white sugar, brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, trans fats, aspartame, canola oil, msg, artificial colors, artificial flavors, and hydrogenated oils. None of those are included in a raw diet.

Even whole food diets can contain too much empty carbohydrate and not enough antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and healthy fats.

Raw vegetables offer nothing for bad bacteria to feed on, and the vast amount of fiber helps clear bad bacteria out. Enjoy as many raw vegetables as you like.

Raw fruits offer little for bad bacteria to feed on. The natural sugars in raw fruits provides enough for an imbalance to remain, but not enough to cause a tremendous sporing of bad bacteria.

People who include agave in their raw diet may still experience severe imbalance if they consume it often enough. Remember that agave is High Fructose Agave Syrup.

For a long time the idea of starving out candida has gone around as the "way to go" if you want to successfully get rid of it. Unfortunately, many people are learning the hard way that merely cutting out everything sweet can cause candida to become more systemic. If there is nothing in the intestines to eat, candida goes elsewhere. It is common to have flora issues in the lymphatic system body-wide. To avoid this, you can water-fast until it is really, really gone. An easier route is to combine the bacteria-starving diet with a strong course of herbal antibiotics. Supplements like "para-rid" and "parasite free" with an array of bacteria-killing substances highly enhance this phase. You can also use laxitives during the first few days of the starve phase such as Smooth Move tea by Traditional Medicinals, or aloe juice. I recommend aloe juices sold in glass without the use of strong preservatives, or adding the clear gel from the inside of home-grown aloe to your smoothies.

Excellent fruits for phase one: avocados, olives, peeled cucumbers with seeds removed, raspberries, blackberries, grapefruits, dried schisandra berries.

Acceptable in moderation fruits for phase one: kiwis, mangoes, blueberries, pomegranates.

Not okay fruits (due to fructose): bananas, pineapples, pears, peaches, plums, oranges, nectarines, most dried fruits, and apples.

More not okay fruits (due to lectins*): tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, goji berries.

*Learn more about a lectin-free diet in my article: My first three weeks on The Plant Paradox Program.

When you do phase one ("Starve"), be sure you absolutely do not turn to typical oils and fatty foods as your source of calories in place of fruits and vegetables. I made this serious mistake in 2013. I ate nuts, oils and seeds with abandon. I also ate lots of sauerkraut and vegetables. And I developed very painful lymphatic blockages in my breasts and glands around my throat from too much rancid fat combined with lectins. There are some oils, nuts and seeds you can consume, which I will list for you now, but emphasize vegetables and fruits more.

Excellent seeds, nuts and oils for phase one (consume up to 1 cup of these items combined daily and up to ½ cup of any if these individually): freshly ground flaxseed, avocado oil, flaxseed oil, hemp oil, chia oil.

Acceptable in moderation (¼ cup or less per day of all of these items combined) for phase one: tahini (sesame seed), hemp seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nut, olive oil.

Acceptable in extreme moderation (1 tablespoon or less per day of these items combined): Brazil nuts, pinenuts, walnut, pecans, roasted almonds, chia seeds.

Not okay oils, seeds and nuts (due to high omega-6): sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil.

More not okay oils, seeds and nuts (due to lectins): cashews, peanuts, corn, wheat, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds.

The "starve" phase as described above continues for the full time period of the diet, which is six weeks.

Reducing inflammation, increasing energy levels & feeling amazing

Hi there.

I've put together this page for you for your reference.

For more energy, antioxidants, probiotics and enzymes with a wide variety of nutrients, I recommend Akea Essentials. I particularly recommend this for you because it is SO helpful with cravings! The order page is here. The second option down is for two cans per month, and puts you on "autoship". When you get them on autoship it costs a bit less than if you don't. If you decide after a month or after a few months that you don't like it (which I doubt will happen — most people just love it more and more), you can cancel the autoship at any time.

For storing food in a completely toxin-free practical container, I recommend Snapware Glasslock Food Containers.

For a healthy gluten-free alternative to cooked pasta, I recommend Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles.

The seven minute video below is from a talk I gave back in April talking about maximizing nutrition per dollar. I think you'll find it interesting.

To learn about gluten, listen to this interesting interview with Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, "What's wrong with gluten?"

We have not talked about this one yet, but you may want to consider iodine. Lugal's Iodine (5%) provides enough iodine to help push out other substances (halogens such as chlorine and flourine) that are harmful. This can be especially helpful in reducing inflammation, improving hormonal function and removing heavy metals from the body. One friend of mine lost her need for glasses after she started taking Lugal's Iodine.

Raederle's Longevity & Berries Salad

• 2 heads romaine lettuce or about 8 ounces of washed greens
• 1-2 chopped apples or 1 pomegranate's arils
• 1-2 spoonfuls of berry jam (cranberry for bladder infections, blueberries for joint paint, raspberries for stress, strawberries for comfort, linganberries for cognitive function) Choose a jam without any added sugar! Sweetener should be apple juice or grape juice.
• 1-2 scoops Akea (its best to have 1 scoop in the morning and 1 scoop later, but if you're doing it all at once, then it can all go on one salad)
• 2-3 tablespoons flax oil or hemp oil, refrigerated (make sure to buy from the fridge and store in the fridge)

To prepare: Wash and chop romaine lettuce and/or other greens. Wash and chop apples. Spoon jam into salad bowl with apple chunks and greens. Sprinkle akea on top. Add oil to the akea and stir salad thoroughly. (Akea powder should become fully moistened from apples, oil, and damp greens.)

Here is a beautiful story of a woman who cured her Lupus with raw food in combination with other natural practices.

Let me know if I forgot anything to include on here. :)

~ Raederle

Calcium Phosphorus Ratio and its role in Osteoporosis & Arthritis

What is the significance of the Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio?

For every milligram of phosphorus you consume, you must consume another milligram of calcium. If you do not do so, then calcium gets taken from the calcium pool of your body – bones and teeth – where most of the calcium in your body is stored, in order to balance the phosphorus. Calcium, combined with phosphate, forms hydroxylapatite, which is the mineral portion of human and animal bones and teeth.

Just like omega-6, phosphorus is something you need for many important bodily functions – such as creating ATP (Adenosine triphosphate – the coenzyme needed for energy transfer) and building bones – but it is something that is usually consumed in excess.

The excess of phosphorus in today's modern diet is a major cause of bone diseases. It is often overlooked, perhaps because bone health is so complicated. Bone marrow, for example, is generated by your kidneys. The health of your kidneys, therefore, has a lot to do with the health of your bones. In theory, I could draw the conclusion that kidney health is more relevant than phosphorus consumed. However, that isn't the case, because the balance of minerals consumed affects every part of the body, including the kidneys and the bones.

Minerals are not proactively absorbed by your body. They are passively absorbed as they "fall" upon mineral receptors in your body. This means that the combinations of food you consume will impact what minerals you receive. Also, the health of the vitamin and mineral receptors in your body will play a major role in what minerals you actually retain.

Humans tend to absorb more calcium than phosphorus, so it can be tricky to say whether or not something is “bone building” based on the calcium to phosphorus ratio alone. However, when you stray far enough away from a 1:1 ratio in foods, it is pretty evident if a food is harmful or not when consumed in excess and/or in combination with other foods with similar ratios. When foods have three times as much phosphorus as calcium, or more, that is where it starts becoming a big problem.

Nevertheless, the calcium to phosphorus ratio is often entirely overlooked when it comes to humans. Interestingly, we pay close attention to it when it comes to horses.

"In horses calcium helps maintain normal brain and nerve function and aids in heart, skeletal muscle, and intestinal contraction. Phosphorus helps regulate muscle and heart contraction, cell integrity, and glucose use.

"The calcium to phosphate ratio in the equine diet is important because the two work closely together: "A balanced equine diet must have 0.15-1.5% of calcium and 0.15-0.6% of phosphorus in feed dry matter," Toribio explained. "A calcium to phosphorus ratio of less than 1:1 can have negative consequences on the skeleton." Simply put, a horse needs at least as much calcium in his diet as phosphorus, never the reverse."

– Marie Rosenthal, MS

The strange thing about the above quote is that all of those facts apply to humans as well. So why do we only pay attention when it comes to horses? Perhaps because people feel more invested in money than in health. Horses are expensive to buy, to feed, to raise, and very expensive to help if they break a bone. Despite that humans are just as "expensive" as horses, cars, homes – you name it – often people feel reluctant to pay as close attention to their own health.

The calcium to phosphorus ratio didn't used to be as big of a deal as it is now. Phosphorus in the soil and in the foods we consume is on the rise due to pesticide use, and calcium content is on the decline due to over-farming the same soils again and again with calcium-depleting crops.

The good news is that you don't have to supplement to get a good calcium to phosphorus ratio in your diet. You do need, however, at the very least, a good chart that shows the calcium to phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio of each food. I hunted for such a chart. I thought, "There has to be one, there just has to be." And yet, and found no such chart. I was astonished that no such chart existed.

I decided that I would make such a chart. As I was creating it, looking up the nutritional data for one food at a time and then calculating the ratio of calcium to phosphorus, I became more and more shocked. Several healthy fruits that I ate (at the time) on a daily basis had double to quadruple as much phosphorus as calcium!

It's no wonder that even as a toddler my bones would "pop" at the slightest movement and become sore from the lightest bruise... When you consider that as I child I ate a diet loaded with phosphorus but deficient in calcium (and magnesium too!). For example, corn has a shocking Ca:P ratio of 1:45.4 which means that corn has 45 times as much phosphorus as calcium! And we eat corn in everything – high fructose corn syrup, corn chips, corn muffins, corn bread, corn tortillas, chowder, stir-fries, vegetable mixes and more.

And wheat isn't much better. Flours, wheats, and even sprouted grains, all contain more phosphorus than calcium. And not just a little more either... Wheat flour (both enriched and non-enriched) has 6.4 times as much phosphorus as calcium (Ca:P = 1:6.4). Whole grain wheat flour has 10.5 times as much phosphorus as calcium (Ca:P = 1:10.5).

I don't advocate eating flour, but the reality is (whether you like it or not), flour is everywhere! Its even in the so-called "health foods" that now line grocery store shelves. Flour isn't required for delicious pies (as seen in my gluten-free recipes), and the gluten in wheat has been shown to disrupt healthy digestion even in non-celiac individuals. (More info on that to your right.) The question rapidly becomes, "What do I eat?" and "How can I make my bones healthy but still enjoy my meals?" If you already don't eat gluten or processed foods, you're probably not too concerned about the high phosphorus levels of grains such as wheat and corn. But did you know that banana trees are actually a grass (the biggest in the world) and they too have much more phosphorus than calcium? This hit me the hardest! I love bananas! Not to worry though. You can still eat bananas and get more calcium than phosphorus in your diet. Even though bananas have four times as much phosphorus as calcium, there are other foods out there that have four times as much calcium as phosphorus. In fact, I discovered a few magic herbs with as much as 18 times as much calcium as phosphorus! If you'd like to see my Calcium to Phosphorus chart for yourself, and over thirty other incredible nutrition-comparing charts that show you foods in ways you've never seen foods before, then let me introduce you to Vitamin Confusion Solution.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages. Symptoms may include discomfort in the digestive tract, chronic constipation and diarrhoea, and fatigue. Celiac disease is caused by a reaction to gliadin, a prolamin (gluten protein) found in wheat, and similar proteins found in the crops of the tribe Triticeae (which includes other common grains such as barley and rye). In recent studies on healthy individuals, even people who are not allergic to gluten, and who do not have celiac disease, its been shown that there is still an inflammatory response to gluten.

In my ultimate nutrition reference chart guide, Vitamin Confusion Solution, I analyze over 140 different whole foods and give you their Ca:P ratios, organized from best to worst, making it easy for you to choose foods with 1:1 ratios or better. You'll also get charts showing the best sources for vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, A, C, E, K, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc, Omega-3, and Omega-6.

AND, there is even a chart showing you the Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio in foods, showing you all of the foods that have more omega-3 than omega-6. You'll be surprised: chia seeds and flax seeds are not nearly the only foods with more omega-3 than omega-6.

You might be thinking, "I'd love to have this reference guide. But is it enough? How much time will I have to spend looking up foods in the guide to decide what meals are best for me...?" It's a fair question. That's why I created Collecting Calcium, a 7-day nutritionally complete meal plan where you get more calcium than phosphorus in each and every day of the meal plan. And, you still get to eat foods that don't have as much calcium as phosphorus, because each day is balanced with foods rich in calcium and low in phosphorus.

Collecting Calcium also provides more than adequate levels of magnesium in each day, which is also important for bone health, as well as a good omega-3 to omega-6 ratio (in each day!), promoting a healthy brain, strong muscles and good digestion.

How to prevent and reverse osteoporosis and arthritis...

More calcium than phosphorus (for healthy bones and digestion) More potassium than sodium (for hydration and bone health) High levels of magnesium (for healthy bones and muscles) A healthy ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 (for healthy bones and brain) Good levels of healthy fats, protein, healthy carbs and calories Good levels of b-vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants Very little of foods high in phosphorus or sulfuric acid

This formula will absolutely help the health of your bones, and for many people, it may immediately begin to reverse osteoporosis, arthritis and other degenerative bone conditions. Some people have even healed small cavities in their teeth!

With Collecting Calcium you're provided with:

• A complete grocery list giving you the exact amount of everything you'll need for the full seven days of the program.
• Substitution suggestions, allowing for diets that contain no oil, no vinegar, no nuts and/or no seeds. The directions allow for you to include or exclude any of these and still meet your nutritional requirements and build healthy bones.
• A list of foods that you can eat as much as you want of without ruining the healthy impact of following the program.
• Directions for how to customize your grocery list to meet the needs of you and your family.
• Specific timing for how long to wait after each meal before the next meal to allow for optimal digestion, fat loss and muscle growth. Following these specific timing rules will make a big difference in your level of energy.
• 25 recipes including 5 desserts that actually build your bones!

In just seven days of building your bones you'll enjoy Cucumber Tahini Sauce with Flax Nori Wraps, Honey Mustard Blondies, Ginger-Apricot Muesli, Sweet Chard Salad, Garlic Collard Wraps, Banana Ice-Cream (with secret bone-building ingredients that taste great!), French Marinated Salad, Indian Turmeric Treats, Rosemary Zucchini Medley, and many, many other delicious wholesome meals!

While enjoying this delicious, easy-to-follow, nutritious meal plan, if you find that you have any questions, you can e-mail me at any time. I love hearing from you. Your critiques, questions and testimonials are precious to me!

If you're ready to stop suffering from bone-related pain and start thriving, then buy Collecting Calcium now. If you want to also eliminate confusion regarding which foods are "high" in what vitamins and minerals and see a full Calcium to Phosphorus food chart, then you'll want Vitamin Confusion Solution as well.

If you buy both together, I'll throw in Select, Store, Eat & Digest Raw Food (a $19.97 value) and Nut-Free Raw Recipes (a $14 value) as additional bonuses, and you'll save $63.97! (See below.)

Collecting Calcium $39.00	Vitamin Confusion Solution $62.00
Nut-Free Raw Recipes $14.00	Select, Store, Eat & Digest Raw Food $19.97
Bone Builders Package $134.97 $71.00 You save $63.97 when you buy these together!

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Is eating carrots the same as eating sugar?

Question: "I have read that baby carrots are like eating 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Do you agree with this?"

I don't agree that carrots are just like sugar at all. White sugar has gone through a chemical process that often goes like this:

sugar cane > cane juice > brown sugar > white sugar

There are four different phases that the plant goes through. Sometimes there are three phases, and sometimes brown sugar is actually white sugar with molasses added. Regardless of which refinement process was used, the end product is refined, and the beginning product is a whole food.

The first phase, "sugar cane", is natural and normal. It is also delicious just as it is. The vast majority of plants are edible and okay for human consumption before refinement, while they're still a whole food.

Compare these two refinement processes...

sugar cane > cane juice > brown sugar > white sugar

poppy flowers > poppy juice > opium > heroin

It's the same process, but with a different plant. Anything that goes through that much refinement becomes purely chemical. It is no longer a food... It becomes a drug instead.

Baby-cut carrots are not refined. They're just put through a machine to take off the skin and give them that rounded shape. They're the same as big carrots, except skinned and sometimes soaked in a chlorine mixed with water. The chlorine soak is not ideal, but its an effective method for killing bacteria. The tiny amount of chlorine you might consume from carrots is much less than you'll get from drinking tap water, and it is not nearly as concerning as consuming refined white sugar.

Carrots contain a lot of beta carotene as well as fiber. White sugar contains no nutrition whatsoever. Even if carrots are pretty sweet for a vegetable, they're a long way from pure sugar. You can eat all the carrots you like and never worry about gaining unhealthy weight.

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Is corn syrup bad for you?

I've heard this one a lot:

Isn't corn syrup okay because it comes from corn?

Saying that "high fructose corn syrup" is fine because it comes from corn... Is like saying that murder is okay because it is done by a human being.

I know I'm drawing a pretty crazy-sounding comparison, but just bare with me for a moment and see if you follow my reasoning.

Consider refined sugars and syrups. In general, any syrup that is mostly fructose with some glucose, is going to have the same effect on your body. It doesn't matter if it comes from agave roots, beet roots, sugar cane, tree sap or some other plant.

Sure, a given individual may react more or less to one of these, but... Consider: Beet sugar is more like cane sugar than beet sugar is like beets.

In the same way, how you process foods at home is also relevant. Take a fresh orange, for example. We can juice that orange, blend that orange into a smoothie, dehydrate the orange, freeze the orange, cook the orange or even microwave the orange if we so choose. All of these processes will decrease the amount of vitamin C you get from the orange, due to the oxidization. And, if you choose to juice the orange, you'll lose much of the calcium and all of the fiber.

If you cook the orange, you'll lose most or all of the enzyme content. If you dehydrate or freeze the orange, around 35% of the enzyme content will be lost. Much of the antioxidant content will also be lost.

You could even juice the orange and then dehydrate the juice, thus removing both the fiber and the water. The result would be an orange concentrate powder that doesn't have much vitamin C, enzymes or calcium left. You may even accidentally ferment the orange in the process, and the bacteria will eat the sugar and turn it into various acids and gases (which will vary depending on the bacteria present).

In other words, in your very own kitchen, you can entirely transform a given food into something entirely different.

Other factors also change what a food is made of, starting with how its grown: Soil pH, bacteria present in soil, insects and worms present, animals present on land, other plants being grown nearby, fertilizers used or not used, seed quality and source, and harvesting method.

Then more factors affect the minerals, vitamins and enzymes present in a given food on its way to your kitchen: How it is transported, what it is stored in, how long it is stored, what temperature it is stored at, the level of moisture where it stored, what bacteria are present during this process, and whether it is exposed to light or not.

And then there could be any number of processes that happen if this food is being transformed into a "convenience" food. Hydrogenation, homogenization, dehydration, concentration... Sounds like I'm writing a new poem, doesn't it?

This isn't all to prove the raw foods are superior. On the contrary, this is to show that every single step of agriculture and food preparation has an impact on the food ultimately consumed. It's not just whether the food is cooked or not. Dehydration, fermentation, freezing, juicing and blending all have an impact as well. Instead of focusing on whether any of this is good or bad, I just wanted to share with you my realization...

What the original food is named doesn't tell you as much about what the food actually contains as all of the things that have happened in the process of bringing that food to the dining table.

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