Our diet nutrient basics are:

• Macronutrients
• Micronutrients
• Intrinsic factors

Macronutrients are those compounds that we hear about all the time –the carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Carbohydrates are our major fuel source. They are for quick and for slow-burning energy, and to supply us with all those intrinsic factors—the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, probiotics, and things science has not yet uncovered. They come from plants (animal foods supply proteins and fats, only), like fruits, vegetables, grains and grasses, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, and all other kinds of plants.

Carbohydrates are divided into two groups: simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. It’s important to know the difference, because our population eats way too many simple carbs, and that causes lots of disease and a lot of cravings. Simple carbs are quick energy. They break down quickly in our gut into energy molecules of ‘sugar’ known as saccharides (Greek for ‘sugar’). Simple carbs provide fuel like gasoline on a flame. It burns fast!

Alcohol is the smallest and most quickly absorbed simple carb. Drinking alcohol alone is like mainlining sugar. Other common simple carbs are all those items that end in ‘ose’, like sucrose (sugar), fructose (corn sweetener and fruit juices), lactose (milk sugar), glucose, maltose (grain sugars), etc.

Natural simple carbs (see Pantry) come with micronutrients to help digest and use them. Processed simple carbs don’t. They stress the body with a quick demand to process a load of sugar, and rob us of reserves and micros.

Best strategy: only eat natural, simple carbs. Always eat them with complex carbs to slow down their inflaming effect.

The complex carbs take more time for the body to break down, because they are larger clusters (poly=many) of saccharide molecules (polysaccharides). Also, complex carbs, are usually locked together with fiber, which is critical for normal, healthy digestion. Complex carbs are slow-burning, steady fuel, like a log of wood, or better, like a charcoal briquette. Natural, whole food, complex carbs have everything included that the body needs to have to be really healthy and have steady energy.

All the natural, whole food fruits, vegetable, grains, beans, and all the other plant foods are complex carbs. When fruit is dried, it’s sugar becomes very concentrated, and so dried fruits have much more simple carbs to them.

The juice of fruit by itself is a simple carb. The whole fruit is a complex carb. Whole citrus fruit has lots of fiber and micronutrients in that white membrane, like bioflavonoids, which are critical compounds for keeping our blood vessels strong. If we only drink juice, we only get fruit ‘sugar’. Eating lots of simple carbs causes big problems with keeping your blood sugar normal, and excess sweet food creates a strong, excessive appetite. Eating lots of complex carbs keeps blood sugar normal and eliminates strong cravings.

You don’t have to chew whole fruits. You can blend whole fruits (minus the peel) in a blender. It’s like juice alone, but has all the important micros and fiber with it.

Other complex carbs, like veggies, can be juiced in juice extractors that leave the bitter fibers behind in a pulp residue. Except for carrots and beets, etc. there is not the issue of excess ‘sugar spiking’ with vegetable juices.

Carbohydrates must be the largest part of a healthy diet. We need complex carbs in all their natural forms to stay healthy. Eat by color. Eat lots of naturally green, red, orange, purple, blue, pink, yellow, white, brown, and black carbs. (for more, go to ‘Food as Medicine’)

Within the selection of these complex carb plant foods there are many that supply protein and fats (the other two macronutrients).

So here is part of the MAGIC healing power of food. Plants can easily supply all the macronutrients. If you include a variety of plants that supply all the macro and micronutrients required for health, plants alone can supply every food required for optimal health, for 2/3 of the population.

Knowing how to eat the quality plants that supply all the proteins, fats and micronutrients necessary for great health gives the body all the resources required to be super healthy and to heal almost anything.

Everyday, people struggling with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, auto-immune diseases, fibromyalgia, bone loss, gland problems, cancer, etc. realize this fact and switch to a plant-based diet and, in time, find their disease becomes a thing of the past, and their present becomes full of health. This happens over and over again and again and is well documented.

Protein is for slow-burning fuel and for rebuilding healthy tissue.

Let’s move on to protein –protein is not the body’s preferred source of fuel. It will always go for the carbs first because it has to work more to get energy from protein compounds. It will break down the protein to use after it works it’s way through the carbs. The body also uses protein for repair and building-up the body tissues. The body is made up of cells, and every cell needs protein, fats, and micronutrients to construct the various parts of the each cell. Carbs (saccharides) are used for energy.

Proteins from plants or animals are specific molecules made up of amino acids linked by peptide bonds that resemble a party streamer. Heat damages protein molecules, breaking the peptide bonds and destroying the structure of the molecule. But the amino acids can be regrouped to make another protein molecule. Basically, cooking changes proteins.