Food, according to the Webster’s Dictionary, is any substance that enables one to live and grow – anything that nourishes.  Based on this definition, many items in the standard Western diet cannot really be considered food.

Years of scientific research have confirmed the fact that food, when subjected to chemical preservation methods and heated above 115°F, loses its enzymes and nutritional value.  Worse still, it actively causes ill-health among its consumers.

Following World War II, the method by which food was manufactured for public consumption changed drastically.  We entered into an era of modern farming techniques that included the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and genetic engineering to increase yields.  The effect of this has been a gradual increase of such production methods until today.  Before World War II, all food was organic.  Today, one must search the aisles and read labels carefully to find organic items.

The Hippocrates Diet is a world-famous diet plan that utilizes uncooked foods, including sprouts and wheatgrass juice, to assist the healing process.  This diet has proven helpful in cases of breast disease and other degenerative ailments.  Below is a summary of its basic tenets.

Transitional Foods and Items to Avoid

Proteins

Fermented seed and nut sauces, yogurts, and cheeses; seed milks; sprouted seeds, beans, and nuts; avocados; green drinks

Slow-cooked beans and peas (soups); tofu; tempeh; fresh roasted nuts and nut butters; unsoaked nuts and seeds

Red meats; fish; poultry; battery farm eggs; pasteurized milk and cheeses; hydrolyzed vegetable proteins; luncheon meats; meat analogs

Carbohydrates

Grain crisps; sprouted grain breads, cereals, and warmed cereals; sprouted wheat loaves; grain milks; sprouted pie crusts; treats

Sourdough breads (no yeast); unleavened crackers; whole slow-cooked rice, wheat, millet, buckwheat, barley, oats, cornmeal, bulgur, rye; sprouted grain breads; natural granola

All yeasted breads and flour products; processed grains; white rice; noodles, pasta; granola with sugar; baked goods containing refined oils; sugar; refined flour; additives

Fats/Oils

Avocados; seed and nut cheeses; fresh raw nut butters in small amounts; vegetable and seed yogurt dressings

Small amounts of refined sesame or olive oil on salads; nut butters; sesame tahini

All oils except sesame and olive; commercial nut butters; peanuts; pasteurized butter or cream; all foods containing or cooked in oils

Vegetables

Uncooked sprouts and greens; organically grown; pickled with no salt; dried, blended into soups or sauces; juiced

Steamed (no oil); slow-baked; soups and stews; broth; en casserole; inorganically grown

Frozen; irradiated; canned; overcooked; cooked with sugar and/or salt; stale or wilted; pickled with salt

Fruits

Fresh raw, in sauces, soups, salads, shakes, milks, pies, dried, unsulfured, as snacks

Cooked fruits or cooked fruit desserts; baked apples; soaked and steamed dried fruits; steamed fruits; apple sauce

Canned or preserved with chemicals and added sugar; sulfured dried; unripe

Beverages

Rejuvelac; fresh fruit and vegetable juices; spring or distilled water; green drinks

Bottled natural fruit and vegetable juices; herb teas; natural carbonated drinks; grain coffee

Tap water; coffee; tea; soda; alcoholic drinks; artificially sweetened fruit drinks

Snacks

Vegetable sticks; fresh fruit; sprouted trail mix; grain crisps; fresh juice; dried fruit and nut candles; seed cheese on celery sticks

Rice cakes; natural granola; unleavened crackers; trail mix; rice sushi; baked apples; bottled juices; popcorn (no oil or butter); herb tea; grain coffee; rice syrup candy

Natural and unnatural junk food snacks; commercial “health” food snacks; soda; candies

Condiments

Raw unfiltered honey; bee pollen; fresh fruits; dried fruits; miso; tamari; veggie salt; kelp powder; sauerkraut; lemons, lemon juice; fresh and dried herbs

Pasteurized honey; maple syrup; barley malt; rice syrup; sorghum; cider vinegar; sea salt; garlic; onion; cayenne; chili spices; powdered vegetable enzymes; natural cooking wine

Products containing additives, including: sugar, molasses, cane syrup, dextrose (glucose), fructose, salt, iodized salt, vinegar, pepper, monosodium glutamate (MSG), oils, eggs, coloring, and preservatives.