One of the simplest aspects of the RBTI - and one of the most powerful, is eating a big lunch - the meal of the day when you eat the most fat, the only meal that you eat meat (not including eggs and dairy), and the last time during the day that you eat sweets or desserts.
Seems that people are daunted by this whole RBTI thing, but, as Challen says matter of factly - "the more rules that you follow the healthier you will become." Well, I'm finding that just following this ONE rule - eating big every day and finishing up the meal no later than 2pm, is helping a lot of people. It's very simple. No meats or sweets after 2pm. Dinners are very light - typically small salads, steamed vegetables, cottage cheese, soups, and a little starchy food on occasion like 2 pieces of toast or last night's corn on the cob with sauteed veggies. It may sound difficult, and you may be hungry as hell for the first week, but I really think it's worth making the adjustment to reap the rewards.
I also think it's vastly superior to typical intermittent fasting or eating super light early in the day because the danger of hypoglycemia during that time is very high -whereas the sugar levels rise the highest in the late evening, making hypoglycemia and the heavy taxation on your adrenal glands that you might get from morning fasting a non-issue. Bottom line - it works well for a lot of people. More energy, better sleep, better blood sugar regulation, better appetite regulation, and fat loss eating to appetite - even if you eat ice cream or cheesecake at lunch of every day (as a normal-sized dessert - not as your whole meal)...
P.S. - Pippa and I are leaving for our New York/New Jersey tour tomorrow. For those interested, Pippa will be charging $150 for a visit to your house or office - which will include running the RBTI test, calling Challen to get feedback about your chemistry, going over every detail you would need to follow the program - including the specifics for your chemistry, and answering any of the questions and concerns you may have. You can have other friends and family members tested for only an additional $25 per person. Once again, you can contact her at pipparoni@yahoo.com to set up an appointment. Plus you get to see me and hear me make jokes about pee and stuff. You don't wanna miss that.
I find it intriguing that people are having good results making lunch their largest meal. I find that eating a big lunch usually makes me really tired in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteFascinating. I've been mulling over in my mind how to make a big lunch small dinner work in our house. It's so... bassackwards to how we eat. Usually we eat big breakfast, barely lunch, huge dinner. So it would take reworking.
ReplyDeleteFortunately we're at home during the day, so it should be theoretically simple. It's mostly a mental thing. It might even be beneficial since we'd be done cooking by the time that afternoon heat kicks in.
If hubby works the grave shift, does that change the timing?
I too wonder how Chief would test on RBTI. I'm still not convinced these 3000+ rules aren't haole-centric in some way. Have you seen many non-European/Middle Easterners in the office?
What is the official position on vegetables - healthier cooked or raw? Or doesn't matter?
ReplyDeleteFlaunt-
ReplyDeleteI took naps for the first week during the transition, as this is the effect it had on me as well. That lasted for less than 7 days. It's gone now completely - even today with cake and ice cream for dessert for example.
Hawaii Girl-
Haole-centric. Haha.
Big Chief have big mineral supply. That's why Big Chief have 32 perfectly straight teeth.
He contacted me recently by the way. He will be back soon to comment and had a boner over the no-pork thing.
Raw vegetables good. Cooked vegetables good. Too much of either, bad. Too little of either, bad.
ReplyDeleteYou don't really do anything to excess on this program. Nothing that anyone would call weird or gross or strange or extreme (except the drinking regimen and pork phobia).
So what's the RBTI/Challen stance on alcohol? None, moderate, red wine only? Go crazy with the booze so long as it's at lunchtime? ha ;)
ReplyDeleteJust posting so I can get emails. :o)
ReplyDeleteThanks for continuing to give us info on RBTI! Impatiently waiting for my kit...
i dont know, i think i work better on more than just 1 meal per day..i usually do brunch (because i wake late) and dinner. in between if i'm feeling a bit peckish/bored i have fruits or (because i'm so lucky to be staying in singapore now) little desserts/cakes made usually from coconut milk and tapioca/rice/redbeans.
ReplyDeleteanyway, this is not really related to the main point of this article, but i've heard a lot about corn and it having to be nixtamalised to get rid of anti-nutrients.. do you do that? don't see how i can do that with simply roasted corn on the cob or baby corn in stirfries.
oh and i've been keeping up to date with your experience with challah, and i'm fascinated yet slightly dubious. or maybe it's just because i love pork.
Haole hahaha. DAMN ISLAND MONKEYS
ReplyDelete"oh and i've been keeping up to date with your experience with challah, and i'm fascinated yet slightly dubious. or maybe it's just because i love pork."
ReplyDeletehaha- think you mean challen. challah is a type of jewish bread. which would explain why its incompatible with pork. :-D
also nice to hear an update from chief. look forward to that dude's return
Hey Matt, have you analyzed how many calories you're getting with this schedule?
ReplyDeleteIt seems that such a small dinner would be only a few hundred calories at most, so you essentially have to get your daily calories during breakfast and lunch. Are you eating a big breakfast as well?
And I'm curious as well as to whether you saw any non-white clients at Challen's. Any yellow or black or brown or red people? I'm Asian, and I'm really wondering if the RBTI can be applied to all ethnicities.
With all of the RBTI business, do you still stand by all of the e-books you have written? Just curious.
ReplyDeletequick question. according to challen, is chicken broth okay for dinner?
ReplyDeletethanks!
Matt, can RBTI be done as a vegetarian?
ReplyDelete@Rob A: hahaha it's a typo!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're talking more about the 'big lunch' concept: I'm curious about making it work and not feeling 'overstuffed' and sluggish for the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI'm also curious: you say you're eating to appetite but you also suggest that you're super-hungry at first with the light dinner: are you ending up drastically reducing your caloric intake? And how is that affecting everything else? I know we're talking a different paradigm here but I'm still curious about those details.
I'm also still holding a question about the meat/dairy issue: I really don't eat them and am curious what the reasoning is that keeps including them.
MATT-
ReplyDeleteI assume the whole being hungry at night has a lot to do with leptin/ghrelin having to re-adjust. Those who IF are usually really hungry am the first week but after that they're fine.
Everything in this country (europe), especially if organic, has sea salt in it (olives, sun-dried tomatoes etc, bread, canned tomatoes, oatmilk and other milks....
I do prefer organic but is it better to avoid such products and go hard core "fron scratch"? (i.e. soyghurt, now what does challen say about the occational soy milk/yoghurt?)
And if there's not sea salt in it, you bet your arse theres either some kind of flax seeds or psyllium ("soft" seeds - ok or totally nay?)
You did say in a previous post that athletes can eat more starch after 2pm, say
I work out in the arvo/evening (like martial arts or running, or weights), is it preferably to stuff myself with vegs, or make it a smaller meal but more starch-based to restore glycogen?
Sour dough - yay or nay?
We have this aawesome bakery who make bread with flour milled on the spot - but they tend to put a little sour dough in them all instead of yeast. Some of them doesn't have the sour taste at all, in fact you wouldn't kow they're baked with sour dough, but a few do..
And what was that about red skinned tatoes but no others? Does that include the blue tato? Or no tato?
Man, I'm confused.
Thanks for your time ^_^
-Beth
MATT-
ReplyDeleteInteresting stuff. I'm waiting for my kit too.
Regarding the no-eating-sweets-or-fruits after 2 pm, for us hypoglycemics it's another story, right? Would the approach of a big lunch also work for hypoglycemics or is that only for hyper?
I am SO sad I don't get to see you as Pete the pirate, goofing around with pee and and saying GAAAARRRRR every other second.
Hi Matt
ReplyDeletethanks a lot for these RBTI-posts. it sounds really very good.
What I read strikes me because it reminds me of the water quality needed for different fish-species (pH, TH etc.) and e.g. the Discus
Any specialist to confirm ?
Any videos about your everyday hypoglycemics who wake up a few times during the night and are a little fat?
ReplyDeleteHow bad on the body is waking up at 5-5:30 every morning (no alarm clock) when going to sleep around 9:30. Does that affect the numbers?
This RBTI stuff is so weird and complex, I have to admit, I've sort of tuned out over the last few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI think posts like this one, however -- which give people real, actionable tips that they can apply, regardless of whether or not they have a flux capacitor (or whatever that bloody pee-measuring device is called) -- are very helpful.
Flux capacitor *Giggles*
ReplyDelete;-D
Matt - From your comment on FB, would you suggest one going to Wheeling to get a hands-on isntruction in testing procedure? I live within reasonable driving distance in VA. Don't have my own kit (yet) but I thought doing an in-person consult would be a good start?
ReplyDeleteI guess Ori H had it all wrong with the Warrior Diet!! haha...
ReplyDeletetroy
It's funny what that video points out. He said that "people skip breakfast, then don't eat lunch, and then go home and pig out at dinner" (paraphrasing, of course). This is exactly what the Warrior Diet, Fast-5, Lean Gains, etc., tells you to do. I did not do well on the Warrior Diet and the other versions of IF that I tried (I did NOT try Lean Gains, BTW).
ReplyDeleteAlso, Walter Breuning, who recently died at 114 years old and was the world's oldest man, said that he ate a large breakfast and lunch and never ate dinner. He hadn't eaten dinner for decades. Coincidence?
Damn Troy, you beat me to it, LOL!
ReplyDeleteA lot of people who follow RBTI are vegetarians. But usally they take some vitamin C to balance their pH's. This is because greens usually increase the alkalinity.
ReplyDeleteHow old is Challen?
ReplyDeleteRBTI can be applied to all ethnicities. The RBTI consultant will look at the skin color. The skin color influences the brix and the pH's. E.g. a person with a black skin usually picks up more vitamin D from the sun than a person with a white skin color.
ReplyDelete"a person with a black skin usually picks up more vitamin D from the sun than a person with a white skin color."
ReplyDeleteFalse. It's the other way around...
If the RBTI test numbers suggest a certain thing is going on, say the Brix and thus the blood sugars would be very low red wine is allowed by most.
ReplyDeleteIf one has high blood sugars it is better not to take alcoholic beverages because the body already has plenty of blood sugars and natural alcohols.
Jacqueline,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your answers to some of the random RBTI questions. I'm like Ela...I also don't eat meat or dairy (and for me, no eggs). What could I eat at night, if starchy carbs are only allowed on occasion? It would be intense to only eat veggies every night for dinner. Would beans be ok? Like a bean soup? Any other options/ideas?
SJ
SJ--I'm "no eggs" also at this point (although I hold open the possibility that I may eat them at some point, as they really were beneficial at one point in my life).
ReplyDeleteI really do believe that it's possible to be healthy without animal products and like you, I'm curious to see how it's implemented in this program. I use spirulina and nutritional yeast: am curious what's to be said about those.
Jacqueline--I really appreciate your insight that there are RBTI vegetarians and look forward to more guidance.
Most vegetarians I know doing RBTI only eat fruit for supper. I don't know how they get through the night with an empty stomach...
ReplyDeleteThey eat their big meal at lunchtime and eat e.g. carrot salad and baked sweet potatoes, raw carrot soup with cucumber slices and kale salad with garlic liquid amino dressing, tabbouleh with large salad and sliced cucumbers and a dressing, whole grain or gluten free pasta with raw pesto sauce and a large salad, pita pocket sandwiches filled with veggies (avocados, onions, lettuce, sprouts) and a large salad, spinach salad with sliced carrots celery and onions, steamed broccoli
Thanks, Jacqueline, that's really interesting. Does "only fruit" for the evening meal not violate the "no sweets after 2pm" thing? I think I'd find it real easy to do fruit for dinner...
ReplyDeleteit depends on the numbers if someone can take the fruits and until what time; does the person has a high brix?
ReplyDeleteOther possibilities for a light supper: smoothie or cream of broccoli soup
I do have some recipes of vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner possibilities. Anyone interested please send me a mail: jacqueline AT yourservice DOT ws
ReplyDeletegreen beans are also important for the protein. I put green beans in the green drinks.
Jacqueline--that's so funny: I often put frozen green beans in my smoothies!
ReplyDeleteI'll send you an email.
Thanks!
Had ca crazy day that ended sadly just now.
ReplyDeleteWoke up...looked in the mirror...dam still ugly...took a shower and after noticed a handsome fella...put on my pants and way looser...got off train and ran up the stairs!!!purchased and took 3 calcium citrates and drank half gallon of distilled...ate a bagel and banana with coffee....worked the best I have in yrs!!!rapped with 3 chicks and my usual day is none...ate slice of pizza and boarded the train for ride home...I didn't knock out and get my usual pains but instead felt wide awake and people watched the whole ride like other normal people...WTF
I then took a Poland Spring water bottle and tested it and it read 5.5 like my tap water.I then figured let me test the distilled and it was also 5.5
That has me sad because life is good when you are in control.Like a salt water fish tank and the keeping of the delicate fish and as mentioned the discus....its all in the numbers....but sadly my life will never be. :(
@ wolfstriked
ReplyDeleteDo you mean mS, µS or C? Or are you referring to something other than conductivity? How about testing milk or anything else? Do you have calibration solution? To me it looks like you have a conductivity meter that is malfunctioning
Jacqueline I mean testing the PH not conductivity testing...isn't that for salinity?Right now I am only interested in my crazy PH.Never having a cavity and letting food and candy rot in my mouth as a kid and teenager for yrs on end.I neglected my teeth bad and have gotten gingivitis and to this day my gums are stil a mess and I have to floss daily or they stink up like dead meat!!!I just can't believe how good I felt today.Its like I was reborn.Funny thing is I started feeling real bad before the slice of pizza and took more distilled and 3 more calciums and felt amazing again.
ReplyDeleteBut I am bummed out by the PH of distilled being same as tap and spring.I love fish tank care and how its so easy to do this and that and the fish thrive.But I am discourgaed by the distilled being very acidic.Just read online that distilled will absorb CO2 and will lower ph from it.Then it hit me that maybe tap water is acid from some acidic substance while the distilled is acidic form CO2....CO2 can't be bad since our bodies will just release in next breath....or so I hope.
Wait so this Rbti stuff was just a slow roll out to startin your own business and money making for your friend? oookay.
ReplyDeleteSo much for investigation.
I have heard about distilled water with this kind of pH but have never seen it. It is a really rare thing. What you can do to overcome that is putting some baking soda in the water before distilling it. That will drive the pH of the distilled water up. It should be around 7 (ours is a 7.5 which is even better). But if I were you I would first check the pH meter with the calibration solution.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNothing is for free in the RBTI world, Seline.
ReplyDeleteMatt,
How old is Challen? Maybe it just the low quality of the video, but he seems a little chubby and bald on the top of his head for someone who has discovered the holy grail of biological energy.
The RBTI Yahoo Group is for free
ReplyDeletethe information on the site brixman.com is for free
the information on the site rbti.info is for free.
Seline,
ReplyDeleteI don't think Matt would be doing "business" with his friend, if he hadn't first investigated.
Too, I am one that has been helped greatly by this investigation.
It has given me back some energy, and hope.
Too, Matt's investigation wasn't free. It cost money to do what he is doing. We all need some money.
Betty
Jannis, he's 62.
ReplyDeleteChubby and bald?He did not discover the fountain of youth or even RBTI for that matter.But come on peeps RBTI will not prevent balding or aging.It will slow down aging or rather prevent premature aging of the body though.Aging is a pre determined time span you should live and its also something that actually could be stopped.We are predetermined to grow into the 20's and age from then on for most people.In theory you could change the gene that starts the aging process and never age.
ReplyDeleteInteresting story I saw on TV awhile back about this.Two secluded islands in remote area of the world where a species of rats live.On one Island there is no predators at all and the rats live 5 to 7 yrs and mate every other yr.The rats on the island with the predators though are totally opposite and live 2 to 3 yrs and mate 3 times per yr.
@Jacquelline so your saying that your distilled water is PH 7.5? I need to buy new strips and test again but I have found many references that distilled water will drop its PH due to absorbing CO@ since its like a magnet.
ReplyDeleteI stopped using baking soda though since RBTI tests salinity and I find that the purpose of distilled water is in part to flush out excess salts.Salt excess is bad as RBTI says.There are different calciums though that raise and lower PH that you can play with to get the effect you want.For now I want to try just citrate as its neutral in PH adjustment as is gluconate(milk calcium).Wanna see what happens after a week.I am just stumbling along here though and its probably best to get counseled;)
hey wolfstriked, i like kwasnieski optimal too. you may feel bad after eating cause you have low stomach acid. you can look up HCl challenge to learn about that.
ReplyDeleteUmm hasn'y he only been there for like a month? how is that investigation.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was gonna be a long careful figuring out before he came back w/ a verdict for us.
Now we're already supposed to go blow 400 on test boxes and start calling this one single guru guy weeklly and planning trips to th boonies of VA if it doesn't work. seriously?
Re Challen's appearance - although it may be unfair to make a judgment, I reckon I know quite a few 62-year olds in as good condition without all the measuring hoo-ha and food restrictions.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin-in-law in China, who must be nearly 60, is in great shape (strong, vigorous) with near-perfect teeth. He needs reading glasses, but has no other health issues that I know of. The family eats a wide variety of fish, meat, vegetables (bought and home-grown) and each meal in the day is about the same size.
I really doubt this is a protocol for everyone, unless, as previously noted,the person has serious problems. For me, at 64, I'd rather have a social life and risk an earlier demise.
NB - Chinese don't do raw vegetables.
Seline,
ReplyDeleteI understand your reasoning.
However, I was sick enough to try it. I am so glad I did.
I have spent money chasing health for over 13 years. I was out of options.
I have my kit. I can see the numbers change in the direction of more energy. This change also coincides with how I feel.
When I feel symptoms coming I check my sugar, and sure enough it is low. I have learned how to keep from falling flat!
Yesterday was the best day I can remember in a long time! No couch time for me! Not saying I am healed NO. I have to watch my sugar, and follow the "rules of the sugar" But, I'll take that over the couch any day!
Today I am more tired due to insomnia. I am told this is to be expected when gaining energy. My sugar hasn't crashed in two days now!
Best money I have spent on health thus far. :)
So I say, thanks to Matt!
Betty
Seline - Caveat Emptor! You don't have to do anything Matt recommends. He recommended consultation with the Rubins. Only a handful of people did it. It's up to you to decide whether or not RBTI is for you.
ReplyDeleteIf he's making money off of it, well, that's just greedy of him. He and Pippa should be doing all this research and testing out of the goodness of their hearts. Capitalist pigs.
Lorelei,
ReplyDeleteLOL! :)
Betty
Why does sugar rise during the day and peak in the evening hours? Is it simply a function of the accumulation of food in the system from eating in the a.m. and afternoon? Or is it regulated by hormones? Just curious. Does the same go for salts? I've never heard that before. If one's sugars rise in the evening is that why some people would get headaches in the evening/nights?
ReplyDeleteI don't care if they want to make money off sick people desperate for health answers, that's cool with me. Maybe it does help.
ReplyDeletewhy pretend that it's some kind of investigating tho?
Why not just say that this is what theyve decided is a good way to make money now. why not just be up front? that he's made up his mind about Rbti, and is now working for Challen to help funnel people towards this partcular expert.
Seems like a pretty simple thing to do.
Ela,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I believe that too. I've been reading this blog since the beginning of July, when I abandoned my 811rv diet after 4 years. I'm happy with cooked vegan food now, and am eating much more fat (mostly avocado and coconut milk) but it's been a very rough transition. I had a number of deficiencies and am supplementing for them at the moment.
I actually hadn't been on the internet reading about health/diet stuff for years, so these past few weeks have been a crazy crash course in the 'diet/health/nutrition wars', ha ha! But seriously, it's kinda crazy.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens with the RBTI stuff.
Jacqueline, thanks for the info. I'll probably email you too.
SJ
Hey SJ--that's so interesting: I did 8-1-1rv for about six years (but was still 'not-really-recovered anorexic' at that point and certainly didn't eat adequate calories).
ReplyDeleteI have quite a few health issues left over from that time (although the eating disorder is more to blame than the diet). I tried to do 811rv again this summer, briefly, and it didn't work out well. My ND says that eating fat is crucial for my recovery in various hormonal issues, that if I can get into the habit of eating fat regularly, I might not need to be quite so jury-rigged with meds and supplements!
Wondering whether you're having some of the same issues. Coconut and avo are definitely the easiest fats for me too, by a long way (although at one really dangerous time, raw eggs were a lifesaver also).
cheers,
Ela
Matt never did a big multipl post roll out or couchsurfed to go study under the Rubins for months. He didn't make multi videos showcasing their abilities. and all the info they worked with was available other places. There was no secret knowledge or bigtime costs or years of comitment needed.Heck you could email Peat direct to ask questions w/o buying a book or a special test equipment. (even if he is / was kinda kooky heh.)
ReplyDeletethis is different from the Rubins. I'm just SMH you know?
(SMH = scratching my head if that wasnt clear )
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,I feel great on Optimal diet also.Just need to manage this crazy PH difference I have going.
ReplyDeleteHey Ela,
ReplyDeleteYour picture actually looks mighty familiar to me...were you by any chance in Costa Rica in 2007? In March?
SJ
Oh yeah, I meant to say that yes, my ND is adamant about the fats and I am experiencing insane hormonal fluctuations at the moment. Well, the moment being the last two months, and, to a lesser degree, while I was still on 811.
ReplyDeleteSJ
Yes, I was! Give me a clue? Or if you prefer, write me off-list -- elamonster1 (at) gmail
ReplyDeleteEla, omg, I'm pretty sure you were my roommate!!! I'm going to email you now :)
ReplyDeleteSeline,
ReplyDeletePretty sure Matt's just joining Pippa for her consultation work. Sounds like you're still skeptical of RBTI and don't want to make any investments in it yet. That's cool. Sounds like Matt's skeptical too, but like he said, he's seen impressive results and is investigating.
That doesn't seem incongruent to me with accompanying a friend passionate enough about her success to spread the word, even if that that includes compensation for her time and energy.
I really like the videos so far, you guys definitely need to make a whole series!
ReplyDeleteI think Matt is interested in collecting "Case Studies" on RBTI.
ReplyDeleteSo it seems like that is what he is doing. It also seems like he is observing the evidence so far and if that evidence is so impressive and the result of something not easily understood or explained then it makes sense to me that he would be so enthusiastic and vague, curious, open about it at this point. If what he is seeing is continuous positive outcomes then it makes sense that he continues to make positive reports.
Hello Matt,
ReplyDeletelong time reader here. I just wanted to say, Great job over the years!
Pork discussions, talk of losing weight without the workouts and now intermittent fasting discussions? where is Cheif ??! Except for 2 pm instead of 4 or 5pm this post sounds like his view on fasting.
Matt = Cheif = Bruce K = Challen = Matt
Things that make you go hmmmm..
Thanks for this :)
ReplyDeleteIt varies per person if you have a low or high brix in the evening. In many cases the brix number in the evening is lower. This is partly because the body organizes a big clean up at night.
ReplyDeleteThe more time between major meals and cleaning house, the better the cleaning works. This seems to suggest to take the biggest meal and breakfast. But then the body has not yet started to process the meal. Result: main meal at lunchtime!
So is this meal pattern the same as Jon Gabriels method?
ReplyDeleteHey Matt or pippa or who knows an answer,
ReplyDeleteyou wrote we "should" eat corn oil, what about the brand Mazola Corn Oil?
http://www.mazola.com/products/corn-oil.aspx
I've read on the label that it is refined and purified in some extend with chemicals etc. (at least in europe -> germany).
Is this okay or have it to be unrefined corn oil?
And where do I get distilled water in europe?
I only find it in 5/10 liter PLASTIC bottles.
What about besphenol, and how do I know wether it's drinkable and not only for fishtanks and/or motorengines and stuff. Thy didn't sell it explicit for humans consumption!
Any ideas?
@ Silvester
ReplyDeleteI bought my distiller from Meditech Europe. But my mother in law bought one from an Ebay like site. That also does the job.
www.meditecheurope.co.uk/portable-water-distiller-md-4l.php shows you one of the possibilities of Meditech Europe.
Just got a new different brand of distilled and its 5.5 also.Anyone wanna test their local distilled water?Also last night my readings were urine=6.0 and saliva was 6.5.Thats a huge improvement in a few days.I fell back to urine=5.5 this morning and saliva=7.5.....I drank a sixpack of beer I am hoping is why.No real hangover and no blood sugar issues today so....
ReplyDeleteAnyone know if calcium citrate is ok for normal calcium intake...meaning its a neutral calcium.And what is a good dose to take.....I took 5400mg of it yesterday and I know that is way WAY over normal.
Found this on an RBTI site.
ReplyDelete"CAN I TEST OTHER THINGS WITH THE pH PAPER TO SEE IF THEY ARE ACID OR ALKALINE?\
You can test anything that is liquid, except water by itself. The tape does not react in water by itself."
seline -
ReplyDeleteFor those of you (most) who don't know Matt, he has very little interest in making money for now. His focus is and has been from the beginning to be the best in the health and nutrition information field and provide solutions for all of us who have various issues, whether with weight and/or health. His main goal is to be an important voice (so that he can have a positive impact) and to have the knowledge and sort all of this out over time.
The tone of you comments are so far off base - you just can't imagine how far from the truth.
You won't see any ads on Matt's websites, products, or endorsements. That is not what Matt and 180 are all about at all. Hopefully, you and others can readily see this important and differentiating difference in Matt and his approach.
@ Wolfstriked
ReplyDeleteI just tested the pH of distilled water with the pH reagents, pH paper (range 5.5-8.0) and a pH meter (one of the better ones with a flat probe).
The measured pH using the pH reagents was 6.7. I used the Bromthymol Blue and Chlorphenol Red. The measured pH using the pH paper was 6.3. The measured pH using the pH meter was 6.56.
I find the pH reagents more accurate because I can compare the color of the fluid with several colar cards and pH reagents (4 total)
Thanks,Jacqueline.That is what I heard distilled will usually read at due to CO2 absorption.I am gonna get some PH reagents tomorrow and see what I get with more accurate testing supplies.Any chance you can test your tap water?
ReplyDeleteDo you do RBTI or follow it?I am kinda unwilling(trying my own take instead)since I find that a carb breakfast and I **MUST** have lots of fat or carbs for second meal.I cant do the salad and veggie meal yet feel so content with an Optimal style meal at night with lots of veggies.So what I am thinking is high carb breakfast and a high fat lunch.I only eat twice a day and always eat second meal before 2pm.So for now I will try this....
Bagel w/cream cheese,differing fruits/a protein drink(25gms)and a large coffee sets the day.
Big bag frozen veggies(oriental style/low carbish)cooked in 1/2 stick butter and protein(25gms)in cheese and eggs or whatever meats I want.
Kinda fits in with the RBTI way of eating blood sugar wise and I must say that a high carb meal for breakfast blends beautifully with my labor type job.
Condorman
ReplyDeletethey have a point
Technically, the 2 post with Pipa's email had advertisements in them wether he made money from them or not.
and the simple fact that his followers are ordering testing kits shows that he has in a way endorsed the product by simply using it, much like when Run DMC wore adidas, I wore adidas as many others did.
However, even if there is as slight commercial twist by charging for his books, his Pippa pushings and using certain products, this does not make me doubt Matt's intentions. I still believe in his objectivity and will continue to read and support him. this society is driven by profits and people have to eat, i hardly see either one of them getting rich for 150 a pop.
Money Bags
wolfstriked
ReplyDeletewhat is optimal style ?
Optimal diet by Dr.Kwasnieski in where you get large portion of your calories from saturated fat.Then you keep protein and carbs low.Around 60gms protein and 40gms carbs for me a male.He does recommend large quantities of pork though as that differs from RBTI greatly since its huge on the no eat list.He also says that its best to take in mainly starch and keep fructose low.
ReplyDeleteWhats weird is that I get amazing results from eating pork belly for dinner.Same with eating cahsews all day...both have me feeling and also looking VERY good.But it throws off the RBTI numbers so go without if you follow it.
We should ask us this question: "Is calcium citrate safer than the calcium lactate?"
ReplyDeleteWe all know that calcium lactate is recommended by RBTI. However, calcium lactate is bad. Calcium lactate has lactic acid. Lactic acid promotes aging, induces cell death, causes inflammation, and down-regulates oxidative metabolism.
In contrast, calcium citrate is good. So are calcium carbonate and calcium acetate.[1]
Calcium is best eaten with meals, as calcium helps to reduce iron absorption.[2][3]
However, too much calcium with a meal will reduce the absorption of other nutrients. Hence, a moderate amount of calcium is best with a meal.
Get the powdered form of calcium if possible. It can be dissolved in juice or mixed with a meal.
Calcium should be taken with magnesium. Fruits and fruit juices are high in magnesium. Other foods high in magnesium include vegetables and tubers.[4]
Foods especially high in magnesium include nuts and chocolate, but those foods are forbidden by the RBTI.[4]
Hard water has both calcium and magnesium. Hard water has been shown to reduce cardiovascular mortality and calcification. But it is forbidden by the RBTI.
Drawbacks of calcium supplementation include an increased risk of heart attack.[5]
REFERENCES
[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3614304
[2] http://www.ajcn.org/content/68/1/3.full.pdf
[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1984335
[4] USDA National Nutrient Database
[5] http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20110419/calcium-supplements-may-increase-heart-risk
The above post was made by OaaW.
ReplyDelete@Wolfstriked
ReplyDeletePlease keep in mind that tap water here is different from almost everywhere else in Europe, let alone the States. Still, here are the results:
pH paper: 6.6
reagents: 7.2
pH meter: 7.9
So before you think everything is way of, I also tested the calibration solution, which should be 7.01:
pH paper: 7.0
reagents: 7.0
pH meter: 7.03
We have tested a lot of urine samples and have not found urine to cause these differences, with only one or two exceptions.
As for if I do RBTI or if I follow it… Following this blog made it pretty clear; RBTI is named wrong, Challen is the only one doing it and all others are fake.
ReplyDeleteThat probably included Dr. Reams, the thousands he taught, his top students, but also the one who taught for him while he was too ill to teach. So I must admit that I’m not doing RBTI. I’m a fraud and a fake.
As for the carbs and fats: two people can look the same and eat the same, but for one it can be really bad, while it is good for the other. In a family that is quite common, and since RBTI already puts some stress on most of the members, Dr. Reams decided to go a bit more to supplements and foods we can buy from the supermarkets, even though he did believe high-brix foods are way better than supplements.
From what I read about your diet you will have some bounces during the day in your bloodsugars, but as you know, fats and complex carbohydrates will smooth that out a bit.
Since you mention you do a labor type job: that has a huge impact on your numbers and your diet. I can see that some greens like a salad will not be sufficient by themselves, but getting the chlorophyll in is pretty important for regulating the blood sugars.
But do keep in mind that telling more specifics would be guessing. And I do like the slogan of RBTI: Why guess when you can be sure.
Calcium Lactate is a white crystalline salt made by the action of lactic acid on calcium carbonate. It is used in foods (as a baking powder). Calcium Lactate is often found in aged cheeses. Small crystals of it precipitate out when lactic acid is converted into a less soluble form by the bacteria active during the ripening process.
ReplyDeleteThis milk type calcium is from a non-dairy source. It is naturally produced by fermentation of calcium carbonate with sugars and starches from potatoes.
Calcium lactate is a more acid reacting form of calcium providing 46.66 mg of elemental calcium per 6 capsules.
This RBTI supplement can help to lower the pH and is not wise to take if you already have a low pH. There are other supplements you can take to increase the pH if necessary.
Sources en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_lactate
www.daily-mfg.com
Some in RBTI will say that Calcium Citrate has a neutral effect on the body but the urine pH may increase slightly.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was Taylor/Hobson (whom I originally thought was OaaW - but then they started 'talking' to each other, so I don't know...).
ReplyDeleteOr maybe they're all Matt.
Thanks again Jackie....is it ok to call you Jackie?Hmm so your water is close in PH from tap to distilled while NYC water is close also but more acidic....again weird.
ReplyDeleteAs for supplementing calcium.I think this could be dangerous in that if you take alot of a certain calcium type that changes PH up or down,then you will get bad health from it..plain and simple.This is where RBTI brings health....you supplement the base calcium types like gluconate or citrate and then use other types of calciums or even vitamins to bring the PH into balance.So people that start pumping in alot of coral calcium,since its so "healthy" might start to get too alkaline over time and thats not optimal.
being a relatively healthy person (no major issues), are there some general pointers to take from RBTI? Can you use RBTI principals without doing the testing and specifics? It seems like the main things to take away from this are: 1. drink distilled water 2. eat a big lunch and small dinner 3. no sweets or meats after 2pm 4. supplement with minerals.
ReplyDeleteAre there any minerals that everyone should be taking? I am pregnant with my 3rd so I imagine my mineral levels would be low.
So in other words, are there some general guidelines anyone can follow to improve their health without becoming involved with testing etc?
Sarah,I think there are.Basically what you said LOL.I am gonna drink one gallon of distilled per day and if I get stuck out on the road with none its bottled.Just add a lemon or two to the water.Take two calcium citrates per day,two coral calcium per day====this is for raising PH and if you want to lower than try a lactate.Its simple and thats the way I want to live but I do know that I will be off and not at supreme health this way.Another thing though thats negative about stumbling onto RBTI from here is I am drinking again. :( I kinda cut down on my drinking from feeling lousy all the time and here I am two days in a row.Its my curse in that the better I feel the more I want to destroy my body it seems.
ReplyDeleteSarah, for the general "not too unhealthy person", you would also avoid the No No Foods. Pork, shellfish, skinfish, chocolate, and ... I don't have the list memorized yet. You can find it at RBTI.info
ReplyDelete--------
I came back just to say that I've tried this eating method for the last three days and noticed a remarkable and immediate improvement. My sense of energy availability, concentration and focus are all much improved. I used to have swings during the day, but not these last several days. I'm impressed.
This is similar to an Aryuvedic practitioner named John Douillard. I read his book The Three Season Diet a couple of years ago- but I struggled with the supper part of the day. I was too hungry and gave up on it. The Challen way seems to be going a lot better for some reason. I think it may be the no sweets and no meats after 2 pm rule. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteDeedle
Incidentally, Martin Berkhans latest post was exactly about the evidence that eating later in the day is better than eating earlier in the day.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.leangains.com/2011/06/is-late-night-eating-better-for-fat.html
How many of you guys trying this Challen schedule have actually tried Berkhan style intermittent fasting as well (that is, eat everything between roughly 1pm to 9 pm), and if so, how would you say Challens schedule is turning out superior for you?
@ Wolfstriked
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't mind if you call me Jackie.
It is best if you get all the minerals you require from a well balanced diet. Vegetables can only be as good as the soil in which they are grown and many farmers will agree that their soil is worn out. Most vegetables are at least a week old by the time we buy them. This length of time causes the nutritional value to greatly decrease. Therefore I think it is important to take food supplements. I don't mean take 20 a day but some during the meals.
Coral Calcium is a supplement that one can take who has a very low Urine pH. Since this calcium can increase the pH it is not wise to take it when you have higher pH.
if I would like to know my pH's and would not like to spend much money I would order them from:
www.phionbalance.com/ph-balancing-products/ph-test-strips
I do not believe only having these numbers is sufficient enough to give a thorough advise but is a start.
Measuring the pH's with these strips give approximately a .5 difference. The range is 4.5-9; it measures 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, etc.
I still believe the pH reagents are more accarute.
I believe that Min-Col (Mineral Colloid)is one supplement that everybody should use, no matter what chemistry. It will rebuild the bones as well as supply colloid mineral for the tissues.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind that females need twice the mineral intake of the man. Females, during childbearing years need even more.
Jacqueline,or anyone else experieced in RBTI, have you found any difference between the Min-Col and the Min-66. I understand that they are from the same source but processed differently. Has anyone found a difference in their affect on the body. I've been taking both for a week and slightly prefer the taste and texture of Min-66. I've also started using some old phion strips that I had around, and find so far my urine seems to be around 7.2 and my saliva about 5.7. However, the top color doesn't seem to match any of the chart tops colors,so I've been going by the bottom color.
ReplyDelete@ Doug
ReplyDeleteGood comment.
I used to buy Min-66 but the reseller would not ship the Min-66 to Europe. Therefore I changed to Min-Col. One is air separated the other one is water separated.
Min-66 could be slightly bether but I understand there is a big difference in prices. I found a bottle of Min-66, 250 capsules, for 59.95 USD and a bottle of Min-Col for 20.36 USD on the internet. One of the reasons I stick to Min-Col.
@ Doug
ReplyDeletecan you inform me if there is an expiration date mentioned on the ph-ion strips or on the bottle?
I know of some persons who did the pH tests with pH reagents while the reagents were over date and could not recognize the results. Maybe that is the same with you.
Jacqueline, I bought both the Min-Col and Min-66 at Michael Olszta's site. I got a lb. of each. They both cost 49.50. However, there was a huge difference in price with the capsules. Perhaps, because they're separate companies, there's a difference in the size of the capsules. Also,the shippping and handling for internationnal orders on Olszta's site is pretty steep,but I live in Hawaii and my shipping price was good. As for the phion ph stix, I don't see any exp. date on the box. I think it's about two years old.
ReplyDelete@ Doug
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I did not know you meant the lb. package. I found a cheaper option for the Min-Col 250 capsules via
advancedideals.org. The price is 20.36 USD. I don't know if they give a discount or what the international shipment costs are.
Since I live in Europe it is easier for me to order the RBTI supplements from a company that is based in Europe. They are working on a webshop and ordered the supplements in the US. When they have the supplements I don't have to wait 4 to 5 weeks to receive them. And it is also cheaper for me since I do not have to order a larger amount to spare on the shipment costs (nternational shipment will cost about 50 USD).
I think the expiration time for the pH strips is about 2 years but I am not sure because I don't use them
see the information on the internet:
ReplyDeletetest strips of e.g. LaMotte have an expiration date that is 2 years from the date of manufacture.
I therefore see the results as less accurate
Thank you Jackie.:) I will use the strips I have for now since my numbers are way off ideal and once I get healthier I will need more precision to get as close to 6.4 as possible.I will stop the massive consumption of calcium as you say just a pill per meal is fine IMO also.I am on my way to get the coral calcium pills....been yrs since I had enthusiasm for health and a joy just going to the vitamin shoppe for minerals LOL.Its because I feel way different already health and personality wise.Were before I would always feel like walking away from conversations I am now starting them.
ReplyDeleteAnd I drank last night and my PH this morning are both way down.Urine at 5.0 and saliva at 6.0.Drinking is bad for you as we all know but its also very acidifying it seems also.
As for the Min-col....is there a store brand for that.I searched and all I could come up with is colloidal minerals.Thing is when I look at colloidal trace mineral supplements they are just calcium,potassium,sodium etc.
Funny that in past it was vitamins,fish oil and probiotics for health with total disregard for minerals and now its minerals and lemons LOL.
ReplyDeleteAlejandro Junger says in his book Clean, "If you do nothing more in life than start to eat lighter in the evening and leave twelve hours between dinner one night and breakfast the next day, you will find that you have more energy and improve your overall health."
ReplyDeletein regards to the eat light after a certain time theory,wouldn't you get normal readings if you just tested late in the day instead?
ReplyDeleteThe more I think about it and in tune with RBTI it seems that a close to vegetarian diet is ideal as laid out in the PH miracle.All day long veggies and most as raw as possible will take care of the distilled water and mineral issue since they have both.Of course you stay away from pork,chocolate etc since you eat just veggies and fish,chicken.RBTI allows acidifying foods and then you supplement to ease the imbalance.
Was just reading about Reams' views on hypoglycemia here:
ReplyDeletehttp://brixman.com/REAMS/hypoglycemia.htm
Matt said somewhere that RBTI is like Ayurveda on steroids. I read a lot more about Traditional Chinese medicine than Ayurveda, but I'm seeing so many connections here my interest can't help but be pretty piqued.
From Healing with Whole Foods: "The Chinese clock is an ancient observation that the body's internal organs have peak activity during two-hour intervals."
5-7AM: Large intestine
7-9AM: Stomach
9-11AM: Spleen-Pancreas
11AM-1PM: Heart-Mind
1-3PM: Small Intestine
3-5PM: Bladder
5-7PM: Kidney
7-9PM: Heart Governor
9-11PM: Triple Heater
11PM-1AM: Gall Bladder
1-3AM: Liver
3-5AM: Lungs
According to this system, eating a big lunch and small dinner would be beneficial because it would lighten the load on the liver, which is most active from 1AM-3AM. Chinese medicine is also far from unique in theorizing that the early afternoon is the best time to eat the largest amount of food. The idea would be that digestion is strongest during this time, and it leaves the most amount of time for the body to do the 'clean-up' work throughout the rest of the day and especially at night, due to the lack of a burden of a huge amount of food right before bed, for example.
Reams' idea that hypoglycemia is an issue of the liver adds up here. The use of vinegar/lemon/lime juice in Chinese medicine is advocated for relieving 'liver stagnation' or 'stagnant liver qi,' and the recommended foods are complex carbohydrates and vegetables, especially vegetables rich in chlorophyll. The recommendation to be more modest with protein and fat intake is common between RBTI (from what I understand of it so far) and traditional Chinese medicine.
The distilled water/lemon juice protocol in RBTI makes even more sense, and seems completely obvious, when compared with TCM. The meal timing, the dietary recommendations, the use of lemon juice (in TCM, the sour flavor pertains to the liver, and as I said earlier, lemon/lime juice and/or vinegar are recommended for helping clear stagnant liver qi)...
...it's all geared towards rejuvenating the liver by providing it with the raw materials it can use for functioning properly (citric acid/acetic acid/chlorophyll) and lightening the load on it by reducing protein and fat intake and emphasizing complex carbohydrates and vegetables. The meal times would also give the liver plenty of space to 'do its thing' at 1-3AM, not burdened by a heavy evening meal.
I work in a labor-intensive job and I tried doing the big lunch and no meats or sweets after 2PM thing, but I had to have a cup of blueberry juice, a banana and a date after my dinner of a baked sweet potato and some steamed broccoli rabe. I felt lightheaded and spacey and irritable and the fruit helped that to some extent.
What I like about RBTI is that it's basically like a Westernized version of these Eastern practices that've been around for thousands of years.
If this really works as it says it does, that would be fantastic. To me it's like TCM on steroids just because it uses objective measurements as opposed to more subjective measurements, such as tongue coating, and simply observing the person and listening to them tell you their symptoms of what they're experiencing.
Anyway, I'm hoping to meet up with Matt and Pip sometime soon. I'm getting excited, but I have to make sure I don't get so excited that I piss myself before I get there and then can't get the urine analysis. Maybe I should bring a cup in the car.
I kind of jumped around a lot in the last post. Woops :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, though. I randomly mentioned my lightheadedness/irritability/weakness/fatigue thing because of something Jackie wrote earlier about having a labor-intensive job impacting your numbers.
And I meant that what I like with RBTI is it can show you in numbers what's going on, or at the very least give you an idea of what's going on so you have something more objective to work with than "I feel tired all the time." So what I meant by saying it's like a westernized version of eastern practices is that it uses a scientific approach as opposed to a more subjective approach, which I think is pretty cool and could also be more accessible to a lot of people who're less open-minded and might run away if someone told them "Oh, yeah, it's pretty clear. Your liver qi is stagnant."
"Stagnant qi" and "not working properly" do carry different connotations and I'm thinking "stagnant qi" might turn a lot of people off. Just a thought.
If you go the link below you will see a picture of a MinCol bottle. The RBTI supplements are from Daily
ReplyDeleterbti.info/Supplements/mincol.html
In the US there are more resellers who sell the supplements like advancedideals.org
Drinking alcohol will likely cause a short term reaction in your Urine pH (starting just minutes after you started drinking, to about a day after, depending on what you eat) and you will likely see a decrease in your Saliva pH the next morning. That will take some days to get over.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how eating light in the evening is going to help with hypoglycemia. My blood sugar seems to get lower at night not higher. I have to wake up and eat something to get back to sleep. I have been trying to eat light in the evening for a week now and it is just impossible for someone with hypoglycemia like me. I seem to really need something before I sleep to get me through the night. Can anyone explain how this light afternoon/evening eating can work for a someone like me?
ReplyDeleteHey "Jackie", do you got an email address for me because I would like to talk to you if you don't mind since you are from europe too :)
ReplyDelete@ Sylwester
ReplyDeleteMy mailaddress is
jacqueline AT yourservice DOT ws.
Looking forward to hear from you
Jib,awesome link there.The Chinese are onto alot of things but as you say they do it with a more intuitive approach and RBTI is different in that its motto is"why guess when you can know.Still fascinating that its so closely linked in its execution.
ReplyDeleteThis mineral stuff has my brain spinning lately and I wonder if its the cause of some states in USA having bad health compared to other states.Let me explain...I have severe hypo and so did my brother.But he met a lady from Michigan and moved there.A few weeks later I called him and he said he was eating a stack of pancakes with syrup and I said WTF with your hypo you'll die.He then said he doesnt really get hypo anymore!!So a quick look into Michigan tap and the first link is from Michigan medical marijuana society and how a person can't seem to lower his high PH water to grow his weed.His wife,while obese,is in perfect health to the point it sickens my brother.She eats hotdogs and ramen noodles and tons of BBQ foods and yet not one health parameter is off.The crazy part though is my brothers hypo is gone and it seem my severe hypo also.
Jackie,thanks for the link though I have that site bookmarked already.Just purchased the coral calcium and took 6 caps....I swear I feel my hangover going away.Crazy how what you say about alcohol and PH is what happened to mine exactly...Is the ULTIMATE HANGOVER CURE...some B-vitamins and some CC before crashing for the night??
About the saliva PH.Mine is dropping too low and I THINK its due to too much lemon as I am now taking in a 12 ounce bottle of lemon juice.
Dinosaur,I know I am just guessing but what about a high fat meal to add in calories but keep the carbs low.Works for me.If I eat some veggies I find I eat 4 to 5 boxes in the rest of the night.Maybe more food in first meal might help yuo....
@Jib
ReplyDeleteVERY interesting comment about Chinese medicine and how to body works according to this theory.
I am a Feng Shui expert/Chinese astrologer by profession, learned from Chinese master, and the bi-hours you have listed ruling different organs are actually due to the energy of the Five Elements taking turn during the day.
The 5-7Am frame for the large intestine is surprising however: 5 to 7 Am is the time of the strongest wood energy associated with liver usually. Likewise 1-3 am is the strongest water – that would normally rule the kidneys.
So maybe it’s open to interpretation and different practitioners have different body clock system. However my field is Feng Shui not Chinese medicine per say lol
However it’s important not to jump to conclusions too fast – and seing RBTI as the western equivalent of Chinese medicine.
Actually this is precisely because some of its principles contradict long tradition of food and medicine that I still have a hard time with it and thinking it’s not a perfect system.
Time related to body chemistry = yes, correspondence with Chinese tradition
However no pork and no carbs in the evening doesn’t fit, at all. Pork is described as one of the five meats in the classic work of the Yellow emperor; and pork fat is the fat of choice for Chinese cooking.
Moreover to my knowledge Chinese does not put restrictions on carbs in the evening or after 2pm and certainly eat rice at every meal, neither to they put restriction on meat in the evening to my knowledge.
So as you can see there are as many differences that there are similarities…
Dont the Chinese eat a ton of veggies.I notice that they do not eat "chinese" food when I order from them and instead I always spot them grabbing some pork and a small portion of rice and then they have a few bowls of what looks like steamed veggies they pick from.Could possibly explain the balancing of the pork consumption?If pork in RBTI is a loss of energy and energy is basically a stable PH near 6.4 then it makes sense.
ReplyDelete@Wolfstriked I think it's important not to confuse modern behaviour with what their traditions were and what the teaching of Chinese medicine are. For having lived in Asia I have seen and eaten many more traditional dishes like offals soups etc. but I've also seen Chinese pigging out on soy milk and tofu, fast food etc. so it's not representative. However when eating traditionally they always seem to have different meats and fish, different veggies and grains. and very litle in term of desserts.
ReplyDeleteFor sure in TCM and traditional Chinese cooking there is to my knowledge no forbidden food - far from it! Anything that has his back facing the sun can be eaten - including all sorts of fowls, poultry, reptiles, skinfish, pork and amphibians - all falling to RBTI forbidden food.
So while I am very interested into the RBTI findings I cannot take them for gospels either: long human traditions of food and healing seems to have thrive on other principles (sourdough, forbidden food etc.).
I wish to understand why both approach have good results?! TCM always speak about balancing the Chi and using different flavour etc. to stimulate different organs; so maybe they are aware that some food decrease the Chi but when combined with some spices, veggies etc. such effect is actually reversed? This would make sense and be a far more atuned system than just ban all sorts of food...
White rice lacks minerals (electrolytes), and the vegetables are there to compensate.
ReplyDeleteSmall portion of rice? They eat rice from a bowl.
Women usually fill up one bowl, which measures to about one cup of cooked rice. Men usually eat more, they average 1½ cups of cooked rice per meal.
Not all of the vegetable in the dishes are eaten per meal. Some became leftovers.
Pork is the main type of meat consumed. But its consumption varies. In the poorer countryside, pork is only eaten during celebrations. But in wealthier urban places, pork is consumed more often. My relatives eat pork only once per week. Beef, poultry, and fish are less common than pork.
Fruits are not eaten with meals.
In "traditional" Chinese diet, the staples are white rice and white flour. In my city, white flour is usually eaten during the morning in the form of montou or baozi. Noodles are sometimes eaten during supper. But the consumption of rice and wheat varies by location. Northern Chinese tend to eat more wheat, and Southern Chinese tend to eat more rice.
"Traditionally," vegetables are cooked in lard, but this is quickly being replaced by vegetable oils. This is especially the case the more industrialized areas. Vegetables are almost the only oil used there.
Monosodium glutumate (MSG) is a relatively recent introduction, but this ingredient had become as common as salt. MSG in put in vegetable dishes, sauces, and soups.
The Chinese diet is becoming more and more unhealthy. MSG was introduced decades ago. Then vegetables oils. They are already the main oil used in the urban areas. The Chinese are beginning to binge on more soybeans, tofu, soy milk, and fish, believing that they are "health foods." Fast food is becoming more common.
Thanks for this fantastic update "from the inside" @tropicalpaleodiet said.
ReplyDeleteI think indeed modern day Chinese diet tends to incorporate new fads that are not great (escessive soy, pufa, msg...) but some aspects are still traditional. For sure lard, pork and rice are stapple in both Chinese diet and TCM recommendations.
So amongst all this praise for RBTI I would like Matt or other to explore some potential caveats. To me saying that pork consumption lower your numbers because 2 practitionners in the 20th/21st century say so is not a satysfying answer enough when a large portion of human has for centuries consumed pork in no little proportion and are mastering the art of keeping an active Chi (TCM, food, acupuncture, Tai Qi, Qi cong or Feng Shui are all about the Chi!).
As long as I don't see a RBTI explanation for this paradox I will buy the rest of RBTI, but not the no-no food...(and don't get me started on corn oil LOL).
Laurent,I agree modern Asians are getting western disease due to Mcdonalds and Pepsi invading their diets.The have so many flavors of Pepsi its not even funny.These Asians that I see eating like this are in fact the older generation and the younger people working in these places that I see eat the American Chinese food look unhealthy.Soda and generals chicken is not healthy compared to white rice and various steamed veggies etc.
ReplyDeleteTropical,RBTi shows its important to look at the mineral intake for health.Yes rice is acidifying and so is pork but what about looking into the PH of the water in varying areas of the world where health is abundant.Very overlooked factor here.....
here is some crazy NYC ideas.When I was growing up I remember a fish tank specialist telling me to not worry about about adding extra buffers for PH of water since NYC tap water is very hard already.I also remember having hard water deposits on my sinks and faucets.This is gone nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend of mine who is a conspiracy theory nut and right away he says that the goverment is trying to make us sick so that we all have to go to doctors to keep the economy going.i always think hes nuts so....
Quote from Dr. Carey Reams in Choose Life Or Death where he cites the bible which is thousands years olds:
ReplyDelete"I have been practicing health and teaching the health message
as it is written in the Bible. This health message begins in the
first chapter of Genesis: "I have given you every herb bearing
seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in
which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed to you it shall be for
meat" (1 : 29). "I will even set my face against the soul that eateth
blood . . . For the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Lev. 17:
1 0- 1 1 ) . In other words, we should take the blood out of the
meat. God gave man the right to eat any animal immediately after the flood, but in the eleventh chapter of Leviticus God gave
Moses the instruction concerning the clean and the unclean animals.
In Leviticus 1 7 we are given rules for the sanitation of the
clean and unclean meats.
The unclean meats will not necessarily keep you out of
heaven, but you will probably die and get where you are going to
spend eternity a lot quicker.
@Dear Jacqueline I think we should really NOT start to look into the Bible to justify any scientific method of food recommendation. I know that I am a European maybe a bit more distanciated chatting with a lot of americans on this blog, but please - Bible is no science and do not pretent to be does it? It is a reflexion of society at its time of writing.
ReplyDeleteIn the old testament it is also advised to kill men who have homexual relations (Leviticus 20: 13), stone adulterous women, that your slave should come from a different nation (Leviticus 25: 44), that whoever mention the name of Jehovah must be put to death (Leviticus 24: 16) and so on.
In term of "scientific" statements there are also recollection of a man living in fish for 3 days, all humanity being born from Adam and Eve and Eve being born from Adam's rib, the world created in 7 days, a talking bush, or a giant boat to harvest all creatures on Earth.
So I am not making fun of whatever beliefs someone might have (hell I am a Feng shui expert!) but I think it is safe to assume that the Bible is NOT a book of scientific recommendations in nutrition of any field for that matters.
When we are talking about TCM and historic teachings they come from old Chinese MEDECINE books - and are not meant to be religious books. Reason why we can discuss their reasoning in term of nutrition.
And to conclude on the matter...
ReplyDelete"The unclean meats will not necessarily keep you out of
heaven"
I don't think it's the matter at heart in discussing RBTI merits Jacqueline...
"but you will probably die and get where you are going to
spend eternity a lot quicker."
That seems to contradict the life expenctancy of Okinawans that have eaten pork and lard for centuries.
Please do not take my posts are personal attacks of your beliefs; I just think they are simply not in line with the rest of the discussion - we are talking about nutrition and body chemistry here, not theology.
@Laurent,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree that we should look to scientific methods, and not personal believes. But since you mentioned you could not believe pork to be unclean and brought in the believes of the Chinese, TCM and so fort.... For most Feng Shui is the teachings to build curved bridges and to put the front door in an illogical place to keep the bad spirits out. Your theory that pork is OK because the Chinese take it, is just as unscientific as the religious theories why we should not eat pork.
About the okinawans: do you know anything about the minerals in the soil of that island? Did you know they even sell that as RBTI supplements? So one says it is proof that the pork is not bad, others claim the soil, and thus the vegetables are super high in minerals. Real proof? Non existent, just like that RBTI is not bad for you, or that Feng Shui helps. And I do realize you can pull up a lot of reports that it does help, and many like me have real success stories with RBTI, but is that real proof? Not in my book.
And about your good point that this is not theology: Reams was a believer and you can't find a page in an RBTI textbook with no religion involved. I'm not saying that is good or bad, but if someone studies RBTI, they will find Christianity woven through most of the articles.
I normally don't start on it unless someone else starts about their personal believes. I will focus on the nutrition and body chemistry again. I am not offended or anything just like sharing what I have learned.
Totally OT, but I remember last year some people bought the vitaclay rice cooker... I'm wondering if anybody who has it has a review for us? I'm actually more interested in using it to set oatmeal to cook the night before, so it's ready when we wake up. Makes making a big breakfast easier!
ReplyDeleteJacqueline the difference is that I mentioned Feng Shui as my profession - but I certainly didn't advocate that pork eaten by Chinese or okinawans is good for them because Feng Shui says so, where did you see that in my post?!
ReplyDeleteI have mentioned FS using the logic of different hours - but this is not a logic coming from FS but from the Chinese phylosophy used as well in TCM of acupuncture.
I am saying that we can't ignore empirical evidences that has spanned on centuries: TCM and food tradition in China and Japan include pork in large quantities and it didn't seem to impact their longevity or trigger specific diseases over the course of their history. That is enough to raise an eyebrown - in nutrition or in my work personally I don't accept unconditional faith in any system, I try to see the logic in it, its potential caveats and benefits. When the logic or a statement contradict some empirical evidence I wonder if the theory is flawless. This to me is a scientific approach and should be applied in nutrition.
Your comment of what most believe Feng Shui is is actually very personal; not even worth commenting.
In your book if numerous reports of the success of RBTI or any other discipline are not evidence that it works - then what do you base your conclusion on something working or not?! That puzzles me quite a bit. Blind faith?!
In my posts I have never said that I don't believe RBTI doesn't work by the way - merely pointing that some of its logic is contradicted by the experience of a non small part of humanity.
But then if you just accept that Reams was Christian and that his RBTI teaching are the nutritional equivalent of such phylosophy and that as such it should not be questioned I'm afraid we don't have a ground for discussion anymore. All your previous posts were about body chemistry, and suddenly it's about God teachings. Well...
I quoted Dr. Reams from his book and thought in my opinion that it explained why he was against pork. He was a religous man and he saw it written in the bible. He therefore did the tests with several clients for a longer period of time and saw the numbers change dramatically after someone ate pork. When the people stopped eating pork the numbers changed to the better.
ReplyDeleteLike I said I focus on body chemistry and RBTI diet again. I know more of that. I am not even religious. Sorry if i offended anyone that was not my intention.
What I meant with the proof was that I have see changes in the numbers, my own and others but that is not proof for someone who was not there and saw the changes. That person wants to see it for himself and after trying it it is proof for him.
Ah! Then we agree. Glad we clear that up then - no harsh feeling. The last lines of your previous post "he unclean meats will not necessarily keep you out of heaven..." were I thought your point of view, not Reams anymore. Hence the idea.
ReplyDeleteAlso I would day that Feng Shui is a system of belief, no doubt; not even trying to validate it scientifically. However the same cannot be said about TCM - it has also being studies by western universities and its results on some ailments are real. Saying that ayurveda or TCM are a system of belief is like saying western medicine is just a system of belief - while all theories have caveat the empirical results of TCM, ayurveda or western medicine put them in the scientific realm.
My point is: yes I am CONVINCED that people see results following RBTI. I am considering doing it myself to be honest!
However I want to understand why other people are still healthy and have been for centuries while disregarding the most important RBTI rules: eating all the unclean meats, carbs and meat at dinner, sourdough bread etc.
I hope you understand where I come from now - in understanding why other cultures following a different set of rules have still be achieving great health and longevity I think we might discover other things. I believe that RBTI rules are right for someone sick...But might not be right for someone who has regain health. Likewise I believe that sticking to them is a great healing tool; but that not following them in the first place does not necessarely leads to illneesses. Like you've pointed in one of your post the mineral content of the soil might be the most important part; and if so then clean/unclean food and even meal pattern could be quite irrelevant as long as the food is super charged in mineral?
This is where to me it becomes interesting.
I think if empirical evidences contradict some aspects of a theory it is wise to try to understand why and rethink the theory, maybe. This is what Matt does constantly on this blog. Lastly he seems to have turned to faith in RBTI: this is where we go I think on a dangerous slop.
This is not to say that RBTI doesn't achieve greatness - and I am convinced and I have started to implement some of the recommendations.
My take on the pork thing.Reams said that pork lowered energy.Why he used the term energy I do not know but if you read into his talking of energy he actually means PH.Maybe he figured that pork drops or raises the PH alot more than other meats and that fact added to the christian belief that pork is bad guided him to put it on the NO list.It clearly is not as bad as some people say since many healthy people eat it daily.Could be the other factors of their diet balance out the energy loss.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is I am constantly looking in the mirror and saying "hey there handsome WTF u been" :) I have no hangover and look better than I have in yrs and its not even been a week.I do feel a bit off in the stomach area and I feel this could be an electrolyte imbalance since I have drunk a gallon and a half of water so far.Who knows,maybe I will go gungho and do all the RBTI tests and follow to a T.
@Lorelei- We make crock pot steel cut oatmeal which cooks overnight. Message me through FB and I will give you the recipe. Pamela Pollack
ReplyDelete"What I like about RBTI is that it's basically like a Westernized version of these Eastern practices that've been around for thousands of years."
ReplyDeleteJib, this is the EXACT thought I had when first introduced to RBTI. However, I wouldn't try to find exact 1:1 correlations between them (different systems rarely line up perfectly, or else they'd be the same system). Instead, I see the similarities as more generalized: looking at health as a system balance, using foods as medicine, raising energy + raising qi, etc. The cool thing about RBTI is that it uses instruments and numbers that result in objective measurements, rather then relying on a practitioner's subjective observations.
It bothers me as well that RBTI forbids certain foods that traditional cultures have eaten for millennia, but I think it's pointless to quibble over that. Instead of arguing "But XYZ ate pork and ABC ate chocolate," I'm willing to suspend judgment and "give RBTI a try." Perhaps the NO-NO foods are only a serious issue for us modern people with our incredible deficiencies. Challen's book even says that a person who has perfect numbers can eat whatever they want.
Another similarity between RBTI and TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) is the use of terms in ways different than our conventional western paradigms. For example, when TCM refers to "the Kidney," they're not just talking about the actual organ. TCM organizes the body differently than western medicine, so "the Kidney" is actually an entire system that includes hormones and neurotransmitters. As for RBTI, one of the main attacks against Reams is that he used scientific terms differently than the mainstream definitions. This can be seen as a flaw by some. Either way, both TCM and RBTI require a "different way of thinking" than we're used to. Not everyone has the ability to do that.
The heavy Christian influence in RBTI is a huge turn-off for me, but then again, the "mystical" terms of TCM such as the 5 elements and qi/jing/shen are a turn-off for many westerners.
Something interesting... TCM's use of herbs is unique in that enormous amounts are used when compared to other herbal cultures, such as European herbalism or African herbalism. While most systems may prescribe up to 10 grams of herbs per day, TCM formulas can include up to 60+ grams of herbs per day. Modern practitioners have theorized that when using such large amounts, not only are the medicinal compounds in the plants playing a part, but also the minerals. (Herbs would provide minerals that are not found in the normal daily diet.) So perhaps minerals are in fact much more important than most of us realize.
------------
Even if RBTI helps me, I'm not going to declare it as the solution to all of humanity's problems. It's just one tool, just as homeopathy, herbalism, acupuncture, etc. are all tools.
I've spent over $10,000 of my own money over the past 4 years on blood tests, stool tests, saliva tests, etc. I've probably given around 70 vials of blood. If RBTI can in fact do what it claims to do, then it can do something that simply can't be done by the mainstream medical testing paradigm. The closest things I can think of are a urine organic acids test or Spectracell test, but their usefulness is somewhat dubious.
I'm still waiting to hear exactly what mineral supplements are being used! But I guess we'll all find out a LOT more info once the dust is settled.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the pamphlet "The Curse Causeless Shall Not Come" I can't but ask the following:
ReplyDeleteMoi says who has to test twice a day is a guesser - the pamphlet says Reams required to test twice a day. So was Reams a guesser?
What the booklet describe is quite different from what Matt has said about Challen's approach. E.g. according to The Curse Causeless, the treatment in Ream's retreat started with a fast, whereas Matt said Challen almost never recommends fasting. Refined sugar is condemned for taking calcium from the body, while Challen seems to recommend it. In the latest video, Challen says some people shouldn't drink any water at all - in the booklet it says that one should drink a lot and most everyone is drinking too little... And so on.
So, did Challen discover something that Reams had not?
But then how is it possible that Reams could exactly detect the origin of disease and heal so many (if that is true)?
And why did none of his students learn how to do this? After all, Matt has said that ONLY Challen "cracked the code" several times! So I guess that means that he did not learn how to read the numbers correctly from Reams...
From The Curse Causeless: "At the present time, there are only
some 60 people who have completed the BIOLOGICAL THEORY
OF IONIZATION COURSE and are qualified to run these tests. (By
a mid-Summer, Dr. Reams hopes to have some 150 trained.)"
What about these people?
These are serious lapses in the logic of the story which make me doubt the whole thing... though it does sound promising after all... maybe a bit too promising.
And there is one question that has been raised many many times but has not been answered so far: What about reverse osmosis water?
There is another question that has also been raised at least 3 times: According to many Ayurveda practitioners and other folks, distilled water should not be drunk because it will leach minerals from the body. I had thought that this was not a big deal with the RBTI, since I thought that most of Challen's folks are on supplements. However, in the first video, he says that all she needs to do is change her eating schedule and drink some distilled water; in fact, that drinking distilled water is the most beneficial thing (major paraphrasing here). If she's not on supplements, would that not affect her mineral status in a very detrimental way?
ReplyDeleteSJ
That video threw me also.Distilled is just water with no minerals.RBTI seems all about the minerals so that confused me.Maybe its the removal of the NO foods?
ReplyDeleteAll I know is its 10pm and my eyes are white and I look healthy and I have a hangover....or I did!! Its fixing my body rapidly.I have gone to bathroom twice today and my body seemed to slowdown in past few yrs where it was like once every other day.Thats terrible digestion and acidifies the body with waste just laying around.I was like this even with eating alot of fruit and veggies.RBTI balances the digestion.
Next week I will buy some probiotics and start them.Never helped me in past to rid myself of candida but now that my body is neutralizing the bugs should be able to do their job.
SJ,
ReplyDeleteDrinking distilled water depends on the person's chemistry. I think it may pull other build up out maybe? It's indicated for some, contra-inidicated for others. I think that's what Challen means when he says drinking it 'systematically.'
@Lorelei,
I have one of those clay rice cookers. I like mine a lot. It holds heat well, and seems to produce a nice quality rice.
Downsides: It's got a smaller capacity than the previous non-stick cooker I had, is heavier and more fragile. The lid is also made of clay and as a result gets hot too. I usually lift the lid off and slide it over a bit to let the steam escape, then remove it after 30 seconds or so. I failed to do that once and tried to lift it off straight away and dropped it, and broke the lid in two pieces. They fit back together well enough that it's usable, but from what I gather I think replacement lids can be tough to obtain.
It seems to clean well and easily with hot soap and a sponge. So far, I've not had many problems with stuff sticking inside. I haven't used it for slow cooking, though, or anything beside oatmeal (rolled and groats), white and brown rice. It's got thicker walls than my previous rice cooker, so as mentioned holds heat longer without power, but does take a bit longer to come to temperature and cook.
Overall, I like it, and would probably spend the $60 or so on it again.
weird thing about the no foods is there is something to it. when i switched from russet potatoes to brown rice as my main source of starch my insomnia disappeared so well that the past few nights i've been sleeping 12+ hours and feel "hungover" as hell the next day. it feels fantastic being able to sleep when i want to now. this is something that has eluded me for a few years. now logically, based on what i know, this doesn't make sense. brown rice is lower in virtually every nutrient and mineral, on top of that it has phytic acid.
ReplyDeletei wouldn't be surprised if the "no foods" are just like anything that causes disruption in the body (be it from drinking water, lactose intolerance, etc...); a temporary hurdle that will clue you in to the real problem.
-Anonymous
what's compelling to me about the 'no' foods, and i think this has been mentioned before, is that they are based on empiricism. reams or challen or whoever didn't just think up a framework and prescribe. i'm thinking etymologically: pre-scribe, to write beforehand.
ReplyDeleteinstead, they emerged after testing and consolidating their findings.
i mean, it's all kooky as hell, and who the heck knows why it might work if it does. But it at least assuages some of my concern that these recommendations are born of observations and reproducibility. Sometimes we can be right for the wrong reasons.
The minerals and vitamines that are used in RBTI are e.g. Min-Col, Algazime, Coral Calcium, Calcium Lactate, etc. The minerals and vitamines are explained on a RBTI site.
ReplyDeleteI don't think others will like it if I mention this site again on this blog.
Which ones are best for you depends on the numbers; some can help to increase the pH others can help to decrease the PH, etc. Some are good for most like Min-Col and Calcium Gluconate (neutral calcium).
I e.g. take Min-Col, Algazim and Calcium Glonate with my meals and I do not mean 10 or 20 but a few of each during meals. Sometimes I take Coral Calcium when my pH is very low and sometimes I take vitamins.
Quote from a RBTI site about distilled water:
ReplyDelete"Some wonder if distilled water is unhealthy. For the most part of my life I have been told it is. The last biochemist I talked to truly believed that a glass of distilled water would seriously harm a person. At that time I was already drinking about 3 liters of distilled water for some years.
A couple of weeks later I met another chemist and discussed a bit about distilled water. He told me that the teachers tell everyone that distilled water is bad, so the students don’t drink the ‘expensive’ water. They made up a story about demineralization, which is still believed till this day by some.
But it does have a misguided truth in it: If someone does not drink enough clean water, the body is loaded with unusable salts / minerals and other waste products. We can easily measure that in the conductivity of the urine. If a person would start drinking enough distilled water, in time all the waste will be washed out and the blood levels will begin to regulate. So when that happens, the conductivity of the urine will also drop till close to 7C. That drop is mistakenly seen as false evidence of demineralization.
So is it true that distilled water pulls or leaches minerals from our bodies? No, but we believe there's a major misconception about how much clean water we need on a systematic basis and how little water the majority of people consume. When we look at the statistics of the number of people who are dying of so called "heart disease" each year, I can't help but think how lacking the consumption of clean pure water is in the vast majority of those people. Those people are retaining much too high levels of a wide variety of salts, which can be measured in the urine by conductivity and the UREA’s. That is happening because they are not drinking enough clean pure water systematically. Distilled water is completely unsaturated.
Spring water is partially saturated, depending on what you are trying to dissolve in it. So you may already see that the salt waste levels can be removed from their bodies and lowered to safe levels by drinking distilled water. Drinking spring water or tap water may also help, but for the pollution you are trying to get rid of, tap water, spring water and reverse osmoses water may already be partially or completely saturated.
When we drink water that is higher in conductivity, our bodies must expend energy getting the stuff out of that water before that water can be used in our bodies. Combine drinking partially saturated water with not drinking enough water to begin with and the result is quite a SALT RETENTION in our bodies. Problems like that existing over a long period of time is what is causing so much hart problems these days.
This gets back to what Reams often said, that we have to look at the whole picture. What's in that water that isn't distilled water that we must now clean out of us and what does that do to our bodies? What affect does all that material coming into us through saturated water have on the organs responsible for removing that material?"
And how much resource has to be diverted to cleaning that stuff out instead of building healthy cells? Most people who are down on distilled water are ignoring what they are bringing into themselves as a result of drinking water high in conductive or non-conductive contaminants. They are not "seeing" the whole picture and don't understand what most people are doing to themselves who are drinking water that is saturated with material that the body has to clean out. "
End of quote.
My opinion: I drink distilled water for about 4,5 years. I drink about 2,5 liters distilled water a day. The amount taken depends on your weight and e.g. if someone is used to drinking water. If not someone can start with 1 drink an hour for a few hours (the amount of water still varies per person) and after some time raise the amount.
ReplyDeleteWhen first started my conductivity level, UREA's, etc. were much higher than nowadays. I have seen this with others as well.
I don't think it is unhealthy drinking it as long as you do not overdo. Also for the amount of distilled water: go by the numbers
Jacqueline-
ReplyDeletehow much calcium do you take per day?
I take about 6 supplements a day, most Min-Col, Algazim and Calcium Gluconate.
ReplyDeleteThis does not mean that others need 6 supplements, maybe they need more, maybe they need less supplements.
"brown rice is lower in virtually every nutrient and mineral, on top of that it has phytic acid."
ReplyDeleteBrown rice increases the amount of GABA in the brain, that's why it helps with insomnia and relaxation.
E
thank you very much for correcting me! my next question is, why is my brain deficient in producing GABA, and how is brown rice able to correct this?
ReplyDeletealso, all that i've read on GABA suggests that all complex carbs increase GABA. i've been eating potatoes and white rice forever and, initially, i saw improvements in my ability to sleep/anxiety, things have evened out and no longer has any measurable affect unless i go days without unrefined starches (my mood goes very sour on the 2nd day). is it just that some sources of starch increase GABA moreso than others for whatever reason?
-Anonymous
Another weird day.Woke up looking great!!Urine PH back up to 5.5 and saliva PH still at 6.0.I then went to work and ran up 3 flights of stairs to exit the train.You have no idea what that means to me.I am talking of getting off the train everyday and feel older than 80yrs.I have to act like I am alright its that bad or was that bad.Off balance like I have to hold onto things and no energy whatsoever where I walk up 3 flights and I am winded for 10 minutes.Now here I am running and I laugh at the people who take the same train as me wondering what I am doing.
ReplyDeleteBut it all ended there when I ate breakfast.A naked drink which is just fruit juices mixed with protein powder,bagel with cream cheese and a coffee.30 minutes later I felt off kilter.Balance issues,blood shot eyes and a much lowered energy level for about 1.5 hrs.I am now thinking that I can take that same breakfast and feel great but only every other day.Optimal meals it seems for me mostly with a carb meal here and there.
Saliva just now still 6.0 and urine is still 5.5.Seems I need to up the minerals as my mega dose the other day got my urine into the 6.0 range though I'll probably ride this amount out for the week.The lemon juice though has dropped my saliva from over 9.0 to 6.0 quite rapidly.Its an 8oz bottle of pure lemon juice and so I cut it to half a bottle per day for now.
"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteI'd imagine if "the more rules you follow, the healthier you'll be," it follows that "the closer you are to following the rules, the healthier you'll be."
I am skeptical of rules, though, as a blanket term for everyone -- I have a hard time with the idea that there are cookie-cutter rules that apply to everyone, without taking their individual profiles into consideration. Unless the rules are variable depending on a person's numbers, or something similar to that, in which case this is just a misunderstanding on my part.
I'm also curious about what Hans said about Reams' and Challen's approaches to RBTI differing. It begs the question: is Challen really the only one who's nailed this, or is there more than one way to skin a cat?
I'm thinking there's more than one way to skin a cat, but at the same time, Challen might've figured something unique out, and any contradictions he's come up with in regards to Reams' work should be investigated/analyzed to see why they work. That can only help even more in understanding the bigger picture.
Laurent:
The differences you mentioned in versions of the Chinese clock seems to be a similar thing as the Challen vs. Reams issue -- different people have different interpretations of the same system.
I don't know what could explain the discrepancies, but investigating that could be really interesting.
Invisible Jungle:
Good points. I'm kind of on the same boat. Back with the "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" concept.
The more the merrier -- 180 Degree Health, as far as I can tell, is based on that idea. Researching all kinds of opinions and studies and theories, etc., without a bias. That's what I like about this place and that's why I love the comment section so much. Good stuff. Thanks everyone for sharing.
Now, more on a specific topic: I'm still stumped about my energy fluctuations and I'm hoping I can get tested and get some ideas going for that. Does anyone remember the post Matt did on hypoglycemia with that lady who was having a blood sugar of 160mg/dl or something like that before she was having hypoglycemia attacks?
I was feeling pretty spaced out after eating some oatmeal for breakfast. I was going on a walk and was just having that lightheaded, atmospheric, almost out of body feeling. I started doing some boxing and it wasn't too long before I started feeling really good. I did a full workout on the bag and did some pull-ups and a lot of shadowboxing and I felt great.
I was suspecting that the exercise was lowering my blood sugar, and the exercise was, in a way, taking the place of insulin. IOW, the exercise lowering my blood sugar could have called for less of an insulin response, and if my problem is that I'm having too dramatic an insulin response, secreting less insulin could've explained why I didn't crash or maintain that spaced out, out of body feeling?
I'm not even sure what that feeling is, if it's hypoglycemia or what. I just know it feels weird as hell and I feel extremely fatigued, and sometimes I feel like my body is really heavy and completely exhausted, like I was just in a sauna for 5 hours, and other times I feel like I'm out of my body and really nervous and dissociated and weak.
I just had lunch a while ago and I'm already having a similar feeling. I feel hungry and weak and a bit spaced out and loopy even though I just had a drumstick, ~6oz steak, a big bowl of brown rice and a big salad (just finished the last of it like 20 minutes ago). I might try exercising and see if that makes me feel better, like it did yesterday, but yeah, this has me stumped.
Reams had some interesting things to say about hypoglycemia and I really am interested in giving this a shot. Lots of food for thought, anyway (no pun intended).
P.S. I'm still really interested in Buteyko breathing. I'm still skeptical of the theory behind it, but if it's really true that reduced breathing increases body oxygenation, that'd be huge. I still do reduced breathing when I remember anyway because I always feel better when I do it.
ReplyDeleteBut TCM, Ayurveda, RBTI, RRARF, and then the oddball things like Buteyko breathing --
-- you have all kinds of tests, subjective and objective, from body temperature in RRARF to the numbers in RBTI, to the control pause in Buteyko breathing to the subjective measurements in TCM and Ayurveda.
JT was skeptical about body temperature being important, referring to spiritual practicioners who deliberately would lower their metabolism with certain breathing exercises and by eating less in order to extend longevity (paraphrasing here big time).
The accuracy of RBTI would also rely on the perfect equation being, in fact, perfect. And Buteyko breathing would only work if it's really true that having a longer control pause means that the oxygenation in your body is better.
The thing that makes it difficult is they're all self-contained systems. People may feel better on RRARF and with a higher body temperature -- but would they also feel better getting into the "A range" with RBTI and sustaining a potentially lower body temperature? Or maintaining a very high control pause in Buteyko breathing yet coming in a lower range in RBTI and also having a lower body temperature? etc. etc.
Hopefully it wouldn't be so off-base that none of these systems would coincide with one another. That's why I'm curious about investigation with this -- is there any correlation between body temperature and control pause and the range in RBTI? That's what I want to know. If there was a correlation that could be pretty interesting, but I have a feeling the results would be completely mixed.
Still, I think it could be interesting.
@Anomymous. The difference between rice and potatoes and how you feel might be because like many people you are sensitive to nightshade. TCM sees rice as a "neutral" food perfectly balanced by potatoes and the nightshades do nasty stuff to people; however I do not think this is the reason why they would have been put on the no-list, as tomatoes and eggplant should also be then.
ReplyDelete@Jib each of the five elements (except the earth) has actually 3 phases in theory: birth/pinnacle/extinction. For example 5-7am is the pinnacle of Wood but its birth is actually 9 to 11 pm, and its extinction 1 t0 3pm. That would explain why the same organ can be attributed to different timeframes.
Hi Jib, I have been doing Buteyko breathing and so is another friend of mine. We both have had some great improvements to all kinds of symptoms of adrenal fatigue, including hypoglycemia.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend it, definitely doesn't hurt to try it out.
You can learn a lot here:
http://www.normalbreathing.com/
Wolfstriked,
ReplyDeleteOne of the first things I discovered when I started experimenting with the RBTI diet timing is that I could not do protein powder in the morning any longer. I felt spacey and fatigued and had a overall heavy feeling. It was just a process of elimination for me. I can't do fruit juice at all. I can do fruit, but fruit juice tires me. Not sure why, but it's always been this way. Maybe it's the other stuff in it besides actual juice. Not sure if that will help you or not. For me, plenty of simple carbs and fruit give me the best results in the morning.
Jib,
Not sure if you had anything else with your oatmeal, but I can't do just oatmeal or just pancakes in the morning. I tried, but I just didn't last to lunch. I absolutely have to include fruit. I usually have an assortment, so it's not any certain type. I also have to make sure I don't under-eat or I'm in trouble. I have a glass of skim milk with each meal, too. Whole milk was slowing me down. I find that I can't leave the milk out.
White rice at lunch last week slowed me down and spaced me out, but sweet potatoes on the other hand, give me great energy and mental alertness when I eat them for lunch. I already know white potatoes make me need a nap, so I won't bother experimenting them. I haven't done any brown rice. Larger portions of beef make me spacey, but smaller amounts are okay. I tend to be very acidic, so that might be the reason. More veggies or other stuff than beef works well.
My husband has been doing this for about a week now and cannot believe he can make it to lunch on the same thing I'm eating (bigger portions of course). He is a very fit, 6'3", 190lb massage therapist and can do a full morning of 4 or 5 hour-long massages and maintain energy. The key for him is making sure he actually eats enough.
Michelle, are you guys doing your own version of RBTI or are you testing and working with a consultant? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteWe're just following the diet timing (easily digestible carbs in the morning, lunch as the main meal, no sugar or meat after 2pm, simple dinner) and adhering to the "no" foods for now. I don't jump into anything too quickly and wanted to see if I had any noticeable improvements just doing some of the basics that would seem to work for anyone.
I am ordering some min-col and will incorporate that into our meals on a trial basis. We haven't done any of the distilled or lemon water yet and I don't plan to. My husband and I are so different that I wouldn't know where to start with that.
Better sleep improvement, energy and cognitive function for both of us have been very noticeable. We're both tripping out that he is up with me in the mornings now. He used to sleep til about 7:30am and is now up a bit before 6am.
Based on this, I will be getting a kit for us and working with a consultant in the future. I have no idea when we will though. Baby steps. I've been trying to overcome stuff for so long and this is happening so fast that it's hard to believe.
That's great, Michelle! I am slowly implementing some of the meal timing too but I still mostly just eat what I need to when I need to as my hypoglycemia improves slowly.
ReplyDeleteBut drinking less water and carbs in the a.m. have really helped me too, much more than I could have ever guessed.
@ Laurent
ReplyDelete“TCM and food tradition in China and Japan include pork in large quantities and it didn't seem to impact their longevity or trigger specific diseases over the course of their history.”
In large quantities? Not really. Maybe some rich people. The others ate it only when a hog was butchered, which was not often. I heard it happened about once a year when my friend’s mother was young. Of course that’s just one example, China is pretty huge. Anyway, Chinese don’t have / haven’t had exceptional health, so why should we somehow look up to them? From what I’ve heard, TCM makes people feel a bit better, but then again the people who rely on it get sick just as much as the others. It doesn’t seem to be nearly strong enough to counter the effect of modern lifestyle / diet. Neither does feng shui seem to help the people I know who use it with their high blood pressure / back pain. Unless one devotes a large a chunk of one’s life to them, these things seem to be nothing but a drop in the bucket. (Or have you made different experiences with this? Interested to hear about them…) The promises of RBTI are huge compared with that. But then, RBTI is small. As long as a healing system is small, it seems to be easy to make huge claims. Once something becomes more mainstream, it seems that they become more modest with time.
@ Wolfstriked
What’s with all this theorizing about the RBTI… you haven’t even run a test, you’re still on that “optimal” diet which is rather the opposite of what RBTI seems to recommend (in terms of sat fat…) and you’re already sounding like an expert… From everything I’ve read on here, it’s not a good idea to try the RBTI without having your numbers read by an expert (=Challen) and self experimentation can be dangerous, so try not to kill yourself with your self-made program...
Sarah Cruse:
ReplyDeleteI should've mentioned that I do like it a lot and it has helped me quite a bit -- I'm trying a little too hard maybe to be skeptical, to kind of counter-balance my natural inclination to get really excited about things that've helped me, to the point where I don't question the system or how to improve it, etc.
But really, from all the testimonials I've heard and from my own personal experience, it's great stuff, and it's incredibly valuable. The reading I've done on it is mostly from that site you linked as well as Asthma-free Naturally by Patrick McKeown.
I'm into oil pulling too:
http://www.johcd.org/pdf/Effect_of_Oil_Pulling_on_Plaque_and_Gingivitis.pdf
Cool stuff.
I'm not fanatical about Buteyko breathing or oil pulling, but I do get pretty excited about them. I've had a lot of problems in my life and so I get extra excited about all the things that've genuinely helped. Basically I just see a lot of these things as blessings and I want to share them with as many people as I can. You never know when it'll reach someone who's willing to try it and it could help them.
Yeah, though, cool :D Didn't mean to sound rude either, like "Oh yeah I've already read all that" -- I'm just excited that you're into it too :)
P.S. You're making me want to start practicing it again. Reduced breathing has become somewhat habitual for me now but I could be doing a lot better. Reams (if I remember correctly) talked a bit about oxygenation, and Buteyko breathing would fit right in there. I'm getting the urge to start studying up again and practicing the exercises regularly. Thanks for the inspiration :)
Michelle P.:
ReplyDeleteFor breakfast I've usually been having homemade whole milk kefir, usually 2 cups, a couple scrambled eggs with some salt and ketchup and then the oatmeal (I cook 1 cup dry, sometimes a little more).
This is where my interest in TCM and RRARF come in -- I read something Reams had said about some people reacting negatively to certain foods, but not others. According to TCM, any problem digesting food is attributable to a spleen qi deficiency or lack in digestive 'fire' in general (Laurent, help me out here XD) -- something along those lines.
And with RRARF in mind, the goal would be getting to that 'adrenal type' state where you could eat a wide variety of foods with little to no problems digesting them.
Maybe your tendency to be very acidic does have something to do with it. I wonder if getting the numbers in RBTI and doing the program for it can remedy these problems permanently. In one of his books Matt mentioned some things about how certain temporary diets (I think one he only lasted 10 days on) helped him a lot and he thought permanently improved his digestion in some ways.
I'm not sure what the specifics are on the 'A Range' in RBTI, like, if you get there, what factors determine how long you stay in that 'A Range' (e.g., how much you can 'fall off the wagon' and still stay in the perfect range). But it would be really interesting if you got tested and got your numbers straightened out and saw permanent improvements with those foods that make you feel bad currently.
I'm wondering if the same thing can happen with me. Between all the things Matt's written, then RBTI and Buteyko breathing and TCM and Ayurveda and the rest of that lot, there's a lot of investigation and experimentation to do.
I have to make sure I eat enough too, by the way. Very much so. The small dinner thing is hard for me too because it's hard for me to try to stuff the bulk of my calories into 2 meals earlier in the day, and I think not getting enough calories makes me spacier than anything. I don't have a lot of weight on me and my reserves are probably pretty depleted with everything I went through the past few years.
Lots to think about!
Laurent:
Thanks for sharing that. I didn't know that. That brings a whole nother perspective into this.
Do you have any recommendations for any books that explain these things? Not sure when I'll be able to invest in one but if you don't mind, I'd like to hear any recommendations you have for future reference.
My wife and I met with Matt and Pippa for the RBTI testing tonight. Just letting you all know, if you're in the NY/NJ area and you're on the fence about meeting them and getting tested - just do it.
ReplyDeleteThey are two of the coolest people you'll meet, and they made us feel totally comfortable and explained everything very well.
We also got to speak directly to Challen for advice while they were here, and he is freakishly accurate.
Totally blew my wife and I away when he told us super specific details about what was wrong with us just from our numbers.
It was definitely an eye opening experience, and we can't wait to see how well the program works.
Hi Jib, what is your CP?
ReplyDeleteJust curious, because it sounds like your health is all over the place right now, but overall improving.
I am recovering from adrenal fatigue and am stronger everyday.
I am at the tail end of a gnarly healing crisis that I think was brought on by Buteyko, and am feeling better and stronger today than I have in months.
My MCP is anywhere from 14-19 and my daily CP is generally 17-23. I just recently got past 20 on a more consistent basis and I believe that it is typical to have a healing crisis at that threshold.
Anthony, Thanks for that input. It's encouraging. I should be receiving my kit in the mail this week!
@Hans. I was not referring to the actual Chineses - pretty much all civilized countries nowadays have great amount of people in bad shape, and it correlates the inclusion of modern foods and environmental toxins.
ReplyDeleteHowever traditionally TCM and Chinese diet made them pretty healthy and live long, while respecting none of the RBTI rules, that's what I meant. The large quantity of pork I was referring to is not per person but over the course of their history. I agree that they didn't swallow bacon every day! However pork is one of the five meats recommended in their classical work of medicine.
As for Feng Shui it is off topic but I am just answering the questions asked to me. Certainly I have in my experience seing great results using Feng Shui on clients including improvement on some health issues. Don't get me wrong I am not saying FS is a medical tool - that would be quackery.
However when properly learned and followed it is a very logical system that relies on exactly the same theory as TCM but applied to different means - external Chi rather than internal one. If you accept that acupuncuture, Qi Cong or TCM have results and work on the Chi then there is no reason to exclude FS, it's a whole system.
Of course what westerners have made of it - law of attraction, wishful thinking, clearing the clutter and other utter nonsenses that were not in FS in the first place - make it look very bad and tacky; but this bears no relation to what traditional Feng Shu is.
TFS is: understanding your body Chi; understanding the Chi of your place; converting your place to support your Chi and brings in the Chi you need. Simple and flawless.
@Jib if you click on my name you'll be taken to my FS website - where you can learn more - and then feel free to email me; there are some books (very few!) that I can recommend to you. Don't want to go off topic for 20 pages lol
Sarah:
ReplyDeleteMy CP is ~20 seconds. I can get higher but I end up having to take a bigger inhalation than what I started with, which apparently is a sign that I held my breath too long and went past the first urge to take a breath.
So I'd say right around 20, give or take. That's interesting about the healing crisis in that range from your own experience -- I certainly hope I'm getting better :D
Laurent:
Thanks :) I'll check it out.
And yeah, it's a shame that stereotypes have come up that turn people off to things like Feng Shui. It's similar with a lot of alternative practices now, unfortunately (the 'woo-woo' stereotype).
The Chi of your place. Speaking of environment, I visited Pip and Matt today, and that was great. I'm pretty excited to start doing RBTI, and eager to see if this is going to help with what's apparently hypoglycemia (that would explain a LOT), but the most uplifting thing today was seeing them and getting a chance to spend a little time with my dad too.
P.S. And talking on Challen over speakerphone, of course :D
ReplyDeleteI was pretty impressed. It didn't hit me until later that all he had were my numbers and he was describing how I was probably struggling with hypoglycemia issues and that my heart looked like it was working very hard. I don't think the spaciness/fatigue/energy crashes and heart palpitations are a coincidence -- somehow he was able to see what was going on.
I don't know anything about how to read or look at the numbers in RBTI but he's obviously worked pretty hard at this and I have a lot of respect for that. It was pretty cool to finally see what people've been talking about here, and it's hard to be skeptical when he basically explained exactly what's going on with me when all the information he had about me was those numbers.
To be honest I wasn't really skeptical in the first place. The thing I've been most cautious/worried about this whole time is my psychological state: I tend to go overboard with things and get extremely obsessive, and it's hard for me to manage that.
So yeah, seeing Pip and Matt and talking to Challen today, and spending time with my dad, just reminded me a bit of the human side of things, which is easy to lose sight of when I spend so much time by myself.
Ah. What was that about going off topic for 20 pages?
XD
The saga continues... ;)
For those skeptical of drinking distilled water:
ReplyDeleteIsn't distilled water pretty much just like rain water? And don't all plants "drink" that, and many animals too?
@ Laurent,
ReplyDeletethanks for your explanation! Your website seems to be quite extensive, I'll have a look at that first. I don't know any Westerners who are into Feng Shui, just some Chinese =P
Rob A. and Jacqueline,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your info on the distilled water question. Very interesting!
Mike Jones,
Not too sure about the distilled water/rain water similarity. But I'm no expert on the subject!
Jib,
I tried to post something on your blog, but am not sure it went through. Just one loner to another loner kind of comment :)