The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity
by Donna Gates, Linda Schatz
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Book Reviews of The Body Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity
Book Review: the healing system that changed my life
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was given this book for the first time, about 8 years ago when my health was at an all-time low that had been slowly declining for years. I was under 30 and had a list of chronic ailments longer than any senior citizen I knew; terrible heartburn every day all the time, gas, bloating, painful bowel movements (terribly painful), chronic vaginitis, chronic acute asthma so bad I was on 3 inhalers, pills, steroids AND I was still in the ER about once per month, weight gain, fatigue, major irritability and mood swings, depression, horrible lower back issues that always coincided with asthma flare ups (which of course, MDs told me were unrelated!), allergies to everything...I was a mess but it crept up so slowly over time I didn't even "get" how ridiculous it was. It seemed that everyone around me had similar issues and complaints (except maybe for the asthma) so I accepted it like the sleepwalking masses. I'd started to wake up and tried things like the Zone and Blood type diets. They were ok and I'd see some improvements but not anywhere near enough, no matter how disciplined I was. But when I went to see a chiropractor ( a really good one) who also practiced other wonderful forms of holistic healing, she handed me an older edition of this book and said that ALL of my issues were related to one underlying cause; Candidiasis.
I'd never heard of it but I was thrilled to see her react so matter of factly to my list of ailments and to be so confident about healing them, naturally. She said to take it home, read it, don't freak out if it seems overwhelming (which it did at first), then put it down and forget about it for a few days (letting the information filter into the subconscious) and then pick it up and reread it again. The second time I read it, everything clicked. It didn't seem intimidating and she and I even worked together to sort of mold it to my personal needs. We added the use of some wonderful supplements since I was so toxic; Paragone and Parazyme by Renew Life, and daily mega-doses of Metagenics probiotics (and later on, Dr. Ohhira's).
Luckily, the principles of the "diet" (which became a lifestyle for me) all invovled things I had experiment with before; acid/alkaline, yin/yang, blood type (taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't all work on my body), food combining...all things I had some knowledge of and that tend to overlap, really. A truly alkaline meal is usually properly food combined as it is (unless you're eating only protein, which is unbalanced), for example. So even though it was right around Christmas and my chiro said to wait until after, I was ready to heal! I jumped in, figured out a handful of recipes and easy meals on the plan and never looked back.
The first week was tough; I felt like I had the flu (sneexing, achey, tired, sore throat), but that's just a reaction to the toxic die off so I pushed on, knowing it was actually a good sign. Cleansing isn't always uncomfortable, but for someone as toxic as I was, I got off easy. Within 2 weeks, I felt better than I could remember and that was the tip of the iceberg. After a few months, I was a new woman; happy, energetic, excited, confident. After 6 months my entire life changed, on every level, in the most positive ways. Becoming truly healthy, in a way I never even knew was possible, changed my emotional and spiritual state as well. And I felt empowered because now I had the knowledge of how to allow my beautiful body to heal herself, which she had been trying to do all along.
BED is all about giving your body exactly what it needs and then getting the hell out of its way. ALL of my issues were gone after 6 months of doing it strictly. I hadn't been that healthy or radiant in my entire life. I found that I could go out and treat myself to something here and there without any ill effect, but I honestly didn't crave it much after the excess beasties were gone. A healthy body doesn't crave crap. And I then spent the next few years living on a modofied version; I LIKED the food! Millet with fresh carrots, ginger and dill....YUM! Broiled salmon with fresh spinach sauteed in coconut oil, garlic and fresh herbs...YUM! Quinoa flakes with stevia, cinnamon and nutmeg...YUM! Homemade ginger ale sweetened with stevia...awesome. You just find what you like, play with it, create about 10 dishes that are quick, easy and on the plan and you're set.
Yes, it takes some planning, shopping and prep but skipping Starbuck's and fast food actually frees up a lot of time and money. And after the initial cleansing phase, you'll have more energy than you'll know what to do with and making some veggies or salads won't seem like a hardship. I used to coach people through this process when I went to work for that wonderful chiropractor. It's a challenge and a learning experience, but the return is the gift of REAL LIFE! Radiance, vitality, energy, clarity, joy, beauty. Oh yeah, and I lost 40 pounds I'd wished I could lose all my life, and it wasn't even my focus anymore! It was a nice side effect.
So please, if you want some honest to G-d positive change in your life, true natural healing and to be empowered to control your own health and well being without drugs, find this book, anyway you can. (BTW, the cultured veggies are actually yummy and can be bought fresh at Whole Foods, the meals are really wonderful and satisfying and the rewards are priceless.)
Nothing short of life changing...but the question is, are you ready? Are you ready to put yourself and your well being first?
Book Review: A Nightmare Guide to a Nightmare Problem
Summary: 2 Stars
I think this book outlines the major issues involving Candida. However, I think that the book basically SUCKS in regards to recommending a proper treatment and diet plan to treating Candida. I basically suffered with severe Candida for 18 months, and I am EXTREMELY grateful I decided to stop the tenets of her plan.
There are three majorly aggravating proponents to her recommendations. First, she recommends eating cooked grains. To someone who has a stomach swimming with yeast colonies, a few cups of grain will essentially result in a fermentation fest for the delightful organisms that will cause an acid explosion in the individual's PH. Cooked grain also has very few nutrients compared to other foods that would be more tolerated by the average infected person. Instead, I honestly think if a person needs to eat complex carbohydrates during the midst of an infection, then hummus dip, garbanzo beans, and lentils are also much easier on the PH system of a person.
I think she does not clearly communicate the importance of eating FRESH vegetables. Yeast cells thrive on decaying matter such as the freshly boiled or grilled vegetable. Additionally, almost any cooking method will cause the essential nutrients in the vegetables to vastly depreciate to a point that it probably will cause more harm than good to consume. I believe I would have never really recovered from the problem if I had continued buying frozen vegetables. I really noticed a difference in my immune system when I stopped eating cooked vegetables.
I think the most annoying part of the book is she advised eating meat and eggs during an infection. Honestly, I do not have a problem ethically with eating meat. I even think that a person can eat meat after he or she initially heals and is on the road to recovery. However, meat, even in small quantities, is a truly bad idea and will just cause the infection to spread to other areas of your body because it will fuel the yeast because it is an essentially rotting organism if you actually have a difficult candida infection. You may read books about people with other types of infections that argue that organic meat is fine and helped them, but it will not help candida.
I think most of her dairy recommendations are accurate, but I think she does not place enough emphasis on goat cheese as a healing tool. Due to the stigma this book places on the potential mold in goat cheese, I really truly doubt her personal experience in healing the infection. I have been through rounds of antifungals, and all of her recommendations make it seem as if she read all the other elementary websites about the problem and made a book that has far to many demeaning and self-serving paragraphs to sell to truly sick people looking to heal themselves. The best book I have read on the subject is Detox for Women: An All New Approach for a Sleek Body and Radiant Health in 4 Weeks by Natalia Rose. I think any book by Natalia Rose published after 2008 is really worth reading for treating the problem. I think there seems to be an endless amount of stupid advice regarding how to deal with the problem, and Gates' book contributes to the confusion.
Book Review: Covers an important topic, but lacks substance
Summary: 3 Stars
It seems that in most cases that nonfiction authors are motivated by one of two things when creating their works. Some feel that they have some sort of information that needs sharing, and use books as a way to get their word out. These authors have a true passion for their topic, which clearly shows when reading their books. Others are driven purely by profit. Sadly, it seems that the latter is true of Donna Gates and her Body Ecology Diet. Though this book does cover an important topic, it lacks substance and fails to deliver. However, it may be a good source for someone used to only mainstream health books and wanting a simple primer on the subject.
While the book is easy to read, it seems to offer no new information that is not readily available in other books or on the internet. Gates seems to favor certain foods and products, such as coconut water kefir, yet fails to thoroughly justify her preference for them, and supports her claims with little scientific research. However, her section on the same subject does offer an excellent guide on making the coconut water kefir, which serves as one of the few saving graces of this book.
This brings me to one of the biggest gripes I have with Body Ecology Diet. Throughout the book are references to her website for more information. Unfortunately, the website fails to thoroughly expound on any of the topics in her book, and instead bombards visitors with a myriad of products that are touted as miracle cures to everything from Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism to Sexual Dysfunction. Of course, a majority of these products are sold either through her own storefront or through affiliate sites, earning her a hefty profit. While this review is about Gates' book, not her website, it is made relevant by the numerous times that the book refers readers to it, instructing them to purchase some product that is necessary if you want to follow her diet. In other words, don't expect to be able to follow Gates' version of the Candida diet without purchasing items from her storefront, or a well-stocked health food store.
I do not mean for this review to turn people off of a diet that targets Candida. It is simply that other books, such as Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, offer much more information, back it up with more hard evidence, and more importantly, do not require you to purchase more products from the author. Candidiasis is a real condition, and ridding yourself of it will bring about real improvements in your energy level and weight, among other things. It is just that Gates' work feels like a shallow and self-promoting rehash of currently available information. The most important thing when finding a book on the subject is finding one that works well for you. Therefore, I recommend readers look for a book written with passion that truly moves you to follow its advice. While this book's approach may work for some, I found myself wanting more.
Book Review: Author needs to take a nutrition class
Summary: 2 Stars
Before my review, I'd like to state that I'm not one of these people who believes the mainstream medical system knows best and the "alternative" medical system is a bunch of B.S. I've been involved in alternative medicine for years, and studied nutrition for the last 18 years. As far as nutritional science, the standard medical community, particularly doctors, are grossly uninformed.
There have been a lot of reviews on this book, so I'm going to address something that hasn't been mentioned, much to my surprise. One of the main tenets of this diet is that it includes the seed-grains (quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat) because these grains are, according to the author- much better for you and easier to digest, than the standard grains (oats, wheat, etc). In addition, and perhaps more importantly, these seed-grains will not feed pathogenic organisms (such as yeast), which is basically the whole reason for this diet (killing yeast infections).
Ok, where to begin. This author seems to have no knowledge of carbohydrate metabolism, among other things. ALL grains are complex carbs, which are eventually broken down into glucose. If you look at a half cup of quinoa or half cup of wheat, all grains have a fairly similar amount of carbohydrates. When those are broken down into glucose, it will potentially feed yeast organisms in your body. She asserts that the seed-grains are somehow fundamentally different than traditional grains, and for some miraculous reason will not break down into glucose and feed yeast. Really? What possible scientific reasoning can you have for this?
As far as the seed-grains being "easier to digest" or healthier for you, wrong again. It's true they are a little more nutrient-dense than some of the traditional grains, but they still contain saponins or lectins, which are anti-nutrients similar to gluten. Basically, these grains take minerals out of your body. They are also very hard on your colon, pancreas, liver, etc. because of the complex nature of the grain, and the end result isn't worth any potential benefit you get from it.
If you want to read a book written by someone who has a thorough knowledge of the entire digestive process, read a book called "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolf. He is a biochemist and has extraordinary detail of the whole digestive process in his book. I'm sure this diet helps some people, because of the inclusion of probiotics and other helpful advice, but the inclusion of the seed-grains in any anti-candida diet is just irresponsible and unscientific writing, and it's that kind of sloppy research and theory that gives alternative medical practitioners a bad rap.
Book Review: Not exactly the definitive book on candida that I thought
Summary: 3 Stars
The book has some great advice but I caution anyone with candida to accept the advice unconditionally but instead trust your gut, literally. I was surprised to learn that I should not eat beans yet other candida diets say you can. I've been eating black beans for several months ever since I learned I had this problem. I make mine from scratch from the dried organic kind, which I soak in water for several hours, then cook with EVOO, garlic and onions. They're great and they do not cause any problems.
That said, the book does, however, suggest using apple cider vinegar, which can make my symptoms worse but I will probably just water it down more. It also recommends soaking raw almonds or sprouting them before eating. I chose soaking as recommended, but I can say that not only has their taste diminished, doing so has caused gas and stomach ache that I did not experience eating them without soaking. She also recommends not eating nut butters like almond (says sufferers can't digest the fat well), sunflower, or tahini, but I never have a problem eating them on brown rice cakes, which are also not recommended.
I was especially annoyed by the constant push to purchase her products, which are extremely expensive. Coconut Kefir is continuously recommended and unless you want to make your own, which is tedious and must be made from young coconuts, and which aren't in my health food store, you must resort to buying it from her at $44 for 42 ounces, the cheapest I found it was $26, but it's recommended to drink 4 ounces 3 times a day! That's one expensive drink! It does taste good though, a bit like champagne without the buzz, but this is not Grande Cuvée and shouldn't be priced as such.
I did appreciate learning more about sea vegetables (so good!), and about employing colonics and enemas to avoid constipation, which she recommends you NEVER all to occur. There is some good information here, no question, but
So I'd go into this book with a bit of caution since some of the suggestions not only run counter to what other candida diets recommend, some could actually make your symptoms worse.