“The majority of people do not seek the truth. They primarily want their beliefs to be validated as the truth.”
Between raw foodism, fruitarianism, the paleolithic diet, macrobiotics, micronutrition, Living Nutrition, etc., not to mention their variations depending on who is talking, it can be quite confusing, especially if one believes that nutrition will be the solution to all our ills as it is sometimes presented… or sold!
Yet, after reading about fifty books on the subject, experimenting with Living Nutrition for 10 years, and accompanying several hundred clients (cf hygienist support), I feel I have uncovered some unprecedented keys to understanding that I want to share! For there exists an original approach that neither condemns nor endorses any of its various dietary currents while providing a guiding thread to transition from one to another over time and according to needs.
But before presenting to you, in the last paragraph, what I call “THE good nutrition,” I propose to share the logical journey that led me there and gives it credibility.
In search of Living Nutrition, 1st attempt
Twenty years ago, when I was 20, I became passionate about endurance sports (cycling, running, and swimming) and modified my diet to limit injuries and improve my performance. Thus, I gradually adopted an organic, local, homemade diet without sodas, cold cuts, chocolate, or industrial food. Then, a few years later, to gain autonomy and improve the quality of my food, I started raising my own poultry (chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits) and cultivating a vegetable garden and an orchard. This allowed me to produce half of the food I needed for my consumption. At that time, I ate everything (except industrial food) and was even followed by a dietitian to prepare for my expeditions. I lived in the countryside, stress-free, my diet was healthy, and my lifestyle ideal, at least according to the criteria of Femme Actuelle and the WHO. To learn more, I detail this initial transition in this article on local and organic. Despite my commendable efforts, my health deteriorated, and year after year, my myopia, allergies to cat hair and pollen, skin problems, and sciatica worsened inexorably. Yet, I did not see how to take better care of myself since I was already following all the official recommendations!
Why did I set the goal of eating 100% plant-based and living?
At the time, I had a vegetarian friend, and I remember finding the idea absurd. As I reached the limits of the “organic, local & homemade with love” model, life disrupted my habits through the experience of a spontaneous fast (an experience described in this article on the reason for my dietary change) which led me, step by step, to read the bestseller “What if we stopped eating from time to time…” by Bernard Clavière, where I learned with astonishment that there are people in the world (Gandhi was one of them, cf his autobiography) who live very well by exclusively consuming plant-based and living food. My intuition, which has saved my life more than once even when what it whispers to me is not always acceptable to the mind (cf this video on the role of intuition — please note: this video is currently in French, but you can activate YouTube’s auto-generated subtitles in English while we work on providing a dedicated English version), urged me to wholeheartedly adopt Living Nutrition and to establish it at the center of my life. It was then that, within a few years, unexpectedly, I shed almost all of my health problems that had been escalating until then.
Why do I no longer consume animal products at all?
Initially, my dietary changes were not motivated by the animal cause but by the search for optimal nutrition for human beings. If animal proteins were good for health, I might be the first to eat them. If I have not touched them at all for 10 years, it is primarily because I scrupulously follow my intuition, which clearly and distinctly tells me: “Animals, now, we leave them in peace!”
As I needed to intellectually understand the message of my intuition regarding animal proteins, I extensively researched the subject. Today, I am led to believe that the less we consume, the better it is, for the many reasons I enumerate below:
- From reading Bernard Clavière’s book, I became aware that there are human beings who live in good health without consuming any animal protein. The genetic difference between two human beings being at most 0.6%, this is a strong argument for asserting that the consumption of animal proteins is not a need but simply survival food when fruits, vegetables, and nuts are lacking. For if it were truly a need, no vegan person could live in good health.
- The superiority of animal proteins over plant proteins has no scientific basis (cf this report on the protein myth and the work of Dr. Morse in his book “The Miracle of Detoxification”). Moreover, every protein must be broken down into amino acids before being assimilated by the body and recomposed into protein. Furthermore, the foods richest in protein are plants (cf the report on the protein myth).
- The body is capable of producing its own vitamin B12 provided that its intestinal microbiota is healthy and well-maintained (cf this article on B12).
- From a biochemical perspective, there is no scientific evidence of any nutrient that is essential to humans and that can only be found in animal products. However, some studies are deliberately biased to influence public opinion. In truth, our actual needs for amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fats, etc., are not well defined; they are only, at best, estimates based on samples of people who eat everything, when they are not simply unfounded claims (as with the supposed superiority of animal proteins). Moreover, these official estimates do not take into account all the capabilities of the intestinal microbiota (when it is healthy) nor the transmutations of elements. To learn more about this, read this article on how to fill your deficiencies.
- Our digestive system has retained all the characteristics of that of a frugivore (cf table below) even though it has been about 2 million years since humans modified their diet from forager to forager-hunter following the invention of weapons (the word “weapon” says a lot, by the way!). This is why the consumption of animal proteins, which is not really suited for our much longer digestive system than that of a carnivore, leads to significant production of acids, ammonia, and putrefaction throughout the intestine and colon. To learn more about this, read this article on why eat plant-based and living.
- Believing that the increase in brain size in Homo sapiens sapiens is due to the consumption of meat or cooked food is as naive as believing that the pyramids were designed by numerous slaves pulling hard on ropes of blocks weighing several tons rolling kilometers on tree trunks. This is a vast subject on which I will not elaborate, but I invite the curious reader to revisit official History by watching the film “Builders of the Ancient World” and the Netflix series “Ancient Apocalypse” by Graham Hancock.
- There are many illustrious figures throughout the centuries who were vegetarians. I think particularly of Gandhi, who, in his autobiography, explains that the diligent research he conducted in one of the great libraries of London in the early 19th century led him to consider that the best diet for humans is plant-based and living nutrition.
- Life unequivocally shows us that the production & consumption of animal proteins is annihilating life on the surface of our planet. With nearly 8 billion individuals on Earth, calculations clearly show that it is not ecologically viable to continue at this rate of consumption and that a return to pastoral agriculture is not feasible due to lack of space, even if we reduce our consumption (cf this article on the impact of veganism on the environment).
- But the most striking evidence I have been given is seeing children grow and develop beautifully on a purely plant-based diet. One can see a beautiful specimen reaching adulthood in the Netflix series “Well on Their Plate, the Proof by Two” and on American Instagram accounts (like that of this young gymnast). In France, such children also exist, and they are, by the quality of their health, living proof that official dietary theories need to be revisited. So, why don’t we hear more about them? Simply because they are disturbing, and in France, feeding a child chips and Nutella is normal (even if the child is sick and obese, you will have no problem with social services) while feeding a child exclusively with plant-based food can be considered abuse if, by misfortune, there is the slightest incident. Important note: Being vegan and consuming starchy foods in quantity is not at all a guarantee of good health (cf this article on the harms of starchy foods).
- Finally, in France as abroad, there are many doctors, hygienists & naturopaths of international renown who do not recognize the necessity of animal products. Here are a few, and not the least: Thomas Campbell, Gabriel Cousens, Robert Morse, Andréas Moritz, Irène Grosjean, etc.
The arguments in favor of the consumption of animal products
Despite all these strong arguments, many doctors, naturopaths & hygienists believe that it is essential for the proper development & maintenance of the human body to consume animal proteins. We may not all have the same needs, even though in nature all members of a species feed in the same way. Nevertheless, while researching, I tried to understand this point of view and came to the following conclusions:
- The flesh of killed animals contains adrenaline that comes from the stress generated by the killing (whether in slaughterhouses or in the forest chased by dogs). This hormone has a stimulating effect and gives the feeling of having more energy, similar to coffee. However, this exogenous intake of adrenaline will discourage the body from producing it itself (this is the Law of Economy), which will lead, in the long run, to atrophy of the adrenal glands. Furthermore, the acidity produced by the digestion of animal proteins also provides a false sense of stimulation. Thus, a dependency on animal products caused by hormonal imbalance can gradually set in. It can only be overcome by regenerating the adrenals and accepting to go through a transition phase where stopping meat can reveal an underlying state of fatigue.
- In parallel, if one stops consuming animal proteins, the body will release acids & other toxins associated with the digestion of this type of food. This natural detox mechanism sometimes involves a withdrawal period (like with alcohol) where one may feel unwell and be drawn to what poisons us. From there to conclude that we need meat, there is only a step, just like the mechanism with adrenaline.
- Some specialists argue that the hormones contained in animal products (in selected pieces, I imagine) have the ability to regenerate rachitic or cachectic organisms. Due to a lack of more precise information on this subject, I have no opinion, but it would be interesting to verify that certain plants could not play this role, especially when we know the power of essential oils in terms of hormonal regulation. For example, we know that dates contain oxytocin (the so-called happiness hormone) and that eucalyptus stimulates the production of dopamine.
- If one lives in a temperate or cold climate and the constraint of eating locally takes precedence over everything else, then consuming animal products is quite logical to ensure nutritional balance. But as I detailed in this article on the impact of veganism on the environment, eating locally does not necessarily rhyme with environmental preservation. The most ecological option remains to live where the fruits are. Animal products represent survival food (not life food) for humans.
In light of these considerations and the state of fatigue of the Western population, I believe that if, with a magic wand, we instantly eliminated all animal products, stimulants (refined sugars, tea, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, etc.) and drugs, it would be 2000 years of civilizations collapsing in a few days, leading to the end of a predatory system.
The virtues of collapse
When we go through detox or withdrawal phases that tire us, it is an opportunity, like in fasting, to discern the thoughts, dreams, or perspectives that bring us joy & energy from those that take it away. Humans are emitters-receivers capable of receiving energy from all living things around them. And when we reconnect with our life path & dreams, cultivate gratitude, service, honesty, non-judgment, non-attachment, non-violence, etc., and engage in activities that have meaning for ourselves and others, then the energy of life flows through us abundantly, even when the physical body is tired. This is certainly why the global population is increasingly unable to do without stimulants and animal proteins, as our lifestyle and society go against what is alive in us and around us. It is no coincidence that humanity is currently facing a planetary crisis that presents us with a choice: continue at the peril of our species to steal energy from tortured animals & to rob ourselves by consuming stimulants to force our bodies to perpetuate what they no longer want, or, restore a sacred meaning to all forms of life (starting with our own) and follow what naturally and effortlessly brings us joy and energy.
I believe that the total cessation of animal products can lead some people to a significant reprogramming of their energy structure (at the physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual levels) and make them go through a crisis that, if not understood and accepted, can lead to the hasty conclusion that animal proteins are necessary. And to some extent, this may be true, a point I will detail in the continuation of this article.
What to think of instinct with animal products?
Meat, milk, and eggs (when raw) are natural foods, and if we feel attracted to them, it is because we need them. This seemingly sensible principle is taught by sensory nutrition, also called instinctotherapy (to learn more, read this article on sensory nutrition and instinctotherapy). However, this principle is true for plants and not for animal products. Let’s see why:
Instinctotherapists know themselves: the extraordinarily effective sensory stop with fruits, vegetables, and nuts raw does not work with animal products because nature has shaped sensory stops only for foods that are abundant and naturally accessible (i.e., without weapons or agricultural techniques) for humans, namely, fruits, vegetables & nuts. It is following this observation that instinctotherapist Dominique Guyaux evolved the principles of sensory nutrition into reasoned sensory nutrition, where the quantity of animal products is determined by reason and not by feeling.
During my dietary transition, which began 20 years ago, where I ate everything organic, local, homemade, without industrial food and produced half of my food, I myself experienced the absence of sensory stop with animal products. At that time, I was a lumberjack (I literally ate like three) and was particularly attracted to raw whole organic cow’s milk, cheese (especially Cantal), and butter. I consumed them in quantity, and I think they damaged my health the most. I had colds, cysts, and allergies that became slightly more significant each year despite a good lifestyle otherwise.
In conclusion: our instinct is not reliable for foods that we are not supposed to procure in nature. With our bare hands, without weapons, we would be unable to catch meat, harvest milk, and very rarely collect eggs. I was able to verify this during my expedition America Extrema across North America when I accompanied Native Americans to collect eggs directly from the nests: more than half of the eggs were discarded because there was an embryo too developed inside. To learn more about this expedition where I achieved a world first in Canada with a vegan diet.
In search of living nutrition, 2nd attempt
If humanity had continued to eat about 70-80% raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts with a little animal products and cooked foods, as observed in blue zones where there are many centenarians, then we would never have posed all these questions about nutrition. The human body being very robust, it is capable of adapting and compensating for a diet that is not completely physiological.
However, in our time, with sedentary lifestyles, intensive agriculture, GMOs, pollution, pesticides, excessive vaccination, medication, and the widespread use of industrial food, I believe that returning to a reasoned diet like that of the blue zones or that of reasoned sensory nutrition is a first step in dietary transition, but it will not be sufficient in many cases. Either the addictions to animal proteins or industrial food are too strong, or the necessary organic regeneration requires the most physiological diet possible. This modern context leads us to seek the ideal diet today, one that is in phase with the current human being.
How to make living nutrition work?
From a purely biological point of view, there is everything we need in plant-based and living nutrition once the intestinal microbiota has rebalanced. Before fully reaping the benefits of this physiological diet, there are certain thresholds to overcome knowing that it takes ten years (when we give ourselves the means, otherwise it can last a lifetime) to successfully achieve a stable dietary transition. These physical and psychological thresholds are as follows:
- Go gradually so that the digestive system adapts and accepts raw food again and that the microbiota rebalances to produce what the body needs (certain hormones, vitamins, and amino acids in particular).
- Accept that living nutrition confronts us with our real physical & psychological health status.
- Accept a phase of imbalance, of eating disorders (you may have already had some without knowing it…), of uncomfortable detox until the body finds another balance.
- Learn to listen to your bodily feelings and not your head to choose what you will eat. It is also not up to the head to define at what time we eat or in what quantity (2 kilos of fruit per day is nothing extraordinary). To learn more, read this article on meal frequency and social life).
- Integrate this simple concept that is nevertheless contradictory to all our old habits: With plant-based and living nutrition, our instinct is always right. What we crave corresponds to what we need. So we just have to eat whatever we want, whenever we want, in the desired quantities.
- Stimulate and strengthen your body with hormesis, see this article on the law of hormesis
- Reconnect with nature & its elements.
- Let go of the parts of us that are not alive: conditioning, false beliefs, judgments, habits, and everything that does not nourish us from within and is not in line with the aspirations of our soul.
- Accept change: we cannot have a job that does not make sense to us and live in an environment that does not suit us while eating living food.
- Tame & wisely use detox tools like fasting, intermittent fasting, mono-diets, cleanses, enemas, purges, differential baths, lymphatic drainage, etc. They greatly help to break free from all kinds of addictions. To learn more, read this article on purges.
- Learn to use the invaluable help of plants – whether through aromatherapy, hydrolatherapy, phytotherapy, Bach flowers, etc. – and the help of superfoods (spirulina, algae, mushrooms, sprouted seeds, lacto-fermentation, wheatgrass, wild plants, etc.).
- Mentally deprogram certain beliefs about: 1) Proteins: we do not need a lot, and those from the plant kingdom are perfect for us (see this article on proteins). 2) Sugar: the sugar from fruits is good for health (see this article on sugar). 3) Too much fat: raw foodists tend to consume excessive amounts (see this article on our lipid needs).
- Know the food combinations to avoid like fat & sugar. To learn more, read this article on food combinations.
- Learn the art of CRUsine at the beginning of the transition when the body is still used to eating dense foods, as it helps to find satiety. Afterwards, it is preferable to mix foods less, or even eat them raw, as taught by Living Nutrition.
- Accept that no method will suit you until you have given up following what others have imagined. It is each person’s responsibility to find their method, their protocols, their rhythm, etc.
Even though health is simple once the bulk of toxins and conditioning have been removed, all of this is learned and it is preferable to be accompanied by people who have already made the journey.
How to stay on course during the years of dietary transition?
First of all, considering that plant-based and living nutrition is perfectly suited to our biology is a crucial point in my opinion. It’s a bit like the North Star of our dietary beliefs, the one that indicates the North. When we feel lost (in our transition), we know how to find ourselves if we know where North is. However, if our studies on nutrition have not been clear on this subject, then what to think when our health does not satisfy us?! Is it because we are entering detox and that it is normal? Or is it because we are no longer eating enough animal products or cooked food? Because our foods are too yin, too yang, too sweet, too fatty? Because we are not enjoying ourselves enough? If you listen to your cravings with plant-based and living nutrition, you know that when things go wrong on this path, it is always a matter of detox (physical or emotional) or rebalancing.
This North Star is not necessarily comfortable because, ultimately, few will eat only raw plant-based food, and for the majority, it will be necessary to live with compromises. And it is more comfortable to believe that a little bit of everything is needed (or that we don’t know, that it’s too complicated) than to have an intellectual ideal and accept that we are doing the best we can. One must not underestimate how much the transition to living food leads to biological, emotional, energetic, and even spiritual changes (see this article on the link between living nutrition and vibrational frequency) that everyone goes through as best as possible depending on their state of health, resources, beliefs, motivation, and social and professional environment.
Humility, listening, and self-knowledge are therefore essential qualities to develop in order to establish a realistic and successful dietary transition, one that takes us out of our comfort zone without exceeding our adaptive capacity. It is this enlightened accuracy and listening that I call ‘the good nutrition’.
80% versus 100% of living nutrition
If one has the motivation, aiming for 80% living nutrition (relative to caloric ratio) is relatively accessible in a few years, especially if one knows how to handle CRUsine or if one is athletic (the transition is much easier for them). This allows one to reap the benefits of a healthy diet without too much constraint in society. However, one quickly reaches a balance plateau when as many toxins are coming out as are coming in. It is a comfortable state that some seek, the downside is that the regeneration of the body stops and one may feel like they are standing still in life.
Personally, I opted for 100% plant-based & living nutrition since 2018 after spending 5 years at 80%, which allowed me to see the difference. Here’s what I observed following this experience:
- The implementation of living nutrition follows the Pareto principle: 20% effort to reach 80% living, and then 80% effort to obtain the remaining 20%.
- To stabilize this diet, it is necessary to have the physical and psychological resources to overcome difficulties and stay the course. One must know why they are doing it and maintain unwavering motivation.
- All traumas, anger, grief, frustrations, fears, and repressed addictions from childhood resurface in a chain. This emotional cleansing is not comfortable but is highly therapeutic.
- The more one eats living food, the less one can repress their emotions. What was hidden comes to consciousness, and it is preferable to be accompanied by a psycho-emotional approach to successfully carry out one’s dietary transition.
- The closer one gets to 100% living, the more regeneration on all levels is active, but this can be too intense and counterproductive if the adaptive capacity is exceeded (see this article on the limits of hygiene).
What I can say after these 5 years of 100% living is that I have become a more conscious and happier person. Certainly, difficulties are present on this path, but I don’t think one can avoid them in life, it is more of an ingredient than an accident (as Thomas D’ansembourg would say). That’s why I believe it is better to choose one’s own difficulties in order to take the path that resonates with one’s soul and conscience. This journey has enriched me with many realizations and has led me to discover multiple disciplines related to humanity. Every day, I feel gratitude for having access to all this information that has allowed me to become more aware of the Laws of living that I now wish to share. Here’s what I have deduced:
What is the good nutrition?
In light of the previous considerations, here are the criteria for what I call ‘The good nutrition’:
- It is less toxic than the cellular environment.
- It gradually moves towards more and more raw plant-based food and less mixing. This dynamic is essential for moving towards regeneration; otherwise, it stops at some point. This is where the North Star is essential to evaluate one’s progress over the months and years and stay the course.
- The state of balance (when your diet no longer evolves towards the North Star) is potentially a delusion. Because if your level of toxins remains stable, your body ages and becomes less and less able to manage them. It is therefore only a matter of time before a detox crisis manifests and the pseudo-balance breaks. My advice is to tame the state of detox daily by trying to modulate the rhythm.
- The good food combinations are those that maximize the sum of pleasures at the level of taste buds, digestive system & postprandial feeling.
- The right percentage of raw plant-based food is the one that maximizes our well-being and joy. The goal is to harmonize our different bodies. Each person must find what is right for them, use their free will, but for that, it is necessary to be well-informed, and that was the whole purpose of this article.
