Living Nutrition VS Sensory Nutrition

Introduction In France in the 1980s, Guy Claude Burger, known as the father of instinctotherapy, promoted a dietary approach based on the olfaction of raw foods. According to his theory, based on experimentation and careful observation of nature, our body, through olfaction, knows how to recognize the foods it needs, provided they are raw and natural. Furthermore, these foods that we find pleasant to smell, if eaten alone (that is, without mixing with other foods, or even spices to avoid misleading the taste buds about the content of the food) and by letting oneself be guided by instinct regarding quantities, best fulfill our deficiencies, optimize digestion, and additionally, allow us to fully benefit from their therapeutic properties. The logic It consists of observing nature and considering it as a model to follow. According to this approach, the food that is best suited for us is that which can be obtained in our preferred environment (that is, where we can live all year round without air conditioning or heating) with the help of our own hands (made of bones called metacarpals, which, in Greek, mean ‘behind the fruit’). This picked food is then smelled, and possibly tasted. If the sensation is good, then this food will be consumed until no longer hungry. This is how all animals function. As we are diurnal animals, all food will be consumed exclusively during the day. Faced with raw plants, our instinct is always right During the consumption of one and only one raw food, one can observe that it changes in taste (a mechanism called alliesthesia) as one consumes it until a sensory stop manifests itself through a change in the taste of the food that no longer makes one want to return to it. This is nothing mysterious; the taste and appeal we feel towards a food is merely our body’s response to indicate whether it needs it or not. Our mind, unless it has read a study on the subject, does not know what is in a food; however, our body, through our countless olfactory sensors located in our nose but also in the liver, stomach, and kidneys, is able to precisely analyze the content of an isolated food. If the body needs it, it will make us love it in terms of taste, and when we digest it, the intestinal microbiota will, in response, produce serotonin (nicknamed the happiness hormone). A mechanism that can be interpreted as a reward to encourage us to follow our desires, which are merely reflections of our needs. Conversely, if the food is not good for us, we will find it tasteless or bad, and we will not want to eat it. It follows that by maximizing our pleasure, we will maximize our health.  Unfortunately, if the food has been cooled, heated, or even simply dehydrated, then our instinct will be slightly misled and the instinctive stop less reliable. Ideally, all food consumed should be at room temperature and in season. And if the food is mixed, or worse, cooked, our finely tuned instinct, with its thousands of receptors spread throughout the body, will not be able to inform us clearly (even less so if the cooking temperature is high) about this, and it will be more difficult to listen to our needs. The harms of cooked foods Above 42°C, cooking prevents our sense of olfaction from functioning properly because chemical reactions induced by the rise in temperature strongly alter the chemical nature of foods, and this is even more pronounced at higher temperatures. At the same time, the enzymes necessary for the proper assimilation of micronutrients are destroyed (as soon as the temperature exceeds 42°C) and force the body to draw on its own reserves (which incurs an energy cost) to provide digestive enzymes that are naturally present in foods when they are not heated. This destruction of enzymes by heat decreases the body’s ability to assimilate micronutrients, not to mention that they are fewer in number. If the food turns out to be less nourishing when cooked than raw (except from a caloric standpoint), it can even become potentially toxic because certain indigestible molecules (called colloidal waste) or even toxic molecules (Maillard molecules, to name just one) arise from the chemical reactions related to cooking temperature (the higher the temperature, the more toxic the compounds created). Finally, since ingesting a dead food (because it is cooked) prevents the body’s recognition system from identifying what has been introduced, a digestive leukocytosis (massive influx of white blood cells that rises from about 6000 leukocytes under normal conditions to 10,000 for steamed cooking and even 20,000 for less physiological food) occurs unnecessarily and fatigues the immune system. To conclude the list of disadvantages of cooking food, know that the pollutants contained in fruits & vegetables penetrate much more into the blood when they are cooked (because the hydrophobic nature of pesticides gives them the property of sticking to insoluble fibers during digestion and being excreted with the stools) and that we deprive ourselves of the life energy contained in the food. In short, to be fully alive, it is preferable to eat living food!… The transition from cooked to raw Between the raw of instinctotherapists and the cooked from standard gastronomy, there are several worlds: Seignalet nutrition, close to what is also called Mediterranean or Okinawa nutrition. A diet that has proven itself in the blue zones but which today shows its limits in terms of therapeutic results for sedentary Westerners accustomed to vaccination & medication, as well as industrial food & pollution. If society had not modernized and we lived as we did in the past, we would all eat more or less this way and we would generally be well.  Culinary raw nutrition, as its name indicates, everything is raw but we create food combinations that are unlikely in nature but pleasant to the taste. Well in the transition phase to raw, raw cuisine eventually (if not simplified and reduced in fat) becomes too

The Essentials of Lactofermentation

The benefits of lactofermentation Lactofermentation involves preserving food in a salty, oxygen-free environment. Under these anaerobic conditions, lactic acid bacteria break down carbohydrates from vegetables to produce lactic acid. In addition to developing beneficial lactic acid bacteria (naturally present in our mucous membranes), this process prevents the growth of mold through the acidification of the environment caused by lactic acid. Thus, foods can be preserved raw for years, and as we will see below, their benefits are amplified. This is an ancient method used to preserve food, particularly vegetables, with salt. Lactofermentation offers numerous health benefits as it contains probiotics (which positively seed the microbiota with good bacteria) and prebiotics (the fibers nourish the intestinal microbiota). By integrating them into our diet, they help to cleanse, support, and strengthen our digestive and immune systems (which are 80% located in the intestines). For comparison, lactofermented foods can contain up to 500 different strains of pre- and probiotics compared to only one to five strains of bacteria in a probiotic dietary supplement. The quality of our digestion largely depends on the quality of the intestinal microbiota, also known as the second brain. This microbiota encompasses all the bacteria, viruses, yeasts, and other microorganisms that live on and in our bodies, totaling over one hundred trillion microorganisms divided into more than 3,000 species. These microorganisms live in symbiosis with our bodies and ensure numerous biological processes. They can produce antioxidants, vitamins, amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), and reduce inflammatory states as well as food allergies. Furthermore, the microbiota plays a key role in the human body’s defense system, in regulating blood pressure, and in digesting food. It can even influence our behaviors, moods, psychological well-being, and food choices. It is, in fact, our microbiota that rewards us with a secretion of serotonin when we eat the living foods we need. That’s why eating fruits makes us happy. It’s its way of saying thank you to encourage us to consume foods that are beneficial to it. Fermentation, by breaking down large molecules, also makes the nutrients present in vegetables more accessible, a mechanism known as ‘bioavailability.’ The action of lactic acid bacteria indeed involves pre-digesting the food, so lipids are broken down into fatty acids and proteins into amino acids. Moreover, this pre-digestion makes dietary fibers less irritating for those with damaged intestines. That’s not all; the microorganisms that proliferate during fermentation also produce various nutrients such as vitamin C, B vitamins (including B12), and vitamin K. In summary, not only does the quantity of vitamins increase significantly, but they are also more easily absorbed by the body. Studies have also shown that iron and zinc are more easily absorbed in lactofermented vegetables. More generally, eating lactofermented foods at the beginning of a meal helps to better absorb nutrients from other foods due to the notable presence of enzymes. Lactofermentation can also destroy or neutralize several toxic substances such as cyanide, phytates, saponins, nitrates, and nitrites. For all the reasons mentioned above, it is remarkable to observe that lactic fermentation is a transformation that not only preserves food but also increases its nutritional value. In summary, it has the multiple advantages of making food more nutritious, more digestible, of better quality, and enhancing its flavor over time. The perfect opportunity to create vintage lactofermentations like some do with wine… Except that you definitely won’t leave them in the cellar (it’s too cold for the bacteria) and they can beautifully adorn a corner of your room with their lovely colors. In summary, consuming lactofermented vegetables strengthens the immune system, restores the digestive system, facilitates digestion, and remineralizes. Just that! That’s why we talk about it so much! 🙂 Making your own lactofermentations Even though you can easily find quality raw and inexpensive cabbage lactofermentation in health food stores, it is enjoyable to make your own recipes at home. The protocol below works perfectly with all non-sweet vegetables and fruits: cabbage (red, white, green), cauliflower, red beet, bell pepper, turnip, parsnip, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, shallots, onions, garlic, celery, leeks, sweet potatoes, pink and black radishes, pickles, etc. The only exceptions concern sweet fruits that produce alcohol when they ferment (alcoholic fermentation rather than lactic) and should therefore be excluded. I also recommend setting aside beans and eggplants, which are generally not digestible raw (unless your body craves them). All other vegetables can be lactofermented without restriction. Simplified protocol suggestion The important thing when choosing your container is that air can escape when pressure increases inside due to fermentation. That’s why closures with a rubber seal (like ‘Le parfait’ jars) are ideal. The other option is to use sealed lids but with a fermentation valve. 2. Boil the jar to destroy any germs that could cause mold. Unless your jar already contained lactofermentation, in which case leave a bit of juice or vegetables at the bottom so your next batch ferments faster. 3. Grate, slice, cube, or stick the vegetables (not necessarily of a single variety) or leave them whole according to your preference. I prefer finely grated vegetables (for root vegetables) as it allows for much more to be packed into the jar. Then place the grated or cut vegetables at the bottom of the jar, pressing them down well if they are not whole. For a better taste result, add all kinds of herbs to your vegetables (those that appeal to you!). Leave at least 4 cm between the pressed vegetables and the top edge of the jar. At this point, you have several formulas depending on how the vegetables are prepared: If the vegetables are grated and packed in the jar: pour seawater into the jar to cover the grated vegetables by at least 2 cm OR add two tablespoons (30g) of unrefined salt (refined salt is toxic) in one liter of fresh water that you will pour over the vegetables in the same way as with seawater. If the vegetables are whole or cut into large pieces: pour seawater to

How to let go?

“Grant me the strength to accept what cannot be changed and the courage to change what can be, but also the wisdom to distinguish between the two.” Emperor Marcus Aurelius “Even when we have been led to believe that if we let go, we will find ourselves empty-handed, life itself constantly reveals the opposite: letting go is the path to true freedom.” Sogyal Rinpoche “At twenty, I had only one prayer: “My God, help me change this sick world.” For twenty years, I fought like a lion only to find that in the end, nothing had changed. At forty, I had only one prayer: “My God, help me change my wife, my parents, and my children!” For twenty years, I struggled like a beast only to find that in the end, nothing had changed. Now, at sixty, I have only one prayer: “My God, help me change myself… and – oh miracle! – the world changes around me!” Letting go is not something we can do; it is something that happens when certain conditions are met. We will see which ones in this article, in order to foster that state of being we sometimes desperately aspire to without it manifesting! To do this, we will summarize an excellent book: « Lâcher prise – Dire oui à la vie » de Rosette Poletti, which unfortunately does not exist in English. “Letting go is not just about staying calm, accepting the elements; it is much more than that! First, it is accepting the idea that we are, in a way, programmed by our education, our culture, our religion, our professional training. It is accepting to open up to what comes, to change our perspective, to modify our interpretation; it is also sometimes mourning something we held dear, and it is forgiving and focusing our attention on what is here and now.” Rosette Poletti What are the internal mechanisms that prevent us from letting go? Learning to accept and love oneself, two prerequisites for letting go, require that we are ready to let go of our illusions and modify our mental programming. Our educational influences have led us to develop three major illusions: Believing that we can live up to what we think we should be. Believing that we can make others happy, that we can be loved by all, that we can live without conflicts and “succeed” in our relationships, the education of our children, our personal and professional lives. Desiring happiness as a right, as the just reward for our efforts and actions. It is when we can abandon these three illusions that it becomes possible to truly let go. “Letting go is accepting finitude and impermanence; it is changing the way we look at ourselves, others, and events; it is saying yes to what is, not to resign ourselves to it, but to ask ourselves the following two questions: What can I do with what is happening? What can I learn from it for the rest of my life? Answering these two questions is to stop the ruminations, the brooding, and the resentment; it is the heart of letting go, it is exercising our freedom to choose our interpretation in the face of events.” The obstacles to letting go: Our beliefs and habits. Making happiness dependent on external circumstances. Codependency (believing that someone can bring us joy). Attachment to the goals we set for ourselves. The “negative” emotions we nurture, most often without realizing it. The impossibility of finishing situations, of leaving behind what no longer needs to be. How to transcend these internal mechanisms? Overcoming obstacles 1 & 2: Identifying our internal patterns and finding the solution within ourselves To overcome these obstacles, which are barriers preventing letting go from manifesting, there are potentially 12 prohibitions that we have internalized during childhood that hinder us: The 4 prohibitions concerning the dimension of being: Do not exist / Do not be a child / Do not grow up / Do not be yourself The 4 prohibitions concerning feelings: Do not express what you feel / You do not have the right to express this or that feeling / Do not be close (intimate) / Do not have pleasure The 4 prohibitions concerning action: Do not act / Do not succeed / Do not know / Do not think To these 12 potentially inculcated prohibitions during childhood, can be added 5 constraining social moral values:  Be strong Be perfect Persevere Hurry up Please others The path to reclaiming one’s free will  is done in three steps: Identify your own prohibitions and moral values. Give yourself new permissions, let go of certain prohibitions. Only new experiences allow us to abandon the mental chains that kept us imprisoned. Seek external help: a personal development group or a therapist. It is important to always keep in mind that letting go is primarily a matter of perspective on events; it is a matter of interpretation. It is the images of reality that affect us, not reality itself.  Moreover, it is by experimenting with new permissions that we modify the thought chains at the root of our rigidities.  “At the moment I give myself the freedom not to have to be perfect, to be strong, to persevere, to please at all costs, or to hurry, I can look calmly at the circumstances of life. I do not have to be anything other than what I am; my only responsibility is to live fully and harmoniously.” Overcoming obstacle 3: freeing oneself from codependency One of the biggest obstacles to letting go is giving the responsibility for our life and happiness to the people around us. The first step to breaking free from codependency is to become aware of this condition.  Overcoming obstacle 4: Letting go of outdated goals It is not having goals that is problematic, but the strength of attachment to these goals, the identification with the goals we pursue. Holding onto our goals more than anything else makes us fragile. Anxiety and fear can

The Energetic Anchor

Introduction “Anchoring is grounding to the earth, it is our primary needs, stability, security, survival, the ability to live in the present moment like a child. So, more generally, it pertains to the material realm and earthly life. If you have spiritual practices, anchoring will help you not to get lost in spirituality, not to become too ‘out there’. It will help you maintain the necessary balance between spiritual life and earthly life.” Sandrine HK (Translation note: this YouTube channel is currently in French, but you can activate YouTube’s auto-generated subtitles in English while we work on providing a dedicated English version) What do we mean by “being anchored”? On a symbolic or energetic level, it is not about having (bare) feet on the Earth, it corresponds to the state of being as follows: Feeling good and secure in your body and on this planet. Having the conviction that everything is right and that we are living exactly what we need to live at every moment. Fully accepting the body that our soul has chosen and using it wisely to fulfill our aspirations. Knowing what we want and sticking to it. Fully accepting life’s trials to demonstrate emotional detachment. People who are not sufficiently anchored tend to live in their heads (the mind) or are no longer very in tune with the material realities of this world. This manifests as a gap between their spiritual aspirations and their real life. Symptoms of a lack of anchoring  You lack self-confidence, in your body and have a tendency towards hypochondria. Feeling safe nowhere. Having many ideas without any coming to fruition. You fall regularly, you have fine and fragile joints. You feel anxious. You have difficulty saying no. You have major problems with money. You do not know your limits and, consequently, do not respect them. The origin of the lack of anchoring There are multiple origins, but it revolves around fear and traumatic experiences related to pregnancy, childbirth, and upbringing. All these experiences have left a mark on our way of apprehending the world, others, and ourselves. Whatever our childhood was, we transitioned from a state of fusion with our mother to that of being individualized and autonomous. This transition, whether it happened with or without hitches, leads to conclusions (sometimes erroneous) about oneself and life that will be at the root of this lack of anchoring. To learn more about this topic: read this other article “The 5 Wounds of the Soul”. One of the strategies that the being develops to avoid suffering sometimes consists of refusing to fully inhabit the body and fleeing earthly life to take refuge in an artificial paradise (like video games, drugs, etc.) or even in the realm of spirituality, which in itself is a denial of incarnation. The benefits of being well anchored Good anchoring allows us to infuse our spiritual values into matter, into our daily lives, in order to avoid a gap between our values, our beautiful spiritual beliefs, and the reality of our daily lives. As Gandhi said: ” Be the change you want to see in this world.” Thinking about change is not enough! And to manifest it in matter, one must be well anchored! Anchoring also helps us recognize in the simplicity of daily life (with its share of pitfalls)  the opportunity to better know ourselves and access wisdom. Only under this condition can we transmit the values of love, peace, and joy by example and show that it is possible to be happy and positive in this world. On a physical level, anchoring allows for a better relationship with your body, your vitality, your health, and even your sexuality. On an emotional level, you will feel more strength and stability, you will be less overwhelmed by your emotions. This truly allows you to be more in the present moment. How to develop your anchoring? “Anchoring is worked on daily through simple and, precisely, down-to-earth actions! You can for example walk in nature, walk barefoot, or even hug a tree. You can start resolving conflicts with your parents. You can engage in earthly tasks such as cooking, DIY, gardening, cleaning. You can look for work if you don’t have any. Start thinking about a career change if you no longer like or have never liked yours, you can take time off or slow down if you are working too much. You can do your daily tasks while being fully present to what you are doing, focusing on the task you are performing.” Sandrine HK Developing your anchoring through meditation: Meditation and visualization are very good tools for this. Here are some key elements to introduce into your meditations if you are already practicing: Visualize roots coming out of your feet to anchor into the ground and nourish you with telluric energy. Review all parts of your body and relax them (body scan). Recharge with telluric energies on the inhale and return to the earth (in the form of black clouds) everything that burdens us on the exhale. Repeat positive affirmation phrases. Suggestions for guided meditations to develop grounding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vFZ-cF4ioI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4_j1fxwNi4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0GtmPnqAd8

The 5 Wounds of the Soul

My expertise All the observations I have made in recent years have convinced me of the great benefits of hygieneism on all our bodies: physical, mental, emotional, and energetic. However, the most advanced hygieneism, while optimizing the capabilities of our physical body (with significant repercussions on our other bodies), is not sufficient for our full flourishing if we do not also take care of what is commonly referred to as ‘personal development’ (cf “The Limits of Hygienism”). On one hand, the psychodynamic aspect seems crucial to me in that hygienist tools are useless if psychological barriers limit or even block their use. It is these barriers that often dissuade people from engaging in the healing process. And on the other hand, because optimal health is not limited to that of the body, even if taking care of our earthly vehicle greatly influences our experience of life. As Socrates supposedly said: “Is there a greater good for humans than health?” Each person’s life is fundamentally just a succession of feelings that is why the central problem that remains, regardless of the number of days of fasting, purges, and hygienist practices, is what we call the wounds of the soul. Beneath all the layers of our toxins and emotions stored in the body lies our vision of life (our beliefs) that creates our reality (to learn more about this, read the article “The Law of Attraction and the Power of Thought”). And this is greatly distorted by our wounds. Where do these wounds of the soul come from? At birth, we transition from a state of fusion with our mother to the status of a unique, vulnerable, and dependent being arriving in a hostile environment where the sensations of cold and hunger exist. Whether we had a beautiful childhood or not, the construction of our individuality (this transition from child to adult) necessarily involves difficult moments that will mark us. Depending on what our soul came to experience (a decision made by our higher Self before incarnation), we will be more sensitive to certain events than to others. Ultimately, it is more our perception of a situation than the situation itself that will create our wounds. Our soul is indeed more sensitive to certain injunctions, traumas, remarks, etc., depending on what our soul came to experience, learn, and then heal. A child is made up of pure love energy, and when a person or a situation hurts them, they will develop a belief (about themselves or the world) and a filter on reality that will confirm this belief, in order to justify that what they experienced was right. The trauma can sometimes be so intense for the child (abandonment, abuse, violence, rape, etc.) that the resulting belief helps the child accept the unacceptable. It is a survival attitude without which the child would perish. Since the child’s survival is closely tied to the people who care for them, the child adapts to this (sometimes hostile) environment by establishing a belief about themselves or the world. To adapt and survive, the child may, for example, believe that they deserve to be beaten in order to legitimize their parents’ behavior. Whether in extreme situations of violence or mundane situations, we always find material during childhood to establish beliefs in order to adapt to our environment but also to forge our identity. The downside, as we will see later in this article, is that we unknowingly retain these beliefs once we reach adulthood, even though we are no longer dependent on our parents and we evolve in a completely different environment: that of work, love, friendship, neighborhood, etc. It is at this moment that we experience how much we create our reality when we observe ourselves selecting information in reality that confirms our beliefs and makes us sensitive to certain topics that awaken in us the unhealed wound. The 4 stages of childhood according to Lise Bourbeau According to her, most children go through four stages. “After experiencing the joy of being themselves, the first stage of their existence, they experience the pain of not being allowed to be themselves, which is the second stage. Then comes the crisis period, the revolt, the third stage. In order to reduce the pain, the child resigns and eventually creates a new personality to become what others want them to be. Some people remain stuck in the third stage throughout their lives, meaning they are continuously reactive, angry, or in crisis. It is during the third and fourth stages that we create several masks (new personalities) that serve to protect us from the suffering experienced during the second stage.” For Lise Bourbeau, these masks number five and correspond to five major core wounds experienced by humans. The 5 wounds of the soul according to Lise Bourbeau The wound of Rejection when one did not feel entitled to exist in their first year of life. When this wound is activated, the person wears the mask of the Avoidant and their body is thin and contracted. Their fear is panic. They tend to flee or isolate themselves. The wound of Abandonment when, between one and three years old, one lacked emotional nourishment. When this wound is activated, the person wears the mask of the Dependent and their body is slender and flaccid. Their fear is loneliness, and they tend to pity themselves. The wound of Humiliation when, between one and three years old, one lacked freedom and felt humiliated by their parents’ control. When this wound is activated, the person wears the mask of the Masochist and their body tends toward obesity. Their fear is freedom, and they tend to submit and serve others. The wound of Betrayal when, between two and four years old, one had unmet expectations in connection with the opposite-sex parent. When this wound is activated, the person wears the mask of the Controlling and their body is muscular, exhibiting strength and power. Their fear is separation, and they tend to get angry, blame, and

How to set intentions?

To fully understand this article, I suggest you read beforehand: The Law of Attraction and the Power of Thought and you watch this video by Franck Lopvet. One of the consequences of the law of attraction is that we always get what we want. The Universe fills us at every moment with the energy we carry. In this case, how can we explain that we experience so many unpleasant, even painful situations? Simply because we carry unrecognized limiting beliefs and a behavior (often unconscious) that generates uncomfortable situations within us. We create our reality through filters To these two mechanisms is added a mental filter that, among the infinite flow of information accessible at every moment in our environment, selects those that confirm our beliefs. This is why we truly construct our reality. Hence the importance of changing our beliefs when our reality does not please us! Only by reprogramming our mental filter can we change our perspective on events. In everyday life, when there is no life at stake, the discomfort of a situation always comes from the perspective we have on it and not from the event itself. “We tend to believe that a scene says something, while in reality this scene exists and it is the way I look at it that says something about us.” Franck Lopvet For example: A situation: I just got fired. Possible interpretations of this situation: 1) Life is unfair and cruel because I invested myself and was not rewarded. 2) An opportunity presents itself for me to find a better professional situation. What this says about me: Interpretation 1: I seek recognition because I do not recognize my own value. Interpretation 2: I accept to move towards the unknown with confidence because I recognize my value and my ability to bounce back. These mental filters, built on our beliefs, make us interpret life scenes that are, intrinsically, neutral. Following wounds, especially those from childhood, the mind tries to make us vigilant so that certain painful situations (like abandonment, betrayal, rejection, humiliation, etc.) do not happen again. However, this focus produces the opposite effect by making us hypersensitive to situations that would leave someone else indifferent. The origin of suffering Another important mechanism to demystify: the suffering we sometimes feel is in no way related to “negative” emotions, but to our resistance to fully experience them, to welcome them. Since they scare us, we enter into resistance, whereas if we fully welcomed them, even a painful sensation could become neutral, pleasant, or even orgasmic. This is what we call transmutation. These unexperienced emotions store energetically in the body and the mind will then install a filter that will result in us reliving, through the theater of life, situations that revive our wounds until the painful experience we initially lived is integrated and then surpassed. This alchemical healing process happens naturally, even if it can take more or less time, thanks to our earthly experience. For example: A situation: In childhood, I felt abandoned. Beliefs established: You cannot trust others. I do not deserve to be loved. Etc Reprogramming beliefs The filter that is created following the development of a limiting belief makes us spot in our daily lives everything that could reactivate this initial wound. This makes us hypersensitive to any signal that could suggest that a situation poses the risk of reactivating this wound. If we do not become aware of this reality bias, we have reactions that end up generating the very situations we were trying to protect ourselves from. Ultimately, it is as if the Universe, whether we want it or not, will present us with similar situations until our wound is healed. And this involves its reactivation many times until we change our mental filter. To do this, one of the effective tools is to set intentions. They are expressed verbally, with a simple, short, explicit, affirmative sentence, in the present indicative and in the first person singular. Examples of intentions: If I feel bad, I just need to relax and breathe deeply. In difficult moments, say “Thank you life” with my heart even if at the moment I do not make sense of what I am experiencing. Stress and anger slide off me OR I fully accept to feel this stress and anger. I let go of the mind and I am in my heart. I focus on my strengths/qualities. Intentions to avoid: I wish to be patient. I am patient. I am not afraid. I am confident. Vague or imprecise phrases. Inappropriate phrases because we have not yet pinpointed the problem. Know thyself Setting wise intentions requires knowing one’s wounds  (cf the 5 wounds of the soul by Lise Bourbeau)  and one’s filters.  To become aware of them, one simply needs to look for them behind all the uncomfortable life scenes that repeat endlessly.  Once this work is done, sometimes the help of a psychotherapist is necessary, one just needs to  ask for what one wishes through meditation, prayer, reprogramming the subconscious, visualizations, offerings, a ritual, or, more simply, by writing them down in a dedicated notebook. Fasting and/or purges, as well as digital detoxes, are very appropriate for setting intentions because we cannot welcome the new without making space, which detoxes effectively allow. Then, as soon as the intention is clearly identified and set, success depends on letting go of the outcome so as not to resist the ongoing process, lest we block it. It is therefore important to accept that we do not know when or how our intention will manifest, while being certain that everything is right and will happen at the right time. Knowing that intentions often manifest in our reality in unexpected ways. It is also possible to set intentions daily on lighter subjects than our reprogramming. For example: Sleep deeply and wake up at such a time refreshed. Receive inspiration for a creative activity. Move freely and without hindrance. Etc. You will find other sources of inspiration on this

The Law of Attraction

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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c35wUsJd16Q&t=8s Our human existences are governed by a number of laws. One of them, perhaps the most well-known, is called the law of attraction. This law states that we attract what we vibrate. The corollary of this law is that we can place orders with the Universe by “vibrating” what we desire. Whether we believe it or not, whether we consciously use this law or not, it does not change the fact that it acts at every moment. It is the one that distributes the roles in the grand theater of our lives so that we become aware of who we are and of our power. When an unpleasant situation repeats in our lives, it is only the Universe reflecting back to us, like a mirror, an unconscious feeling that exists within us so that we can become aware of it. My experience with this law It is on this law that I unconsciously relied for years to successfully carry out my expeditions. Before each trip, my entire body and all its aspects were focused on its objective, and everything I did in my daily life contributed to its realization. That does not mean I was free from doubt or fear of failure; on the contrary, I listened to the messages my emotions sent me to better prepare myself. However, I never let my fears decide for me, that decision-making role being reserved for my intuition. It took me several years to accumulate a series of synchronicities and increasingly improbable coincidences, crucial to the success of my expeditions, for me to become aware of the existence of this law of attraction. Subsequently, it took me a few more years to learn to consciously use this law in various aspects of my life. During my last expedition “The Footprint”, I used visualizations during the 4 years of preparation for this crossing of Europe. During my training, I imagined myself on the paths traveling with nothing, as if I were there. And regularly, I saw myself at the end of my journey on a beach by the Black Sea, as if the journey had been completed and I could now rest. It is the law of attraction that allowed me to attract everything I needed on a daily basis. How does the law of attraction work? “All organisms, all materials, and all bodies, whatever they may be, emit information, frequencies, radiations, thus influencing their environment. Our cells act as transmitters-receivers, true oscillating circuits; they emit and receive waves and can tune into a specific wave.” Gérard Grenet, urban shaman Some of the vibrational information that our cells receive reaches our consciousness in the form of intuition, dreams, visions, voices, etc. It is often through our emotions, these sensations of our body that we need to learn to listen to and interpret, that we perceive these messages from the Universe that guide us. This implies having resolved our emotional wounds to be well attuned (read on this subject “The 5 Wounds of the Soul” and “Listen to Your Body” by Lise Bourbeau) and to wisely interpret the emotions we feel. Dowsing, using a pendulum, makes it possible to amplify the waves we receive so that we can be more sensitive to them. One of the many advantages of cleansing the body with Living Nutrition, fasting, purges and hygienic practices is to cleanse the interstitial and intracellular fluids. Clean fluids allow cells to function better and also to better capture and emit information through waves. Our orders to the Universe then become more powerful. How to attract what we want? Everything we feel, all our intentions, and everything we think generates waves through our cells. Our unconscious also sends its messages, but we cannot directly know their nature. The law of attraction states that in return for these vibrational emissions (which form an equation between the conscious and the unconscious), we receive life situations on the same wavelength. Hence the double benefit of feeling good in our bodies, having “positive” thoughts guided by good intentions. Without neglecting meditation, introspection, personal development tools, and psychodynamic readings, which are very good tools for expanding the field of our consciousness so that the unconscious (the uncontrolled part of the vibrational equation) is reduced to a minimum. This is “the secret” to attracting what we want. The more what we want aligns with what we vibrate, the more the law of attraction will work in our favor. In addition to the unconscious, our body is composed of three main wave emitters: The head (what we want), the heart (what we wish), and the gut (what we desire). If these three emitters are aligned on the same frequency (the same intention), then our power of attraction will be multiplied. However, if only the head emits the signal of what we want to see manifest in matter while the body (whether the heart or the gut) does not vibrate on the same wavelength, for example due to fear, then the law of attraction will not manifest in the expected way. It is important that the body and mind vibrate as if what we expect is already there. Otherwise, by allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by fear, doubt, or any other negative emotion, we attract exactly what we fear. The power of thought Although thought is not the determining element of the law of attraction, it does have the power to act at all levels of our existence: at the internal level: on our feelings and emotions at the external level: on our words, actions, and environment Thought is an interface between our inner world and the outer world that we will use to align our emotions, words, and actions with our intentions in order to fully vibrate what we want to attract to ourselves.  Thoughts are of two natures; they can be “structuring,”

Living Nutrition VS traditional medicines

When one becomes aware of the harms of cooking, especially starches, compared to the many benefits of consuming raw plants, it is legitimate to wonder why ancient medicines, such as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine, recommend rice cures and the consumption of cooked vegetables while discouraging many people, depending on their profile, from consuming raw fruits and vegetables. I propose below some lines of thought to explain this apparent paradox… At the origins of Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine Just as the ancestor of allopathic medicine is Hippocratic medicine, the ancestor of Ayurvedic medicine is Jain medicine, which already advocated raw plant consumption, and the ancestor of Chinese medicine is bigu medicine (with the same recommendations as Jain medicine). For proof, there are still in India Ayurvedic centers where plant-based and raw food is recommended. However, these ancestral medicines have all evolved over time and have become increasingly symptomatic. This means that there is more concern about stopping discomfort related to symptoms than addressing their true causes. “When someone desires health, one must first ask if they are ready to eliminate the causes of their illness. Only then can they be helped.”  Hippocrates Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine are often regarded as the new bible by Westerners, with the pitfalls that blind faith can lead to. There is much to gain from these teachings, but there are also significant elements to discard. Separating the wheat from the chaff remains a principle of discernment valid at all times. Even if these medicines are effective health systems, they remain tied to a given cultural & environmental context where cooked food is consumed, particularly grains. Why choose grain cultivation over fruit cultivation when the yield of orchards is higher than that of a field? Perhaps, this is a hypothesis, for economic, demographic, or even political reasons. Indeed, we are largely influenced by what we eat. Eating meat tends to lead to predation. Eating grains tends to lead to domestication (like well-aligned wheat stalks all of the same caliber). That is why I am convinced that the consumption of cooked starches promotes, through the presence of colloidal waste (see the article on starches), the submission of peoples and the establishment of castes. An idea found in the book “Zomia or the Art of Not Being Governed” by James C. Scott, where the author explains that the Chinese administration classifies as “raw” those who refuse to submit to Chinese administration and as “cooked” those who submit to authority… Why must traditional medicines evolve? If, as was the case centuries ago, we still lived in a natural, unpolluted environment, without stress, in contact with the elements and with a physically active life, then a so-called “Mediterranean” diet, that is to say, primarily plant-based (but not only) would be fully satisfactory. The blue zones of the world where healthy centenarians live (increasingly rare despite population growth) are proof of this. If we lived in that same context, we would not be asking all these questions about lifestyle and ideal nutrition. All of this would flow naturally, and traditions would only need to repeat themselves for the greater good of all. However, in our modern context with various sources of pollution, over-medication and vaccination, industrial food, and sedentary lifestyles, ancestral health practices that were valid at one time prove insufficient to regenerate our contemporary, devitalized, demineralized, and toxin-saturated bodies. Hence the necessity to evolve hygiene practices and traditional medicines to respond to the modern characteristics of our environment and the human beings that compose it. The precepts, even if relevant, dating back a few thousand years or even just a few centuries, must be updated. We are also at a time (the Age of Aquarius) where we can no longer apply precepts without understanding them and without reconnecting to our feelings. One can feel, for example, that Ayurvedic dietary advice that emphasizes cooked foods with very precise dietary protocols no longer makes sense for more and more people. All animals on this planet eat raw and thrive, so by what divine intervention should we cook our food to be healthy? Why would it be contraindicated for certain individuals to eat raw? Practitioners of natural health do not seem to truly consider that naturopathic, Ayurvedic, or other profiles are primarily profiles of diseases and not of people, and that these profiles can evolve with the improvement of the terrain. Whether you are a proponent of traditional medicines or not, are you truly satisfied with your state of health? If so, you probably ignore the principle of optimal health. And if you are not satisfied with your health despite all your efforts, you likely believe that this is due to various forms of pollution. In both cases, your reflection is at an impasse. On one hand, the true capabilities of the human body are underestimated, and on the other hand, pollution represents the tip of the iceberg. In our contemporary society, becoming a centenarian (often bedridden) seems to be a half miracle. Yet, we are far from imagining what the human body can offer in terms of health and longevity when we use our bodies with the right manual. In reality, when one is not satisfied with a health model, one must know how to question its foundations. Personally, the model that speaks to me is that of optimal health, living nutrition, and what is called “regenerative” medicine, this wonderful legacy left to us by Irène Grosjean.  Regenerative medicine VS balance medicine Hippocratic, Ayurvedic, and Chinese medicines are sometimes called “balance medicines” because they primarily seek organic balance through cures, detoxes, phytotherapy, hydrotherapy, massages, etc., which, in themselves, are effective but are manifestly insufficient to treat modern pathologies and deeply regenerate our organisms. Simply because we have strayed too far from simple and natural living. When a problem arises, life (being perfect) always provides a solution. In my experience, getting as close as possible to a plant-based and raw diet (see the article “What is the right % of living foods

Fasting & Trekking Stories

Genesis of the concept: The Fasting Walk, a 360 km trek without eating in Canada in August 2018 DO YOU HAVE ANY DIFFICULTIES FASTING EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU?! This is why Florian developed a simple solution: to go in a group with backpacks to trek in nature. One might think that during a fast, physical strength would be lacking and that it would not be wise, nor even possible, to walk all day. And yet… It all started when Florian began his transition to raw food in 2014, following a spontaneous fast (naturally imposed by his body) during which he experienced a period of great physical well-being. Troubled by this experience that contradicted his beliefs, particularly the one that says we need to eat to have energy, he researched raw food and then reevaluated everything he thought he knew about the subject. Awed by this pranic experience that fell from the sky, he wished to replicate it, in vain: all the fasts attempted afterward were difficult, and he could not relive the state of grace he had tasted. The idea then came to him to return to Canada, a country he had crossed by non-motorized means in 2015-2016 (read the account of the America Extrema expedition). Florian thought that by being in nature and walking all day, he would no longer think about eating and would relive that fluidity of body and mind. Thus, in August 2018, Florian returned to the Mackenzie Mountains with filmmaker Damien Artero to create the documentary ‘The Fasting Walk’ about a particular experience: 2 weeks and 360 km of trekking without eating in one of the wildest environments: grizzly bear mountains under the Arctic Circle and dozens of glacial rivers to cross. It was a revelation as it amazed Florian about the seemingly limitless capabilities of the human body and the benefits it brought him on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. So much so that upon his return to France, he could only think about replicating the experience, but closer to home. Thus was born the concept of Fasting and Trekking: to offer 7-day treks while fasting to groups of a maximum of 20 people. 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. Account of JT n°1 in April 2019 / Beaujolais It had been a long time since the Haut-Beaujolais mountains had seen pilgrims walk for several days without eating. This unusual event took place from April 29 to May 3, 2019. Where pilgrims who did not believe in God but in life set out, not for a holy land, but for better health. Geoffrey, Anne, Christian, Agnès, Jérôme, Florence, Mickaël, and Marine, aged 26 to 60 and coming from all corners of France (and even Germany) gathered at my place in Gibles (71) on April 28, the day before departure. All driven by the desire to discover the charms of Brionnais and Haut-Beaujolais in minimalist attire, with just a few kilos of gear on their backs to camp. An ultra-light trek made possible by the absence of food, which frees movement and temporarily liberates from the constraint of eating. After a collective castor oil purge taken on the morning of departure, we set off into the cool fog towards St Cyr (771 m), the highest point in Southern Burgundy, where a journalist from the Journal de Saône-et-Loire awaited us. For we live in a strange time where it is enough to humbly do what one is genetically programmed to do to make it into the newspaper. It was time for the first abandonment. The 18% slopes of St Cyr had exhausted Anne, who was dropped off at my place by the journalist to continue fasting in more comfortable conditions. The remaining 8 participants are motivated and in good shape, we continue smoothly on the GR 7 towards Mont Saint-Rigaud. With about 35 km for 800m of positive elevation, it is the most demanding stage of the journey but not the most exhausting thanks to our state of freshness. Just before reaching the summit of Saint-Rigaud (1009 m), we drink from the so-called “miraculous” water source where there are about a hundred makeshift crosses made of branches taken from the site, as tradition dictates for wishes to come true. We then set up camp at the foot of the belvedere, where, in ancient times, the Romans had erected an altar to Jupiter. Up there, the night is cool (3°C) and few have slept well, but the morning laughter testifies to the strength of the group and the walk quickly warms us up. We take advantage of a clearing in the underbrush to shower under the waterfall before resuming the GR 7. With the significant elevation, the first signs of fatigue appear and we shorten the stage after only 25 km. We then camp in a meadow with a magnificent view of the Azergues valley and practice kirtan kriya meditation facing our God: the Sun! The next day, on the 3rd day, we visit the largest Douglas firs in Europe located in the municipality of Claveisolles, right next to two small ponds. It is the most beautiful day of the trek, sunny with 18°C in the afternoon, but an 8 km ascent with 500m of positive elevation is a tough blow for the group, which multiplies stops. Nevertheless, we all arrive together at the ridge line where we take a break in the sun to recharge our batteries and dry tents and sleeping bags. As we descend towards the lake of the Pines, I sense discomfort in the group and Mickaël, who interviews them one by one for a report, confirms it to me. We still manage to cover 30 km during the day to camp on the shores of the lake of the Pines. An evening circle of words is necessary and we redefine the program. I promise that

The Story of Fasting & Trek

DO YOU STRUGGLE TO FAST EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU?! This is precisely why Florian developed a simple solution: setting off with a group, backpack on, to trek in the heart of nature. One might think that while fasting, physical strength would wane, making it unwise, or even impossible, to walk all day. And yet… It all began when Florian started his transition to a raw food diet in 2014, following a spontaneous fast (imposed naturally by his body) during which he experienced a period of peak physical condition. Perplexed by this experience which contradicted his beliefs, particularly the idea that we need to eat to have energy, he researched raw nutrition and completely revised everything he thought he knew on the subject. Amazed by this pranic experience that fell from the sky, he wanted to replicate it, but in vain: all the fasts he attempted afterwards were difficult, and he couldn’t recapture that state of grace he had once tasted. The idea then came to him to return to Canada, a country he had crossed by non-motorized means in 2015-2016 (read the story of the America Extrema expedition). Florian thought that by being in nature and walking all day, he would stop thinking about food and relive that fluidity of body and mind. And so, in August 2018, Florian returned to the Mackenzie Mountains accompanied by filmmaker Damien Artero to create the documentary “La Marche Sans Faim” (“The Walk Without Hunger”). It documented a unique experience: 2 weeks and 360 km of trekking without food in one of the wildest settings possible: grizzly bear mountains below the Arctic Circle and dozens of glacial rivers to cross. It was a revelation, astounding Florian with the seemingly limitless capabilities of the human body and the benefits it brought him on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. So much so that upon returning to France, he could think of nothing but repeating the experience, but closer to home. This is how the Fasting & Trekking concept was born: offering 7-day fasting treks to groups of a maximum of 20 people.

Hygienism: Shamanic Cleanses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUnqk0QsEoQ 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. General Information on Cleanses There is a belief that unites all hygienists and naturopaths, which links diseases to the toxemia of the human body. According to this principle, if we improve the quality of the terrain in a person, that is to say, if we reduce the toxemia, then diseases will naturally cease their progression and symptoms will diminish or even disappear. This is relatively mechanical and simple to understand, but it opposes the Pasteurian view of medicine, which considers that there are good and bad microbes responsible for our health troubles. It also opposes the allopathic view of medicine, which sees diseases as failures, dysfunctions of the human body. Where the hygienist view sees diseases, according to their nature, as crises of toxin elimination or as a wonderful adaptation of the human body to continue functioning with a certain toxic load so that it causes the least damage possible to the organism. From this point of view, all the symptoms we complain about would be orchestrated knowingly by the great intelligence of the body, which can be seen at work, for example, when a sperm meets an egg to give life to a new being. If we look at health from this angle, it appears crucial to reduce toxemia. However, the most powerful tool to expel toxins, even before fasting since fasting is necessary when one consumes them, is cleanses. Under these conditions, one might believe that catharotherapy (therapy through cleanses) is unanimously accepted in the microcosm of natural medicine, but this is not the case; it is rather a subject of division. In my opinion, opinions are divided on the subject for several reasons: It is necessary to have sufficient vitality and to have the excretory organs sufficiently open to use them; otherwise, their use can be exhausting, sometimes even contraindicated. It is most often necessary to use them frequently and regularly over several years for them to profoundly change the terrain. It only makes sense to use them if one is motivated to change their eating habits deeply and sustainably towards a diet that is primarily plant-based and raw. Otherwise, cleansing only serves to expel the poisons ingested daily, which does not allow for a profound change in the terrain. It is therefore important to be in a dynamic where significantly more toxins are expelled than toxins that enter the body. They do not solve all health problems because our stock of toxins is too great to be completely emptied. Cleanses can therefore only serve to evacuate the excess in circulation (via the lymph). Emotional troubles and stress can also lead to the production or accumulation of toxins, and thus cause diseases. Our state of health also depends on our state of being, our emotional balance, the joy we have in living, and the love we spread around us. Even considering these differing opinions and taking into account the importance of the emotional aspect in humans, it is important to observe the following facts to form one’s own opinion on the matter: Some mammals (canids, felines, bears, primates, etc.) also purge even though their food and existence are 100% physiological. Cleanses were and are sometimes still used by traditional Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Hippocratic medicines, to name a few. Elsewhere on the planet, other peoples, through centuries-old shamanic traditions, also use catharotherapy, as we will see in this article. Presumed Virtues of Cleanses My personal experience has led me to see cleanses as very powerful tools to improve my physical and mental health and to free myself from my addictions to cooked, industrial, and animal-derived foods. A testimony that I detail in this article on cleanses. Even though I am in favor of this form of therapy, I am not unaware of its limits, a subject I address in this other article on the limits of hygienism. In my opinion, to use them wisely, it is necessary to wait for a period of several months to several years during which one will gradually improve their lifestyle until reaching a plateau that cannot be surpassed. It is at this precise moment that they will provide their greatest benefits. Even though this tool is not a panacea, I believe it is the most effective for expelling toxins while simultaneously doing a powerful emotional cleansing. Schematic observations clearly show that some buried anger comes out with acids, and the same goes for fears that come out with glues. It is as if the energetic memories of certain traumatic events in our lives (or even transgenerational) are stored in the acid crystals and glues, and these memories are released when they exit the body. Moreover, a cleanse should never be taken without first setting an intention (see this article on “How to Set Intentions?”) to direct its benefits according to our physical or emotional needs at the moment, while keeping in mind the solemn nature of this practice. Furthermore, cleanses boost the immune system and open the excretory organs, which contributes to the body’s autonomy so that, in the long run, it is as capable as possible of doing its own cleanings. My Experience in Peru Motivated to deepen my experiments in catharotherapy, I went to Peru in May 2021 to train as a practitioner (at Kambo Naturista) of one of the most powerful cleanses: Kambo. A three-week journey along the Amazon during which I followed an 8-day diet accompanied by multiple cleanses. This puts into perspective the “violent” nature often attributed to castor oil, which, by comparison, seems mild… As my trainer at Kambo Naturista, Deyan, said: “With Kambo, it either goes badly, or it goes very badly!” I confirm!… Here is what I retained: The Kambo Cleanse Kambo is a natural substance extracted from the skin secretion of an Amazonian frog called Bi-Phylomedusa Bicolore, also known as the “giant forest monkey frog.”

Hygienism: Are we ready to change?

“And those who danced were considered insane by those who could not hear the music.” Nietzsche “One of the most difficult things is not to change society – but to change yourself.” Nelson Mandela Everyone talks about it as a necessity, both individual and collective, but do we truly grasp what a real change entails? If we look back at the civilizational changes that have occurred in the past, we see that they have been accompanied by a change in diet. The dietary changes of the past For the record: about 2 million years ago, humans gradually transitioned from gatherers (95% fruits with some shoots and 5% small carnivorism) to gatherer-hunters. They significantly increased (first on carcass remains and then by inventing tools and hunting strategies) the meat portion of their diet. about 12,000 years ago, entering the Neolithic, humans began to eat grains and dairy products in addition to meat. about 50 years ago, humans started consuming industrially produced foods while some groups began to (re)eat primarily living plant-based foods, like our distant ancestors. With the societal changes observed that seem inevitable in the short term, it is reasonable to believe that we are witnessing a civilizational change that, like in the past, will involve a significant change in our way of eating. Indeed, in the face of climate, ethical, health, and environmental issues related to the consumption of animal products,it feels as if life is no longer giving us a choice but to radically change our habits, with an unusual time requirement (about 30 years) compared to previous changes. Everyone agrees that there is a problem with food. We eat too much meat or we eat too much in general! Food is too denatured! There are too many poisons in our diet! There is not enough fresh water and arable land on the planet! But concretely, what solutions are actually being proposed? Producing organic and local food, all at a low cost, while making some penny-pinching savings through shorter showers and putting a solar panel on the roof to charge an electric car ! And if these expedients do not yield the expected results, it will be the fault of others, of those who pollute or consume poorly, the fault of lobbies, CEOs, shareholders, governments, the crisis, etc. The consequences of consuming animal products This way of thinking has its own hidden benefits, placing us ipso facto in the ranks of victims, the good ones, while keeping us in the illusion that we have done our part. But, regarding food production for the future, is it really possible that only local and organic  are the solution to our health and environmental problems?! The documentary Cowspiracy (watch by clicking here), summarized in the article “Impact of Living Nutrition on the Environment”, unequivocally shows that the answer is no! The change that is not superficial and inefficient is the one that involves questioning the type of foods we consume, questioning the type of foods we physiologically need. And this touches on our deepest beliefs, those that revolve around the animal products we have consumed since humans have existed in their anatomically modern form. Is meat a survival food or is it necessary? Are we ready to reevaluate our beliefs? Are we ready to transmute the cultural markers and traditions that, for some, date back to the dawn of time? The question is superfluous just like our answer because life will not give us a choice, for the greater good of our individual and collective evolution! What about ancestral medicines? What I observe is that our resistance to change also manifests through our difficulties in stepping back from ancestral medicines like Hippocratic, Ayurvedic, or Chinese medicine. Yet, this questioning is necessary because everything in life evolves. The precepts, even if relevant, that are thousands of years old must be updated for our time. In a context of change like ours, the past can be a source of inspiration, but evolution and innovation must not be neglected lest we stiffen thought and practices. Indeed, if, as centuries ago, we still lived in a non-polluted natural environment, without stress, in contact with the elements and with a physically active life, then a so-called “Mediterranean” diet, that is to say, essentially plant-based and raw (but not only) would be fully satisfactory. The blue zones (see this article) of the world where many healthy centenarians live are proof of this. If we lived in that same context, we would not be asking all these questions about lifestyle and ideal nutrition. All of this would flow naturally, and traditions would only need to repeat for the greater good of all. Simply, in our modern context with various sources of pollution, over-medication and vaccination, industrial food, and lack of physical activity, the ancestral health practices valid at one time prove, in my opinion, insufficient to regenerate our contemporary organisms that are devitalized, demineralized, and saturated with all kinds of toxins. Hence the necessity to evolve hygiene practices to meet the modern characteristics of our environment and individuals. We are also at a time when we can no longer apply precepts without understanding them and without reconnecting to our feelings. For example, it is clear that Ayurvedic dietary advice that emphasizes cooked foods with very precise dietary protocols no longer makes sense for more and more people. All animals on this planet eat raw and thrive, so by what divine intervention should we cook our foods to be healthy? Why would it be contraindicated for some individuals to eat raw? Natural health practitioners do not seem to consider that naturopathic (or other) profiles are primarily profiles of diseases and not of people, and that these profiles can evolve with the improvement of the terrain. Many ancestral practices (Hippocratic, Ayurvedic, and Chinese) seek balance through cures, gentle detoxes, fasting, phytotherapy, hydrotherapy, etc., which are effective but are clearly insufficient to treat modern pathologies, deeply regenerate organisms, or, more simply, to meet our full human potential. I believe that

3H, the new hygienism

“As long as there are men who will not obey their reason alone, who receive their opinions from an outside opinion, all chains would have been broken in vain, humanity will remain divided into two classes: that of men who reason and that of men who believe, that of masters and that of slaves.” Nicolas de Condorcet “To reach the truth, one must once in life rid oneself of all the opinions one has received, and rebuild the entire system of one’s knowledge.”  René Descartes “Do not believe what you are told: experiment with it!” Krishnamurti “The only healing that matters, the true one, is to choose love.” Florian Gomet Before reading this article, I advise you to consult beforehand: The definitions of hygienism Optimal Health The limits of hygienism Nothing predisposed me one day to take a close interest in lifestyle hygiene and the origin of diseases. However, I carried within me the very seed of the hygienist approach, namely that I did not consider it normal to see so much suffering and disease in this world. The commonly accepted explanation that this is the consequence of pollution and the increase in life expectancy has always seemed false to me, or at least incomplete. At the time of my transition, in 2014, I was doing forestry work after being a math teacher. It was the realization that there are people on Earth living very well by primarily eating fruits, vegetables, and nuts that triggered my awakening. As if I had been waiting for this, my habits and beliefs on the subject underwent an unprecedented revolution. At that time, the idea did not occur to me to have indisputable scientific evidence on the benefits of so-called ‘living’ food before adopting it. Fortunately, because I would still be waiting… The energy and enthusiasm that radiated from those who spoke about it passionately was enough to make me want to try. Drawing inspiration from great principles to find one’s truth I was unaware then that living food, as I later realized, does not work for everyone and that there are many pitfalls. However, for my part, it has always seemed strange to me that such a natural diet, close to our physiological needs, could suit some but not others. And the commonly accepted explanations regarding the different profiles of people did not sound right to my ears. Indeed, within a species, all members eat well raw and in the same way. So why would humans escape this rule? It was with this awareness that the necessity to develop the 3H: holistic and humanist hygienism became evident to break free from the rut of dogmatism and connect with other dimensions of human experience: the mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual. Between those who eat ‘paleo’ and vegans, between proponents of all-raw without mixing and fans of raw cuisine, between the ketogenic diet and fruitarians, there is indeed enough to lose one’s Latin if one wants to follow THE right method or find THE truth; simply because there isn’t one! It is up to all of us to carve our own path in the food jungle. It is up to all of us to understand the great principles and then adapt them to our unique situation. Undoubtedly, the great current confusion that reigns is there for us to learn to seek our truth by ourselves without waiting for someone to tell us how we should eat, live, heal, think, etc. As if life considered it more important for us to be in a sincere search for our truth rather than to follow choices, even if enlightened, that have been imposed on us.  The necessity to return to a predominantly plant-based and raw diet Nevertheless, the industrial food that has become widespread and the increase in epidemics of all kinds clearly show that humans have reached the limits of their adaptive capacities and that it is time to return to a more natural and physiological diet and lifestyle. That is why I believe that each of us will gain significant benefits from introducing more raw plant-based foods into our plates and using certain simple and accessible hygienist practices (such as intermittent fasting, grounding, cold showers, conscious breathing, etc.). Fascinated by the exhilarating experience I was having with living food and hygienism, I diligently researched and trained to understand all the facets that determine the quality of our health. Amidst all the existing theories on the subject, I let my intuition and many experiences guide me, the basis for validating or not a theory. Not having been shaped by academic teaching allowed me to approach this topic with as few preconceived notions as possible. It is in this way that I assembled, like the pieces of a puzzle, a set of knowledge and observations that allow us to understand our physiological needs and explain the benefits of living food and, more generally, hygienism. Hygienism as a spiritual path The holistic and humanist hygienism (the 3H) that I wish to develop is and will never be just a pretext to give oneself love (consciously!), a way to reconnect with oneself and with life; it is not a manual for healing a specific pathology. But this reconnection to the living, in its biological as well as spiritual dimension, often offers, as a collateral benefit, a significant improvement in health status. It is also important to understand that Optimal Health  is only a theoretical state that we cannot currently reach (see this article on the limits of hygienism) due to our toxic legacy (the one received at birth), several decades of conventional eating (for most of us), pollution (of air, water, and food), and our difficulty in managing our ‘negative’ emotions (sources of toxins and dysfunctions within the body itself). That is why hygienist techniques can only aim to optimize our health by providing more energy to our body, improving the quality of our fluids and organic tissues, strengthening our immune system, and enhancing our eliminatory functions. Even though

Meditate and Breathe

Meditate and breathe or the art of reprogramming oneself… Practiced every morning on an empty stomach right after getting out of bed, meditation and breathing exercises truly allow one to reprogram their mind to open up to more love and peace. This ritual is also a privileged moment of intimacy with one’s body to relearn how to listen to what it tells us and interact with it. The varied trainings that follow originate from Buddhist teachings, shamanism, and Taoism. Most of them have been extracted from the works whose covers are displayed in this article. They are practiced in a seated position for meditations and lying down for breathing exercises. These morning sessions transform and enrich as practice continues. This is just a path of exploration; it is up to you to create your custom ritual without turning your back on a multi-millennial wisdom whose beneficial effects are now recognized by science. Other reasons to spend time meditating when I am already so busy? Living without meditating is like walking without looking at your compass: there is little chance you will reach your destination, that of happiness and a fulfilling life. Where we all want to go… Because when you meditate, your brain shifts from beta waves (12 to 45 Hz, characteristic of analytical functions, reasoning) to alpha waves (8 to 12 Hz, like those of the Earth, characteristic of calm and access to our intuition), which opens a bridge to the unconscious. This allows for reprogramming, learning the language of the body, feeling the circulation of energies, sensing the birth of emotions, and then learning to manage them. Or even developing intuition, gaining perspective on events, and disconnecting the mind. Or even taking conscious control of the functioning of one’s body and physiological parameters. Other reasons to do breathing exercises? Focusing on something like the breath reduces the activity of the amygdala involved in emotions and stimulates the vagus nerve, which contributes to the relaxation of the body. Specifically, conscious breathing dispels dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, fears, nervousness, and irritations. And if you practice hyperventilation, they are also deacidifying and detoxifying. This means they will reduce inflammatory states and pain in addition to accelerating the regeneration process. Moreover, if done correctly, conscious breathing helps retrain the unconscious respiratory function, meaning you breathe better in daily life, even without having to think about it. Just that, yes!! Example of rituals combining guided breathing and meditations to start the day Gratitude: Wake up with the first thought: “Thank you for this day. Thank you, life.” while smiling. We start the session with breathing About 30 minutes of breathing exercises lying down, one hand on the belly, the other on the heart: Hyperventilation breaths: 30 powerful breaths (inhaling through the nose: belly + chest, exhaling through the mouth relaxed, sudden and without forcing) followed by an apnea, empty lungs (option 1) or full lungs (option 2), held until the reflex of suffocation. Then, a deep inhalation followed by a short apnea of about 20 seconds. During this time, focus your attention on the sensation of warmth that arises in places and diffuse it throughout the body through thought. Several series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-USZpRq-0RQ&t=5shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OOfhCl6to0&t=840s Please note: theses videos are currently in French, but you can activate YouTube’s auto-generated subtitles in English while we work on providing a dedicated English version. Square breathing: For 5 seconds (or the equivalent in heartbeats) inhale while expanding the belly and chest, 5 seconds of retention with full lungs, 5 seconds exhale completely, 5 seconds of retention with empty lungs. Repeat the process for a minimum of 3 minutes. Option 1: During inhalation, breathe in all positive elements like love, trust, energy, etc., and during the following retention, imagine it spreading and being absorbed by all your cells. Note the different sensations based on the element you chose to inhale. Option 2: During the retention with full lungs, accumulate all negative elements like anger, fear, doubt, fatigue, etc., and during exhalation, imagine it leaving your body. Note the different sensations based on the element you chose to exhale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGmBOkCsBrQ&t=5s We continue with different types of meditations They are preferably practiced sitting cross-legged or in lotus position, otherwise sitting at the edge of a chair with a straight back.  All phrases in quotes are to be pronounced mentally and are there only as a guideline. It is up to you to personalize them! Setting positive intentions: “I dedicate the benefits of this practice to the happiness of all beings.” “May this day flow in peace, joy, love, sharing, understanding, etc.” “I am a unique and magnificent being.” “I am getting better and better on all levels.” Express an intention about the changes one wants to make in oneself by banning any negative formulation like “Not…”. It is about transmuting the negative into positive to attract what one desires. Connecting with one’s body: “Thank you to my sight, my hearing, my smell, my taste, my sensitivity, my intuition, and my inner knowledge [focus your attention successively on each of these senses] for the universe they create.” “I greet within me the earth element [become aware of the firmness of the ground where you are sitting], the water element [become aware of the moisture inside your mouth], the air element [become aware of the air going in and out of the lungs], and the fire element [become aware of the warm and cold areas in your body].” Connecting with Nature: “The Universe is my home: the sky, the sun, the clouds, the air, the water, and the earth [focus your gaze on these elements and feel them].” “All living beings want to be happy; that is our common point. We form a big family.” Meditations: About 20 minutes of mindfulness meditation with the breath as the object of attention and visualization exercises. Intrusive thoughts should pass like birds in the sky, fleeting and leaving no traces: With eyes closed, inhale thinking “I am Love” and imagining this love entering through the plexus, exhale

Hormesis through Fasting

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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbfebBV9qec&t=17s Introduction The human body struggles with the abundance of food we face because our genes were not selected for this. In contrast, it is full of adaptations to cope with food scarcity, which is a natural phenomenon. We all have within us a program that the body can switch to when entering a fasting period to use its reserves to meet cellular needs: this is the principle of autolysis. Lysis (cellular destruction) occurs on our own tissues, starting with those that are superfluous, sick, and sometimes dangerous. Thus, excess fat reserves will be used long before muscle mass is affected (the latter can be partially used if fasting is prolonged for a long duration). Noble organs like the brain, nerve tissues, glands, and heart are not affected by this lysis. Fasting is a selective self-cleaning process of the body, where a protein savings is put in place. Sarah Juszah, naturopath, specialist in health nutrition and raw food, trained in fasting and trekking. Studies unequivocally show that it is optimal for the body to remain daily between 12 and 16 hours without eating. This is called intermittent fasting; it allows the body to benefit from digestive rest and to initiate the self-cleaning process. The health consequences are notable in terms of increased lifespan (proven in mice), reduced inflammatory processes, and strengthened immunity. Specifically, this means skipping a meal, preferably breakfast, to benefit from a period of activity on an empty stomach. Beyond healing, fasting is a healthy practice to adopt regularly in life, to reset the system and allow it to breathe a little. Especially in the context of a unique moment in human history where we are dying from being too “nourished”. Françoise Wilhelmi de Toledo writes: “(Through fasting) We achieve… a stabilization of the diseases of our time, such as metabolic syndrome, which is an association of abdominal obesity, type II diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and hyperuricemia. Instead of giving five medications plus those to counteract the side effects, we fast to reset all the counters. Obviously, the positive effects will only be maintained if the person improves their lifestyle. It can be a new beginning.” To confront hunger and benefit from its healing effects, it is also possible to fast for several days or even several weeks. After two or three days of fasting, the body slows its basal metabolism to conserve energy: body temperature, blood pressure, and pulse decrease, and motivation for any activity disintegrates. In return, the senses sharpen, behavioral patterns leave us in peace, and mental faculties (imagination, lucidity, memory, intuition) are literally boosted. One then experiences a remarkable inner experience. If one cannot perform intense physical effort during a fast, energy is still present to carry out moderate endurance efforts such as walking. This is an adaptive process selected by evolution. To survive during periods of restriction, it is precisely at this moment that humans must be most relevant in their choices and able to move over long distances. Account of my crossing of the Mackenzie Mountains, 360 km trek without eating for 14 days in August 2018. The mechanisms of fasting Fasting provides an effective solution to naturally relieve many diseases, particularly those called civilization diseases. Obesity, hypertension, migraines, pain, inflammation, depression, epilepsy, cancer, … Fasting is also interesting for its psychological benefits and for reconnecting with oneself. It is scientifically proven that periodic fasting and caloric restriction, if balanced, protect us from premature aging and chronic civilization diseases. The positive effects of fasting come from four main key mechanisms: physiological rest, activation of excretory organs, controlled autolysis of aged, sick, and tumor tissues, and body regeneration with the production of stem cells. The physiological rest Beyond the third day of fasting, metabolism slows down: breathing, blood circulation, and all vital activities are slowed. Internal organs, endocrine glands, and the digestive system rest. Only the elimination system does considerable work, as it frees the body from its deeply accumulated toxins. This detoxification requires a lot of energy, and if it is not sufficient and available, the elimination and repair functions will be diminished, leading to detox symptoms that can be unpleasant. It is thanks to this rest time that the body can invest all its energy in its reparative activities: restoring vigor to an exhausted digestive system, rebalancing an overworked glandular system, resting a tense nervous system. This mechanism gives fasting its effectiveness and therapeutic character. The activation of excretory organs Normally, with three or more meals a day, the body spends a good part (between 40 and 60%) of its energy on digestion. With fasting, this energy is used for other purposes, particularly for waste elimination. Thus, the main excretory organs: liver, kidneys, skin, lungs, and intestines can excrete a maximum of toxins to clean the body. Autophagy or controlled autolysis of aged, sick, and tumor tissues The word autolysis comes from Greek and means loss of oneself. In physiology, it refers to the process of digestion and disintegration of tissues by enzymes. It is because it is deprived of any nutrient intake during fasting that our body practices autolysis. The body exerts very strict control over this process: tissues are destroyed in inverse proportion to their utility, and the vital tissues of the body are not sacrificed. On the contrary, non-essential or abnormal tissues are more easily destroyed by autolysis, and their components are transported throughout the body to be recycled and thus nourish vital or healthy tissues. Free radicals are also neutralized and then eliminated. Our body thus repairs itself deeply. It is this process of autodigestion and disintegration of worn tissues that leads to the regeneration of cells, tissues, and organs. Autolysis attacks in order: Circulating metabolic waste in the blood. Fats and stagnant waste that are stored deeper in the body. Embedded waste (cysts, fibroids, and tumors). Regeneration with the production

Hormesis through Physical Activity

I noticed that the people most prone to suffering from chronic fatigue are primarily those who have the least physical activity. For the simple reason that physical activity, through breathing, provides energy to the body that exceeds what is lost from a caloric standpoint. Unless one exceeds the measure (a measure that shifts anyway), the more one works physically (through their job or through sports), the fitter one becomes. A good fatigue The physical fatigue that comes after exertion is beneficial for the body: tensions dissipate and the brain more easily enters a state of full awareness. Moreover, to build and maintain the good health of our earthly vehicle (the cardiovascular system, the skeleton, our muscles and tendons, as well as the functioning of our organs), we need regular physical activity. This can be an endurance or strength sport, a gentle activity like yoga or qigong, etc. Additionally, all these movements will promote the blood and lymphatic circulation of the body to allow for better overall health and greater well-being. Finally, fatigue is information and not a state to be fought against. Fatigue after a well-filled day provides a sensation that is both gentle and pleasant when welcomed. It is what contributes to restorative sleep. On the other hand, there is a problem when it is overexpressed, especially if it is present upon waking. If that is the case, you need to regenerate (for example, through fasting, a juice cleanse, or sleep) or engage in a physical activity that recharges your energy. The two are not incompatible. The benefits of combining strength, endurance, and flexibility It is necessary to work together on exercises that combine strength, endurance, and flexibility in order to develop a harmonious body and achieve maximum performance. Endurance sports, such as running, are the best means to strengthen the cardiovascular system, improve blood circulation, and build the necessary foundations for all other sports activities. Strength training will develop muscle mass and allow our body to burn its fat reserves more efficiently. That is why a combination of strength training sessions and endurance sports is the best way to achieve maximum results and boost performance. By varying strength and endurance training, the body will not develop a phenomenon of habituation. This will allow you to constantly improve your athletic level. In addition, to avoid injuries and promote relaxation of the body, it is wise to develop flexibility through stretching or practicing yoga. How often to practice? Regular practice of sports brings a lot of satisfaction. It’s physiological: endorphins or the happiness hormone secreted by the brain during physical activity provide a sense of well-being, which is not negligible. This is what gives the motivation to return! Example of a weekly routine: 3 to 5 sessions of 20 to 30 minutes of HIIT, 1 session of yoga/stretching every day (even if it lasts only 10 minutes), 1 hour of outdoor endurance sports per day, Bodyweight exercises every day. One can use a training journal to note what has been done each day and thus stay motivated! The ideal is to do your own research on YouTube (or any other medium) to create a customized program that suits us. The principle is to become autonomous in creating the weekly training routine that suits us and that we will maintain in the long term. The necessity of movement in the development of the nervous system Since childhood, the variety of our movements, very varied and frequent in children, is necessary, among other things, for the proper development of the skeleton and the nervous system. In adulthood, our mind as well as our body tend to become rigid in habits. Recreating time to let the body move and express itself through intuitive or archetypal movements allows us to restore mobility to our body and break free from certain emotional or mental dead ends. What to take away from all this is that the proper development of our nervous system and our 3 brains (primitive brain, limbic brain, and neocortex) depends on the body movements performed during childhood and, later, in adulthood, for its proper maintenance. It is the nervous system that commands movements and, in return, movements ensure the deployment and proper wiring of the nervous system. That is why a child whose movements are hindered (with shoes, toys, etc.) may not develop their brain optimally, resulting in delays in neuromotor development. Archetypal movements What is it? Dr. Temple Fay, an American neurosurgeon, was the first to observe the impact of initial movements of the body, practiced by all newborns, on the awakening and organization of the central nervous system, immature at birth. There are 12 archetypal movements, 5 joint mobility movements in place, and 7 movements used to move the body in space, before reaching bipedal walking. These coordinated movements form the evolutionary foundations of human motor skills. Benefits at all ages of archetypal movements: Hones the joints and traces the axes that connect them. Builds the control system of movements that prepare for walking. Awakens the organs and the 5 senses, connecting, through the meridians, parts of the body that are unaware of each other. Allows the brain to draw the body schema. Stimulates brain maturation by connecting numerous neurons. Refines proprioception, that is to say, the ability to feel one’s body.

Hormesis by Cold

Hormesis from cold aims to enhance the body’s resistance to “stress” caused by the cold. This is so that the body no longer perceives cold as an enemy, but rather as a true health ally. The benefits of cold exposure Exposing the body to a cold, even icy, environment will cause a significant drop in body temperature. In response, the body under stress will develop a set of physiological adaptation reactions to maintain an adequate internal temperature:  The production of brown fat which :    protects us from the cold by producing heat  transports stem cells  regulates appetite  activates immune defenses  controls blood pressure  prevents clot formation  repairs blood vessels  regulates blood sugar  nourishes muscles and bones  reduces inflammatory state  transports internal waste to the exit   Vasodilation in the trunk and vasoconstriction in the extremities. In the long term, this leads to better blood circulation: the muscles of the veins strengthen and capillaries develop, which decreases the risk of varicose veins, promotes decongestion and cleansing of organs, and relieves the heart’s workload. The activation of the fascia which transports brown fat and circulating lymph allowing the body to self-cleanse. The release of endorphins which lead to a reduction in stress and a feeling of euphoria. The skin tones up and the hair cuticle closes, improving their quality. Regular exposure to cold also brings numerous health benefits including: resistance to cold, weight loss, optimization of the immune system, endurance and recovery speed, vitality, stress resistance, prevention of certain pathologies such as diabetes, depression, etc. Different exposures One can expose oneself to the cold in different ways: by dressing less, taking cold showers or cold baths, whether in a pool, a river, a tub, or a pond. The principle is not to be cold all day, which would be absurd, but to dedicate a moment of the day to voluntarily expose oneself to the cold. There are breathing and yoga exercises that allow the body to better react to the cold, but you can also choose to practice self-taught by listening to your own sensations, which is the most important. Personally, I cannot recommend enough to follow the online courses of the Wim Hof method. My advice before diving in First of all: Seek advice from a specialist if you suffer from a major illness such as heart problems. Preparation in advance: have a regular practice of yoga and conscious breathing as this promotes fluid circulation. Preparation before the act: Have an empty stomach; warm up your body through movement and stay fully aware of your breath. Gradually enter the cold water without forcing, welcome the sensations without judgment, stay focused on your breath which becomes slower and learn to relax in discomfort. After a few seconds (if it’s your first baths) to a maximum of 3 minutes you can exit. It is unnecessary to stay longer to enjoy the benefits of the cold. Warm your body through movement until a normal temperature returns. And finally, savor this feeling of physical and mental well-being that will make you want to return.  My favorite protocol My favorite protocol with the cold is to go in first thing in the morning upon waking, to start the day well. First, even before getting up, I do 3 to 4 cycles of basic Wim Hof breathing (with empty lung holds) or Buteyko breathing (alternating every other day for these two methods). I call this my “breakfast.” Then, I perform dry brushing from my feet to my head to remove dead skin, open pores, and, above all, promote blood and lymphatic circulation. After these two exercises, I stay focused on my breath to accomplish the first challenge of the day: taking a cold bath before doing anything else. Before entering the water, while being very calm, I thank the water and the cold element for providing me with all their benefits, and I ask my body to welcome them. Once in the water, if the cold grips me, I count my breaths, light and very slow breaths. I then learn to relax and find comfort in discomfort. I fully enjoy this brief moment of privileged connection with nature and the elements. My senses are in hyper-vigilance and I am fully present in the moment and to my environment: the water running over my skin, the stones and rocks, the presence of moss, the trees, the song of the birds, etc. It is one of the moments of the day when I feel most alive and I am grateful for the physical and psychological benefits that this practice brings me.  With years of practice, I have learned not to compete with myself or to function on adrenaline. My only goal is to maximize pleasure, which is why I rarely stay more than a few minutes, never forcing. I have experienced a state of ecstasy in cold water and been in communion with the environment, sometimes even spontaneously singing mantras. The flow of time is then altered and I can stay 20 minutes or more without feeling cold. But that is not what I seek in practicing my morning ritual, which is there, above all, to help me start the day on the right foot with plenty of energy and good humor. Once I get out of the water, I put my hands in a greeting posture and thank the water and the cold for their benefits, and I thank myself for having enough discipline to “dive in.” Then, to warm up, I do some shaking, gentle movements, stretching, and animal flow. Once my body temperature rises, I vigorously dry myself with a rough towel and then massage myself with vegetable oil. The ritual ends when I slip into clean clothes: I then feel joyful, fit, and full of enthusiasm to live this new day on Earth! The morning cold bath is not, for me, a daily practice; sometimes it will simply be a cold shower. And if I feel tired or sick, I won’t go say hello to

Fill in your deficiencies with Living Nutrition

“I believe that insidious metabolic damage occurs, even with only very slight deficiencies in micronutrients, and that they will increase the risk of cancer, cognitive dysfunction, and other aging-related diseases.” Dr. Bruce Ames, biochemist “It is known that plants directly draw from the air, water, and earth the elements necessary for sustaining life, particularly carbon and nitrogen: they take them in their mineral form. In contrast, animals can only seize these same elements if they have already been fixed for them in organic substances by plants or by animals that, directly or indirectly, owe them to plants, so that ultimately it is the plant that feeds the animal.” Henri Bergson in his book “Creative Evolution” Vital nutrients The vital elements we absorb through food are classified into two categories: Macronutrients: proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Micronutrients: minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants. “There are about 40 vitamins or quasi-vitamins, minerals, and amino acids essential for health. If you are deprived of one or the other, you will die.” Dr. Bruce Ames, biochemist In this article, we will therefore focus on the issue of mineral and vitamin deficiencies that affect the majority of the population. The most common mineral deficiencies are in iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, selenium The most common vitamin deficiencies are those of groups B, C, D, and E The presence of minerals is essential to activate the many enzymes that play a key role in the body  ranging from nutrient absorption to energy production, as well as controlling hormonal, muscular, nervous, and immune systems. Furthermore,  minerals are antioxidants and alkalizing agents. As for vitamins, they are also involved in many biological functions: antioxidant, body building (growth, skeleton development…), functioning and maintenance of the body (transformation and use of macronutrients, vision, blood coagulation, muscular, nervous, immune systems, DNA production, …). Diagnosing a deficiency is not straightforward.  Indeed, it is important to distinguish between extracellular minerals (those that circulate in our biological fluids like blood or interstitial fluid) and intracellular minerals (those that manage to penetrate the heart of the cells). This is why  the characteristic disorders of deficiencies can manifest in individuals who, otherwise, show completely satisfactory blood test results. This is explained by the fact that  not all minerals and vitamins are bioavailable  (that is to say, usable by the body). If they cannot penetrate the cells or if they are not usable (which is the case when micronutrients are not organic), they will be eliminated through hepatic and urinary pathways, which will only result in adding extra work for the body. Some micronutrients and associated deficiencies An internet search provides the following information: Magnesium It is one of the most abundant body minerals. Half of the magnesium present in the body is located in the bone tissue. It is also a regulator of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in muscle, cardiac, and nervous tissues. It participates in more than 300 metabolic reactions in the body, hence its importance. The symptoms of a magnesium deficiency:  physical and mental fatigue, chronic anxiety, irritability, insomnia, muscle cramps, tremors. Calcium The main function of calcium is the well-known one of building and renewing the skeleton. Additionally, calcium participates in muscle and cardiac contraction, blood coagulation, cellular exchanges, membrane permeability, hormone release, and nerve impulse transmission. The symptoms of a calcium deficiency: dry and scaly skin, brittle nails, and dull hair, frequent cramps in the back and leg muscles. Vitamin C It is an immune stimulant that activates the formation of antibodies. Its antioxidant effect protects against the acceleration of cellular aging and contributes to the healing of skin wounds and burns. It also has a significant anti-fatigue effect. The symptoms of a vitamin C deficiency: fatigue, immune fragility (recurrent infections), irritability, fragility of capillaries (bruises), healing problems. Vitamin D It is essential for the bone fixation of minerals (notably calcium and magnesium), hence its direct impact on bone strength. Vitamin D also acts at the muscular level (for contraction) and cerebral level (it is a protective agent for neurons). It also modulates the activity of the immune system, stimulating it in case of infection and calming it in case of autoimmune reaction. The symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency: bone disorders (notably osteoporosis), muscle weakness, immune fragility, stress sensitivity, depression. Deficiencies are, paradoxically, one of the causes of obesity.  Indeed, if our diet provides macronutrients but not enough micronutrients (as is the case with processed food), then as soon as the meal is digested, even if it was very caloric, hunger returns very quickly. A hunger not for calories but for essential vitamins and minerals. And if in response to this hunger we again provide food deficient in bioavailable micronutrients, then we enter a vicious cycle that can lead to weight gain. Why are we deficient? The reasons are multiple and interdependent: Insufficient consumption of raw fruits and vegetables, which are the best source of vitamins and minerals. Fruits and vegetables poor in micronutrients due to cultivation on depleted soil or off-soil (hydroponics). Lack of sun exposure to produce vitamin D, which has the collateral effect of disrupting the absorption of other micronutrients. Too high a proportion of cooked foods in the diet. Heat (beyond 42°) destroys the enzymes naturally present in raw foods that are responsible for the assimilation of minerals and vitamins. Increased levels of stress and pollution (pesticides, nanoparticles, waves, etc.) that raise the level of free radicals. This leads to an exaggerated consumption of micronutrients for defense. Excessive consumption of animal proteins and stimulants (tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco, etc.) that acidify the environment and force the body to use its mineral reserves to restore acid-base balance. Excessive consumption of refined sugars and flours. These empty calories of micronutrients deplete mineral reserves because the use of these sugars requires minerals that are normally provided by food (as is the case with fruits). Mood, these 45 L of liquids in which cells are bathed, too clogged for micronutrients to reach the cells. This is why fasting is sometimes the best way

Living Nutrition and Food Combinations

Is it good to mix raw foods? Ideally, we would only eat raw and unmixed foods, just like a great ape would when going from tree to tree. However, after decades of traditional eating, switching to this ideal diet would be too intense for the body, for two reasons: Eating is also a pleasure, and when one is used to certain textures and tastes, it can be difficult to do without them. Eating only raw fruits and vegetables will lead to intense detox crises that will be hard to manage, especially if you do not understand their origin and do not have the appropriate naturopathic tools to navigate them. Like any major change in life, it is realized step by step by setting priorities or stages. Avoid making too many mixtures: Our body is equipped with many sensors in the ORL area and in our intestines that allow us to measure the nutritional quality of a food. In response to this very complex and almost instantaneous bodily analysis, our body gives us a response: If we like it, it means our body needs it. If we don’t like it, it means our body does not need it or that it is inappropriate. The catch is that our instinct can deceive us when the food is cooked (a part of the information contained in the food is destroyed, especially when cooking is done at high temperatures) and/or when there are too many mixtures (even raw) and the sensors are, therefore, confused. Moreover, not all foods require the same digestive juices in the stomach, which hinders the proper absorption of nutrients and burdens digestion, particularly mixtures with fruits which, themselves. Why are fruits eaten before meals or between meals? Because fruits are digested only in the intestines and not in the stomach. If you eat them while your stomach is in full digestion, or if you eat them with other types of foods, the fruits will not be able to go directly to the intestines and will be exposed to acids that may potentially make them indigestible. It is therefore better to eat your fruits at the beginning of a meal (wait 20 minutes to an hour for their complete digestion) or between meals. Note: If you consume a heavy meal high in fats (based on oilseeds, for example) or proteins, it can remain in the stomach for up to 10 hours! If you consume fruits before digestion is completely finished, you may experience heartburn, but the fruits will not be directly responsible. However, some food combinations are very well tolerated by the body and it is wise to know the principles illustrated in the diagram below: Here are my recommendations: First stage: Eat as much living food as possible! In my view, it is better to do CRUsine (even if the combinations are not very physiological) than to eat cooked foods or animal products. As long as it is plant-based and alive, go for food combinations (without worrying if it is physiological or not) that you enjoy as long as you digest them well. However, it is preferable to not mix more than three or four different foods (condiments aside) in the same recipe. Second stage: Once you are well invested in the process and if your vitality allows it, practice naturopathic detox techniques to deeply detoxify your body. You will then see, month after month, year after year, that your food cravings will lighten. You will then naturally and effortlessly move towards an increasingly raw diet without involving the mind, simply by reconnecting to your feelings. But this can only happen if you release layer after layer of accumulated toxins.  Some tips to avoid digestive discomfort: Avoid eating your fruits at the end of the meal. Avoid any mixture containing both fats and carbohydrates (like nuts – sweet fruits). Avoid mixing acidic fruits with sweet fruits (like dates – lemon). Avoid consuming more than 20% of fats (in caloric ratio) in a day. To learn more about fats, read: “What are our needs for fats ?”  Suggested reading for further exploration: The article: What about Sensory Nutrition?  The article: What are our needs for fats ?  « Food Combining Made Easy », by Herbert M. Shelton « The Detox Miracle Sourcebook: Raw Foods and Herbs for Complete Cellular Regeneration », by Robert Morse, N.D

Seawater and its benefits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPVEMeFPYec In bath:  Seawater has been used in thalassotherapy since Antiquity for its numerous therapeutic properties. Seawater is rich in minerals and trace elements, which is good for the skin and hair. A simple fifteen-minute sea bath each day is enough to recharge the body. Its benefits: It revives tired organisms. It promotes healing and improves skin quality. It effectively repairs a fracture. It decongests the respiratory tract. It prevents many diseases. It cleanses the scalp. It also cleanses the body of accumulated emotional tensions and negative energies. Internally:  History:  In 1897, the French biologist René Quinton highlighted similarities between the mineral composition of seawater and that of the interstitial medium and blood plasma. He deduced that the human body would certainly respond well to treatments and preparations containing substances derived from the sea. Definitions:  The term “Quinton” or “hypertonic Quinton” refers to seawater that has been collected from vortices, far from any source of pollution, and in an environment rich in phytoplankton. This water is then cold-filtered and without radiation before being bottled. The term “Quinton Plasma” or “isotonic Quinton” refers to seawater brought to the molecular concentration of blood plasma by dilution with distilled water. Quinton versus seawater:  Due to the high cost of Quinton (20 euros per liter), one can more simply buy seawater as long as it has been collected from an environment rich in phytoplankton (otherwise the minerals are less well assimilable), far from pollution sources, several meters below the water surface, and then filtered at 0.22 microns cold and without radiation. Seawater harvested under these conditions can be consumed orally. If it is for injection use, it is preferable to use filtered seawater (0.22 microns) then ultra-filtered (0.01 microns) and collected at a depth of 25m with tests to verify the water quality. Seawater collected under these conditions is called marine plasma and is of equivalent quality to Quinton water except that it does not have certification. These favorable conditions for the collection and filtration of seawater are met at naturitas.co.uk Seawater versus freshwater:  Contrary to what one might think, it is very beneficial to drink seawater or Quinton. It contains, in a form assimilable by the body (thanks to the presence of phytoplankton), all the minerals and trace elements present on Earth, unlike freshwater whose minerals are less diverse and not bioavailable. This is why, in bottles, spring waters (low dry residue rate) are preferred over mineral waters (high dry residue rate) which can cause calcifications and kidney stones. If you collect your own seawater, do so at some distance from pollution sources and at least one meter below the surface (to avoid floating oils). Before consuming it, this water must first be filtered to eliminate micropollutants.  Drinking seawater has many benefits, it:  Stimulates metabolism Prevents chronic constipation Limits adrenal fatigue Detoxifies, remineralizes, and revitalizes the body Strengthens the nervous system due to the presence of magnesium Reduces inflammatory states Regulates estrogen production Reduces nasal congestion and cleanses the sinuses (to be used in aerosol or with a neti pot) Contains vitamin B12 What quantity to consume?  Seawater is an alkaline food particularly recommended in cases of body acidification or deficiencies. Moreover, it improves kidney function. You can drink it every day as much as you want by diluting it to your liking, so that you find it pleasant to taste. Seawater is a living food, and therefore your taste, and only it, can indicate the daily quantities your body needs.  Refined salt versus seawater:  The salt contained in seawater is very different from refined salt, which has lost all its beneficial properties and is harmful to health, just like refined sugar. Refined salt causes: inflammation of tissues and water retention (due to its high chlorine content), damage to blood vessels, thickening of the blood, and increased blood pressure, stomach irritation (directly linked to stomach cancer) and an imbalance in intestinal flora, overeating, calcium loss, and dehydration, kidney fatigue, and promotes the development of kidney stones. On the other hand, magnesium and potassium, which are abundant in seawater, are hypotensive agents. This is why avoiding good salt (seawater or unrefined salt) is not good for your health, as the body needs the minerals it provides for the proper functioning of the kidneys and heart. Unrefined salt versus seawater:  Even though seawater tastes salty, it does not contain salt (NaCl, sodium chloride) but minerals in ionic form, which makes all the difference because the body can more easily use or eliminate them as it sees fit. In addition, seawater contains more volatile minerals such as iodine than unrefined sea salt (such as Guérande or Himalayan salt). Personally, I am very sensitive to salt, whether refined or unrefined, as it causes water retention and unpleasant sensations in my body, whereas seawater does not cause me any problems, even though my body requires about 1 liter per week. It should be noted:  To properly absorb vitamins, the body needs to be adequately mineralized. If there is a single mineral missing in the body, then certain vitamins will not be absorbed. And if there is too much of one mineral, it blocks the absorption of other minerals. For example, too much calcium blocks the absorption of phosphorus, which is why calcium supplementation may not improve bone quality since they also contain phosphorus). The advantage of seawater is that it will harmoniously remineralize (in quantity and quality) the body better than any supplement. Minerals are bioavailable to humans only if we absorb them through an animal, a plant, a fungus, or an alga. The minerals in seawater are bioavailable because they are contained in phytoplankton, hence the importance of collecting seawater where there is a sufficient concentration of phytoplankton. Long before we were humans or even primates, we were marine organisms (think of the different stages of human fetal evolution), moreover, it is in the sea that the first forms of life appeared. It is a primordial liquid! Seawater is a living food, and if heated, it

Hormesis: Intermittent Fasting and Its Limits

Intermittent fasting is a common practice today. It consists of only eating within an 8-hour window on average. Many choose to skip breakfast and have their first meal of the day at noon. Others prefer to have breakfast but do not eat in the evening.  Intermittent fasting is not strictly speaking a fast. But it has the virtue of providing a window of a few hours where the body, in a state of digestive rest, initiates detoxification mode, as at the beginning of a fast.  The benefits Increase in growth hormones. It helps to increase the number of cells in our body, to grow, but also to develop our muscles and bones. They act as a barrier against cellular aging by accelerating the production of new cells.- Weight loss and increased life expectancy. By reducing the eating window, and even by having larger meals, we eat less. This reduces the amount of calories consumed. Moreover, several scientific studies have proven that this leads to a better life expectancy.  The other observed benefits of intermittent fasting Reduction of inflammatory phenomena. Improvement of intellectual functions. Reduction of cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.  My opinion on intermittent fasting Intermittent fasting is certainly a way to organize meals that promotes detox and digestive rest. However, according to my expertise, it is not wise to prioritize this practice over Living Nutrition. Indeed, many people will practice intermittent fasting (often by skipping breakfast) but eat everything, which greatly limits its benefits. The mistake would be, for example, to eat heavy and in large quantities in the evening to last until noon the next day.  I rather advise you to prioritize a maximum proportion of living foods in your day, even if it means eating within a wider time frame than 8 hours. One of the principles of Living Nutrition is to listen to your needs again. So, if your body asks for living food, give it what it needs rather than imposing arbitrary schedules that will disrupt your food cravings and delay this reconnection to the body’s intelligence. It is important to realize that your mind is not competent to tell you when and what to eat! Only your body, through feeling, can provide you with this information. One of the great virtues of Living Nutrition, combined with naturopathic detox practices that help detoxify deeply, is precisely to gradually reconnect you to your instinct. An instinct that works in reverse when cells are poisoned and they crave non-physiological foods. What we observe, after a certain time of predominantly eating living foods, is that we are not hungry in the morning upon waking and that we avoid meals after 6 PM (to not disturb sleep). Thus, as we gradually reconnect to the body’s intelligence (which happens progressively over several years), intermittent fasting sets in naturally, not necessarily every day of the week but when it suits the body.

Hygienism: Dental Hygiene

Introduction Do you know what the most widespread disease in the world is despite all our efforts to eradicate it? The one that can perforate the hardest part of the human body and cause intense pain? The one that can disfigure our smile and make it difficult for us to eat? You probably guessed it, it is dental caries, a disease that can have significant negative consequences on health if we do not intervene to treat them. But it is not the only one; between malocclusion issues and gum recession, our dentition suffers more and more ailments even though technologies are increasingly developed and omnipresent. What if we put words to these ailments? It is all the more legitimate to take an interest in them when we realize that teeth are a reflection of our iDENTity. When did this process of dental degeneration begin and why? It is to these questions that we will attempt to respond in this article. Personally, this is a subject I have closely examined following dental problems that arose after 10 years of hygienism. Not that my hygienist practices are responsible for my dental issues (which I would have had sooner or later anyway) but simply to clarify that it would be a mistake to believe that a good lifestyle protects us from all ailments. From this unpleasant surprise, which was a source of questioning, I have drawn rich lessons that I am pleased to share here so that you take care of your teeth as best as possible and do not relax your dental hygiene even if you eat better than before. Nature as a Model Observing nature has much to teach us about dental problems because animals have no issues without having to brush their teeth or worry about not eating between meals. If we observe the animals closest to us, those that make up the great ape family, they eat (according to specialists who have studied them) between 95 and 100% raw fruits and vegetables without any specific dental hygiene while maintaining healthy and aligned teeth. Yet, in the face of the global public health problem that caries represent, our healthcare system simply warns us against excessive sugar consumption. That’s it. An astonishing conclusion when one thinks of the frugivorous diet of chimpanzees (99.4% of genes in common with humans). But give refined sugar, cereals, sodas, cookies, etc., to any animal, domestic or wild, and it is highly likely that problems will arise… The Origin of Caries Indeed, not all sugars are equal (I will discuss this further below) and the true cause of caries is not directly related to the mere presence of sugar. For proof, they appeared roughly in the Neolithic (the advent of agriculture about 12,000 years ago), when  humans began to consume large quantities of cooked cereals or starches.  Whereas among gatherers (who primarily consume fruits) and hunter-gatherers, no dental problems have been detected. (Note: this link leads to a website in French. To read it in English or another language, simply copy the URL and paste it into Google Translate https://translate.google.com/?sl=fr&tl=it&op=translate) The various dental problems increasingly encountered in modern humans: Caries (the largest source of infection in the world) Occlusion problems (misaligned teeth) Periodontal diseases (receding gums) Although I am neither a doctor nor a dentist, I have conducted my own investigation into oral health. The personal conclusions below are informed by various readings (see our sources at the bottom of the page), personal reflections, and experiences shared with dentists and hygienists. The origin of dental problems viewed from a biological angle 1. Regarding caries The terrain is everything This bacterial infection that can even perforate tooth enamel and create cavities cannot, as we mentioned earlier, have its sole origin in sugar consumption; otherwise, great apes would have caries, and anthropologists would have found caries on the skeletons of humans before the Neolithic (or before humans began to consume large quantities of cooked starches). The other, more plausible hypothesis put forward by some holistic dentists is that it is an excessive acidity in the oral sphere (oral flora + saliva + biofilm on the teeth) that creates a favorable environment for the development of certain bacteria (Streptococcus mutans) responsible for caries. Parenthesis: From a hygienist’s point of view, there are no good or bad bacteria. The bacteria we call “pathogenic” can only develop when the terrain is unbalanced. Moreover, an overly acidic terrain forces the body to draw from certain mineral reserves (notably calcium and magnesium) stored in the skeleton, which will serve as a buffer system to neutralize acidity and thus rebalance the pH of the blood and cells. Consequently, acidification of the body can indirectly lead to demineralization of enamel (and the entire skeleton), making teeth more sensitive to attacks from these Streptococcus mutans, which, it is true, feed on sugar but can only act on weakened teeth (by the acidity of saliva and/or demineralization) and in an acidic environment. This reasoning explains why more and more children have decayed baby teeth even before they have erupted from the gums. It also explains why some caries start from inside the tooth. This is merely a reflection of an acidified body. There is “sugar” and “sugar” In this case, why do so many studies demonize sugar and conclude that it is responsible for caries? For several reasons, the first being that the distinction is not made between the sugar in fruits and refined sugar in all its forms: white, brown, in white flours (since starch is a chain of glucose, thus sugar), fructose syrup, etc. All these refined sugars, devoid of (or almost) minerals, enter the blood too quickly compared to the sugar from fruits (which are mixed with fibers, water, vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants, minerals, etc.), creating a harmful blood sugar spike. Another problem with refined sugars: The body needs minerals to convert sugars into energy. If these minerals are absent from the consumed food (which is the case in so-called refined food but not

Definitions of Hygienism

Have you ever heard of hygienism? It is a natural approach to health based on the principle of living and healing in accordance with the laws of nature. Hygienism is not limited to prevention, and its observed beneficial effects are not confined to the placebo effect. On the contrary, it is a holistic approach to health that restores vitality to the body so that it has the means to achieve true healing. Humans and nature To optimize our health and well-being, hygienism considers that the right way of living must align with our primate physiology. And those who practice or recommend behaviors that mimic the life we would have if we were released into nature, as in the past, claim to be hygienists. This makes sense since our primate genetics have adapted over the last 65 million years to our environment and modern life has radically changed our living conditions. The debate about the ‘right’ way to live dates back to antiquity, and some influential figures in recent centuries, such as American health educator Herbert Shelton (1895-1985) and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), understood the health and well-being benefits we could gain from observing nature and its laws. Nowadays, scientific evidence* abounds in this regard, and we realize that our contemporary theories and sciences can only bow to the intelligence of life. *On this subject, read: The Derivative Bath by France Guillain, Does Disease Have a Meaning by Thierry Janssen, Everything That Doesn’t Kill Us by Scott Carney, The Story of the Human Body by Daniel Lieberman, Intelligence in Nature by Jeremy Narby, Rebirth Through Breath by Désiré Mérien. Attempt at a definition Etymologically, the term ‘Hygienism’ originates from Greek mythology, Hygie or Hygée (in ancient Greek Ὑγιεία /Hugieía or Ὑγεία /Hugeía, ‘health’), daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine, and Epione, is the goddess of health, cleanliness, and hygiene. She represents preserved health and also symbolizes preventive medicine. Here is my definition: Hygienism is an approach to health based on the observation and practice of natural laws. Through the study of physiological needs and healing mechanisms, it teaches how to develop a proper listening to oneself and thus intuitively regain good hygiene of life. Hygienism is a science of health whose foundations were laid by American doctors. It was a precursor to modern naturopathy, and its goal is to make optimal health accessible to humanity. But according to reference dictionaries, this word, ‘hygienism’, has not yet gained recognition… The only definition found for ‘hygiene’ is the following:‘A set of measures, processes, and techniques implemented to preserve and improve health.’(source:  to CNRTL: “Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales” (National Center for Textual and Lexical Resources)). In my opinion, there are several reasons contributing to this confusion around the definition of hygienism: The still predominant Pasteurian thought wrongly incriminates microbes in the occurrence of diseases while forgetting the determining role of the ‘terrain’ (constitution + temperament + toxemia). The modern world makes a return to nature impractical. There are effective natural health means that primates do not have access to. And its corollary: hygienists do not agree among themselves on the right behaviors suitable for our nature, particularly regarding purges and vegetable juices. It is possible to propose a definition that has the merit of circumventing these obstacles, which is as follows:‘Hygienism: a set of all ‘natural’ or ‘artificial’ practices adaptable in daily life that aim to improve human health on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels.’ A definition in line with its etymological roots and the vision of health educator Herbert Shelton, who advocated self-healing, fasting, raw foodism, and naturopathy. Concretely, in our daily lives, the combination of these so-called ‘hygienic’ practices must respond in a balanced way to our two vital needs: to accumulate vital energy and to reduce energy leaks. These leaks will be sealed using ‘natural’ or ‘artificial’ antidotes. By ‘artificial’, I mean all the solutions provided by Wisdom and ancestral Knowledge to compensate for the artificialization of our environment and our lives. The term ‘Interventionist’ could also have been used instead of ‘Artificial’. This accumulation of vital energy in our bodies will allow the intelligence of life to manifest and gradually effect possible healings on all levels. The principles of hygienism To be in optimal health on all levels, it is essential (a necessary but not sufficient condition!) to have sufficient vital energy, or else to develop it and limit energy leaks. It does not change based on the last meal you ingested because it is always present, and it is what keeps you alive. It is also what supports you in your daily activities, heals you from an illness, or helps you manage stress. Here is the energy input/output balance represented in a diagram: Energy leaks As can be seen, to feel good and lead a fulfilling life, it is necessary to develop everything that brings us vital energy and to limit leaks. The diagram below details these energy leaks and the associated antidotes that allow for (partially) recycling this lost energy by reconnecting with oneself and with life. Life of primates VS life of humans Hygienism would consist (according to the definition established at the beginning of this article) in reconciling in our daily lives practices that aim to recreate, naturally or artificially, the living conditions that prevailed at the dawn of humanity and for which our organism is made. Experience shows that the more one integrates hygienism into their daily life, the more well-being and joy spontaneously spring from our bodies. This happens without having to achieve high goals or needing to gather different parameters of an equation that would be that of happiness. We feel good here and now, and this, without any artifice. The reason is simple, hygienism brings us closer, through its antidotes, to the natural living conditions of the primates that we are! A logic that is presented in the following diagram: Natural vs artificial antidotes If natural antidotes are no longer sufficient in our time, it is

Hormesis: Hygienic Fasting VS Active Fasting

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. https://youtu.be/S1A0E73fqcs?si=D-1d1jYcMPR1o3OF In this article, we will try to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of hygienic fasting and active fasting. Hygienic fasting is a fast that is practiced in the greatest physical and mental rest. One remains mostly in bed during the day, with no physical activity other than a short daily walk, and without intellectual activity or distractions. Screens are therefore banned, and one finds oneself alone with oneself. Active fasting, on the contrary, is often done in groups with all sorts of gentle physical activities like walking and yoga. Activities to which one can add massages, games, treatments, cold showers, etc. The benefits of fasting Fasting is a universal healing method recognized for millennia but fallen into oblivion, just like its benefits: lymphatic cleansing, toxin elimination, cellular renewal, and autolysis (destruction of old, dysfunctional, or damaged cells). On an emotional level, what is repressed comes partially to the surface like the toxins in the body. On a mental level, mental conditioning has less hold, allowing for better access to the Self. And on a spiritual level, intuitions are stronger and clearer, which helps to become aware of a need, to take certain directions for the future, or to make important choices. To learn more: read this article on the benefits of fasting. The difficulties of fasting Fasting is the most effective and inexpensive healing method there is, a true gift from nature. So with so many benefits, it should be popular. This is not counting the difficulties it causes. To understand them, let us keep in mind that our modern living conditions are very far from the ideal living conditions in which we could thrive and access physical and psychological well-being. Currently, our bodies are clogged and weakened by poor nutrition (which since our birth should ideally consist mainly of raw fruits and vegetables). And our minds are polluted by conditioning, fears, negative thoughts, life scenarios, and limiting beliefs that have been propagated by our family (often unknowingly, believing they are doing well), school, and society. So, for most, we find ourselves in adulthood not knowing how to nourish ourselves and not knowing how to direct our lives and manage our emotions. Emotions most often repressed in a survival and conformity reflex towards the family and social sphere. Thus, during a fast, the natural comes back with a vengeance and the body will try to detoxify on all levels.  On a physical level, it will bring out, layer by layer, the poisons stored in the fluids (blood and lymph, 45 liters combined) and the cells. In parallel, on an emotional level, traumas and wounds will try to rise to the surface of consciousness waiting to be fully experienced and then, ultimately, integrated as constructive experiences. Finally, on a mental level, negative thoughts, fears, and limiting beliefs will weigh down morale because they are true poisons and, more than ever, they will be felt as such. We then become more aware of the importance of having positive thoughts, breathing consciously, and meditating to reprogram ourselves (read the article “Breathe and Meditate”). Ultimately, due to our past being completely out of sync with our physiological needs  (read the article “Definitions of Hygienism?”), we all come from very far away, which is why fasting can become an unpleasant experience and quickly discourage the uninitiated. Fasting in nature In nature, animals fast in two ways: If they are sick, they remain still and rest until healed. This corresponds to hygienic fasting. If they have no food left, they move to a better place. This corresponds to active fasting. The current context In addition to the difficulties already mentioned above, two obstacles will hinder the body in the eliminations it will attempt to make: The digestion of dairy products and cooked starches has accumulated in the body residues that naturopaths call “glues” or “colloidal waste” (read this article to be convinced). This is not a metaphor; casein from milk and starch are truly used in the industry to make glues. These digestion residues from cooked foods will hinder, sometimes greatly, the body in its eliminations, which can make fasting partially ineffective and particularly unpleasant. That is why some naturopaths recommend performing an enema and purging before fasting, then engaging in gentle physical activity during it, receiving massages, and practicing breathwork. There are blockages in the body at the physical, emotional, and energetic levels that will also hinder the body in its eliminations. For example, holding grudges, clinging to beliefs, principles, not wanting to change, preferring to stick to habits rather than renewing oneself can be the source of constipation. Hygienic Fasting VS Active Fasting It is common to hear that active fasting is not very useful and that only hygienic fasting truly allows the body to cleanse and regenerate. The argument put forward is that the body needs all its vital energy during fasting, and if it is dispersed in physical activity, then eliminations will be diminished, and thus, fasting is less effective. To stop at these considerations is to forget a bit too quickly the current context, namely that our body contains glues and that many blockages on different interdependent levels greatly slow down eliminations. It is important not to lose sight of the fact that if one feels unwell during a fast, it is because eliminations are difficult or blocked. We then have two ways of looking at things. Either we consider that the unpleasantness of the experience is a guarantee of effectiveness. There is often in us a Judeo-Christian tendency that enjoys associating suffering and effectiveness…Or we seek a way to relieve these eliminations through naturopathic detox techniques and/or active fasting. Hygienic fasting in practice If you suffer from an illness (which is not a contraindication to fasting) or a lack of vitality, the body needs to rest and regenerate. Hygienic fasting is just

Hygienism: Optimal Health

“Nine-tenths of our happiness depends on health. With it, everything becomes a source of pleasure.” Arthur Schopenhauer “Is there a greater good for man than health?” Socrates What is health? Health is a poorly defined concept because it refers to a physical state that no one knows today. Yet it is the natural state of all living beings, regardless of age, as long as they are not weakened by a lifestyle that is unsuitable for their physiology, whether in terms of physical, mental, emotional, or dietary habits. “Every so-called disease is constructed in the mind and body, due to habits causing fatigue of the nervous system. Fasting, bed rest, and the abandonment of bad habits, whether mental or physical, will allow the body to eliminate accumulated toxins. Then, if bad habits are abandoned and replaced with reasonable lifestyle habits, health will return and stabilize. This concept applies to all so-called diseases.” Dr. John Tilden, Toxemia: The True Cause of Diseases (La toxémie : véritable cause des maladies) Because we all have decades of cooked and animal-based food behind us, our bodies have accumulated, since the fetal stage, a significant amount of toxins (notably acids and glues) that only continue to increase if one does not improve their lifestyle with more physiological foods, hormesis, time spent in nature, sufficient rest, good breathing, naturopathic detox techniques, etc. This is why, for the average person, aging too often rhymes with decline, as the majority of organisms continue to accumulate more toxins throughout their lives unless they compensate with enough hygienic practices. What is the life expectancy of a human? Moreover, some peoples of the planet, like the Houzna in northern India, who once lived in the wild, without a medical system and with a diet primarily raw and vegetarian, had a life expectancy of 120 years. It is therefore not far-fetched to believe that a life in harmony with the laws of living gives centenarians who are neither bedridden nor senile and die in good health. And if we notice that the life expectancy of mammals is between 6 and 7 times the growth time of their longest bones, we can conjecture that the life expectancy of a human, who would live under ideal conditions, would be between 120 and 140 years. Dog 2 years of growth 12 to 14 years of life Lion 4 years of growth 24 to 28 years of life Horse 4 and a half years of growth 25 to 30 years of life Camel 7 years of growth 40 years of life Elephant 25 years of growth 100 to 150 years of life Human 20 years of growth 120 to 140 years of life (theoretical) Source: A healthy mind in a healthy body. Roger Le Madec (Un esprit sain dans un corps sain) “The frugivore diet, as described in Genesis, represents the best type of diet for man. To establish the ideal diet, we must first dispel the fear of undernourishment in people’s minds. If we all must restrict our food intake and partially or completely eliminate bread, meat, eggs, milk, etc., it must be proven and demonstrated by examples of individuals illustrating that not only can one live by eating only fruits, but that this Edenic and natural diet of man was the most just and perfect and can still be today.” Arnold Ehret, Mucousless Diet Healing System (Le régime sans mucus) Discovering our full potential Humans, by nature, consider all behaviors and habits they observe around them since childhood as normal. This is why we have so much difficulty imagining what our true nature and potential could be, both physically, mentally, and emotionally, if we did everything necessary to feel well. We lack models in this area to inspire us. And as Coluche said: “Just because many are wrong doesn’t mean they will eventually be right!” In people’s minds, being healthy simply means not having a degenerative, chronic, or genetic disease. But it is so much more than that! True health, which we will call Optimal Health to avoid semantic confusion, is a stable state (independent of age) in which an individual knows no deficiency and no disease on the physical, mental, and emotional levels. It is a natural state for every human being and can only be disrupted by diseases if the body contains poisons, what is called the terrain. “Health, well-being, and youth are the fruits of applying natural health methods, understanding the laws of life, and the meaning of disease.” René Bickel, The Enslaved Patient (le malade enchaîné) “True health is having a happy heart, the joy of living, clear and creative ideas, the energy to realize them, and a solid and harmonious body.” Irène Grosjean Having vision problems, skin issues, allergies, feeling tired for no reason, depression, pessimism, pain, etc., all these seemingly trivial (because so common) disorders in our societies precisely indicate that we are not in optimal health. “The more you are freed from all kinds of waste and poisons, the more you will feel and believe this truth, the greatest of all: This Edenic diet is not only sufficient, but it also elevates you higher and higher into physical and mental conditions never reached before.” Arnold Ehret, Mucousless Diet Healing System (Le régime sans mucus) A heavy legacy But it must be understood that optimal health is a theoretical state that we cannot currently achieve due to our toxic legacy (the one received at birth), several decades of conventional eating (for most of us), pollution (air, water, and food), and our difficulty in managing our “negative” emotions (sources of toxins and dysfunctions within the body itself). This is why hygienic techniques can only claim to optimize our health by providing more energy to our organism, improving the quality of our fluids and organic tissues, strengthening our immune system, and enhancing our eliminatory functions. It is true that humans have consumed meat and cooked foods for two million years, but we must not forget that before becoming hunter-gatherers, we

Cleansing, the keystone of hygiene!

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. https://youtu.be/y9-yiSl_Vq4 In practical terms, a purge consists of taking a product of plant or mineral origin after fasting for at least 6 hours, then waiting a minimum of 12 hours and having gone to the bathroom before refeeding. This therefore requires staying 18 hours without eating at a minimum. The most notable effect of these purges is to cause diarrhea that completely empties the intestines. There is nothing new in their use since in the Middle Ages, apothecaries offered more than a hundred different ones. “Purges help the body to clean the excretory organs that are responsible for the normal elimination of acids (kidneys), viscosities (liver and colon) and damaged cells. Moreover, they facilitate the cleaning of the lymph during the healing crisis. Undesirable pathogens will have nothing to feed on and will return empty-handed from where they came…” Nelly Grosjean & Miguel Barthéléry, The Zen Detox Cure Volume 1 I became acquainted with purges on the day of the departure of The Fasting Walk in the summer of 2018. I then defined myself as a “pure and hard” hygienist, meaning that I believed that by providing a diet suitable for my body (see the article “The Origins of Living Food”) with the right hygiene of life (see the article on the law of hormesis), my health would naturally tend towards an optimal state. So I didn’t want to hear about substances that trigger diarrhea on command; they seemed superfluous or even dangerous to me… Except that the team surrounding me in the preparation of The Fasting Walk insisted heavily that I purge before departure. I didn’t understand their arguments, but since they seemed to find it important and I, on the other hand, had nothing to argue except my idealistic vision of hygienism, I resigned myself…   Can one sustainably eat 100% plant-based and raw without purges? Thus, I took my first purge and it was a revelation… For I found that entering a fast after a purge is much easier. After subsequently performing other purges, as another positive effect, I also noticed with astonishment that I was no longer affected at all by recurring periods of fatigue during which I was strongly tempted by animal products. Even though I had 4 years of living food behind me. And then, all doubt about their potential harmfulness was removed as I observed a peak in physical and mental fitness after each purge. I come to the conclusion that motivated me to write this article on purges: 100% living food does not work if one does not purge! I verified this around me and I also see it online with “vegan personalities” who one day change their tune by admitting that ultimately this diet does not work for them, to the dismay of their thousands of followers… For the purists of 100% raw plant-based eventually end up feeling weak if they do not consume animal products or cooked food again.   Are we made for living food? Arriving at this crucial point, it is time to refocus the debate on solid foundations: – We are primates, a family 63 million years old, and more specifically we belong to the clade of hominids for 7 million years (which includes gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees) whose diet consists mainly of raw fruits and vegetables (between 99 and 95% depending on the species). Moreover, the metacarpals (these bones of the hand) which mean in Greek “behind the fruit” are more intended for gathering than for hunting. The example of the Inuit having a meat share close to 90% in their diet simply shows 1. the remarkable adaptability of the human body 2. that by practicing the 3F (see this article on the law of hormesis, because on the ice floe it is cold, we fast regularly and we do not spare our efforts, not much in common with the life of the average sedentary person today…) we manage to limit the deleterious effects of an inadequate diet. And no one envies the old age they had for those who know a bit of their history… If the Paleolithic diet produces results in the short term, it is mainly because it sets aside dairy products and cereals, which relieves the body of its digestive work without triggering the vital cleaning of the organism. – According to anthropologists, the first humans incorporated a meat share into their diet about 2 million years ago, then cereals (cooked) and dairy products about 10,000 years ago. It is therefore reasonable to think that genetic adaptations may have manifested to allow us, to some extent, to consume something other than raw vegetables. Nevertheless, our fundamental constitution is not really designed to digest anything else. Humans have shown themselves to be opportunistic and innovative at a certain point in their history to find calories in a context very different from ours today. It is now possible to return to our basic natural diet and it is a chance. The Universe provides us with its fruits everywhere on our planet. – There is nothing vital for humans that cannot be found in plants. This is a fact. By the way: proteins are not the exclusive domain of animal products (see table below) and the B12 we need is produced by our intestinal microbiota, provided it is healthy enough. To learn more about this, read:“Animal Proteins and B12”. – The consumption of animal products, due to the pollution generated, is threatening all life on the surface of our planet, including our own species. Furthermore, in terms of carbon footprint, it is preferable to consume fruits that arrived by boat than to consume animal products (on this subject, read the article:“The Impact of Living Food on the Environment”). Well beyond these factual considerations, what has always motivated me to move towards a 100% raw plant-based diet is simply the

The Limits of Hygienism

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. https://youtu.be/Q90Pu4swQgA?si=V6ZcVKglG0jSpHOy “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton “The only healing that matters, the true one, is the choice of love.” Florian Gomet In this article, I share my experiments and conclusions after 10 years of intensive practice of hygieneism. This has allowed me to form an idea of the benefits one can derive from this approach and also its limits. But before diving into the heart of the matter, it is important to define what I mean by hygieneism. What is hygieneism? It is a natural approach to health whose principle is to live and heal in accordance with the laws of nature. To optimize our health and well-being, hygieneism considers that the right way of living must align with our primate physiology. Those who practice or recommend behaviors that mimic the life we would have if we were released into nature, as in the past, claim to be hygieneists. Etymologically, the term “Hygieneism” derives from Greek mythology, Hygie or Hygée (in ancient Greek Ὑγιεία /Hugieía or Ὑγεία/Hugeía, “health”), daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine, and Epione, is the goddess of health, cleanliness, and hygiene. She represents preserved health and also symbolizes preventive medicine. Personally, I define hygieneism as follows:“The art and manner of recreating in our modern life, naturally or artificially, the living conditions that prevailed at the dawn of humanity and for which we are made.” To learn more about the meaning I give to hygieneism, read this article on the definition of hygieneism. The hygieneist model  Reality, in its most subtle forms, cannot be described by words or concepts, which is why it is important to be aware of the starting assumptions that underlie the paradigms or models we use. In mathematics, for example, we know that there are different types of geometry, depending on whether we adopt Euclid’s axioms or not. It is important to know the axioms (or starting assumptions) of the theoretical model we use; otherwise, it will be difficult to understand its limits, risking slipping into a dogmatic approach. From reading various treatises on hygieneism and the current forms this school of thought takes, the following axioms emerge: 1)   The natural state for any organism is optimal health. 2)   Toxemia is the origin of diseases. 3)   The body has the ability to self-heal. 4)   Functional diseases are healing crises that help the body restore health. Note 1: The toxins that cause diseases are of two types: endogenous (produced in excess by the body in cases of repeated stress or “negative” emotions) and exogenous (resulting from non-physiological food and pollution). Note 2: Functional diseases manifest as diarrhea, fevers, vomiting, bleeding, etc. These natural and beneficial manifestations indicate that the organism is expelling toxins. watch the movie (in french) The Grail of hygieneism: optimal health  In people’s minds, being healthy simply means not having a degenerative, chronic, or genetic disease. But it is so much more than that! True health, which we call Optimal Health to avoid semantic confusion, is a stable theoretical state (independent of age) in which an individual experiences no deficiencies in physical, mental, emotional, and energetic aspects. It is a natural state of well-being and great energy where one allows their nature to express itself without being in duality; it is feeling alive and at peace, having faith in the life that expresses itself in us and beyond. It is health in its natural state as wild animals experience it when they are not confronted with civilization. The diseases that the body manifests when it contains excess toxins are there to restore balance and bring us closer to this theoretical state of Optimal Health. To learn more about this notion of optimal health, read this article on optimal health. In summary  According to the hygieneist theoretical model I have defined, if we bring vitality to the organism (to strengthen the nervous system and the immune system), detoxify the emunctories (organs responsible for filtering and eliminating toxins) and the humors (the fluids in which our cells bathe) through hygieneist practices, naturopathic detox techniques, and a physiological diet, then optimal health will manifest naturally and progressively through necessary healing crises to expel excess toxins. My experience with hygieneism From 2008 to 2014, before my dietary transition Diet: Over these 6 years, I gradually moved towards a diet that is exclusively organic, local, and homemade. I produce half of my food (vegetable garden, orchard, and chicken coop) and prepare all my meals. As a “good student,” I do not consume alcohol (nor any drugs), sodas, cold cuts, chocolate, or industrial food. Lifestyle: Intensive triathlon practice, living in the countryside, no stress. Physical health status: I wear glasses (myopia and astigmatism), I suffer from allergies to cat hair and pollen (getting stronger each year), I have increasingly severe and tiring colds (even in summer), skin problems (acne, cysts, and excessive sweating), and I suffer from sciatica that is also getting more intense each year. Psychological health status: I suffer from an unidentified latent depressive state with a tendency towards outbursts of anger. I am very introverted and shy by nature, living closed off. Any form of spirituality is denied; only what is visible or measurable exists for me (a very Cartesian and materialistic approach). From 2014 to 2018, beginning of dietary transition Following a spontaneous fast (imposed by my body) that changed the course of my life, I modified my beliefs about food (paradigm shift). To learn more, read this article explaining why I changed my diet and took off my shoes. Diet: Plant-based and raw (to learn more: read this article on the origin of living nutrion) about 80% with the desire to eat only living food but unable to put it into practice. Obsessive and recurring cravings for industrial food that

How to choose wild plants?

One of the most frequent questions I get after the screening of the film The Footprint is: “When you didn’t have enough to eat, why didn’t you gather wild plants to feed yourself?” I take the time to develop an answer in this article because I believe that often, behind this seemingly innocuous question, lies the belief that we could rely on them to survive… Is that realistic or not? What parts of plants can we consume? From spring to the end of summer, all parts of wild plants are potentially nutritious: roots, leaves, flowers, and seeds. But it is especially in spring, when the roots and leaves are tender and green, that we can fully benefit from their nutritional value. Seeds are the most caloric, and it might be tempting to consume them in large quantities in survival conditions. This is probably a bad idea because seeds, although very rich in nutrients, contain phytates and lectins (among others) whose role is to trap certain minerals (like iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, etc.) to have them in reserve for the next germination. These molecules, called anti-nutrients, if consumed in large quantities, can disrupt digestion (even causing vomiting or discomfort) by preventing the proper functioning of digestive enzymes and the absorption of nutrients by the intestinal membranes. Almost everyone knows the sad end of Christopher McCandless, the hero of the film “Into The Wild.” What is less known is that the end of the film, when we are led to believe that Christopher dies after mistakenly eating a toxic plant, is not true to reality. This corresponds to a Hollywood ending and a misleading shortcut compared to the end of his life as reported by his biographer Jon Krakauer in his book “Into the Wild”. According to the author, Christopher was in an advanced state of malnutrition when he consumed a large quantity of seeds that were classified as edible. It was the large amount of anti-nutrients ingested in a malnourished body that caused his demise. A healthy and properly nourished body could have neutralized these substances without risk; Christopher, however, probably no longer had the necessary mineral resources and died of indigestion. By comparison, the alkaloids in a large cup of coffee could have caused his death in the same way. But that might not have been a bankable ending for the film industry, unlike the one chosen, which reinforces our primal fears of nature. We could therefore consider that anti-nutrients are substances that are also produced by plants to protect themselves from predators. Moreover, we do not have a digestive system adapted to massive consumption of seeds like granivores such as squirrels and certain birds. However, knowing that germination destroys most of these anti-nutrients, seeds can nourish us without drawbacks after germination. In summary, tubers and seeds are the most caloric and nutritious parts of plants, but they are also the least accessible in space and time. Leaves, although less caloric, are much more accessible while being rich in proteins, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, chlorophyll, and antioxidants. To what extent can we feed ourselves with wild plants? The leaves of wild plants contain between 15 (lamb’s lettuce) and 50 (nettle) Kcal per 100g. A human with low daily physical activity expends about 2000 Kcal per day. If they only eat wild plants, they will need to consume at least 4 kilos of plants (eating the most caloric ones) per day. In the context of The Print, with perhaps 3500 Kcal expended per day, that raises the ration to 7 kilos of plants per day… A mass that should probably be increased in summer when plants become more fibrous and their nutritional value decreases. Furthermore, we must not lose sight of the fact that almost all edible wild plants are medicinal plants (they are called simples) with strong detoxifying power. So I can hardly imagine the purge that consuming several kilos of dandelions would cause in my body, for example… Moreover, I don’t think my body would allow me to consume such a quantity of wild plants because every living plant food we consume produces a sensory stop when we exceed the amounts that the body can assimilate beneficially. I even think that if I forced myself to consume large quantities of dandelion (or any other edible wild plant), it would eventually make me vomit or cause diarrhea. Not to mention the intense digestive work that this would require. The qualities of wild plant leaves: They contain many active substances that heal and detoxify (expectorant, diuretic, digestive, laxative, anxiolytic, stimulating, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, etc.). They are very rich in proteins, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, chlorophyll, and antioxidants that far exceed (up to 10 times more) all commercially available fruits and vegetables. (Example: I no longer want to consume 3 tablespoons of spirulina per day if I drink the equivalent of a large bowl of wild plants processed in a juicer.) They are free and abundant. While the leaves are nourishing (in micronutrients) and provide healthy fibers for the intestinal microbiota (a healthy microbiota is necessary for good digestion and nutrient absorption), they provide very few carbohydrates compared to sweet fruits or fats compared to oilseeds. We are not like herbivores that have the ability to break down plant cellulose directly into sugars, nor can we consume large quantities of plants to extract sufficient fats. In a survival context where there are no sweet or fatty fruits, it would be possible to consume, in addition to the leaves, sprouted wild seeds (when in season and taking the time to collect them…) and tubers (edible only in spring, otherwise they are too tough, and taking the time to dig them up). It is in this survival context that cooking plants presents its unique advantage, making plant fibers more tender for chewing and increasing the caloric value of leaves and tubers (because soluble fibers under the effect of heat transform into sugar). Cooking thus allows for the consumption of more plants and extracting more energy from

What is the ideal % of Living Nutrition for everyone?

“The majority of people do not seek the truth. They primarily want their beliefs to be validated as the truth.” Osho 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

Why do I not eat only organic, local, and seasonal?

“As problematic as the synthetic chemical substances present in your environment and food may be, they are not the main cause of cancer.” T. Colin Campbell “The Campbell Report” I started my dietary transition about fifteen years ago to move towards an exclusively local and organic diet. A few years later, I embarked on the adventure of food autonomy by producing almost half of my food through a vegetable garden, an orchard, and poultry. And by cooking everything at home. At the same time, my lifestyle was impeccable (according to commonly accepted criteria) with a physical outdoor job, sports, country living, and no stress. I ate nothing industrial, no soda, no alcohol, no cold cuts, but plenty of fruits, vegetables, and only homemade dishes with organic products. Yet, it was during this time that my health deteriorated. I had allergies to cat hair, pollen, sciatica, skin problems, and sweating issues. This showed me that organic, local, and homemade does not prevent illness. I experimented with this dietary mode for years, which I considered top-notch until an experience changed my life (see article “Why I Changed My Diet?”) and I discovered the principles of Living Nutrition. Since I have been eating exclusively living foods (see article “The Origins of Living Nutrition”) my aforementioned health problems have almost all disappeared, and my relationship with food has evolved. I no longer see it merely as a means to fuel my body but also as a way to detoxify and regenerate it. Gradually, I observed that Living Nutrition transformed me on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Thanks to it, I feel more aware and connected to my intuition than ever, which has greatly contributed to improving my quality of life and bringing me closer to the state of Optimal Health (see article “Hygienism: Optimal Health”). My relationship with taste pleasure has also transformed with Living Nutrition. The food addiction caused by refined sugars, fats & salts, and Maillard molecules has been replaced by the indescribable joy of listening to my body and giving it what it truly needs. This is a unique experience that can only be understood by living it and transcends the pleasures of traditional cooking. Feeding exclusively on living foods is such an incomparable experience of regeneration and reconnection to nature and the Self that any backward step is unthinkable. This revolutionary experience led me to consume only organic and local products. Reasons why I no longer consume exclusively organic: When transitioning to Living Nutrition, one buys much more fruits and vegetables than before, which significantly impacts the budget if the fruits and vegetables are organic. One can end up with a very high food budget (200 euros per person per week, or more). The conclusion is clear: either we also buy foods from conventional agriculture, or we start eating inexpensive cooked foods like cereals and legumes again. Most exotic fruits like avocados, mangoes, pineapples, etc., are generally not treated, except sometimes for preservation, which is why putting an organic label on these foods often makes no sense. Indeed, exotic fruit trees are naturally robust, so they require little or no treatment, unlike those from our temperate regions, which are remnants of the last glaciation and must be grafted to produce sweet fruits. Some fruits from conventional agriculture are sometimes of equivalent quality to organic. Simply because some producers practice organic farming without having the label to avoid administrative constraints. Moreover, the value of the organic label should be relativized due to all the harmful treatments allowed and all the exemptions granted for the use of phytosanitary products. Not to mention organic products coming from outside the European Union, for which there is no control. According to studies conducted by American doctor Norman Walker, who wrote “Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Juices”, pesticides that are hydrophobic mostly cling to insoluble fibers (made of cellulose that we do not digest) and are therefore not absorbed by the body, provided that these plants are consumed raw. I believe that the main poisons impacting health are the acids and glues generated by cooked or animal-derived foods (see article “Cleansing, the keystone of hygiene!”) and not pesticides. In light of the previous considerations, cooked or animal-derived foods sold as organic are, in my view, more harmful to health than fruits and vegetables from conventional agriculture. In conclusion Experience shows that with Living Nutrition, even if the fruits and vegetables are not organic, the body regenerates. This is not the case with only organic but a large share of cooked foods. Furthermore, the organic market has become a lucrative business (especially for large retailers who make larger margins than with conventionally produced foods) that drives up prices without necessarily ensuring consumers have quality products. Even if organic is almost always better (at all levels) than conventional, I do not think it is the future. The ideal is to eliminate intermediaries and go directly to the producer, or to use ethical intermediaries. This is the best way to benefit from a reasonable price and to be informed about the agricultural methods used. I am convinced that these methods will evolve willingly or by force towards “organic” practices, whether a label is present or not for verification. Reasons why I no longer exclusively prioritize local: When one understands and feels how much we are made to primarily eat fruits, every meal becomes a great celebration where pleasure and health finally align. After years of deprivation of living foods, our body then demands the best fruits. And it is often the exotic fruits that we appreciate the most since we are made to live in the tropics. There is then a dilemma between listening to the needs of my body (which has been quite mistreated until now) and limiting the transport of goods. If one confines oneself (when living in a temperate environment) to eating only local fruits (like apples, pears, and oranges), one will quickly feel frustrated. Already, the dietary transition to plant-based and living is

The impact of living food on the environment

https://youtu.be/UsigH2Skfdg?si=qGcvSR7l_yAO15cr During conversations with the public during workshops or with people who contact me via the Internet, I noticed that many people believe that an omnivorous but local diet is more environmentally friendly than a living food diet (raw plant-based) which often favors imported fruits and vegetables from outside our regions. This is the purpose of this article: to determine, with reliable sources, the ecological footprint of these two types of diets, local omnivore vs. raw vegan, and to determine if they are compatible with a “sustainable” future for our species. One of the principles of a living food diet is to listen to your cravings as long as they guide you towards raw plants.  Because the human body can identify (in the case of raw plants only) the nutrient content of what it is given, it can then guide us towards the fruits and vegetables that will heal us, fill our deficiencies, or simply nourish us best. By listening to one’s instinct, it is complicated (for now, as you will see at the end of this article) for a raw vegan to also be local under our latitudes (I am speaking for central France and those further north). This is why a raw vegan may consume bananas, dates, mangoes, avocados, pineapples, ginger, turmeric, cashews, Brazil nuts, etc., for a significant part of their meals. Especially at the beginning when they have deficiencies to fill, then this consumption of exotic fruits decreases. As I have already explained in the articles “Why did I change my diet?”, “Eating Living?” and “Cleanses, the Keystone”, my opinion, supported by experience, is that the diet best suited to humans is a predominantly plant-based and living diet (i.e., raw plant-based).  If this viewpoint seems contradictory to you given that many centenarians have eaten “everything” during their lives, then I suggest you read this other article: “What is hygienism?”, and you will then see that the parameter “diet”, even if it is important, is not the only one. Indeed, a life in pure fresh air, without stress, with periods of fasting or restrictions (war or poor harvest) and with physical activity spares many diseases. The lives of all these centenarians are therefore not at all in contradiction with the principles of living food. And then, who tells you that under optimal conditions on all levels we wouldn’t live to 140 years? Diet and Carbon Dioxide But let’s get back to our topic and, despite these considerations, let us first calculate the GHG (Greenhouse Gas, sometimes noted CO2e for “carbon dioxide and equivalents”) balance of a local omnivore vs. a raw vegan. According to the ADEME (Agency for the Environment and Energy Management), the fact that it is under the supervision of a ministry guarantees that there is no bias towards vegans!), an omnivore consuming only natural products within a 200 km radius emits for: a meal with beef: 6290 g of CO2e (see appendix 1) a meal with poultry: 1350 g of CO2e (see appendix 2) a vegetarian meal: 510 g of CO2e (see appendix 3) According to this agency, the average GHG balance of the diet is currently 4.5 kg of CO2e per day per person. Official recommendations advocate for a more moderate, reasonable, and local diet (less than 200 km) called “flexitarian” (-31% meat, -40% wild fish, -69% processed industrial products, -46% refined flours, +95% vegetables, grains, and legumes) which would yield a balance of 2.8 kg of CO2e per day per person. This is therefore what can be achieved better from an omnivorous diet in terms of GHG balance. As for the “degrowth” advocates who would argue that one can live the old-fashioned way: feeding on grains, legumes (in this regard, read the article addressing the issue of starches) and poultry, know that according to the documentary film Cowspiracy and several independent studies conducted by specialists in agroecology and permaculture, they arrive at more or less the same conclusion (which all those who have tried to live in autarky will agree with): It takes an average of 700m2 to feed a vegan compared to 3500m2 for an omnivore who would consume very few animal products, which is 5 times more space. It should also not be forgotten that these additional spaces required for the omnivore are deforested to allow for grazing or to sow grains on soils depleted by plowing, monoculture, fertilizers, and pesticides. A source of pollution that adds to that of GHGs. A first conclusion must be drawn regarding the GHG balance (per day and per person) related to diet alone: Currently, an average French person emits 4.5 kg of CO2e. A flexitarian local French person (concerned about their health, the planet but omnivorous) consuming only foods produced within a 200 km radius emits 2.8 kg of CO2e (see appendix 4). An individual (if they exist) who is omnivorous and lives in autarky with organic production and consumes very few animal products would be responsible for a negligible share of GHG emissions but would need at least 3500 m2 of land. Now let’s assess the balance for a raw vegan: According to the software developed by eco2 initiative (This link leads to a website in French. To read it in English or another language, simply copy the URL and paste it into Google Translate https://translate.google.com/?sl=fr&tl=it&op=translate) in collaboration with ADEME, a raw vegan who would consume the following typical menu (2050 Kcal) in their day: 200g of avocado outside Europe 200g of local carrots (less than 200 km) 40g of cashews outside Europe 50g of olives from Europe and the Mediterranean 50g of vegetables outside Europe 60g of almonds Europe and Mediterranean 250g of bananas outside Europe 500g of local apples 300g of fruits outside Europe 25g of olive oil from France would be responsible for an emission of 1.9 kg of CO2e per day, which is 1.1 kg less than a flexitarian French person (over a year, the difference is equivalent to a flight from Paris to New York) and 2.6 kg

Vitamin B12 and Living Nutrition

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin Roosevelt Here is the result of reflections on vitamin B12 deficiencies, summarized in 7 steps: Step 1: Let’s go back to basics with some reminders that are never superfluous about our origins Humans are primates belonging to the great ape family. This family also includes the bonobo, orangutan, chimpanzee, and gorilla. These species are frugivorous (between 95 and 99%) and occasionally eat small animals and insects. Except for bonobos and the gorilla, the largest of the primates, which is (almost) exclusively vegan (with a few insects). Considering the phylogenetic tree from which humans originated, it makes sense to consider that humans are also, at their core, frugivorous. The question is whether the small amount of animal protein consumed by bonobos, chimpanzees, and orangutans is a biological necessity for them or if it is merely an adaptive capacity left to these species to adapt in case of food shortages, for example due to climate change, thus increasing their chances of survival. From my point of view, all great apes can thrive on an exclusively vegan diet, and if they eat something else, it is simply out of opportunism. Two reasons suggest that this small amount of animal protein in great apes is not a necessity. On one hand, the example of the gorilla clearly shows that it is possible to live being (almost) exclusively vegan, moreover without being rachitic. On the other hand, there is nothing essential found in animal products that we cannot find in the plant kingdom or that is not produced by our microbiota. This raises the famous question of B12…. In the meantime, to summarize, if you are afraid of lacking protein and B12, seriously ask yourself where gorillas find theirs… You might object that humans are not like other animals and that they became hunter-gatherers about 2 million years ago. That is true, but their digestive system inherited from 65 million years ago (the appearance of primates) has retained all the characteristics of a frugivore. If we have been able to significantly modify our diet, it is solely through our technological inventions, the first being throwing weapons and stone tools. We can be proud of our ingenuity and great adaptability, but the dietary changes induced remain unnatural. The technology that alters our diet is therefore not a recent phenomenon; it dates back to the appearance of homo sapiens sapiens  and not to the last industrial revolution. To learn more about this subject, read: “The Origins of Living Nutrition” Step 2: What is vitamin B12 and where is it found? B12 is a vitamin that contributes to the proper functioning of the nervous system and the production of red blood cells. It is therefore important but not more so than other vitamins. If it is so famous, it is because it is not found in significant quantities in plants and fruits, which leads to the belief that one will be deficient in B12 if one is vegan or even vegetarian. Small parentheses:  Being vegan does not inform us about the quality of our diet and is not at all a guarantee of good health. Indeed, one can very well be vegan and survive on coffee, cigarettes, and starches (for example). That is why we talk here about plant-based and living nutrition. A vegetarian who still consumes dairy products and/or eggs will obtain their B12 exogenously through these foods that contain it. The only organisms capable of producing B12 are microorganisms. No known animal or plant has the enzymatic tools to produce it. It is only by ingesting bacteria, microscopic algae, and yeasts or by associating with them that animals and plants enrich themselves with B12. That is why we will mainly find B12 in animal products but also in algae. If the main source of this vitamin is found in animal proteins, it is simply because the animals themselves are supplemented with vitamin B12 through their diet and… their microbiota! And for good reason (let’s remember): the only living organisms capable of synthesizing B12 are microorganisms. There are 3 main natural forms of vitamin B12: methylcobalamin, adenosylcobalamin, and hydroxocobalamin. This detail is important because some supplements are not produced from the natural forms of B12 but with a synthetic form: cyanocobalamin. Step 3: The role of our microbiota It is estimated that our digestive system houses about 100 trillion bacteria, which is what we call the intestinal microbiota or gut flora. These bacteria that colonize us live in symbiosis with their host, that is to say, us. A symbiosis is a lasting biological association that is mutually beneficial between two living organisms. The deal established with them is that we provide them with a habitat to live in with food (the soluble and insoluble fibers from plants) and, in return, they contribute to the survival of their host by supporting our immune system and providing us with what we do not find in our preferred foods, namely, fruits. If we synthesize what has been written previously, we have a frugivore digestive system housing about 100 trillion bacteria, of which we know they are the only ones capable of producing something vital for us: B12. Do you think they have forgotten what their host needs to survive? Unlikely! Moreover, it has been proven that the microbiota produces B12, but some “specialists” believe it is not absorbable because it is produced too far down the digestive system. How can one think for a second that a vital vitamin in the body could be produced and not absorbed? The body is not the type to do things for nothing… In summary, it is reasonable to think that a vegan obtains their vitamin B12 from the bacteria living in symbiosis in the digestive system. Step 4: B12 deficiencies Currently, B12 deficiencies mainly concern farm animals (fed grains and flours) and humans who eat “everything.” This deficiency is absolutely not the exclusive domain of vegans! In both humans and animals,

The Law of Hormesis

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. https://youtu.be/hawhYaouZyk At first glance, it may seem absurd, stupid, or even masochistic to voluntarily expose oneself to the 3 F (Cold, Hunger, Fatigue) when humanity has spent most of its time protecting itself from them. In any case, it is clear that  while technology allows us today to live without ‘facing’ the 3 F, this is not a guarantee of health.  Rather, it would be the opposite, as explained by Daniel Lieberman, professor of evolutionary human biology at Harvard, in his bestseller:  The Story of the Human Body. The growing mismatch between our genetics and our lifestyle With the acceleration of innovation, especially since the advent of agriculture, we have developed or adopted an ever-growing list of new cultural practices that have had contradictory effects on our bodies.  On one hand, many relatively recent developments have been beneficial: agriculture has increased food resources; sanitation, modern health systems, and scientific medicine have reduced infant mortality and increased longevity. On the other hand, many cultural changes have altered the interactions between our genes and our environment, to the extent that they have contributed to a wide range of health problems. These pathologies are mismatch diseases, defined as diseases resulting from the fact that our Paleolithic body is poorly or insufficiently adapted to certain modern behaviors and conditions. Whether it is sedentariness, the comfort of our homes, lack of physical activity, or our denatured diet, humanity is experiencing an unprecedented gap between its biological nature inherited from evolution and its artificial daily life that leads to both physical and psychological dysfunctions. The presumed mismatch diseases include: Alzheimer’s disease, cancers, dental caries, depression, diabetes, fibromyalgia, hypertension, Crohn’s disease, insomnia, low back pain, myopia, osteoporosis, flat feet, psychoneurosis, multiple sclerosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and many others. A good stress is necessary To build and maintain good health, the human body needs to interact with its environment or risk deteriorating.  For there is a universal principle of energy economy: anything that is not used degrades or disappears.  Hence the interest in submitting to stimuli that strengthen our innate adaptive capacities, this is the principle of hormesis. “The ability of bodies to adjust their observable characteristics (their phenotype) in response to environmental constraints is called phenotypic plasticity. All organisms need phenotypic plasticity to function, and the more biologists expand their research, the more new examples they discover. […] Relying on these interactions with the environment, however, has drawbacks that can potentially lead to mismatches when critical environmental signals are absent, attenuated, or aberrant.” Daniel Lieberman in “The Story of the Human Body”  The adaptation phenomena to Fatigue, Hunger, and Cold have shaped our biology over millions of years, to the extent that they have become the guarantors of our good physical and mental health. This is why,  it is important to artificially recreate these stresses in our daily lives  in order to align with our biological needs that are no longer naturally met in our modern environment. “In summary, we have truly evolved to use certain traits, or risk losing them. As the human body is not a product of engineering but grows and evolves, your body anticipates and even requires certain constraints during your growth in order to develop properly.” […] Equally important interactions characterize other systems that actively interact with the outside world, such as your immune system and the organs that help you, for example, digest food or maintain a stable body temperature.” Daniel Lieberman in “The Story of the Human Body”   Towards a change in customs Thanks, in particular, to Pierre de Coubertin, sports activity has entered the school system and more generally into customs. No one now questions the benefits, or even the pleasure that can be derived from it. However, there is nothing natural, for example, about going for a run. What is natural is to rest as much as possible when one has the opportunity. But our society now recognizes the necessity of voluntarily fatiguing oneself in an environment where opportunities for physical exertion are rare.  This awareness will also come with Hunger and Cold; it is only a matter of time…  Beyond these down-to-earth considerations, what I find beautiful about the 3 F is that seemingly hostile elements like cold, hunger, or fatigue can have so many positive effects on our health and well-being. This paradigm shift occurs when one takes the time to listen to their body and feel. There is, I believe, a spiritual message here: Life is so well made that even cold, hunger, and fatigue want good for us…Do not forget that the only thing we can lose is our illusions. It is these that make us suffer, not the vicissitudes… 5 types of hormetic exposures Hormesis through physical activity Hormesis through physical activity consists of exposing the body to different forms of stress by practicing resistance exercises, brief but intense exercises, or intermittent efforts. They cause: thermal stress, metabolic stress, hypoxic stress, mechanical stress, and oxidative stress.  The goal here is to challenge the body in order to increase the level of oxidative stress in the muscle. A stress against which we generally fight to delay aging, but which is vital for muscular adaptation during exercise. To learn more: Read this article on the benefits of hormesis through physical activity.  Hormesis through cold Its purpose is to enhance the body’s resistance to stress caused by cold. This is to no longer suffer this element as an enemy, both physically and mentally, but to perceive and use it as a true ally of health.  The stimulus consists of exposing one’s body to a cold environment (generally water or air), even icy, in order to provoke a marked decrease (but within physiological possibilities and outside of severe hypothermia) in body temperature. In response, the organism in a stress situation will develop a set of physiological adaptation reactions to maintain

Hygienism: The Benefits of Barefoot Running

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTrpuDquawY&t=3008shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRkXWAm7_PA&t=3189s Please note: these videos are currently in French, but you can activate YouTube’s auto-generated subtitles in English while we work on providing a dedicated English version. “The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.” Leonardo da Vinci Running Injuries In June 2013, while participating in the ascent of Poupet, a 17.7 km race with a positive elevation gain of 666 meters in the Jura, I was at the peak of my form and finished 21st out of 916. But for a year, sciatica had forced me into daily stretching and enforced rest for several weeks, punctuated by visits to the osteopath. In this unfavorable context, I could barely maintain my level and kept getting injured, always in the same spot: sciatica in my left leg. Running injuries take on the appearance of fatality since it is the fate of the majority of runners to be an eternal injured person on probation…. So much so that in the locker rooms of a running club, everyone’s “aches” are a natural and unavoidable topic, much like the weather. Viewed from this angle, it is hard to argue with the funny individuals in white coats who claim, in a tone that brooks no reply, that the human being is not made to run… In any case, I had not come into the world to be reasonable, so instead of allowing for a two-day recovery phase after Poupet, motivated by the good time from the weekend that hinted at imminent progress, I did a heavy track session. A fatal mistake that truly awakened the sciatica, which from then on never left me, whether during training in running, cycling, climbing, and kayaking, in the car to disengage, or, worse, at work in the woods. The stretches I practiced self-taught no longer relieved me, and I did not yet know an effective movement (see the last paragraph) to stretch the piriformis. I was living a real ordeal to the point of deciding to stop running for six months. Instead, I ran to osteopaths, physiotherapists, and healers who only managed to temporarily release the piriformis that was squeezing the sciatic nerve in an involuntary and permanent contraction. Deep down, I did not believe in this masquerade of “medicine men” and their manipulations, which over time represented a financial cost, not to mention that it was absurd that my health depended on all these people who clearly did not hold the cure-all. I had faith in my body and knew it would find the solution one day; I just needed to be patient and listen attentively to it. In April 2014, almost a year after Poupet, a simple jog still caused me pain for several days. Natural and Physiological Running I had probably suffered enough to be ready to receive “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall, an American bestseller handed to me by a fellow runner from the Roannais athletic club. A magical book with a strong persuasive power that rehabilitated the human body to its rightful place as the most evolved organism on the planet, something no medical manual could do. At the end of this book, read in one go, propelled by the power of the theory presented, I permanently put my shoes away and set off for my first barefoot training, excited at the idea of embarking on a new exciting adventure. And ten days later, I ran the 10 km of Montceau les Mines (71), on a terrain alternating small pebbles and rough asphalt. The “ten” of Montceau was symbolic to me because I had run my first ten there in 2006 (in 46’42’’), so in 2014, I wanted to run my first ten barefoot (in 45’10’’). Certainly, I was far from my best time (34’58”) on this distance, but it was just the beginning… As of today, April 2017, my best barefoot time on a ten-kilometer is 38’23’’. With this ridiculous training of ten days to get my feet used to embracing the ground, I crossed the finish line with several blisters the size of a thumb and full of blood before slowly returning, almost groping, to my car where I could sit down with relief. The pain in my heels was such that I worked a week on tiptoes with a brushcutter in hand on the treacherous slopes of Beaujolais. I do not have a bad memory of it; on the contrary, the fresh exhilaration sparked by the start of a new challenge overshadowed everything else. Pain is just information like a red light on a dashboard; I had a mind of iron but feet of clay… There was a beautiful reward at the end that justified everything: I could once again live without suffering from this stubborn sciatica, suddenly and definitively gone. The message had been received, and this liberation was priceless. Certainly, it was now my feet that hurt, but that pain was temporary and understandable, thus acceptable. All things considered, since suffering is an integral part of this world, I would even say it is one of the main engines of evolution, just like love; we might as well choose it to serve our aspirations and goals, while bringing a touch of madness that adds color to life. Isn’t that wisdom itself? Suffering is like the wind on the ocean; if the rigging is used wisely, it helps to move forward; otherwise, we drift or capsize… Before going further, I will first answer the question posed at the beginning of the chapter. The Logic of Barefoot Running Here is an overview of the theory, fully developed in “The Story of the Human Body” by Daniel E. Lieberman, professor of evolutionary human biology at Harvard, and recounted in “Born to Run” by C. McDougall: Our feet have as many sensory receptors as our hands and as many sweat glands as our armpits. In short, nothing in principle condemns them to be inside a sock lined with a shoe. Then, and this is the essential

Are we guided by life?

« And whatever you do Love is everywhere you look In the slightest corners of space In the slightest dream where you linger Love as if it were raining Naked on the pebbles » Francis Cabrel « One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye. » Antoine de St-Exupéry « God does not play dice. » Albert Einstein I present to you here an essay on my vision of humanity’s place in the Universe, in which I put forward arguments that are my own and are not based on any scientific proof. This essay’s sole pretension is to present you with an appealing way of seeing life that opens the door to spirituality. That said, it is not purely an exercise of the imagination; all the scientific data that follows is verifiable. According to scientists, the characteristics of the universe in which we live depend on about fifteen physical constants. Among them are the mass of the proton, the speed of light, and the gravitational constant. It seems that a variation, even a slight one, in some of these fundamental constants would not have allowed life to emerge in the universe. LIFE IS A PERMANENT MIRACLE For example, life cannot develop if the cosmological constant or dark energy have values that are too high, as they would then prevent the mechanism of gravitational instability and, consequently, the formation of galaxies and stars. And whether it’s the mass of the proton, the density of the universe, or the ratios between the 4 fundamental forces, scientists conclude that minute modifications to their values would prevent the elements essential for life (such as hydrogen, carbon, or heavy elements) from forming. This is what in physics is called the fine-tuning of the universe: if it were not exactly as it is, we would not be here to observe it. This observation gave birth to the anthropic principle, according to which the fundamental parameters on which the Universe depends are set so that it allows for the birth and development of observers within it at a certain stage of its development. To these considerations necessary for the appearance of life in the universe are added the conditions necessary for the appearance of life in a solar system. The size of the star, the size and composition of the planets, their distance from the star, and sufficient distance from a harmful source of gamma rays all come into play. When we try to go into the details (read this article) to better understand the role of each of these parameters, we realize just what a high-precision mechanism it is. For example, the presence of water on Earth (considered indispensable for life) is thought to have been brought by multiple “random” collisions with comets (which contain water) during the formation of the solar system. And the moon, which stabilizes the Earth’s axis of rotation, makes the climate more stable, which favors the emergence of life. Etc, etc. INTELLIGENCE IS EVERYWHERE IN NATURE Let’s zoom in a little more on the life that unfolds on Earth. Recently (from a scientific point of view, at least) we have learned that trees, although devoid of neurons, are nevertheless capable, among other marvels, of communicating, defending themselves from predators, and helping each other. Not to mention that they know exactly where to grow their branches to capture the maximum amount of light. Where does this intelligence come from, do you think? From a simple algorithm selected by nature? Then what about the experiment by Toshiyuki Nakagaki (this link leads to a website in French. To read it in English or another language, simply copy the URL and paste it into Google Translate https://translate.google.com/?sl=fr&tl=it&op=translate) which showed that amoebas (microscopic single-celled creatures consisting essentially of a drop of protoplasm enveloped in a flexible, porous membrane) were capable of finding the shortest path out of a maze? And at an even more ‘simplistic’ stage, we don’t even know how proteins (these basic structures of our DNA) form amid all the possible combinations to obtain the correct structure that allows for proper functioning. To learn more about intelligence in nature, I recommend this wonderful book. In summary, the progress of science does not so much allow us to better understand life as to bow before its complexity, which far surpasses our intellectual faculties. This improbable complexity favoring life amid all these parameters finds an intellectually acceptable explanation only by considering that an intelligence manifests itself through all that lives, whether there is a brain or not. Moreover, at our human level, anyone can observe that the important choices in our lives are in no way the fruit of cerebral agitation, any more than the intuition that guides us in the vital moments of our existence. There is, in passing, a comforting conclusion to be drawn: living one’s life in good harmony does not depend on our intellectual faculties. THE MYSTERY OF ENTROPY Furthermore, it seems (this is at least what we observe on Earth, and I will hypothesize from there) that life manifests itself as soon as the conditions are right. From a primordial soup, molecules form, single-celled beings appear, and, progressively, life organizes itself and moves inexorably towards complexity. It is as if there were an energy that allows matter to structure itself to become alive. In other words, we can consider that an energy endowed with intention accompanies life in all its processes (from the formation of proteins to DNA mutations) to allow it to adapt to living conditions and pursue its designs towards the emergence of an ever-greater consciousness. For matter to structure itself and go against the natural evolution of entropy, it is necessary to bring energy into the system. An energy that would be abundant, everywhere in the universe, and about which we know nothing because it is invisible to our eyes and our instruments. Wouldn’t the ideal candidate be this dark energy that has been the subject of so much ink

The transition to living nutrition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onUFfCeofHw 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. “Moderation? It’s mediocrity, fear, and confusion in disguise. It’s the devil’s reasonable deception. It’s the compromise that satisfies no one. Moderation is for the weak and the fearful, for those who are unable to take a stand. It is for those who are afraid to laugh or cry, for those who are afraid to live or die. Moderation is lukewarm tea, the drink of the devil!” The Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman To better understand what follows, I suggest you read beforehand: ” Eating Live?” and ” What is Hygienism?“. In our current society, there is no one who eats 100% plant-based and live because we are all led, even if only occasionally and in small quantities, to consume cooked or heated foods at some point or another. This is inevitable because live food is not yet widespread enough for us to nourish ourselves as we wish whenever we are away from home. Even without that, some foods sold as “raw” are not. However, when I am questioned on the subject, I take the shortcut of claiming that I eat exclusively plant-based and live because my exceptions in this matter are rare and in small quantities. That said,  it is possible for some people to reach a balance where they do not crave anything other than raw fruits and vegetables.  Mental strength does not come into play here; it becomes natural because it corresponds to an optimum of pleasure and well-being. This may seem surprising at first, but the best proof of this assertion is to observe that  once the body is accustomed to eating live in large proportions: cooked food, and even more so industrial food, becomes significantly less appealing when it does not provoke disgust. To achieve this result,  we have two decisive tools: naturopathic detox techniques and the CRUsine  (which is done with a blender, a food processor, and a dehydrator) that allows us to recreate all the flavors and textures of traditional cooking, making any potential frustration forgotten. These two tools can be used for several years before the body settles for raw or minimally mixed foods. The motivations At the starting point, there is dissatisfaction  (weight issues, fatigue, decreased sports performance, etc.),  an illness, a mystical experience  (spontaneous fasting, a vision, a dream, etc.),  or an awareness  (ethical, ecological, the suffering of a loved one, etc.).  It is this need to give meaning, without playing the victim, to the situations we live or go through that leads us to change our beliefs to adopt others that will make us happier, as they are closer to our reality. We then seek information on another way of eating: we surf the internet, read, and discuss the subject with experienced or inexperienced people. And there, we quickly realize that  existing diets are varied and often contradictory.  To better understand these apparent contradictions between different approaches, it is important to present some notions of physiology : The human body is composed of about 40 liters of lymph  (read the definition on Wikipedia)  of which 5 liters is called “circulating” lymph because it circulates throughout the body with the role of cleaning it of toxins. Due to decades, for most of us, of traditional eating,  the lymphatic fluids in which our cells bathe are saturated with toxins and our immune system, whose role is to clean these fluids and our cells, is overwhelmed.  Animal products consumed in excess as well as all cooked foods tend to weaken the immune system and clog the body.  When we start eating plant-based and live in large proportions, the immune system is boosted and a major cleaning begins. A cleaning that, over several years, will load the circulating lymph faster than it can eliminate waste through the emunctories (liver, kidneys, intestines)  because these are most often weakened by several decades of non-physiological eating that produces waste. Hence the appearance of elimination crises and  the need to relieve the body with practices that help lymph to circulate (sports, movements, massage, etc.) and naturopathic detox techniques that will greatly facilitate evacuations.  Otherwise, cravings for non-physiological food will loop, sometimes obsessively.   The difficulties The difficulties in giving up cooked or animal-derived foods are mainly related to the symptoms of withdrawal and detoxification of the body. It has even been known for a short time that the lymphatic system passes through the brain, which is one reason, among others, why our food cravings and moods are influenced by the toxic load of the entire body.  The same goes for the nature of our gut microbiota composed of 10 trillion bacteria and viruses (it’s no coincidence that the intestines are nicknamed the second brain) which influences our food cravings and has a direct impact on our health.   On the other hand, what is rarely discussed, and which I consider a major difficulty, are the energetic and emotional changes brought about by living nutrition.  Everything in LIFE is Vibration, Information, and Energy, which is why  changing (sometimes radically) one’s diet has repercussions on all levels of our being.  This plant life that we ingest strongly disrupts our energetic structure (made up of our beliefs, emotional state, thought patterns, etc.) and  it may simply be that we are not ready to experience too radical changes, or that it is not the right time!    The subtle art of managing detox Faced with these uncontrolled and endured detoxes (physical, emotional, and energetic), some come to think that we need cooked food or animal products to be in shape when in reality it may simply be that our bodies (physical, emotional, and energetic) are not ready to welcome and live this transformation with serenity.  Hence the necessity to reconnect with one’s feelings and assess what is right for oneself without strictly following recommendations. That said, I believe it will be beneficial in most cases to introduce (gradually) at

The frequency of meals in living nutrition

“I see only one way to know how far we can go: it is to set out and walk.” Henri Bergson, “The Perception of Change” (1911), collection: “The Creative Mind”. “A quarter of what we eat nourishes our body, the rest nourishes the doctor.” Inscription engraved on an Egyptian pyramid, 3800 BC. “To reach the Truth, one must, once in their life, rid themselves of all the opinions they have received, and rebuild anew, from the foundation, the entire system of their knowledge.” René Descartes ” As long as there are men who will not obey their reason alone, who will receive their opinions from a foreign opinion, all the chains would have been broken in vain.” The Marquis de Condorcet Chronic hunger Skipping a single meal is generally uncomfortable, and for good reason, the ritual of three fixed meals hides a dependency. Let us take a closer look at the origin of this food addiction unknown to the general public. Let us turn our gaze inward, to our intimacy, when our body tells us “I am hungry.” Cereals were introduced, along with dairy products, at the beginning of the Neolithic, about 10,000 years ago. It is during this period that we observe the frequent appearance of dental caries, whereas they were almost non-existent among hunter-gatherers. Moreover, life expectancy dropped among these pioneers of agriculture, whose average height decreased from 1.73m (in the Paleolithic) to 1.63m (in the Neolithic), signs that living conditions were less favorable during the agricultural era. It took until the 1970s for humans to regain their initial stature and exceed it by 3 cm today, undeniably thanks to improved living conditions, the development of medicine and agronomy, without ignoring the collateral effect of growth hormones given to livestock. While cereals are a boon to free humanity from its carbohydrate needs, the flip side is that the starch (a chain of glucose) from refined cereals (the famous white bread) and even more so industrial sugar (the average daily consumption of industrial sugar per person in France is currently 100 grams, whereas in the 19th century, it was only 5 grams), not to mention fruit juices (there is a parallel between the consumption of added fructose or fruit juices and the frequency of obesity), cause blood sugar levels to rise too quickly. Unlike fruits and vegetables, whose presence of fiber and water changes the game by slowing down absorption, which occurs gently. The hypoglycemia epidemic In common language, the term “sugar” can refer to any sugar. On a nutritional label, the term “sugars” refers to all carbohydrates with a sweetening power, mainly fructose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, and lactose. White sugar (or sucrose) contains 50% glucose and 50% fructose, while fruits mainly contain fructose. Fructose, which has a sweetening power superior to sucrose, by 20 to 40%, does not cause sudden hyperglycemia in sedentary individuals consuming it through fruits. However, the rapid increase in blood sugar levels causes hyperglycemia, which, if repeated daily, is particularly harmful to body tissues. This is why our pancreas reacts with a strong and urgent production of insulin, often in excessive amounts, which will store these excess sugars in the form of fats, triglycerides, to the detriment of liver health. This high production of insulin, in response to the consumption of foods that release sugar too quickly, can, in the long term, fatigue the pancreas and, in the short term, it causes hypoglycemia that occurs about 4 hours after eating. This coincides with clock-like precision with the time of the next meal or snack. Here is the first of three mechanisms that encourages eating multiple times throughout the day: hypoglycemia due to a diet containing refined cereals and industrial sugar. In addition, there is the body’s self-cleaning process that kicks in as soon as digestion is finished, a process that can hardly function except at night when one eats three times a day. Read about this in “What if we stopped eating a little… from time to time” (original title: Et si on s’arrêtait un peu de manger…de temps en temps) by Bernard Clavière for more information on the mechanisms of fasting and its effects on the human body. The side effects of detox This cleaning has undesirable side effects, particularly in individuals who have never fasted, especially as the body is intoxicated by poor eating habits. Confused mind, lack of energy, anxiety, bad mood, blurred vision, coated tongue, acne, bad breath, need to blow one’s nose, swollen face, stiffness, dizziness, general fatigue, etc., are symptoms familiar to billions of human beings upon waking, those who believe they are favored by progress. Breakfast, by temporarily stopping this cleaning with undesirable effects, appears as the savior. That is why, contrary to what popular wisdom claims, breakfast would rather be the most harmful meal of the day since it interrupts a beneficial cleaning process that should be allowed to function a little each day. For what strange reason, after a night of sleep, would we need stimulants to start a day? Moreover, it is observed that a healthily nourished body is not hungry in the morning. Besides, the entire animal kingdom sleeps or rests after eating; it is unnatural and even counterproductive to go to work with a full stomach, as athletes well know. Science has largely demonstrated that caloric reduction accelerates neurogenesis. It is generally believed that adults no longer produce neurons, but this is false. And this process is accelerated when you fast. More neurons are produced in the hippocampus. This even led a California startup to have its employees fast for 36 hours to boost productivity. If the ends are debatable, the method has once again proven its effectiveness. The psyche The last mechanism that conditions us operates in the psychological domain. During the fetal stage, the placenta that nourished us was rich in carbohydrates, just like breast milk (or substitutes). That is why we have, beyond our physiological needs, a great appetite for sweetness, especially in times of stress. By stimulating

The Origins of Living Nutrition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9-yiSl_Vq4&t=4003s 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. “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”  Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew, chapter 6, verse 26 “I teach men a new will: to consciously want the path that man has blindly walked, to judge it good and no longer to stray furtively from it, as the sick and the dying do.”  Thus spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche “In the past, believing that people of color were truly human and should be treated humanely was considered madness. Today, it is seen as exaggerated to claim that one of the duties imposed by rational ethics is to respect what lives, even in its lower forms. But one day, it will be surprising that it took humanity so long to admit that careless depredations caused to living beings are incompatible with ethics.”  Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965), Alsatian physician and philosopher, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 1952 When I returned from the Loire journey, I urgently read the book by Bernard Clavière, which had the effect of an electric shock on me. On a whim, as I know I can have, I permanently purged from my cupboards all animal-derived foods (meat, fish, dairy products, eggs), cereals, and legumes, and of course, refined sugar; all suddenly and irrevocably fallen from grace. According to this new paradigm that I wished to embody, only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and sprouted seeds remained at my disposal, which I also decided to eat exclusively raw. This is what is called a plant-based and living diet because nothing is cooked and everything is of plant origin. The funny people who eat this way, sometimes called “raw vegan,” lead a simplified life: nothing to cook and very few packages to manage. The logic underlying this revolution was quite simple and took its origins far back, to the origins of humanity, before regrettable centuries of culinary traditions obliterated our instinctive knowledge of the laws of life. At the dawn of humanity Let us remember: The evolutionary history of human beings is still far from being fully established, but the oldest fossil found of the genus Homo dates back 2.8 million years with Homo habilis, named for its skill in handling and creating its own tools. As for modern humans, Homo sapiens, they are believed to have appeared 200,000 years ago. We are part of the great family of hominids, which appeared 7 million years ago, encompassing animal species such as bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, not to mention all the extinct species including Neanderthal. Excluding humans, all members of our family have maintained a diet based on fruits, vegetables, and seeds (between 95 and 99%) with a marginal consumption of insects and small animals (between 1 and 5%). This does not prevent them, by the way, from having canines much more developed than ours. Emerging humanity, before the advent of Homo habilis, was therefore raw foodist (eating only raw foods) and consumed almost exclusively fruits, tubers, young shoots, and leaves. Then, about 2.5 million years ago, the proportion of meat in our diet gradually increased, leading some to say that  the Paleolithic diet, which favored meat, is the ideal diet for contemporary humans. This ability acquired during evolution to digest more meat than their constitution initially allowed was crucial in the emergence of modern humans and their emancipation across the planet. Alongside this change in dietary habits, early humans developed weapons for hunting and became exceptional runners (see “The Story of the Human Body” by Lieberman). 600,000 years ago, a new string to their bow was added to ancestral techniques with the domestication of fire (some estimates place this domestication at 1.7 million years ago) and cooking, particularly of vegetables. Contrary to popular belief, cooking meat was not essential, as evidenced recently by the Inuit (or “Eskimos”), who consumed raw meat. Richer in vitamins than cooked meat, this raw foodism was essential for survival near the polar circle, where 80 to 90% of the diet was carnivorous. In contrast, cooking leaves, roots, and tubers facilitated their digestion and allowed for a large consumption of plants from which maximum glucose was derived (soluble fibers turn into sugars when heated), this fuel being essential for the brain. In our modern world, the decrease in our caloric needs as well as the selection of many tender cultivars (fruits and vegetables) with an incomparable sugar richness compared to the wild flora of the Paleolithic makes cooking food inappropriate because it decreases, among other disadvantages, the bioavailability of micronutrients.   From gatherer to gatherer-hunter  We then had the means to leave the tropics and set out to conquer our beautiful planet. For this, it was essential to ensure a sufficient supply of meat, the only food available in all seasons at all latitudes. Humans then clearly distinguished themselves from other hominids, becoming nomadic and hunter-gatherers. From the equator to the Arctic Circle, the share of carnivorous food went from a quarter to almost totality, a latitudinal gradient still marked today. Hunting, with the cooperation, analysis, and abstraction skills it requires, has been a determining catalyst for intelligence. Bipedalism, tool use, and hunting have favored the development of the human brain, both by stimulating our cognitive abilities, cooperation, and inducing an increased food intake. The brain, which runs exclusively on glucose, is indeed the organ that consumes the most energy (one-fifth of daily metabolism in an adult). The colonization of Europe by Homo sapiens, which occurred late, only 40,000 years ago during the Ice Age, is indicative of the resilience and intelligence of our distant ancestors who actually had a larger brain than ours. The brain of modern humans is indeed 15 to 20% smaller than that of Cro-Magnon who lived 30,000 years ago. Put yourself in

Hygienism: Why I Changed My Diet and Took Off My Shoes?

Please note: these videos are currently in French, but you can activate YouTube’s auto-generated subtitles in English while we work on providing a dedicated English version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRkXWAm7_PA&t=3189shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hawhYaouZyk&t=30s “Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.” Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi “In certain situations, the language of the body and illness proves to be the most acceptable way to talk about one’s suffering.” Anne Harrington Until the beginning of July 2014, while I was descending the Loire in a packraft, I had never questioned fundamental aspects of nutrition. Strange questions like: “Is it normal to eat three or four times a day every day at fixed times?” or, “Why do I eat meat?”. This questioning began with an episode of fever that lasted two days, following a heat stroke, during which I could not swallow anything. Once recovered, fasting continued more or less because as soon as I tried to eat something, I felt like vomiting. Only raw fruits and vegetables could somewhat pass. For two weeks, I experienced a significant decrease in appetite while paddling 9 hours a day and being in great shape. All of this was incomprehensible to me, the omnivore used to gargantuan meals. In search of the ideal diet For several years, I had been keen on eating locally and producing my own food. I cultivated a vegetable garden, picked fruits from the surroundings, and raised poultry; the idea that everything we need is found around us, in its natural state, was already taking root. I simply supplemented my production with regional dairy products, cereals (a lot of wheat), and coffee. I almost never consumed cold cuts, chocolates, sweets, sodas, pizzas, prepared meals, canned goods, etc. I embodied in practice the famous “everything in moderation”. A convenient two-cent wisdom since everyone sees noon at their door, which has probably made it popular despite its emptiness. I had a gargantuan appetite that I believed was justified by the practice of many sports in addition to my work as a lumberjack and all the outdoor activities related to my lifestyle. Moreover, I was thin, full of energy, and proud of my nearly self-sufficient lifestyle, disregarding chemical products. Intellectual self-sufficiency also made me completely impervious to what I could hear about the harms of meat, cereals, legumes, milk, and coffee, unfortunately too often justified without the scientific rigor needed to penetrate my Cartesian mind… Thus, over the years, I accumulated vision problems (myopia and astigmatism), skin issues (cysts, acne, sweating), allergies (cat hair and pollen), and increasingly severe and frequent colds. But since these vicissitudes were the lot of many, I paid no attention, thinking it was part of life, that it was certainly not well made for human beings but that we had to deal with it and fortunately, science was there to save us. You know the litany! It is probably out of pessimism or, dare I say, lack of faith, that so many people consume medications, these drugs that I have always viewed with suspicion, and live in sanitized environments with fear of the nasty microbe. Seeing all these people become strangers to their own biotope, protecting themselves from the sun, insects, bacteria, cold, etc., the image of aliens in suits often came to my mind.   Suffering as a driver of change Since I still did not understand the message that life was sending me through health problems, it was ultimately a sciatica that came to signify more strongly that something was wrong and that it needed to change. I inevitably consulted doctors: general practitioners, osteopaths, physiotherapists who only relieved the pain. I was subjected to those seemingly innocuous phrases that undermine self-confidence, like: “It’s normal, you’re doing too much!” or “We’re not made to run!”, not to mention the most famous one, “You’re getting older, that’s all!” when I wasn’t even 30… Since I took no medication and did not consider surgery, the only thing that allowed me to cope was the daily stretching session I performed after work or sports. I did this without method, as a self-taught individual, which is why I was surprised, a few years later, to find that it was quite close to Hatha Yoga. The stretches were not enough to overcome the sciatica, but I had absolute confidence in my body and I knew that sooner or later it would find the solution to heal. For more than two years, I endured this sciatica daily in all the activities I performed; it sometimes turned into an obsession. That is why, when a colleague from the running club lent me “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall, it was the trigger. I finally understood that running shoes were the source of my pain.   Returning to nature The real remedy was the obvious one; I just needed to run barefoot. It hurt me too, but it was just a transition, and I could understand that pain. Shoes have made us disabled (just look at someone walking barefoot on small pebbles to be convinced), so how could I have emerged unscathed from thirty years of mistreatment towards my feet? In short, I needed to learn to walk and run, for real this time. Thanks to this radical method, I got rid of that sciatica as one wakes from a bad dream, definitively, almost miraculously. This experience strengthened my faith in the human body and its incredible capabilities that we are just beginning to (re)discover, it seems to me. That is why, a few months later, when I landed from my packraft in Chambilly (71) on the banks of the Loire, bewildered by this experience of fasting naturally imposed by my body, I was ripe for another trigger. That evening, I was invited for a stopover at friends’ who aptly lent me, “What if we stopped eating a bit… from time to time” by Bernard Clavière. For over 30 years, the author has only eaten once a day, only fresh fruits, raw vegetables, and nuts. I only had