Bitter greens

[michelle1013]

Could I get a list of what is considered bitter greens? Also, for brain fog and well, memory (I am 41 and my short term memory is very bad), what should I concentrate on eating? Also, where do you buy seaweed? I am two weeks new and learning. Thanks for this board (everyone is really nice and helpful).

[Arky]

Bitter greens include:

Kale, broccoli, dandelion, cavolo nero, swiss chard, spinach, rocket etc. Ordinary head lettuce does not count, but romaine/cos lettuce is reasonably nutritious. Basically, if you see greens in a shop or field and they're dark that's a good starting point which will narrow things down quite a bit, since many of the darker greens are also bitter (which some say is an indicator of mineral density).


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You mentioned brain fog - have you checked for:

*Thyroid insufficiency

*EFA deficiency (Omega 3 etc.)

*Adequate protein, vitamin and mineral intake (the brain needs nourishing just as every other organ does)

*Heavy metal intoxication (do you have amalgam dental fillings, and/or have you had many vaccinations, and/or have you ever played with mercury, etc. ?). Until such time as you have established for certain that you're not heavy metal intoxicated, I highly recommend you steer clear of cilantro/corriander.

(Everyone here must be sick of hearing me mention heavy metals but the truth is that both brain fog and short-term memory loss are classic symptoms of heavy metal intoxication and I'm a walking example of this, myself - if you dig through some of my messages on the forum, you'll see I have a not-unreasonable success rate in recognising possible heavy metal intoxication clues in various members' posts, so please at least give this possibility due consideration in yourself).


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As far as the seaweed goes, you can buy it from most asian supermarkets, several places online, too, such as iHerb (Frontier Natural Products do a nice purple dulse which is sourced from relatively unpolluted waters, whereas one cannot be certain with the seaweeds from asian food markets). Ebay is another option, as is Seaveg.co.uk (good stuff; I've purchased purple dulse from them several times before). I'm sure you realise each seaweed has a different nutrient profile but overall, I find purple dulse to be the most enjoyable and it has a great spectrum of nutrients in an easy to eat form, whereas some other seaweeds (kombu, wakame, kelp etc. can sometimes be very tough).



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[michelle1013]

Thanks, that was good information. What do I take for mineral deficiency or EFA deficiency? Any supplements recommended? Also, I have cavitity fillings, I think they are amalgam fillings. I have about four. Now, will taking them out help or have they been in there too long to help with my brain fog and all?

Thanks,
Lori




Bitter greens include:

Kale, broccoli, dandelion, cavolo nero, swiss chard, spinach, rocket etc. Ordinary head lettuce does not count, but romaine/cos lettuce is reasonably nutritious. Basically, if you see greens in a shop or field and they're dark that's a good starting point which will narrow things down quite a bit, since many of the darker greens are also bitter (which some say is an indicator of mineral density).


__________________________________________________ ____________________



You mentioned brain fog - have you checked for:

*Thyroid insufficiency

*EFA deficiency (Omega 3 etc.)

*Adequate protein, vitamin and mineral intake (the brain needs nourishing just as every other organ does)

*Heavy metal intoxication (do you have amalgam dental fillings, and/or have you had many vaccinations, and/or have you ever played with mercury, etc. ?). Until such time as you have established for certain that you're not heavy metal intoxicated, I highly recommend you steer clear of cilantro/corriander.

(Everyone here must be sick of hearing me mention heavy metals but the truth is that both brain fog and short-term memory loss are classic symptoms of heavy metal intoxication and I'm a walking example of this, myself - if you dig through some of my messages on the forum, you'll see I have a not-unreasonable success rate in recognising possible heavy metal intoxication clues in various members' posts, so please at least give this possibility due consideration in yourself).


__________________________________________________ ____________________



As far as the seaweed goes, you can buy it from most asian supermarkets, several places online, too, such as iHerb (Frontier Natural Products do a nice purple dulse which is sourced from relatively unpolluted waters, whereas one cannot be certain with the seaweeds from asian food markets). Ebay is another option, as is Seaveg.co.uk (good stuff; I've purchased purple dulse from them several times before). I'm sure you realise each seaweed has a different nutrient profile but overall, I find purple dulse to be the most enjoyable and it has a great spectrum of nutrients in an easy to eat form, whereas some other seaweeds (kombu, wakame, kelp etc. can sometimes be very tough).



.

[Arky]

Lori, please take a look through the following thread and let me know if you have further questions:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?65688-Mercury-Removal-Experience

If your fillings are, indeed, mercury amalgam, then taking them out will undoubtedly help your cognition but only as a partial step - you'll subsequently need to chelate what mercury has made it into the various cells, tissues and organs of your body. Just removing the amalgams isn't enough on it's own.

NEVER BE TEMPTED TO CHELATE WHILST YOU STILL HAVE AMALGAMS IN YOUR MOUTH.

To find out if your fillings are mercury amalgams, you'll need to ask your dentist, but is they're 'silver' in appearance then it's almost certain they contain mercury.

I'll help you in any way I can but first please read through the above thread; it contains a great deal of information on the topic.

Take care.

[Arky]

Since you DO have fillings in your mouth, as I suspected (in relation to the brain fog and memory issues), and since these fillings likely contain mercury, since your symptoms match those of mercury intoxication, this reduces the likelihood that your symptoms are related to mineral or EFA deficiency.

However, just to answer your questions:

For mineral deficiency, you're already on the right track with bitter leafy greens, and seaweed. Other good sources of minerals include natural fulvic acid mineral complexes such as shilajit (do make sure you buy PURE shilajit, not those which have had heavy metals added. If you look on eBay you'll often find independent suppliers of the pure stuff, but you need to make sure they actually specify it as pure. Generally, the pure stuff is supplied as a loose powder or solid, not in commercial capsules), wheatgrass juice, etc. Please note that I'm not telling you you need to rush out and buy shilajit etc., I'm merely saying fulvic acid mineral complexes are an available option.

Also of interest:

http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/minerals-nutrition-chart.html


And the EFAs are provided by nuts, seeds (soak them first, if possible), wild slowly-grown dark leafy greens and grasses, cold-extracted oils of hemp, flax etc. (Udo's blend is one of the better commercial options).


From what has so far been discussed in this thread, there is good reason to focus upon the heavy metals in relation to your cognitive symptoms.

From a broader nutritional standpoint, though, the other things mentioned here are great for health in general.

Also very relevant to general health and cognitive function is liver cleansing, more on which can be found in this thread:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?48992-Question-about-wrinkles&p=663043&highlight=#post663043

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Thanks, that was good information. What do I take for mineral deficiency or EFA deficiency?

Thanks,
Lori

The best thing to do is to take the fatty acids from grasses, algaes and sprouts. Best to avoid the cold pressed oils if you can. Even soaking Flax seed or chia is great for omega 3 concentrations and growing sunflower greens or sesame seeds sprouts or nut sprouts is a safe concentrated source of omega 6 fatty acid. lf you can't sprout, at least soak the seeds.

Late edit: weeds are also a great source.