Today’s Healthy Living
will be presented
in Persian, with
subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay,
Mongolian, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish and Thai.
Welcome,
marvelous viewers,
to this week’s edition of
Healthy Living,
the first in a two-part series
featuring the dietary
and nutritional views
of Iranian-American,
raw vegan physician
Dr. Zarin Azar
of San Diego,
California USA.
Dr. Azar specializes
in gastroenterology,
the study and treatment
of the digestive tract
and hepatology, the study
and treatment of the liver.
Besides her training
in these nutrition-related
specialties,
Dr. Azar has 25-years
of self study in the area
and is a Life Member
of the National Health
Association
and a Life Partner of
the Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine
(PCRM),
both of which advocate
the vegan lifestyle.
She is certified
by the PCRM in the use
of the plant-based diet
in clinical practice and
by Our Place International
in natural care
of the body and fasting.
Let’s now find out
why she chose to adopt
the plant-based diet.
Since when did you
become vegetarian
and what led you
to become vegetarian?
I have been vegetarian
about 20 years.
What happened was,
when I came to the US
I started to eat pizza
and hamburgers
and such things.
Gradually I noticed
that every day
my size was increasing
and not only that,
but I also felt
it affected my energy level.
I was low in energy,
I did not feel well.
Eventually,
after two to three years,
I thought to myself that
this wasn’t how I wanted
to continue living,
and from that moment
I started to read
more and more
about nutrition.
The first thing I did
was to stop eating red meat.
Like many other people,
I thought
that chicken and fish
were better than red meat.
Then I reduced
the chicken and fish
in my diet and eventually
I started to do sports
and physical exercise.
I was following
that process and also
reading about nutrition,
and at the same time,
I encountered the issues
with animals.
I have to say, although
I became a vegetarian
because of health reasons,
animal issues
became important to me,
and in fact they became
a fundamental issue
in my life.
And I really got to know
the suffering that
animals have to endure,
the way they are raised,
the way they get them
to become fat, so that
they would be consumed
by us humans.
Since that time,
I became a strict vegan.
I became a vegan
and have been a vegan
ever since.
As a raw vegan,
Dr. Azar consumes only
unprocessed, uncooked
plant-based foods.
Followers of this diet
do not heat food
above 46 degrees Celsius
as they believe
this destroys its enzymes.
They also believe
that cooking decreases
the nutritional value
and “life force” of food.
What are the advantages
of a raw diet
over a vegetarian diet?
A raw diet enables us
to be able to
grow our own food,
anywhere we live,
in our gardens, or
if we live in an apartment,
on our window sills.
By planting our own fruits
in our gardens,
we can drastically reduce
all the transportation
of our food,
from far away locations.
A raw diet makes us
very healthy,
and as a result we do not
have to resort to doctors
and drugs so much
and therefore
it creates a revolution
in the field of medicine.
Leading a natural life helps
our psychological health,
so we can
look at our lives,
and re-assess
all our beliefs and
principles of our lives
which we follow without
even thinking about them,
and then put them aside.
So, I thought and realized
that many of
the much needed changes
for the benefit
of humanity, animals
and our natural world
would be achieved
simply by changing to
a raw vegan diet (Right).
And my experience,
both from my personal life,
as well as
from my dealings
with my patients,
has shown that
this is a very good diet.
No doubt,
a vegan diet is very good
and is superior
to an omnivore
or a meat diet, but
because by cooking food,
many of the nutrients
of plant-based food and
indeed other kinds of food
are destroyed,
so with a raw diet we can
obtain more nutrients
for our body while
consuming much less food.
So, I believe
that a raw vegan diet
is the final stage
in the continuum
of human nutrition,
human health,
and preservation
of our environment
and animal lives.
So, as a medical expert
who fully understands
the human digestive system,
do you consider
a raw vegan diet
as the best diet
for human health?
No doubt,
no doubt about it.
In my opinion,
not only our social system
is not healthy from
a dietary point of view,
which promotes
the inappropriate diet
for our physical health,
but also from a mental
and emotional viewpoint,
the inappropriate diet
causes many problems.
Therefore, in my view,
an illness is not just
a physical health issue.
I think humans must
fundamentally change
their lifestyles,
their world viewpoints,
their beliefs in themselves,
their beliefs
about their health,
their bodies’ strength,
their belief
that Nature has the cure
for all illnesses.
After this brief message,
we’ll hear more
from Dr. Zarin Azar.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
A vegetarian diet
and the raw vegan diet
are returning
to humans’ natural diet.
Whether you are pregnant,
you are old,
for your children
of any age, whatever illness
you might have,
whatever your doctor
has diagnosed,
the raw vegan diet
is the best diet for you.
Welcome back to
Healthy Living
on Supreme Master
Television
featuring our interview
with raw vegan
gastroenterologist
and hepatologist
Dr. Zarin Azar.
Dr. Azar is active in
the field of public health
and is very much involved
in the initiatives of
the Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine.
As a Life Partner
of the organization,
she works on important
national legislation
such as
the Child Nutrition Act
that affects school
nutrition programs,
makes presentations
on heart health and diet
to community groups,
and writes many articles
on wellness.
Now let’s learn more
about Dr. Azar’s
treatment methods.
Dr. Azar,
have you had cases
where, in order to
treat a patient,
you recommended
that they try a raw diet?
Oh, definitely, always.
In fact this is the first option
of my treatment methods.
All the patients
who visit me, I recommend
the raw diet to them.
Of course,
this depends on the illness,
depends on the patient
who comes to me, and
the lifestyle and depends
on their diet in the past.
No doubt,
my recommendation is
that if they can,
they should become
a raw vegan, and if this is
not possible for them,
I strongly recommend
to them,
for the transition period,
they should
become vegetarian.
And if possible,
they should try
an 80% raw vegan diet.
Let me repeat here,
that for each illness,
there is an appropriate diet.
For instance, a patient
with a cholesterol problem
will be different
than a colitis patient.
I recommend a special diet
for a colitis patient,
such as particular fruits,
which are not
so stimulating,
while for a patient
with high cholesterol,
or for a diabetic patient,
the dietary advice
will be different;
for a diabetic person,
more vegetables and for
a high cholesterol patient
a different vegetarian diet
will be recommended.
But overall, my advice is
that patients should
adopt a vegetarian diet
and, at least an 80
to 85% raw vegan diet.
Yes.
Alongside recommending
a raw vegan diet,
do you also prescribe
conventional drugs?
Never.
People come to me, and
in fact they are already
on prescription drugs.
I do my best
to help them to gradually
come off these drugs.
For some illnesses,
for instance,
like high cholesterol,
I help them to give up
drugs immediately.
For an illness
such as colitis,
some patients come to me
who take steroids
and prednisone,
or even heavier drugs,
which put their
immune system to sleep.
In fact, for such patients,
we try to gradually stop
their medications
by lifestyle changes
and dietary changes,
and patients themselves
are aware of
my treatment methods.
How about special diseases
like cancer?
Do you think
a raw vegan diet
helps cure these diseases?
I am not aware of
any illness
which a raw vegan diet
cannot help.
I cannot say this can
completely cure them,
because that will
depend on the progress
of the disease,
and also on the past diet
of the patients
and how much
they follow the new diet.
But I need to
make one point clear.
I do not view food
as a drug.
Food is not a drug;
in fact, our body does not
have any need for drugs.
The body is intelligent.
Humans’ bodies as well
as animals’ bodies,
plants’ bodies,
and in general,
nature are intelligent, and
this natural intelligence
knows how to self heal
and repair any illness,
or bodily injury.
Therefore my point is not
that in order to be healed
we should avoid drugs
and replace them
with plants and food;
the point is that
we need to create a system
whereby our bodies have
more chances to utilize
their own natural power,
and heal the illness.
What I mean is
our bodies are fighting
day and night
with various symptoms.
About cancer,
day and night,
the cancer cells are being
produced in our bodies,
and from the metabolic
activities in our bodies,
waste material
is produced.
But our intelligent bodies
consciously know how to
cleanse and eradicate
these cancerous cells.
Our bodies know how to
get rid of the resulting
waste material
as the result of
the metabolic activities
in our body,
which are harmful and
expelled via our kidneys,
as feces, through sweating,
through our mouth,
and our skin.
Do we need to use
vitamin supplements
in addition to
our vegetarian
or raw vegan diet?
Whoever asks me
this question,
I always answer that,
“Well I don’t think
someone who is vegetarian
needs any
dietary supplements,
but someone
who is a meat eater,
most definitely needs
food supplements.”
You see,
as I mentioned before,
vegetarian
and raw vegan diets
are the primary diet
for humans.
The point whether
we should take or not take
a particular
food supplement tablet
depends on the viewpoint,
about attitude
toward food.
If we have a good diet,
if we are vegetarians,
if 80 to 85% of our food
is from fresh vegetables
and fruits, and if the rest
of our lifestyle is healthy,
there is no need to take
any drug or medicine.
Dr. Azar, we deeply
appreciate your
sound nutritional advice
and are happy
that your patients
are able to live healthier,
more active lives
after adopting
the raw vegan diet.
Respected viewers,
please join us again
next Monday on
Healthy Living
when we’ll present more
of our engaging interview
with the wise
and knowledgeable
Dr. Zarin Azar.
To contact Dr. Zarin Azar,
please email:
drzarinazar@yahoo.com
Thank you for your company
on today’s program.
Coming up next is
Enlightening Entertainment,
after Noteworthy News,
here on
Supreme Master Television.
May your life be filled
with happiness, grace
and love.
Today’s Healthy Living
will be presented
in Persian,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay,
Mongolian, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish and Thai.
We are all related;
this is my message.
We really need to learn
how to live a simple life.
Observe nature
and learn from nature.
And we should try
to ask ourselves
in the morning,
what can I do to benefit
my health, the health
of my environment
and to help the health
of the animals.
Welcome, hearty viewers,
to this week’s edition of
Healthy Living,
the second
and concluding part
of a two-part series
featuring the dietary
and nutritional insights
of Iranian-American
raw vegan physician
Dr. Zarin Azar
of San Diego,
California USA.
Dr. Azar specializes
in gastroenterology,
the study and treatment
of the digestive tract
and hepatology, the study
and treatment of the liver.
Besides her training
in these nutrition-related
specialties,
Dr. Azar has 25-years
of self study in the area
and is a Life Member
of the National Health
Association
and a Life Partner of
the Physicians Committee
on Responsible Medicine
(PCRM),
both of which advocate
the vegan lifestyle.
She is certified
by the PCRM in the use
of the plant-based diet
in clinical practice and
by Our Place International
in natural care
of the body and fasting.
As part of the standard
treatment regiment
she prescribes,
Dr. Azar asks patients
to steer clear
of animal products
in their diet for a number
of important reasons.
With the single exception
of mother's milk,
the only suitable source
of nutrition for infants,
dairy products
should be avoided
at every stage of life,
as the consumption of milk
from animals
can lead to detrimental
health effects.
In nature, every creature
drinks milk for
a limited period of time
that is during its infancy.
A human being is also
weaned off
his/her mother’s milk
at the age of two.
The intelligent nature
in our bodies immediately
stops producing
the enzyme responsible
for the breakup of
the milk sugar molecule
after the age of two.
And that is why
many people are allergic
and sensitive
to the milk sugar: because
they cannot digest it.
The enzyme
does not exist any longer.
So they suffer from
flatulence and gas.
Then they are advised
to take enzymes
in order to be able to
digest milk, but why?
Milk is not our food.
Scientifically speaking,
there are reasons
why nature does not
want us to drink milk
after we are two years old:
because of
special formulas and
growth factors in milk
which are essential
for the baby’s growth,
but after we are
two years old, they are
not only unnecessary
but also detrimental
for me and you.
Why? Because they help
create cancer cells.
Now according to
numerous research studies
as well,
milk, cow’s milk is partially
responsible for
type 1 diabetes.
The other problem
with milk is about
its getting pasteurized
and homogenized
and going through
a general procedure
where so many chemical
and food changes
are involved.
Dr. Azar next
discusses the common
misconception that
milk is a good source
of calcium.
Regarding calcium,
it is very interesting to know
that on the contrary
a high quantity
of proteins especially
animal proteins-
acidifies the body.
The human body
has to be a bit alkaline.
When it turns acidic,
our intelligent bodies
extract calcium
from the bones
for the reactions,
metabolism and functions
in different organs
in order to pour it
into the blood and
make the body alkaline
again. Why?
Because calcium is a
very good alkaline agent
and at the same time
it is the simplest way
at the disposal of the body
to extract calcium
from the bones,
pour it into the blood
and dispose of it
through the kidneys.
So it is nothing
but a myth to say
that milk is beneficial
to calcium deficiency
and osteoporosis.
Quite on the contrary,
the more one drinks milk
or consumes
animal products,
the higher are one’s risks
of developing osteoporosis.
Statistics clearly show
that nowadays,
the nations such as the
Scandinavian countries
with the highest
consumption levels
of dairy products
have the highest rates
of osteoporosis.
Eggs are very harmful
to our bodies.
What are some
of the consequences
of egg consumption?
Regarding eggs,
to me they are the same
as meat and milk.
We do not need them at all.
Their cholesterol levels
are high and in fact
include high amounts of
antibiotics and steroids
just the way
chickens’ flesh do.
Besides, they are
animal substances
which acidify the body
and are hard to digest:
They are not
as easily digested as
plant-based substances are.
So why do we need
to eat them at all?
We have been provided
with so many
natural choices
in our earthly paradise
in the first place.
The World Health
Organization estimates
there are one billion
overweight adults globally,
with 300 million of them
obese.
Being above
the ideal weight
significantly increases
one’s risk of developing
serious chronic
health conditions
and our dietary choices
profoundly affect
how heavy we are.
Of course I think
overeating is the biggest
disease of our century.
I can say that
the biggest reason
for overeating
in addition to stress,
mental illness and anxiety
in this century is
different chemical changes
taking place in food.
Most of the main
ingredients are lost
in the cooking process
and our bodies
are deprived from them.
Our bodies need to get
these from somewhere
and there are people who
eat readymade meals,
canned food,
preserved food, or
the least nutritious food,
chicken raised
with hormones,
if vegetables are eaten,
then it is potatoes which
are grown with
chemical substances.
Such people have various
illnesses which humanity
these days is facing
such as excess weight,
diabetes, and
high cholesterol.
We will pause now
for a brief message.
When Healthy Living
returns,
we will have more
from our interview
with Dr Zarin Azar.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
I congratulate you
very much for (thank you)
the four years,
for your 4th Anniversary.
It is a very good TV station
in terms of advocating
and promoting
vegetarianism,
in terms of concern that
it has for the environment,
and in terms of
information that
it tries to give to people
of the world.
Welcome back to
Healthy Living
as we learn more about
the nutritional benefits
of a raw food diet
with Iranian-American
raw vegan physician
Dr. Zarin Azar
of San Diego,
California USA.
Followers of this diet
do not heat food
above 46 degrees Celsius
as they believe
this destroys its enzymes.
They also believe
that cooking decreases
the nutritional value
and “life force” of food.
Through her years
of professional practice,
Dr. Azar has observed
that with a wholesome
plant-based diet,
there is no need
for dietary supplements.
Vegetarian
and raw vegan diets
are the primary diet
for humans.
Our bodies have evolved
over many millions of years,
over that time
our bodies have adapted
to natural foods,
and have the capability
to make use of
these natural ingredients,
and extract
the best nutrients
necessary for our bodies.
Therefore, there is no need
for dietary supplements.
I have seen many people
who would like to
become raw vegan,
or to become a vegetarian,
but they are constantly
worried that since
they do not eat meat,
do not eat eggs,
and do not consume
dairy products,
where will their bodies
get their calcium,
protein, vitamin B12, and
many other amino-acids?
Do you have an answer
for these people,
or a solution
to end their worries?
Today we know that by
eating plant-based foods,
all the necessary
amino-acids of our bodies
are completely provided.
If we consume a variety
of plant-based foods,
vegetables, fruits, grains,
legumes, in particular
in sprouted form,
and also seeds and nuts,
we will get not only
the essential amino-acids,
but also all
the necessary oily acids
that we need.
And this way,
without the cholesterol
or other additives in meat
and animal products,
which we have witnessed,
have not been good
for humanity.
Vitamin B12 is
a water-soluble vitamin
that is necessary for
the normal functioning
of the brain,
the maintenance
of the nervous system,
and the formation
of red blood cells.
We asked Dr. Azar
for more background
on this essential nutrient.
This vitamin is produced
by bacteria in the soil,
and then these bacteria
can produce this vitamin
in the stomach of cows
and sheep and also
in the human’s
large intestine,
which is later absorbed
by the cows, sheep
and humans.
I have seen
many clinical cases,
where people suffer from
lack of vitamin B12,
and as a matter of fact,
to date I have not seen
one vegetarian case
who suffered from
lack of vitamin B12.
But why do humans
nowadays possibly suffer from
a lack of vitamin B12?
The reason is
because of sterilization,
because we produce
our plants in a soil
which is
full of chemicals.
And as a result, many of
the good bacteria die,
not only in plants
and soil, but also
in the human intestine .
There is another point
about meat-eating people.
Nowadays we know
that many antibiotics
are added to meat, which
are put in livestock feed.
These antibiotics enter
the meat, milk, eggs,
and that’s the way they enter
the human body.
These antibiotics will
then kill all the good
and useful bacteria
that humans need
in our large intestine.
And these bacteria always
live in our large intestine
so that they can create
a good
natural environment
for the health of
the large intestine and
for the good bacteria
to actively
produce vitamin.
Nowadays,
we can see the effects
of this imbalance as
a vitamin B12 deficiency
as well as large and even
small intestinal diseases.
How do we ensure we
have an adequate amount
of vitamin B12
in our diet?
Concerning vitamin B12,
I recommend vegetarians
to try 80- 85%
raw vegetarianism and
make sure to consume
non-chemical foods
as much as possible that is
foods produced without
chemical substances.
Here, we call them
organic or bio.
Now, I have to add
that the body needs
a very little amount
of vitamin B12.
There are approximately
seven to eight years
of vitamin B12 reserves
in a man’s liver. (Yes.)
So, if one is a vegetarian
and eats appropriately-
that is if one consumes
raw foods, vegetables
and fruits,
one will never encounter
any deficiencies.
What is a typical meal plan
for one following
a raw food diet?
Here is one example
that Dr. Azar provided.
I believe we must eat
twice per day and
one of them is breakfast
which should consist of
fruits or fruit juice
or vegetable juice.
People should eat
as much fruit as possible
until they feel satisfied.
And then the main meal
is consisting of a salad of
different vegetables
of various colors
green vegetables,
leafy green vegetables
like lettuce,
salad vegetables,
broccoli, spinach
and parsley and
these types of things.
Eat these between
2 and 5 PM at the latest.
The salad is
the main course.
Afterwards
eat some nuts and seeds
and if you like, use
a homemade sauce with
reduced amount of oil.
It is better to obtain
the oil required by
the body directly from
seeds and nuts
rather than using
olive oil or the other type
of salad oils.
Be Veg,
Go Green
2 Save the Planet!
With heartfelt sincerity,
we thank you
Dr. Zarin Azar for
your time and generosity
in sharing with us
your extensive knowledge
of raw vegan nutrition.
May many more people
soon adopt this excellent
and delicious
dietary lifestyle.
To contact Dr. Zarin Azar,
please email:
drzarinazar@yahoo.com
Thank you loyal viewers
for your company
on today’s episode of
Healthy Living.
Coming up next is
Enlightening Entertainment,
after Noteworthy News,
here on
Supreme Master Television.
May you always be
in the pink of health.