Shatalova

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Galina Shatalova ( ) (October 13, 1916 December 14, 2011) was the author of
many popular books on health, healthful food, and healthful lifestyle. Shatalova is best known for her Natural
Health Improvement System, which incorporates a very low calorie diet. She was a neurosurgeon, MD, PhD,
clinical researcher and Burdenko Award prizewinner. She was chief of the Astronauts Training Sector of the
Institute of Space and Aviation Biology.

In 1960 she began developing her System of Natural Health (naturopathic medicine). Her book Vybor Puti
(The Choice of the Way), published in 1996, describes her system. To prove her theories she and her patients
undertook a 311 mile (500 km) hike through the desert in 1990.

The four elements of her System of Natural Health are:

Correct breathing
Healthy motion
Hardening of the organism
Appropriate nutrition

The house on the sand

(extract from the book "Vibor Puti" part II)

As reader can no doubt notice, a significant place in the first chapter is devoted to nutrition. Why? Firstly,
because the composition of food determines to a large extent the chemical composition of the cells of a human
body. This, in turn, directly affects all other processes: for example gas exchange, or such as thermoregulation
or thinking.

The second reason why I pay much attention to nutrition, is that no other sphere of human activity is
associated with so many pseudo-scientific views, bordering on superstition, and not in the least because a
holistic coherent science of nutrition is not created in human society up to now, although significant steps were
made in this direction. Its quite sufficient to recollect the works by Pavlov on the physiology of digestion, and
not less imortant work by contemporary Soviet scientist Academician A.M. Ugolev, and works in the field of
food hygiene by G. Shelton.

The ruling theory of a balanced diet, which is based on average statistical data about the eating habits of the
Germans in the middle of the last century, is not the real answer to almost any question related to an obvious
fact: if a person daily consumes energy for work and functioning of the organism, it is necessary to
compensate this energy consumption. But how? Only at the expense of energy released in the breaking of
chemical bonds of alimentative substances. That is considered to be "calorification."

Caloric theory leaves no place in matters of food pluralism. The logic of its argument is straight - the daily diet
of human beings should average 2500-3000 kilocalories, and there is no arguing against it. I am sure this is
still worth debates.

In the first chapter I named some numbers, let's repeat them. Physicians-"calorists" recommend daily
consumption on average of 80-100 grams of protein, 80-100 grams of fat, and 400-500 grams of
carbohydrates. If a citizen decides to go solely on vegan food, but is guided with the mentioned standards, he
(she) would have to eat about 25-30 pounds of vegetables, fruits and greens a day. If we consider that our
stomach can hold about 300-400 grams of food a vegan would have to chew, without ceasing, all day long.

Meanwhile, the whole experience of millions of people, who refused to consume animal protein, i.e. meat, fish,
eggs and milk, suggests that nothing like this happens, and vegans eat no more than "normal" people, who
cannot imaging his(her) life without meat. And that means only one thing: a man, who consumes plants only,
gets a lot lesser number of calories than recommended by "calorists", which indicates the inadequacy of the
theory advocated.

In order to save this shaky, built on the sand building, supporters of this theory use all means available.
Former Director of the Institute of Nutrition of AMS deceased Academician Alexander Pokrovsky, for example,
paid special attention to the relationship between nature of diet and mental abilities. The experiments were
conducted on rats. Some got the diet of meat, the others were kept on vegan foods solely. In the experiment
both had to find a way out of the maze.

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It turned out that the rats treated with meat spent less time. On this basis, the researcher concluded that
people, eating meat, are smarter than their fellow-vegans, and therefore the theory of a balanced diet is
basically correct. This interpretation is initially false, since it ignores the differences in the brains of rats and
human species and the difference in their properties in the diet.

Feeding of each living species has its own peculiarities, which do not affect the mental abilities of animals. Is it
possible, for example, to consider a predator being smarter than a monkey? Or assert that the lion is clever
than elephant, horse is more stupid than tiger? And, finally, consider the fact that many prominent
representatives of the human species, such as Pythagoras and Newton, Leo Tolstoy and Romain Rolland, Ilya
Repin were staunch vegans?

On many raises and an example of Americans, people are known to be rationally thinking, which in recent
decades have embarked on a vegetarian diet to get rid of the bulk of chronic disease. Even 15 years ago, 30
percent of U.S. residents have refused to consume meat.

Here, in passing, I note that the World Health Organization has reduced the recommended intakes of protein
to 29-37 grams per day. And we continue to adhere to the previous standards only, delivering to already
overcrowded hospitals more and more new kidney patients suffering from violations of protein metabolism.

Now back to the other "merits" of the theory of balanced nutrition. We stopped at that, before its supporters
faced a dilemma how to "cram" 3000 kilocalories into an acceptable, from the standpoint of common sense,
quantity of products. The solution was found at concentrations and optimization. Exit, bailout for the theorists
and disastrous for us. Their train of thought is understandable in general. If the sugar contained in 100 grams
of beetroot will give us only 40 kilocalories, is it not better to isolate it in pure concentrated form, and get about
600 kilocalories per 100 grams.

Same thing with the meat: processed into fat ham it provides 700 kilocalories. You can go through all foods
that are produced by the food industry, and make sure that the companies designed exclusively for the
destruction of full-needed food to man and turning it into high-calorie, but devoid of life, limited life organic
matter. In this connection it is worth recalling that many world-famous scientists believe that the production of
the concentrated diet optimizes and causes many chronic diseases, overcoming human society.

"Marathoners"
Article by G.S. Shatalova, published in the Journal "Nature and Man" 7
(from the site http://www.shatalova.ru/)

Medical science now persistently seeking ways to combat one of the negative consequences of scientific and
technological progress - an avalanche-like increase in chronic diseases in humans. But it is becoming more
and more obvious that the radical solution to the problem will be instilling a healthy, sustainable lifestyle in
people. Today, more than ever, there was a need for a scientific approach to man as a complex biological
system, a self-governing public, governed by objective laws of nature. Moreover, the human body is capable
not only to regulate and restore the consistency of its internal environment, but also to improve, "if only the
relevant conditions have been carried out," as the great I.P. Pavlov says.

I started the search for these "conditions" professionally in the 50's, as Fellow of the Institute of Neurosurgery,
Academy of Medical Sciences, and continue this work today. Over the many years of medical practice I have
been able to develop the basic elements of an integrated holistic healing of the human body by forces of
nature. This system includes a proper diet, breathing, movement, temperature regulation and the appropriate
mental attitude. But, of course, each person requires an individual approach.

What is the major of this system? I'll tell you slightly scholarly, but the most accurately this is choosing the
correct functioning of the body energy supply, it should best meet the physiological needs of the man coded by
nature.

It is considered that all our energy needs our organism gets exclusively through energy of the food. Ran, for
example, hundred-meter race - and spent some amount of calories. And to restore these calories, you need to
eat a product containing the same number of calories. And the energy consumption of these products is
determined by the methods of calorimetry, as if the wood is burned in a furnace. But is it correct doing so? The
food is not wood, and the process of feeding cannot be compared with a simple combustion. I am convinced
that by its nature, our body is able to compensate for the loses of energy with low-calorie diet. It's not about
calories, but about the biological value of foods in their bioenergetic qualities.

The rationalization of the principles of this system required to conduct a series of experiments - first were
experiments on myself, and then on human volunteers. One of the experiments was conducted in 1983. It was
conducted under the supervision of an authoritative committee of All-Union Scientific Research Institute of
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Physical Culture (VNIIFK). In those days, the amateur runners planned to compete in a super marathon run.
The distance of 500-kilometer road race was planned to cover by the men within seven days. The racing
speed rate was one kilometer in not less than six minutes. About 65-75 kilometers a day. Women should cover
half of the distance. An experimental group of volunteers, who had previously been prepared by me on the
program of the system of natural healing, were participating in the marathon on general grounds. Volunteers
have mastered the technique of dynamic autogenic training, health training, breathing exercises and nutrition
on the new bio-energy basis. The food was prepared for them under the supervision of the Commission with
specialized recipes. Our group was fed simultaneously with the main group of the participants in the marathon,
but at a separate table, which was characterized by colorful dishes, richly decorated with fresh spring greens,
vegetables and fruits.

The experimental group was fed with decoctions of herbs, juices, honey, salad vegetables and herbs, fresh
porridge on water, bread made from rye flour with grass flour on whig, boiled beans, nuts. On the trail they
were offered "candy" from the rolled-up dried fruit and nuts, but athletes did not needed them. The quantity
and quality of food quite satisfied athletes. All in all, runners got 28 grams protein, 25 grams fat, 180 grams of
carbohydrates, which in total amounted to 1200 calories a day.

But the control and the main group of runners were fed according to the norms of the energy established by
Institute of Medical Sciences of the USSR . They consumed 190 grams of protein, the same amount of fat,
1300 grams of carbohydrates, which amounted to 6000 calories a day. Cooking recipes were made according
to calorie theory of a balanced diet. Tables laden with food from the delicatessen, meat cuts, sausages, ham,
cheese and butter, splints, roast beef or chops with ample side dish, soups, puddings and the like, the most
common foods. On the trail they received extra food - oatmeal jelly and crackers. The participants of the
experiment were under the vigilant control of the commission, both during the run, and during the meal.
Runners of the experimental and control groups o the marathon were weighed regularly. Long columns of
numbers filled minutes of the commission. The results exceeded the expectations. Records of the Commission
testified that less physically trained athletes of the experimental group were more enduring and did not lose
weight as opposed to a control group of athletes that were engaged in the same physical activities and sports
indices figures of running, but consuming five times more high-calorie food! Weight of the runners of this group
was less stable during the run as well as at its end.

And a remarkable thing. Marathon ended late in the evening and the next morning, all participants of the
experimental group were at their usual workplace.

In the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Physical Culture, where the results of the experiment were
discussed and the acts of the commission endorsed, and where I reported on the results of my observations,
the experiment was considered unique. It was decided to repeat the experiment with the participation of
athletes of the highest category. According to this decision, a master of sports in the run Anna Kharitonova was
prepared by a special program to participate in the experiment.

The new experiment also took place in April's marathon in honor of the Cosmonaut Day, this time the distance
was 450 kilometers. A representative commission o VNIIFK recorded the results of the run. It is noteworthy
that this time the participant of the experimental group sport master Anne Kharitonov reached a record long
run, she covered the 450-kilometer distance, finishing in the sixth place among male super marathoners.

During the run the athlete was fed according to the already well-known diet that does not exceed 1200 calories
per day, and her body weight remained stable. Unique results and achievements in sports with low-calorie and
low-protein diet were achieved in recent years by climbers making the ascent to the mountain peaks, by
numerous groups of mountain tourists, and, finally, by the participants of the amateur mass marathons. In the
Novosibirsk Akademgorodok it has become a tradition to hold a spring marathon on a low-calorie and low-
protein diet.

I admit, I was repeatedly turned to the issue, if I remember the law of energy and matter conservation? I was
reminded that for the basal metabolism the human body needs 1200-1700calories, and in addition to this it is
necessary to provide energy for its activity. But the point is that by checking the caloric theory of a balanced
diet in the light of the law, you can find a number of serious discrepancies between the theory and general
practice. The system o the facts does not fit into the Procrustean bed of the theory! And yet this theory has
dominated for decades in our country - in the science and practice of nutrition, and in the technology of
production of food.

As a result, the diet does not meet the physiological needs of the human body both quantitatively and
qualitatively. This is - the main cause of contamination of the internal environment of the organism and the
emergence of many diseases. Hence, this puts forward the problem of justification of quantitative and
qualitative standards and food hygiene according to the types of natural features of the human body and its

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social, geographical, climatic and other conditions of life.

Our marathon runners, who have passed on the daily regime of low-calorie food, have begun a joke of calling
themselves "dystrophics". Why these "jokes"? They have emerged not by chance, but after the publication by
a number of scientists who claim that I have developed a diet which will inevitably lead to malnutrition,
because even in a Nazi concentration camp of Dachau prisoners caloric intake was significantly higher. In
there enthusiasm for high-calorie theory, such authors do not consider one important detail: the food
consumed by our super-marathoners is consistent with natural human needs. In Dachau prisoners ate cutlets
from sawdust, sprinkled with ersatz sauce. Caloric content of these products is certainly high, but it does not
meet the natural needs of human species. It is interesting to know the opinion of my opponents about the
question: how much the fatness of the prisoners at Dachau would increase, if they were fed with doubled or
tripled amount of the sawdust and, hence, the total caloric intake? Furthermore, I remind the doubters that
even Lenin demanded that the basics of assessment of nutritional standards have been based on "... not the
number of calories, but on the amount and quality of food" (VI Lenin. Full. Works, Vol. Works ., v. 40, p. 342).

Today, the spontaneous approach to the complex process of nutrition, as part of the total energy exchange of
the whole organism, clearly reveals the shortages of calorimetric evaluation of the diet. Calorie - is nothing
more but a unit of heat energy released by a substance in the destruction of its chemical bonds in the
combustion process. Its easy to count the number of calories released in the burning of protein, fat and
carbohydrate foods, but its much more complicated to determine its biological value, digestibility and nutritive
value. Energy consumption and expenditures of our bodies require a different approach, because we are not
isolated from the environment, like the chamber of the calorimeter.

That is why numerous experiments and observations show that our body is able to compensate for energy
expenditures that far exceed the energy content of food consumed. How can this be? I think we have enough
evidence to say about the multi-channel energy supply of the human body.

Considering the stereotype of thinking formed by centuries-of old habits and whims of people, it is hard to
realize how much you can reduce the amount of food consumed, which fully satisfies the needs of a healthy
person with a reasonable way of life. The men misrepresented his views on the need for nutrition to the
absurd. For example, in New Zealand, there is a habit to take food seven times a day, consumed with the
fantastic amount of meat, eggs, sausages, sandwiches, and other. New Zealanders are beginning to have
meals in bed and finish the day by eating before going to bed second, a so-called small dinner, which consists
of cold meat, lobster and other eatables.

In India, however, people decided to eat no more than twice a day. The majority of the population - are
vegetarians. The national dish - rice with vegetables, with rice and vegetable sauce usually served separately,
perhaps, the Indians are aware of the benefits of food combination, and not incidentally their food is plentifully
flavored with medicinal herbs. The nation Hunza in northern India is featured with the greatest life expectancy
in the world. This nation absolutely does not consume animal food proteins.

Its possible to observ eating habits of each nation historically associated with geographical location, economy,
culture, which do not sufficiently take into account the healthy human physiological needs. For example, in the
last century Germany was "famous" with obese people, and they preferred to be ill, but ... overeat. German
cooks - the specialists in manufacturing hams, sausages and frankfurters especially diversified diet of meat
and all sorts of fish dishes, baked sweet jelly, pies, cakes and more. German cuisine much influenced the diet
of our country, it is enough to remember the schnitzel, beefsteaks, romsteaks, roast beef, entrecote, which are
famous today not only the price lists of sit down restaurants, but also in our everyday diet.

We forgot about the beautiful Russian cereals, Russian soup, medicinal Russian oat wash-brew, pickled
apples, honey and hell kvass, forget the bread on the hop yeast. Lost even more than that, famous kitchen
that fed the wonderful heroes of the Russian land.

Unfortunately, the eating habits of people are clogged with bad habits. Became the rule to ginger appetite,
combining incompatible products. Food is tinted, salted, sweetened. And we changed the sense of proportion.
The excretory system is overloaded at the same time, and the body's internal environment is polluted with not
excreted metabolic products. They are deposited in the walls of blood vessels in the intercellular spaces, and
finally, in the cell, disrupting metabolic processes. Isnt it the reason of many of our diseases?

Not once I had to listen intently, wary questions: if a vegetarianism can lead to the extinction of mental abilities.
Then I recall the lifestyle and diet of Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Suvorov, Roman Rolland, Jack London, George
Bernard Shaw and many other thinkers - followers of the strict vegetarian diet. Personally I do not consume
animal protein in the diet for 40 years and do not notice the deterioration of memory.

Some say, how about the classic experiments by A.A. Pokrovsky, who a quarter century ago proved as if the
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restriction of consumption of animal protein negatively impacts the mental abilities of man? He did not share
the view of the great thinkers, vegetarians, who exemplify creative longevity. But the scientist, however,
studied the rationality of human nutrition as a kind in experiments .with ... rodents. And proved that the brains
of rats are directly related to diet. Consumption of animal protein allowed them to better navigate in the
complicated situations. The results of the experiments were mechanically transferred to humans. And up to
this day protein diet in our country is calculated in accordance with the classical experiments on rodents!

It seems to me that, besides the lack of correctness in the transfer of the experimental results with rats on
human beings in such a fine area, as mental activity, it should be remembered that nature featured a specific
program of life and specific nature of nutrition to each kind of animal. For example, nobody would think of
feeding a tiger or a lion with grass, as well as a camel or a horse with meat.

Careful study of the table of the comparative anatomical and physiological characteristics of species of
animals, it is easy to see that man does not have any signs of a predator. Moreover, for the many thousands of
years, when people began to consume meat, the mans body did not evolutionary change, similar to the signs
of a predator.

In studying the characteristics of food consumption in various representatives of the animal world we can note
not only the commonality of some physiological parameters, but also a clear distinction of species needs that
are programmed by nature. For example, the tiger can eat only fresh meat of the victim, and herbivores have a
clear feature of the properties of species of animals: camel prefers camel thorn, elks are not averse to eat
young aspen bark, and the horse prefers grain - that is the nature of the program. Do humans have features of
the nutrition programmed by the nature?

In experiments with healthy men it can be seen that the optimal diet contains fruits, vegetables, berries, edible
wild herbs and vegetable, seeds, nuts, grains, and cereal grains, honey. In that case, if the fresh food was
cooked tasty and retained its bio-energetic value, once or twice a day food consumption is enough. Of course,
when it is necessary to comply with food hygiene taking into account the anatomical and physiological
characteristics of the individual ...

I remember one of my patients - Svetlana. Just a few years ago, this slim, charming young woman with curly
hair was on the verge of collapse, chocking under the burden of cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal,
and skin diseases. Svetlana was ill since childhood. The school constantly liberated her from the physical
training. In the university she once tried to run the hundred meters race, but it ended in syncope. After
graduation, constant supervision of qualified doctors of the clinic at the Academy of science of the USSR made
beneficial effect on her health, but not for long time. Gradually, her medical history was swelling with the
records of internists, gynecologists, pulmonologists, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, oncologists,
neurologists, dermatologists and other physicians.

Very sick woman with lusterless eyes, with yearly aging puffy face and bloated figure literally breathless due to
asthmatic bronchitis, heart disease, inflammation of the gall bladder, pancreatitis, hepatitis, gastritis, spastic
colitis, cervical degenerative disc disease of the spine, stomach ulcers and other chronic diseases. Svetlana
was a researcher of a rare and interesting profession. She loved her job, but felt that she was becoming a
burden on the shoulders of employees, and becoming less and less employable. About the half of the working
time of the year she spent in the hospital regime. Her large and friendly family actually lost the mistress, and
emergency room physicians have become frequent visitors to their home. All new and new diseases fell in
abundance! A growing tumor was revealed In the abdominal cavity, and surgical intervention should not be
delayed, but asthmatic bronchitis, severe drug allergy, and almost incessant cold conditions obstructed
abdominal surgery.

Oncology surgeon directed the sick woman with a request to improve Svetlanas health before the upcoming
serious operation. But I began to treat her in accordance with my principles. Treatment was ambulatory
without job interruption. So a remarkable record in her medical history: the doctor noted a gradual reverse
increase of the swell in the abdomen. The need for abdominal surgery no longer existed!"

A year after the start of treatment it appeared that Svetlana was doing so well, that she might go on a long trip
in the tropical zone of the ocean. Physicians recorded in the "Seaman's book" unconditional - "healthy."
Svetlana is coping with the affairs in the institute, and is busy with the housework at home, but at the same
time every day she finds time for a morning run, a special set of movements and breathing, and more. Even
winter blizzard does not make her putting on a cap and sweater for jogging wear. Gradually she learned
Russian "temper-bag." She feeds according to the diet with consumption of not more than 1000 calories a day.

I love my patient Svetlana and call her "the highest embodiment of the limitless resources of nature." Since
Ivan Pavlov defined the place of man in the world in this way.

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Yes, people - an integral part of nature. Rightly said. But this is only a part of the truth. After all, we are a
reasonable part of nature that is capable to regulate relationship with the environment and transform it.
However, transforming the world around him, does the man remember that his actions should commeasure
with the general objective and principle of the unity of the material world?

Alas, having a powerful technique, we do not understand quite enough the essence of our relationship with
nature. Maybe that's why scientific progress often leads today to negative consequences. We are destroying
not only the external area of the dwelling, but also the internal environment of the body, getting the diseases,
reducing the period of normal working ability and creative longevity.

In conclusion: the plastic properties of the central nervous system and the human mental activity has a huge
opportunity to restore your own body. We have been given the ability to control not only the thoughts and
actions, but also the physical condition of the body. Hence, these are our commitment and responsibility to be
always at the height of personal abilities. In our country we have the conditions for material support and active
developnent of reasonable and normal human needs as the main guarantee of health. We must not forget that
this fact today laid the foundation of a strategy to eliminate the mass of chronic diseases. To conclude our
conversation, I anticipate possible questions from readers concerning the preservation and promotion of
health. Well I'll try to answer them through the magazine. Please, write.

Menu of the super-marathon experimental group

BREAKFAST:
Decoction of herbs with lemon juice, flavoured with honey.

LUNCH:
Freshly prepared infusion of rosehips with honey.
Freshly prepared salads of various vegetables, richly flavoured juice of citrus and fresh spring greens.
Specially prepared meals from whole cereal grains, richly seasoned with fresh herbs and dried herbs with a
little vegetable oil and dried seaweed.

DINNER:
Tea of the petals of a rose, hawthorn flowers, leaves, magnolia, jasmine flowers and fireweed.
Freshly made fruit and vegetable juice.

CHOICE OF SUCH COURSES:

Salad of boiled beets with horseradish, garlic or honey and lemon juice.
Salad of shredded pumpkin and carrots with sea buckthorn juice with honey.
Salad of coarsely chopped cabbage or cauliflower with lots of greenery (Served with freshly made peanut
sauce with milk or oatmeal with nuts).
Boiled beans, flavored spices, nuts and garlic.
Rye bread, mixed with whig, with plenty of grated dried herbs.
Buckwheat porridge cooked in water, without oil.

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