Alejandro Junger > Quotes

“The problem is we are not eating food anymore, we are eating food like products. (Hungry For Change Film)”
― Alejandro Junger

“We usually end up finding what we are looking for, but we only look for what we already know.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

“Cooked foods delay the detox signal further, because heating any food above 180° Fahrenheit destroys the enzymes contained in it. Enzymes are of paramount importance for digestion. Manufacturing them takes so much energy that nature provides them already made. Raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds contain the enzymes necessary for their own digestion. When those foods get cooked, we lose that important resource. We have to manufacture all our own enzymes from scratch, which adds to the energy cost of eating and delays the funding for detoxification. (p. 131)”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

“First I give them what they want with the hope that one day they will want what I really have to give them.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

“When there is dysbiosis and hyperpermeability, the brain in the gut diverts its attention to coordinate the responses of the GALT and compensates for many other imbalances that occur as a result of our Achilles’ Heel injury. The second brain quickly becomes so busy coordinating these other “emergency” functions that the normal everyday functions also get affected. Peristalsis is one of the first to feel the pinch. Constipation is the most common symptom on the planet, even if most people suffering from it don’t know it. One bowel movement a day is considered great by a lot of people, but it is really constipation’s mildest expression.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“As the author Michael Pollan taught us in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, our food and the way we eat has changed more in the last fifty years than in the last five thousand. All these changes mean that we’re eating in a way that’s significantly different from our ancestors. High-fructose corn syrup, corn-fed factory-farmed meat, preservatives, genetically modified wheat, and hormone-injected dairy are all examples of foods that have never been consumed in the quantities and combinations that we’re consuming them in now.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“Gluten is associated with cancers of the mouth and throat, esophagus, small intestines, and lymph nodes. It is also associated with type 1 diabetes as well as thyroid disorders, such as Hashimoto’s, the most commonly diagnosed thyroid dysfunction in America. Many patients achieve normalization of their thyroid function only after adopting a gluten-free diet. Gluten sensitivity is also associated with other autoimmune diseases, such as Sjörgens syndrome and dermatitis herpetiformis. Hair loss, or autoimmune alopecia, is another presentation. It is also associated with depression, migraines, arthritis, fatigue, osteoporosis, and anemia, to name a few.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“Los pensamientos tóxicos, las relaciones tóxicas, el trasfondo de ansiedad —casi un subproducto automático de vivir en el mundo norteamericano moderno— son contaminantes en tanto que perturban la paz y el normal funcionamiento del cuerpo. Aunque no aparece entre los peligros medioambientales en la lista de la EPA (Agencia Estadounidense de Protección Ambiental) y todavía no está plenamente reconocido por muchos médicos muy ocupados en sus hospitales, como revela la falta de tratamientos adecuados, el estrés de la vida moderna es tan tóxico como los productos químicos presentes en el agua, el aire y los alimentos.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean: El programa revolucionario para restaurar la capacidad natural autocurativa del cuerpo

“The good news is that our bodies are built with the ability to combat these substances and we can help the body’s natural detoxification processes. This is what CLEAN7 is all about.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean 7: Supercharge the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself — The One-Week Breakthrough Detox Program

“CLEAN7 is the program I needed back when I was contemplating taking seven medications several times a day just to function.”
― Alejandro Junger, CLEAN 7: Supercharge the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself—The One-Week Breakthrough Detox Program

“Some of my patients suffer greatly after a single course of antibiotics, even if the antibiotics were absolutely necessary. This is exactly what happened with Greg. He consulted me about symptoms that were not clear at all. Greg had frequent episodes of cold-like symptoms, which had been occurring regularly for over two years. The strange part was he never presented a fever or cough. He also suffered through bouts of depression, which affected him even though everything in his life was working well. When I asked Greg about his health history, he told me that he had had pneumonia two years earlier. Doctors—rightly—had prescribed a round of levaquin, a very strong antibiotic.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“The severity of gut dysfunction varies for four reasons: The toxic organisms present may be beyond what the Clean Gut program is designed to remove. These include severe yeast overgrowth, parasites, viruses, and certain bad bacteria, such as salmonella, Escherichia coli (E. coli), or Clostridium difficile (C. difficile). Other influences may cause a severe leaky gut, such as heavy-metal toxicity or full-blown autoimmune-induced inflammation, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which impair the regeneration of the cells of the intestinal wall. Mechanical obstructions may interfere, such as constrictions, scarring, or an impacted, dilated colon. Diverticulitis may be present, with pockets of infection. Of these four reasons, only the final two require immediate medical attention and surgery.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“If the wall of an artery gets injured—a common occurrence when arteries are stretched because of stress and high blood pressure, or scratched by toxic and irritating molecules such as nicotine, trans fats, chlorine, additives, and oxidants—your body patches up fissures with cholesterol plaque, a kind of plaster, in an attempt to prevent the artery from further damage and bleeding. The cholesterol plaque also buys time for the cells in the arterial wall to divide and repair the injured area, covering it with new cells under the plaque. Eventually, once the irritating conditions subside, as happens in nature, the cholesterol plaque will be reabsorbed and the artery will look like new again. This is similar to what happens to an injury in your skin under a scab. New cells are growing and covering the area, so when the scab falls, your skin is as intact as it was before the injury.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“Most people who educate themselves on health matters are aware that inflammation can go unnoticed and lead to chronic diseases after long periods of dormancy. Blood tests, such as a C-reactive protein (CRP) test or a test of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), can detect inflammation even before any symptoms are noted. Even the most traditional of western allopathic doctors, who are finally catching up to the dangers of inflammation, have started ordering these tests routinely. That doesn’t mean they know what to do with the results, however. Most doctors I meet treat inflammation as the disease itself and deploy all sorts of anti-inflammatory weapons, from natural fish oils to synthetic drugs such as statins. They still consider these measures “preventive” since inflammation precedes a chronic disease.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“I am not saying that we shouldn’t use antibiotics when needed. Antibiotics saved my life when I was drowning with double pneumonia on my friend Richard’s sofa. But we currently use antibiotics excessively and irresponsibly. We are wiping the population of good bacteria from the face of the earth, and we may not be able to live healthy lives without them. The medical profession—myself included—needs to be more prudent and vigilant about prescribing antibiotics so promptly.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“An unhealthy population of organisms in the gut is a condition known as dysbiosis, an inevitable consequence of the unnatural conditions in which we live and arguably the most common problem affecting people today. We are all walking around with some degree of dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is not a simple problem to diagnose and it can sometimes be very hard to correct.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“The body uses a code system called the HLA (human leukocyte antigen) system, which works in a similar fashion. It gives a code to all surfaces. Immune cells basically identify surfaces. Everything has a surface, whether it is your own cells, a microorganism, or a piece of food. When your immune system scans the interior surfaces of your body, it compares each to a list of approved codes, the ones it classifies as “self.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“Setting your intention is the root of success. Do you "have" to do it, or do you "want" to do it? A strong desire guided by the right intention will get you started powerfully. It is very important that you set the right frame of mind and the way to think about the program you are about to start. If you think about this program as something you *have* to do for your health it will not be as powerful as thinking about it as something you *want* to do. Obligation isn't nearly as strong a driving force as desire.
We always make times for what we want. When we have a burning desire for something, we will go the extra mile or turn the planet upside down to get it. Think about it: whatever you have spent time wanting in life, you probably already have. But consider also how wanting something is usually an unconscious impulse. You see something and have to have it. The "want" is triggered almost unconsciously, and the stronger it is, the quicker you tend to get the object of your desire. Yet there are ways to cultivate or build up that desire for something -- even if you feel hesitant or resistant about it at the beginning. Setting an intention is how you actively cultivate desire, so that it can propel you to success and get you over hurdles. (p. 164)”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

“Because so many people’s inner fermentation tanks are not populated with good bacteria, it is beneficial to consume fermented foods.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“Often sugar cravings are linked to emotional needs; when we learn to identify those emotions and when they arise, we can go right to the root and address the trigger rather than reach for a pint of ice cream. (p. 221)”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

“Dyes, fragrances, foaming agents, heavy metals as stabilizers and texturizers, tanners, inks, alcohols, and hundreds of other potential poisons are frequently included in cosmetic formulas. Nail products, hair products, deodorants—all the ordinary products in your bathroom cabinet and makeup kit as well as the ones in your neighborhood beauty salon and nail spa have chemical”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

“In fact, because this antibiotic regime starts early, far too many of us have always lived with compromised intestinal flora and have never been truly healthy. I see more and more of this in my practice every year. It is my experience that chronically ill people, who often present with an elusive diagnosis, have a long history of consuming antibiotics. The earlier they started, the more complicated their symptoms are later in their lives and the harder it is for doctors to find a diagnosis.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“What we call hunger is often just a habitual urge or just the desire to eat, often to distract, numb, or comfort. Drink”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

“You finish the work of processing your food about eight hours after your last meal. Only then can the body turn its attention to "cleaning up" not only the day's mess, but also all the accumulated garbage that you have not had the energy or detox time to get to for weeks, months, or years (if not decades). Once digestion is done, the signal to release accumulated toxins from tissues into circulation (bloodstream and lymphatic system) can get triggered. Not every meal is created equal: quantity and quality of food may cause the signal to go on sooner, six hours after eating, or later, up to ten hours after the meal. As a general rule, the more you eat, the longer it takes to process your meal and for the signal to start intense detoxification. Solid foods must first be liquefied for digestion; this takes energy and time. Liquid meals are practically ready for absorption, bypassing the need and energy expense of being broken down. (p. 131)”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

“To digest gluten, the cells of the intestinal wall produce a specific enzyme called transglutaminase. Transglutaminase breaks down gluten into its smaller building blocks, the peptides gliadin and glutenin. The cells of the intestinal wall then absorb these into circulation. The GALT scans their surfaces, as it does with all things absorbed, in search of threatening surface codes. For reasons that only nature understands, the surface of the glutenin peptide is not coded as threatening, but gliadin is in people with a genetic predisposition. T cells in the GALT will mediate the production of gliadin antibodies. These same antibodies, however, often attack the intestinal wall’s natural transglutaminase enzyme, essentially tearing apart the intestinal wall, piece by piece. This shrinks and erodes the villi and microvilli, the finger-like tendrils in the small intestine that maximize its surface area; this results in an inability of the small intestine to absorb any nutrients at all. In its most severe expression, this is known as celiac disease, which presents as weight loss, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, and an overall failure to thrive.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health

“While giving birth is one of the most natural functions of all animals, the way humans do it has deviated substantially from the way Mother Nature intended—particularly in the United States, where pregnancy and birth are treated like a disease. It’s dealt with in sterile hospital rooms. Mothers are hooked up with intravenous lines and set up in the strangest positions, which are designed more for the doctor’s view and access than the mother’s comfort and birthing process. Too many women are induced, which often leads to C-sections that would not have been necessary if the natural process of labor had been respected and allowed to proceed without disruption. A baby in the womb is sterile, but when passing through the birth canal, it is exposed to bacteria, mouth first. These bacteria are supposed to colonize the gut, nature’s first vaccination of sorts. This does not happen during a C-Section.”
― Alejandro Junger, Clean Gut: The Breakthrough Plan for Eliminating the Root Cause of Disease and Revolutionizing Your Health