Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (17 page)

Some nutritionists contend that salt stimulates the glands in much the same way that sugar does and can thus lead to a host of degenerative illnesses. A salt-free diet will often cure acne and oily skin. On the other hand, salt is a powerful enzyme activator. Dr. Edward Howell, noted enzyme researcher, observed that those whose diets are composed almost entirely of raw foods, like the Eskimos, do not need much salt; but those who subsist on a diet composed largely of cooked foods, like the Chinese, require greater amounts of salt to activate enzymes in the intestines.

Most discussions of salt ignore the issue of salt processing. Few people realize that our salt—like our sugar, flour and vegetable oils—is highly refined; it is the product of a chemical and high-temperature industrial process that removes all the valuable magnesium salts as well as trace minerals naturally occurring in the sea. To keep salt dry, salt refiners adulterate this "pure" product with several harmful additives, including aluminum compounds. To replace the natural iodine salts that are removed during processing, potassium iodide is added in amounts that can be toxic. To stabilize the volatile iodide compound, processors add dextrose which turns the iodized salt a purplish color. A bleaching agent is then necessary to restore whiteness to the salt.

Sun dried sea salt contains traces of marine life that provide organic forms of iodine. Some researchers claim that this form of iodine remains in the bodily fluids for many weeks, whereas the iodine released from iodide salts passes through very quickly.
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This may be why the late physician Henry Bieler found evidence of sodium starvation in the tissues of people who consumed large amounts of refined salt.
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Even most so-called sea salt is produced by industrial methods. The best and most health-promoting salt is extracted by the action of the sun on seawater in clay-lined vats. Its light grey color indicates a high moisture and trace mineral content. This natural salt contains only about 82 percent sodium chloride; it contains about 14 percent macro-minerals, particularly magnesium, and nearly 80 trace minerals. The best and purest commercially available source of unrefined sea salt is the natural salt marshes of Brittany, where it is "farmed" according to ancient methods. (See
Sources
.) Red sea salt from Hawaii is also an excellent product, but it is not readily available in the continental US. Unrefined salt mined from ancient seabeds contains many trace minerals and is theoretically acceptable as long as it comes from areas where nuclear testing has not occurred nor where nuclear wastes are stored. However, it will lack organic iodine from the minute bits of plant life that are preserved in moist Celtic sea salt.

Both surfeit and deficiency of iodine can lead to problems with the thyroid gland, including goiter, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Iodized salt will often relieve the overt symptoms of goiter—it will cause the thyroid gland to shrink back to normal or near-normal size—but it does not prevent other thyroid problems, such as obesity, low vitality, fragile teeth and bones, various sexual and mental problems, as well as heart disease and cancer.

Broth made from meat and animal bones is another good source of sodium, chloride and iodine as well as magnesium, potassium and important trace minerals. Broth made from fish carcasses and fish heads is rich in additional substances that nourish the thyroid gland. Properly made, broth is also a source of gelatin, which research has shown to be an excellent aid to digestion and assimilation of cooked foods.
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The food provider with an eye for nutrition, as well as good taste, will make these broths a staple in her repertoire.

What about spices? Once again there is debate among nutritionists. One school of thought claims that spices stimulate the glands and should always be avoided; others point out that spices make our food taste good and render it more digestible by stimulating the saliva. Spices are good sources of magnesium and other minerals. As a general rule, the hotter the spice, the more magnesium it contains. Certainly it would be a shame to forego the rich cornucopia of spices that modern transport brings to our markets. A compromise position allows spicy foods in moderation to those who are healthy; but those whose glands have been worn out by many years of poor diet may have to adopt bland fare in order to regain and maintain their well-being. Fresh herbs are less stimulating and should be used whenever possible—they are rich in vitamins, minerals and other health-promoting factors. Always buy herbs and spices labeled nonirradiated. (See
Sources
)

Monosodium glutamate is an additive that has been soundly condemned by knowledgeable researchers—for good reason. Manufactured glutamate is a neurotoxic substance that causes many adverse reactions. In sensitive individuals these can manifest as dizziness, violent diarrhea and even anaphylactic shock. Longer term and more insidious consequences of MSG ingestion include Parkinson's and Alzheimer's in adults and neurological damage in children. Animal studies have linked MSG with brain lesions, retinal degeneration and obesity.
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The powerful MSG industry lobby has been able to allay public fears about MSG by pointing out that monosodium glutamate contains glutamic acid, a nonessential amino acid that occurs plentifully in meat broths and naturally fermented products like soy sauce and
miso
. It is glutamic acid that gives these foods their rich, meat-like taste. However, the form of glutamic acid in these foods is a naturally occurring isomer that is not toxic, except to hypersensitive individuals; but the glutamic acid in MSG is an unnatural isomer that causes dangerous neurological reactions in many individuals.
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All foods containing MSG should be avoided. Hydrolyzed protein also includes large amounts of unnatural glutamic acid and produces the same effects.
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Recently a growth enhancer called Auxigro has been approved as a spray for crops like apples and beans. It contains 30 percent MSG!
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Yet another reason to choose organically raised produce!

A great many processed foods contain MSG or hydrolyzed protein, especially soy-based concoctions and those sold as meat broth substitutes. Unfortunately, MSG and related substances are not always labeled. Calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, textured protein, hydrolyzed protein, and citric acid always contain MSG; soy foods, nutritional yeasts, protein powders, malt flavorings, amino acids and various mixes labeled "flavorings," "natural flavors" or "seasonings" usually contain MSG. MSG is frequently formed during processing even if not deliberately added to a food product—just one more reason to avoid processed foods.

About the hundreds of other additives, preservatives, colorings and artificial flavorings added to processed foods, we can only counsel you to avoid them as much as possible. The healthy body produces enzymes that deactivate many of these substances; but when the body is overloaded with junk food, and its enzyme production overtaxed, it cannot marshal the resources needed to neutralize this onslaught of poisons. Research indicates that while small amounts of additives taken one at a time may be relatively harmless, taken together they can have severely toxic effects.
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It is important to distinguish between food processing techniques that preserve or enhance the nutrients in food and those that deplete them. In general, freezing preserves most nutrients; pickling, fermenting and culturing according to traditional methods enhance the availability of many nutrients by increasing enzyme activity. Sun drying is an age-old method for preserving foods that conserves and even enhances nutrients. But we should avoid foods processed by methods involving high temperatures, including pasteurization, high-temperature drying, high-temperature and high-pressure processing of grains (extrusion) and high-temperature and solvent extraction of oils.

Irradiation does not heat foods to high temperatures but it does nevertheless alter their nutrients.
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Feeding studies show that irradiated foods cause mutagenic blood abnormalities in children.
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Irradiated seeds will not sprout. Most commercial spices are irradiated.

Canned foods should play a limited role in your cooking, not only because vitamins are destroyed but because canned foods lack enzymes. Fresh vegetables are almost always preferable with the exception of tomatoes. Tomatoes for canning are picked at the peak of ripeness with a carotene content much higher than most fresh tomatoes sold in stores. Carotenes survive the canning process although some other vitamins may not. Thus, limited use of canned tomato products is acceptable. The canning process reduces phytate content in legumes, such as kidney beans and chick peas, but the prolonged heat involved in the process may overdenature some of the proteins contained in these foods.

Whenever possible, buy organically raised meats and produce although you needn't make a fetish about it. It is particularly important to buy organic potatoes and onions. Regular commercial potatoes and onions have been treated with sprout inhibitors that cause cellular changes in test animals. Avoid thin-skinned fruits that have come from long distances—they usually have been treated with chemicals of questionable safety.

Organically produced food is generally richer in nutrient content and free from most toxic residues. The highest quality organic standards are those practised by biodynamic farmers who fertilize with composted manure and have revived ancient methods of revitalizing the soil.

Organically produced foods are becoming more available. You can now purchase organic grains and legumes at farmers' markets and most health food stores. Even better, support the efforts of conscientious local farmers by joining a local group or co-op that buys directly from organic or biodynamic farms.

BEVERAGES

Most books on nutrition have little to say about what we drink, yet our choice of beverage plays an important role in determining our health.

A primary factor contributing to the scourge of degenerative diseases plaguing America is the national love affair with soft drinks. Americans consumed 43 gallons of soft drinks per person in 1990, nearly double the amount of 1970. Soft drinks have found their way into the hands of tiny children and into vending machines in our public schools. We have become the Pepsi degeneration.

What's wrong with soft drinks? Just about everything. First, they are loaded with sweeteners—usually high fructose corn syrup—or sugar substitutes, notably aspartame. We have already discussed the deleterious effects of refined sugar, particularly fructose, on every organ and system in the body. The sugar in soda pop is nothing but naked calories and acts as an antinutrient. Sugar in soft drinks accounts for 35 percent of all US sugar consumption and, more than any other source, contributes to what has become a national addiction to sweet foods of all kinds.

Sugar substitutes do nothing to reduce the dependence or craving for sweet-tasting foods, and tests have shown that sugar substitutes don't even help you lose weight—some people actually gain weight when they drink diet sodas.
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Furthermore, they have their own dangers. The most widely used artificial sweetener—aspartame or Nutra-sweet—is a neurotoxic substance that has been associated with numerous health problems including dizziness, visual impairment, severe muscle aches, numbing of extremities, pancreatitis, high blood pressure, retinal hemorrhaging, seizures and depression. It is suspected of causing birth defects and chemical disruptions in the brain.
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Researchers at Utah State University found that even at low levels aspartame induces adverse changes in the pituitary glands of mice.
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The pituitary gland is the master gland upon which the proper function of all biochemical processes depend.

When aspartame is digested it breaks down into the amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid, plus methanol. Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a known poison. Methanol is also found in fruit juices, and our regulatory agencies have seized upon this fact to assure us that the methanol by-product of aspartame is not harmful. They fail to point out that the methanol content of diet soft drinks is 15 to 100 times higher than that of fruit juices. In any event, the safety level of methanol has never been determined.

In addition to sugar or sugar substitutes, most soft drinks contain phosphoric acid—this is what gives them their kick. Phosphoric acid blocks the absorption of calcium and magnesium in the intestines, thus contributing directly to fragile, easily fractured bones in children and osteoporosis or bone loss in adults. Magnesium deficiency contributes to impairment of the immune system, fatigue, high blood pressure and many other ailments. Phosphoric acid may also be a major cause of kidney stones.

Many soft drinks also contain caffeine. Caffeine and its related substance theobromine (from tea and cocoa) are like sugar in their effects on the body. They stimulate the adrenal glands to release an adrenaline-like substance, which in turn causes the liver to release sugar into the blood stream. This is what gives you the "lift" when you drink coffee, tea or caffeinated soft drinks. The problem is that the delicate blood-sugar-regulation mechanism cannot long tolerate the constant stimulation of habitual caffeine ingestion. Often the blood sugar lowering mechanisms overreact, causing low blood sugar and its concomitant complaints of chronic fatigue, dizziness, depression, allergies and behavioral disorders. Caffeine-containing drinks irritate the lining of the stomach and cause an increase in stomach acid. They affect the nervous system, leading to insomnia and restlessness. Prolonged use of caffeine can contribute to any one of a number of serious diseases, such as cancer, bone loss, mental disorders and birth defects. Caffeine's effects on the nervous system are most pronounced in children—yet cola drinks have become standard fare for our youth. It has been said that if coffee were introduced as a new drug today, it would not receive FDA approval. It is best to avoid all sources of caffeine and related substances—not just colas but also coffee and tea, decongestants, pep pills, aspirin, diuretics and—we're sorry to say—chocolate.