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| Spices, salt and seasonings were first used to preserve food and to disguise the taste of food that had gone bad. Rotting meat and old vegetables that had been heavily spiced could be eaten without disgust. Salted food could be carried for weeks without decay. | | Spices, salt and seasonings were first used to preserve food and to disguise the taste of food that had gone bad. Rotting meat and old vegetables that had been heavily spiced could be eaten without disgust. Salted food could be carried for weeks without decay. |
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− | The use of spices became prevalent in Indian and Chinese food at about the same time these countries elevated cooking to a “fine art.” The European countries later adopt- ed the spice habit of the Eastern countries as they began to process and cook more and more of their foods. | + | The use of spices became prevalent in Indian and Chinese food at about the same time these countries elevated cooking to a “fine art.” The European countries later adopted the spice habit of the Eastern countries as they began to process and cook more and more of their foods. |
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| These items used in cooking are known as condiments and they seem to have had their start at about the same time man abandoned his diet of primary fresh and seasonal foods and started to use more and more meats, cooked and processed foods. | | These items used in cooking are known as condiments and they seem to have had their start at about the same time man abandoned his diet of primary fresh and seasonal foods and started to use more and more meats, cooked and processed foods. |
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| “They disguise the food eaten. When the food is camouflaged by salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar, nutmeg, spices and other condiments, the digestive juices are not appropriately adapted to the food eaten. Digestion suffers as a consequence. | | “They disguise the food eaten. When the food is camouflaged by salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar, nutmeg, spices and other condiments, the digestive juices are not appropriately adapted to the food eaten. Digestion suffers as a consequence. |
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− | “No one need ever develop a craving for these substances and where it is already de- veloped, it can be easily overcome if one will give up their use and persist in abstaining from them for a time. When the sense of taste is restored to normal, you will find fine, delicate flavors in foods that you never knew existed.” | + | “No one need ever develop a craving for these substances and where it is already developed, it can be easily overcome if one will give up their use and persist in abstaining from them for a time. When the sense of taste is restored to normal, you will find fine, delicate flavors in foods that you never knew existed.” |
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| === Condiments Are Everywhere === | | === Condiments Are Everywhere === |
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| # Salt promotes digestion. | | # Salt promotes digestion. |
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− | 4. Saltisfoundinthebloodstreamandmustbeanessentialingredientofthelivingorgan- ism. | + | 4. Saltisfoundinthebloodstreamandmustbeanessentialingredientofthelivingorganism. |
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| Let’s look at each one of these beliefs and see if they are based upon any truth. | | Let’s look at each one of these beliefs and see if they are based upon any truth. |
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| The most common defense for salt is that the body has certain sodium and chlorine mineral needs that the sodium chloride (table salt) crystals are thought to fulfill. Sodium is used by the body to maintain a water balance, to integrate nervous functioning and to aid in the formation of digestive juices. Chlorine helps sustain normal heart activity, plays an important role in the body’s acid-alkaline balance and aids digestion and elimination. | | The most common defense for salt is that the body has certain sodium and chlorine mineral needs that the sodium chloride (table salt) crystals are thought to fulfill. Sodium is used by the body to maintain a water balance, to integrate nervous functioning and to aid in the formation of digestive juices. Chlorine helps sustain normal heart activity, plays an important role in the body’s acid-alkaline balance and aids digestion and elimination. |
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− | Salt (sodium chloride) cannot be used by the body to meet any of these mineral re- quirements. Salt is an inorganic mineral that cannot be metabolized by the body. Salt enters the body as sodium chloride, it circulates in the body as sodium chloride, and it leaves the body as sodium chloride. At no point is it broken down into sodium and chlorine and used by the body. | + | Salt (sodium chloride) cannot be used by the body to meet any of these mineral requirements. Salt is an inorganic mineral that cannot be metabolized by the body. Salt enters the body as sodium chloride, it circulates in the body as sodium chloride, and it leaves the body as sodium chloride. At no point is it broken down into sodium and chlorine and used by the body. |
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− | Sodium chloride is a very strong and stable molecule. It cannot be broken down in the digestive tract or by the liver. The body cannot use the bonded sodium chloride mol- ecule in any way. The body can use organic sodium and organic chlorine as found in living food (vegetables, fruits, etc.), but it can never use the inorganic sodium chloride compound. | + | Sodium chloride is a very strong and stable molecule. It cannot be broken down in the digestive tract or by the liver. The body cannot use the bonded sodium chloride molecule in any way. The body can use organic sodium and organic chlorine as found in living food (vegetables, fruits, etc.), but it can never use the inorganic sodium chloride compound. |
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| So, if the body cannot break salt down, if it cannot use it in any way, if it only must be eliminated from the body in the same form as which it entered the body, then how can salt be termed “necessary” for life? | | So, if the body cannot break salt down, if it cannot use it in any way, if it only must be eliminated from the body in the same form as which it entered the body, then how can salt be termed “necessary” for life? |
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| Does Salt Make Food Taste Better? | | Does Salt Make Food Taste Better? |
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− | Even if people are convinced that salt is of no nutritional use, they will still defend it as a flavor enhancer. “Salt makes my food taste so much better,” is the common justifi- cation for salt eating. But can salt add flavor to your food? | + | Even if people are convinced that salt is of no nutritional use, they will still defend it as a flavor enhancer. “Salt makes my food taste so much better,” is the common justification for salt eating. But can salt add flavor to your food? |
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| Taste a pinch of salt. What flavor does it have? Is it appetizing and does it have a nice taste? No. Then how can it add flavor to food if it has no flavor of its own? | | Taste a pinch of salt. What flavor does it have? Is it appetizing and does it have a nice taste? No. Then how can it add flavor to food if it has no flavor of its own? |
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| Salt has been defended as an important aid in food digestion. | | Salt has been defended as an important aid in food digestion. |
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− | Consider this: your body alone digests food. The enzymes and gastric juices pro- duced by the body interact chemically with the food you eat as one of the stages of di- gestion. Sprinkle some salt on a tomato slice. Does the salt digest the tomato? Does it do anything! No. Salt is an inert substance—it is a nonliving, inactive mineral. How can an inorganic crystal enter into such an organic process as digestion? | + | Consider this: your body alone digests food. The enzymes and gastric juices produced by the body interact chemically with the food you eat as one of the stages of digestion. Sprinkle some salt on a tomato slice. Does the salt digest the tomato? Does it do anything! No. Salt is an inert substance—it is a nonliving, inactive mineral. How can an inorganic crystal enter into such an organic process as digestion? |
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− | Even traditional nutrition no longer believes that salt by itself is a digestive aid, but they do state (as recently as 1980) that the chloride ion in salt helps form the hydrochlo- ric acid in the stomach which is used to digest food. | + | Even traditional nutrition no longer believes that salt by itself is a digestive aid, but they do state (as recently as 1980) that the chloride ion in salt helps form the hydrochloric acid in the stomach which is used to digest food. |
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− | This, too, is faulty reasoning. The chlorine in salt cannot be metabolized by the body in any way. It does not enter into any body process. It remains bonded to the sodium atom. Now organic chlorine as found in living foods can be incorporated in the produc- tion of hydrochloric acid, and thus “improve” digestion. The chlorine in salt, however, is inorganic and cannot help the digestive function in any way. | + | This, too, is faulty reasoning. The chlorine in salt cannot be metabolized by the body in any way. It does not enter into any body process. It remains bonded to the sodium atom. Now organic chlorine as found in living foods can be incorporated in the production of hydrochloric acid, and thus “improve” digestion. The chlorine in salt, however, is inorganic and cannot help the digestive function in any way. |
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| Instead, here is what happens during the digestive process when salt is eaten: | | Instead, here is what happens during the digestive process when salt is eaten: |
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| # the absorption of food through the intestinal membranes is inhibited; | | # the absorption of food through the intestinal membranes is inhibited; |
− | # proteinsolubilityincreasesandaconsiderablelossoftissuebuildingmaterialoccursin the urine (a pathological condition known as “albuminuria”); | + | # proteinsolubilityincreasesandaconsiderablelossoftissuebuildingmaterialoccursin the urine (a pathological condition known as “albuminuria”); |
| # the water balance in food digestion is disturbed, thus slowing digestion. | | # the water balance in food digestion is disturbed, thus slowing digestion. |
− | In short, salt does not enhance digestion; its presence in the body actually retards di- gestion. In Japan where salted and pickled foods are a dietary mainstay, the incidence of stomach cancer is higher than any other place else in the world. There is a definite link between high salt use and stomach cancer. Does a cancerous stomach sound like digestion is being improved? 29.2.1.5 Is Salt An Essential Part of the Blood? Since salt is found in the blood, people think that we must consume it for healthy blood. There are “salts” in the blood, and sodium chloride is among these other mineral salts. But does this prove that table salt is an essential ingredient of the bloodstream? Most people have eaten so much salt all their lives that there is a continual circula- tion of sodium chloride through the bloodstream. The reason that the salt is in the blood is that the body is constantly trying to eliminate it from the system. A typical salt-eater has so much salt in the body that the body can never catch up on its elimination. We are probably capable of excreting around 200 milligrams of salt a day through the kidneys (this is about as much salt as can be placed on the end of a sharp-pointed knife). Most people eat fifty times that much. So where does all this extra salt go? It’s stored in layers beneath the skin to be eliminated by perspiration, and it is also continually circulating in the bloodstream, waiting to be processed by the overworked kidneys. Of course there is salt in the bloodstream. There are also pesticide compounds, drug poisons and environmental toxins as well. Does this mean (hat these are also an essential part of the blood? The bloodstream circulates wastes and poisons for elimination if we put them into the body. Salt is just another one of these toxins that we have introduced into the body. Organic mineral salts are also in the bloodstream, and these are used by the body for a number of functions. Inorganic table salt, however, is only a poison that the body must try to eliminate. | + | In short, salt does not enhance digestion; its presence in the body actually retards digestion. |
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| + | In Japan where salted and pickled foods are a dietary mainstay, the incidence of stomach cancer is higher than any other place else in the world. There is a definite link between high salt use and stomach cancer. |
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| + | Does a cancerous stomach sound like digestion is being improved? |
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| + | ==== Is Salt An Essential Part of the Blood? ==== |
| + | Since salt is found in the blood, people think that we must consume it for healthy blood. There are “salts” in the blood, and sodium chloride is among these other mineral salts. But does this prove that table salt is an essential ingredient of the bloodstream? |
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| + | Most people have eaten so much salt all their lives that there is a continual circulation of sodium chloride through the bloodstream. The reason that the salt is in the blood is that the body is constantly trying to eliminate it from the system. |
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| + | A typical salt-eater has so much salt in the body that the body can never catch up on its elimination. We are probably capable of excreting around 200 milligrams of salt a day through the kidneys (this is about as much salt as can be placed on the end of a sharp-pointed knife). Most people eat fifty times that much. So where does all this extra salt go? It’s stored in layers beneath the skin to be eliminated by perspiration, and it is also continually circulating in the bloodstream, waiting to be processed by the overworked kidneys. |
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| + | Of course there is salt in the bloodstream. There are also pesticide compounds, drug poisons and environmental toxins as well. Does this mean (hat these are also an essential part of the blood? The bloodstream circulates wastes and poisons for elimination if we put them into the body. Salt is just another one of these toxins that we have introduced into the body. |
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| + | Organic mineral salts are also in the bloodstream, and these are used by the body for a number of functions. Inorganic table salt, however, is only a poison that the body must try to eliminate. |
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| ==== And Take This With a Grain of Salt... ==== | | ==== And Take This With a Grain of Salt... ==== |
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| === Vinegar === | | === Vinegar === |
− | Vinegar is the result of acetic fermentation of alcoholic liquids. Vinegar is very inju- rious to the digestive organs, and it does not matter if it is white vinegar, cider vinegar, or whatever its source. | + | Vinegar is the result of acetic fermentation of alcoholic liquids. Vinegar is very injurious to the digestive organs, and it does not matter if it is white vinegar, cider vinegar, or whatever its source. |
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− | Vinegar reduces the number of red blood cells, greatly retards digestion and assim- ilation, and harms the kidneys. When used in conjunction with starchy foods, digestion is completely suspended and fermentation rapidly results. | + | Vinegar reduces the number of red blood cells, greatly retards digestion and assimilation, and harms the kidneys. When used in conjunction with starchy foods, digestion is completely suspended and fermentation rapidly results. |
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| === Other Condiments === | | === Other Condiments === |
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| # Most condiments have no food value in themselves. | | # Most condiments have no food value in themselves. |
| # Most condiments are partially or totally indigestible. | | # Most condiments are partially or totally indigestible. |
− | # Condiments are eaten for entertainment, not nourishment. Eating purely for entertainment’s sake is, as a rule, unwholesome, though, to be sure, proper foods are not only nourishing but also a delight to the palate. | + | # Condiments are eaten for entertainment, not nourishment. Eating purely for entertainment’s sake is, as a rule, unwholesome, though, to be sure, proper foods are not only nourishing but also a delight to the palate. |
− | # Condiments interfere with the digestion of the foods with which they are eaten, sometimes making a whole meal indigestible. Fifty percent of all meals eaten in America end in indigestion. Condiments share a large part of the responsibility for this. | + | # Condiments interfere with the digestion of the foods with which they are eaten, sometimes making a whole meal indigestible. Fifty percent of all meals eaten in America end in indigestion. Condiments share a large part of the responsibility for this. |
− | # The poisonous elements of condiments(such as the mustard oil of onions, garlic, shallots, mustard, etc. or the allicin of garlic) cause injury in the body if absorbed, especially to the organs of purification and detoxification, such as the liver and kidneys. | + | # The poisonous elements of condiments(such as the mustard oil of onions, garlic, shallots, mustard, etc. or the allicin of garlic) cause injury in the body if absorbed, especially to the organs of purification and detoxification, such as the liver and kidneys. |
− | # Our ability to savor flavors is destroyed by condiments. That which overly excites our taste buds slowly destroys our sense of taste. | + | # Our ability to savor flavors is destroyed by condiments. That which overly excites our taste buds slowly destroys our sense of taste. |
− | # Condiments cause disease! Headaches, high blood pressure, edema and a long list of other conditions are directly traceable to such condiments as MSG, salt, vinegar, etc. | + | # Condiments cause disease! Headaches, high blood pressure, edema and a long list of other conditions are directly traceable to such condiments as MSG, salt, vinegar, etc. |
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| == Article #4: Using Condiments Is Like Wearing Makeup By Marti Fry == | | == Article #4: Using Condiments Is Like Wearing Makeup By Marti Fry == |
− | Makeup is used by many women (and some men) for several reasons. It highlights the eyes with eyeliner, mascara and/or eyeshadow; the cheekbones with blusher and the lips with lipstick. Foundation, usually a flesh-colored liquid, is used to give an even and un- blemished appearance to the entire face. | + | Makeup is used by many women (and some men) for several reasons. It highlights the eyes with eyeliner, mascara and/or eyeshadow; the cheekbones with blusher and the lips with lipstick. Foundation, usually a flesh-colored liquid, is used to give an even and unblemished appearance to the entire face. |
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| Many of us are aware that the “natural look” is better, both aesthetically and healthwise. Irritating, often carcinogenic, substances on delicate facial skin and near the eyes and on the eyelashes are unnecessary and phony. | | Many of us are aware that the “natural look” is better, both aesthetically and healthwise. Irritating, often carcinogenic, substances on delicate facial skin and near the eyes and on the eyelashes are unnecessary and phony. |
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− | The healthy glow that comes from plenty of sunshine, exercise and wholesome foods; a loving disposition and enough sleep, rest and relaxation, mirrors true health. A healthy person is a beautiful person. Makeup is used to give the false impression of healthful beauty. If you wear make-up but decide to stop using it, it may take you a while to get used to the “new you.” | + | The healthy glow that comes from plenty of sunshine, exercise and wholesome foods; a loving disposition and enough sleep, rest and relaxation, mirrors true health. A healthy person is a beautiful person. Makeup is used to give the false impression of healthful beauty. |
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| + | If you wear make-up but decide to stop using it, it may take you a while to get used to the “new you.” |
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| At first you might not like the natural you because you’re not used to it. But in time you’ll see the phoniness of the makeup on other people as repulsive, not attractive as it used to seem. | | At first you might not like the natural you because you’re not used to it. But in time you’ll see the phoniness of the makeup on other people as repulsive, not attractive as it used to seem. |