Fats, oily food
Acidforming food
Radishes; lemon tea; peppermint tea with lemon
Vegetarian chicken soup; miso soup( best antidote to sweets); vegetable juice( best for flour and animal-protein excess)
Alcohol Umeboshi( plum with pit if possible, or paste); gomasio( sesame salt) Sugar
Fruit, salad, raw food
Miso soup; tamari kuzu with umeboshi; umeboshi paste
Roasted rice or rice cream; oatmeal, seasoned with shoyu or umeboshi vinegar; beans; millet or other grains; whole-grain bread
Meats, eggs, cheese
Food
Fruit; vegetable soup or stew; salads
One day of fasting, with your favorite kuzu drink in the morning, and either vegetable juice or vegetarian chicken soup the rest of the day if desired.( See this page in this chapter for more on fasting.)
CONSTIPATION Of all body parts, the colon seems to be the one that is most often the object of obsession. There is some good reason for that: If the garbage is not thrown out regularly, the house will be unclean no matter how stylish the living room. Most of us feel good if we have one easy bowel movement daily, although what is a healthy frequency will vary depending on the individual and the food intake. When the movement is significantly less frequent or involves difficulty and straining, alarm signals go off, and we try to fix the situation. The large intestine operates by a rhythmic alternation of expansion and contraction. If it becomes very contracted and tight, it cannot expand and therefore stops working. If it becomes expanded and loose, it cannot contract, and the same thing happens. Thus, we can recognize two kinds of constipation: constipation from excess contraction, and constipation from excess expansion. Constipation from contraction is caused by eating too much:
• Protein
• Fats
• Salt
• White flour Generally, it responds well to
• Prune juice, salad, sprouts, fresh fruit
• Coffee, sometimes( although this is not a remedy I would recommend)
• Whole grains, well chewed, especially brown rice Constipation from expansion is usually the result of consuming too much fruit, juices, and salads, as in some health diets. The standard way of treating constipation that does not respond to prune juice is with laxatives or enemas. Pleasanter methods include:
• Increasing consumption of whole grains( especially brown rice), with their naturally occurring bran, and fibrous vegetables; and
• Decreasing intake of raw foods and juices. For people who feel very blocked and stagnated, a few enemas or colonic irrigations may be of great help. However, it is not advisable to have these more than occasionally, as they can become habit forming and weaken the colon’ s normal peristaltic activity. 19 Irrigations also wash out the helpful intestinal flora, along with everything else, and these may take a while to become reestablished. In general, one of the best and most natural stimuli for proper intestinal function is a brisk walk, especially early in the morning. DIARRHEA A sudden and continuous diarrhea, if it lasts longer than an hour and especially if accompanied by vomiting, is a critical condition requiring immediate medical attention; dysentery, cholera, and toxic-shock syndrome all exhibit those symptoms, and fatal dehydration can set in quickly.