this page) as possible. The philosophy underlying the health-supportive way of eating is expressed throughout this book. In addition, one of its major components is the rejection of guilt and fear in connection with food selection. We can approach food as our ally, our teacher, and our rudder. It will nourish us well if well chosen; if incorrectly chosen, it will teach us some lessons about our body that we may, or may not, heed. If we make mistakes in food selection, either perversely or in ignorance, we will have to pay for it, so why feel guilty on top of that? The results of our eating choices, if negative, should be considered information, not punishment. IT CONSISTS OF:
• Whole grains, beans, fresh vegetables and fruits in season, nuts, seeds, sea vegetables, all organically grown whenever possible
• Fermented or pickled vegetables or beans( pickles, sauerkraut, tempeh, and so on)
• Fish, organic eggs, or naturally raised fowl when desired, and, for some people, an occasional small amount of red meat, naturally raised if possible
• Herbs, spices, sea salt, natural soy sauce, unpasteurized miso( fermented, salted soybean paste), and other natural condiments in moderate amounts
• Unrefined sesame oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or, for occasional frying, cold-pressed safflower oil; unpasteurized butter, tahini, sesame butter( the total daily fat intake from all sources ideally should not exceed two tablespoons, plus or minus)
• For sweeteners, fruit juices, maple syrup, rice syrup, or barley malt in very modest amounts
• Spring water for all cooking and drinking
• Popular herb teas, such as peppermint and chamomile, roasted green tea( bancha) or twig tea( kukicha), grain coffees( made from dark-roasted chicory, barley, and so on)
• Dairy products, unpasteurized if possible, as an occasional treat( if they cause no clear problem)
• Guilt-free meals out with friends or family when the occasion arises IT AVOIDS( IF POSSIBLE, MOST OF THE TIME):
• Sugar( white, brown, raw) and honey
• Pasteurized, homogenized, vitamin D – fortified milk; cheeses, ice cream, sour and heavy cream, yogurt
• White flour, white rice( except in ethnic restaurants on occasion)
• Canned and frozen foods
• Steak, nitrate- and nitrite-cured meats and fish, commercial eggs
• Iodized salt, commercial soy sauce, highly seasoned foods
• Lard, shortening, commercial oils, fried foods, nut and peanut butters( except in small amounts on occasion)
• Fluorinated, chlorinated tap water( except in restaurants); distilled water
• Coffee, hot chocolate,“ maté” herb tea, and other caffeinated or medicinal beverages, except as needed
• Grim meals that are“ good for you”
• Hedonistic meals that mess up the body’ s balance for longer than a day or two TABLES OF OPPOSITES CONTRACTIVE
EXPANSIVE
Grains Beans Pickled foods Fish Fowl Eggs Sea salt and salted condiments
Herbs and spices Teas Juices Vegetable oils Fruits Salads Vegetables, including potatoes
WARMING Hot soups, stews, casseroles Fish Fowl
COOLING Cool cooked vegetables, grains, beans Salads Fruit