food and nutrition 61
excellent binders include arrowroot and cornstarch. If a slightly spicy
thickener is required, use ground coriander.
Fish
Fish now consume waste products that we liberally dump into the oceans
year after year: drugs, radioactive materials, chemical waste, and heavy
metals (particularly lead, cadmium, and mercury). Most of the fi sh in our
rivers and lakes are equally poisoned in contaminated water. The notion
of fi sh being a more digestible protein than meat (with almost no fat
content) is becoming more irrelevant by the day. Trout and salmon, now
“grown” in fi sh farms (fi n to fi n), live in water contaminated with
antibiotics, antifungals, and other chemicals used to combat the diseases
caused by unnatural overpopulation.
Chemical pollutants in the sea provide a nightmare scenario, but
nitrate discharges into the sea are high and sewage discharges cause
oxygen depletion, resulting in aggressive algal growth, which suffocates
fi sh. Instead of using fi sh oils to decrease plaque buildups in the vascular
system, use fl axseed oil or hempseed oil, which are richer in essential fatty
acids like omega-3 and omega-6.
Drinking
What we drink is as important as what we eat. Drinking forms a large
part of all our lives.
Coffee and tea both contain caffeine, a strong stimulant. Tea also
contains theine, which is an additional stimulant, and tannin, which
lines the stomach with an impermeable wall, making it difficult for
assimilation and digestion to take place. Both drinks also contain
theobromine — a harmful chemical that particularly exacerbates fe-
male gynecological disorders. Tea and coffee affect the adrenal
glands, and long-term consumption can often lead to worn-out adre-
nals. The kidneys, too, are adversely affected. Coffee, in particular,
will make the heart race, and palpitations and tachycardia are com-
mon. Yet these effects tend to go on constantly, so that most people
do not notice the gradual degeneration of their bodies. Often, they
are unable to remember what life was like before or imagine what it
could be again. (When coming off tea, coffee, or alcohol, refer to
“The Differences between Fasting and Detoxification” in chapter 6.)
Decaffeinated tea and coffee can provide a vital interim step for those
wishing to come off the real thing. Springwater decaffeination is the
safest process, and the labeling will indicate the process used.
61 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition