34 Acidic Wastes: The Real Culprit
available in this country, although labeled unfi ltered, is yellow and clear,
an indication that a great many nutrients have been fi ltered out of it.The Role of Fiber
Fiber-rich foods help prevent many degenerative diseases. In the intes-
tines, fi bers bind with bile acids so they can’t damage the lining of the
intestinal walls, and when fi ber is broken down, its short-chain fatty
acids neutralize carcinogenic substances in the colon. Fibers also help
control type 2 diabetes and heart disease. According to a study pub-
lished in May 2000 in The New England Journal of Medicine, type 2
diabetics on a diet with twice the fi ber consumed by those in another
group of diabetics had more nearly normal levels of blood sugar and
insulin as well as lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.^16
The individual’s choice of fi ber must conform to metabolic type.
The grain eater is fortunate because grain provides fi ber in far more
bulk than the raw vegetables from which the meat-eating metabolic
types must obtain most of their fi ber needs.HOW FIBER CURED ANGELA’S DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS
Angela, in her early twenties, had suffered painful muscle spasms
in her stomach for a year. At the recommendation of a nutritionist
she took pancreatic enzymes, and when these didn’t help she
went to an herbalist. The herbalist prescribed a formula made
up of fennel seed, chamomile fl owers, dandelion, gentian, and
gingerroots. The herbal digestive aid didn’t work either.
Had these alternative health-care specialists questioned Angela
about her eating habits and considered her ethnic background,
they might have discovered the cause of her stomach problems.
Before Angela moved to the Seattle area she lived in the desert
country west of Tucson with other members of her tribal group,
the Seri Indians. When she left the desert, she took with her the
craving for hot sauce that Indians living in hot climates have
developed. However, lacking the special hot peppers needed to
make this hot sauce, Angela ate chili dogs and tortilla chips with
salsa. She also ate white rice and white bread in place of the fi ber-