salt

[Sue]

Hello, I am new to this forum and would like to know if anyone can tell me a little about salt use in macrobiotics. I know that salt is cleansing but I've heard that in cases of candida, it should be restricted. Can anyone tell me why that is the case?

Sue

[Roy Collins]

Hi Sue. In general one should use as little good quality sea salt as possible in macrobiotic cooking. Salt is very yangizing (constricting) and also leads to excess thirst and water retention.
It is a better policy to use salt in the form of shoyu (soy sauce) that has been fermented and aged and is not as powerful a constrictive force. But do not go over boad on this either. Salt also tends to balance oil in the body and aids in the digestive process making the blood more alkaline and resistant to pathogens.

Candida overblooms really do not have much to do with too much salt as it does with too little salt when body becomes more acid. Raw fruits, dairy, alcohol, gluten products, antibiotics and simple sugars are the biggest culprits in candida overblooms. Eating less of these products will help restrict yeast growth. A good tea for helping to regain this balance is made by steeping a tea bag of Pau d'arco herb into one cup of hot corn water. This can be take three times daily.

I hope this helps.

In peace, Roy (running late for work...)

[Sue]

Hi roy

I don't know if you got my reply as there was a technical fault.
Anyway I just wanted to say thank you for your help.
Because I've been on a high raw diet for a while the acid discharge got too high and I lost alot of weight as well as an increasing intolerance to fatty foods and fruits. I'm just trying to get the balance now where I can start putting on weight again and still feel energetic and positive. I find that the acidity is such that even grains are reacting with me but the veggies seems to be better. any more advice is appreciated.

Take care
Sue

[Roy Collins]

Hi Sue. I agree it is best to stay with predominance of vegetables, but use more yang style of cooking them rather than eating them raw. And of course cut back on all fruits (raw or cooked) and simple carbohydrtes and high gluten grains. Pressure cooked or boiled brown rice is used for more gluten free diets, so stick with this -- one cup daily, thats all. Avoid all other flour products but soups and clear broths are OK. A little fish is OK at this time as well. Do not use salad dressing or vinegar or
alcohol-based preparations at all. Do not use oral contraceptives, or antibiotics or alcohol-based perfumes or cosmetics. Use bottled or distilled water that has less bacteria than tap water (unless you have a good filter).

Miso can be useful in small amounts once daily in the am. All seaweeds (cooked) will be helpful as well. Fresh garlic can be eaten daily if you can tolerate it. It is anti-funfal and anti-microbal. (You can also use garlic oil externally if yeasts have moved to epidermis). Limit fats and nut butters at this time. Do not fry food. Steam, water saute, boil. L. acidophilus capsules (or small amount of plain yogurt) can be helpful at this time, restoring normal balance of bacteria to vagina and lower bowel. Hot genger compress to the kidney area twice daily for 20 minutes will also help. Try to keep in mind that to over come this problem you need three things: 1. fruit free 2. sugar free, 3. yeast free. Limiting water intake (to 6 cups daily) will help strengthen kideys as well. Astragulus root boiled in bancha tea will also help immune system to function better. The Pau d'arco tea I mentioned earlier is more specific for controling inflammations. I hope this helps.

In peace, Roy

[Sue]

Roy

I just got your reply and would like to thank you for your time and knowledge. I realise it's primarily about balancing the acid/alkaline of the blood.

I've read some cases where people have got better using raw foods and so I've been trying to do that as much as possible, having green soups, salads etc. but am I right to believe that cooking alkalizes food more? I think I got worse recently when I stopped using a probiotic as I wasn't sure it was working but I may have to get some again. I've also got Paul Pitchfords book and he advocates raw saltless sauerkraut so I've put some on today. As for the raw sesame paste I made, I may have to completely avoid as raw fats seem to space me out just now.
As for fish, I have had some recently even although I would not like to eat animal products but I think I need it. Funnily enough I've also been drawn to natural yoghurt but wasn't sure if it would be OK. I feel tamari and miso need to be randomly used just now and I feel better using sea salt and herbs for seasoning.

Raw garlic is great and I usually use it in flax oil over a salad.
I normally have raw seaweed but may now cook it instead as you suggested. I feel I need to have a strongly alkalizing diet as this time and will do what is necessary. My kidneys have been aching too and so I'll start cooking sprouted adukis with kombu to see if this helps. I believe I drank far too much whilst cleansing on the raw diet and find it hard to shake the importance of hydration. The ginger compress sounds good, i was thinking about that last night but I also find a hot water bottle good at bedtime. All fruit is out of the diet but I did try some dried apricots and got a reaction, so now they're out too. It's challenging not having any sweet at all but I feel better without it.

In summary do you think the following is appropriate:-

soups, steamed, pressure cooked veggies with beans, seaweed.
Raw garlic, pau d'arco, ocassional brown rice, fish.

What about millet, is it not supposed to be more alkaline than brown rice?

Just a few words back from this post would be greatly appreciated Roy, after going from one extreme to the other dietary wise, it's helpful to speak to someone like yourself.

Peace and love
Sue

[Roy Collins]

Sue, you wrote:

>In summary do you think the following is appropriate:-

soups, steamed, pressure cooked veggies with beans, seaweed.
Raw garlic, pau d'arco, ocassional brown rice, fish.

What about millet, is it not supposed to be more alkaline than brown rice? <

RC: Millet is more alkaline-forming than brown rice and therefore should be fine to use in addition to br. rice. The main problem is excess yeast, simple carbohydrates, and sugars so avoid these as much as you can. These foods fall into the macrobiotic category of yin dominance. Raw food is also more yin than cooked. The reason for cooking is not that it is more alkalizing but rather more yangizing ( and making food more digestable).

The soups and cooked veggies are fine -- the garlic in this case is specific as an anti-fungal (so is the Pau d'arco herb). Fish is OK, as it is yang but do not fry and try to avoid fish high in mercury as this also contributes to candidiasis. Buckwheat noodles on occassion is also good but I would stay away from the sauerkraut as it is a ferment. Acidophilus is a must -- any way you look at it it is a plant form that keeps candida from overblooming. I would not use flax seed oit as it is too yin -- better to use whole flax and grind with a little spirolina and garlic as a condiment -- very tasty. Good idea to stay away from nut butters and also good idea to eat more cooked seaweed. You don't need to eat the miso if you feel you don't need it, but good quality sea salt should be in your diet. Green plum extract is another way to alkalize the blood. You only need one drop in your cup of tea. Macrobiotic food supply companies will have this -- also called baniku-ekisu
in Japanese. I hope this answers your questions.

In peace, Roy

[Sue]

Thank you Roy, all your advice has been very helpful and has given me guidance in which healing foods to choose, I have valued and enjoyed our correspondance very much.

Best wishes
Sue