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The Complete Home GfuoidoedtoanHderbnsu, tNraittuioranl Healing, and Nutrition  
54  
helping to finish off half-digested foods.  
You can pickle foods easily using apple cider vinegar. This type of vine-  
gar helps regulate the balanced output of stomach acid, correcting overac-  
tive and underactive conditions. The sour flavor can really be exciting, and  
chiles, which couldn’t ordinarily be eaten raw, can be when softened by the  
pickling process.  
Salty foods heal and nurture the kidneys, adrenals, bladder, and thy-  
roid. Salty flavor is in all sea vegetables, such as kelp, nori, wakame,  
and so on. Parsley and celery are considered salty and make an excel-  
lent “dried and sprinkled-on” substitute. Do not use too much salt,  
as the kidneys will suffer. The dangers of high salt intake are so well  
publicized that it is almost more important to say, these days, that a  
little good-quality salt should be consumedsome people need more  
than others.  
Spicy”reallysumsuptwoflavors,hotandpungent.Spicyfoodssupport  
andnourishthelungsandcolon,openingbothandallowingthemtooper-  
atewiththeeasetheyshould.Thiscategoryincludeshotpeppers,mustards,  
andhorseradish.Theygenerallyaidcirculation,encouragingthedeliveryof  
oxygen and nutrients and the expulsion of waste products and toxins.  
Neutraltastesinclude,amongothers,rice,potatoes,sago,arrowroot,ba-  
nana,yam,turnip,parsnip,andmillet.Theynurtureandgroundthebody,  
feedingandtoning.Theyareoneofthemostunifyingofallflavors,provid-  
ing harmony and balance.  
Sweet flavor heals and nurtures the stomach, spleen, and pancreas, thus  
improvingdigestion,ifusedinabalancedway.Somepositivesweeteners  
arerealmaplesyrup,brownricesyrup,barleysyrup,cold-pressedorganic  
honey,datesyrup,wholelicorice,sweetherb(Stevia),peppermintleaf,and  
certain culinary herbs.  
Sugar inhibits the ability of white blood cells to destroy bacteria. Just  
two teaspoons is enough to diminish our immune-system response dra-  
matically; it also consumes calcium, stripping the body of one of its most  
necessary minerals. If sugar is to be used, then real cane sugar is rich in es-  
sential minerals and vitamins and provides a better alternative than most.  
Blackstrap molasses is sweet and loaded with iron and calcium, which also  
makes it a good substitute for sugar. Try using a little licorice on occasion.  
Sweet herb (Stevia), which is three hundred to five hundred times sweeter  
than sugar, does not feed yeasts, fungi, and other unwanted gastrointestinal  
microorganisms, and it helps improve digestion by stimulating the pan-  
creas. Made as a tea and kept in the refrigerator, a small amount could be  
added to herbal teas. Both this and licorice are very useful for hypo-  
glycemic people who need a sugar boost.  
We all start life with a sweet toothbreast milk is sweet and, as such, it  


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