. . A small quantity of roughage, as of certain kinds of nuts, would be well for the body; as almonds, filberts.
543-24
. . . This {equalization in system} we would find by taking those properties in salts, as are created in fruits and in nuts themselves. First these are active forces with the digestive system itself.
108-2
The nuts receiving the most recommendations are almonds, with filberts (hazelnuts) close behind. Comments on other varieties, such as pecans, walnuts, Brazil nuts, and cashews, are usually positive, but there are exceptions. Here is some typical advice:
. . . Beware of large quantities of nuts or nut oils, unless these are almonds.
755-1
. . . Particularly have almonds, filberts and the like, more than other characters. Of course, a good quality of pecan is well. But the almonds and filberts are particularly good for the body.
1861-10
One good way to eat nuts is chopped and added to a raw vegetable or fruit salad. Nut butters and milks are the preferred forms in some cases. It is important to keep in mind that nut oils are polyunsaturated, meaning that they easily degrade when heated. Therefore, nuts are best eaten when fresh and raw and should be kept cold when stored over a period of time. Dr. Weil likes keeping a couple of nut oils (hazelnut and walnut) in his refrigerator for use as flavorings in foods and regards small amounts as no great risk to health.
However, he takes a much dimmer view of polyunsaturated oils such as corn, soy, sesame, sunflower, and safflower (he refuses to consider cottonseed oil a food). When these oils are hardened (hydrogenated) for use in margarine, solid vegetable shortening, and their products, they become chemically saturated fats. But this isn’t the worst of it.
Although polyunsaturated oils were once believed to lower cholesterol, they are chemically unstable and tend to react with oxygen to form toxic compounds that harm DNA and cellular membranes, “promoting cancer, inflammation, and degenerative changes in tissue.”17 All are extracted with heat and solvents that lead to the formation of dreaded toxic trans-fatty acids, or TFAs. Dr. Weil comments:
I believe that TFAs in the diet damage the regulatory machinery of the body, significantly compromising the healing system. Remember that TFAs are never found in nature, only in fats that have been subjected to unusual chemical and physical treatment. Some researchers refer to them as “funny fats,” but there is nothing funny about what they may do to us.18
Now that’s truly ugly. Who would have thought that a so-called chemical marvel could be worse than the villain in a hokey movie? On second thought, that’s not so unusual, is it? Well, pardners, reckon it’s time to call in the olive oil to clean up this town!
The Carbonation Question
Most of us enjoy at least occasional carbonation—that tongue-tickling, belch-inducing process that puts the pop in sodas, the “soft” in soft drinks, the fizz in spritzers, and the sparkle in adult beverages. But how does this small indulgence affect our health, and how much is too much of a possibly good thing? Uh-oh—turns out the question of whether to carbonate is one of those tricky INDIVIDUAL MATTERS where strong statements can be found to support both sides. A survey of Cayce readings and research findings, while providing some helpful answers, allows some of the mystery to remain.
Sparkling water, fizzy water, and seltzer are all names for the end result of carbonation—the process of dissolving carbon dioxide into plain water. This can, of course, also occur in nature, producing a sparkling mineral water with an upscale or curative cachet. The readings appear to refer to the artificially produced kind whether taken by itself, with plain water, in soft drinks, or in fruit juice spritzers (though the term had not yet been invented.)
Because carbon dioxide is a waste product of metabolism that is exhaled through the lungs, there has been understandable concern about overloading the body with an ostensibly toxic substance. So far, however, modest benefits and little harm have been found. In studies of calcium erosion in bones and teeth, carbonation itself was found to have a negligible effect, though sodas remain a major cause of tooth decay.
A small 2002 study reported in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that carbonated water eases the symptoms of indigestion and constipation. The use of mineral water in these cases was believed to enhance the positive effects.19
Hydration testing has shown carbonated and plain water to be equally effective. However, some believe that carbonation may increase absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream and that esophageal irritation is also a possibility. And in cases of gastroparesis, a stomach disorder, carbonation can evidently worsen the symptoms.
A comparison with the readings shows more similarities than differences in these findings. Strangely, however, most of those that simply mention carbonated water or generalize about drinks that include it lean in a negative direction, while specified beverages are more often approved. In the first category, thirty-one readings are basically positive on the subject (often with precautions about amounts), while another eighty advise complete avoidance, at least for the time being, such as during a course of treatments.
However, those that focus on cola drinks, other soft drinks, juice drinks, or seltzer are weighted differently, with thirty favoring carbonation, nine advising Coke without carbonation, and only five declining Coke in any form. These figures reflect Cayce’s tactics in dealing with issues affecting the functions of digestion and elimination—if we can figure out how they apply and when.
In some cases the body’s pH, or acid-alkaline balance, is clearly a central concern. In this context, carbonated drinks are broadly described as conducive to acid formation:
In the diet—keep away from fats, from any carbonated drinks or drinks made from carbonated waters. Do not take any of these, nor any of the malt drinks or things of that nature; nor vinegar nor anything of that nature. Keep close to the alkalines.
337-28
Eat right! That is, about twenty percent acid to eighty percent alkaline foods! Beware of all soft drinks, or carbonated waters, or distilled drinks of any character.
263-8
Q. Of what foods should I beware?
A. Those that are excessively acid-producing. Those that have been indicated of too much carbonated waters, or those foods that produce an excess of fermentation in their activity.
361-10
Similar concerns about certain types of alcohol show that this, too, was sometimes considered too acidic for the body to handle. Perhaps this is doubly true of alcohol and seltzer combinations:
Q. Is this trouble with the stomach a return of the old trouble?
A. Not so much a return as a continuation, excited by too much of carbonated or distilled waters, see? No hard drinks, no malts, nor any drinks of that kind for this body.
348-24
. . . Keep away from beer, wines, whiskey, or even drinks that carry carbonated water; or do so . . . to thine own undoing!
391-18
