Paul Pitchford

THIRD EDITION
Healing
with
Whole Foods
Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition
Revised, Updated, and Expanded Third Edition
Paul Pitchford
North Atlantic Books
Berkeley, California
Notice: Healing with Whole Foods is a reference volume with information about
health tailored to a variety of individual energetic and physical patterns. However,
due to differences in background and constitution, individual responses to any health
plan may vary greatly. In your pursuit of well-being, especially if you are ill or
embarking on a new dietary plan or treatment described in this (or any other) ref-
erence work, you may need the services of a qualified doctor, physician, or other
duly licensed health provider who understands your needs and direction. The infor-
mation in this book is not intended as a replacement for those services, nor is it
intended as a substitute for any treatment prescribed by your physician.
Copyright 1993, 1996, 2002 by Paul Pitchford. All rights reserved. No portion of this
book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise-without the written permission of the publisher. For infor-
mation contact North Atlantic Books.
Published by
North Atlantic Books
P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712
Cover art by Divit Cardoza
Other artwork by Jennifer Harding,
Deborah Darner, Bethany Fancher,
and Ariana Strozzi Heckler
Cover and book design by Paula Morrison
Printed in the United States of America
Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition is sponsored
by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational cor-
poration whose goals are to develop an educational and crosscultural perspective
linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts,
sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the
relationship of mind, body, and nature.
North Atlantic Books' publications are available through most bookstores.
For further information, please ca11800-733-3000 or visit our Web site at
www .northatlanticbooks.com.
ISBN-13: 978-1-55643-471-6 (cloth); ISBN-13: 978-1-55643-430-3 (pbk.)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pitchford, Paul.
Healing with whole foods : Asian traditions and modern nutrition I by Paul
Pitchford.- 3rd ed.
p. em.
Previous ed. published with subtitle: Oriental traditions and modern
nutrition.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-55643-471-5 (cloth)
ISBN 1-55643-430-8 (pbk.)
1. Diet therapy. 2. Medicine, Chinese. 3. Nutrition. I. Title.
RM217 .P55 2002
613.2-dc21
2002015010
27 28 29 20 31 32 33 34 SHERIDAN 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
To you, the reader,
that you find Guidance
and choose to follow it
toward healing, awareness, and peace.
and
To your Compassionate Nature-Gwan Shr Yin-
that it shine forth
and inspire you to help others.
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to the many friends and associates for the faith they placed in me to
do this work; and to my teachers in the healing and awareness arts, whose ancient,
timeless messages inspire me continuously.
Special thanks to nutritional consultant Suzanne Shaw of the Heartwood Insti-
tute in California for her kind assistance in many areas of the project; to those
who have studied with me, for their innovative spirit that enlivens the healing
message of this book; to Rebecca Lee, for her vision that formed the early ver-
sions of this text, especially the recipe section; and to Mary Buckley of New Dimen-
sions Radio for the monumental editing task she undertook with this volume.
I also thank my son Finnegan, who came, as he now says, "as a gift from God"-
midway through this project: he saw when I needed to play. My deepest gratitude
is for Nelle Conroy Pitchford, my mother, who passed on during her ninety-second
year. Her expression of selfless service to others has been a constant example of
love.
vi
Preface
Healing with Whole Foods provides the essential information for becoming skillful
in healing through diet. While recognizing the value of animal products for certain
imbalances and deficiencies, it encourages the reader to move in the direction of a
vegetarian diet. To do this successfully in a meat-based culture-particularly one
without any obvious vegetarian traditions-requires most people to learn sub-
stantial new material on diet such as that presented in this volume, including an
evaluation of one's personal condition and the various therapeutic properties of
foods.
The rise in nutritional awareness occurring at a rapid pace in the West has ele-
ments of Far Eastern traditions, in which a balanced diet has been integral to
health and enlightenment practices for millennia. This book is a synthesis of vital
elements of Eastern and Western food practices and philosophies. Experiencing
such an East/West union brings one into fresh areas of awareness and can lead
to renewal in all areas of life.
Writing Healing with Whole Foods was a magical, wonderful, yet disciplined
experience for me; I want you, the reader, to share in this kind of experience, and
to find healing and harmony at a level beyond your expectations.
Paul Pitchford
vii
How to Use this Book Efficiently
There are many possibilities. You may want to look up foods and healing methods
in the index, sample the recipes, or simply read various sections that are appealing.
However, one of the best ways is to gradually go through all the parts in order. This
approach is ideal, since each section contains information to help clarify the material
that follows it. This is particularly the case with Chapter 1, which contains Access to
Healing with Whole Foods-a section that introduces important new material for
the Third Edition as well as prepares one for the numerous integrative aspects of this
book.
If you delve in to find information, for example, on a certain disease imbalance, fast-
ing, or the properties of a food, it is best to first have at least a fair grasp of a few
basic diagnosis and treatment terms used throughout the text, such as exterior, heat,
cold, damp, deficiency, and so on. These terms, which have special meanings in the
Chinese healing arts, are defined and developed in Part I, and summarized in the
charts on pages 94-96 and 99-101. You can get a good basic sense of their meanings
from these charts; nonetheless, for a more complete and useful understanding, read Part
I. Part I also features a section on concepts related to immunity, among them oxy-
genation, yeast overgrowth, and free radicals. These concepts too are referred to reg-
ularly in later chapters. After Part I, you may appreciate reading the Summary (page
640), which provides a lively overview of the guiding principles of this book.
The information in Part III, "The Five Element and Organ Systems," gives us an
awareness of our unity with nature. It brings the seasonal and environmental con-
nections of traditional Chinese medicine into full view. Its organ systems is the crown-
ing achievement of East Asian diagnosis. It provides penetrating images of the workings
of the internal organs, their major disease syndromes, the affected emotions and body
systems, and dietary and herbal remedies. This information is invaluable when decid-
ing among healing options for long-term imbalances.
Notes on the Revisions
First revision (Second Edition): The principal traditions and teachings of this volume
were not revised; however, in response to what appears to be an approaching epi-
demic of microbe and parasite infestations, an effective, extended anti-parasite program
has been added (in the Appendix). Also in the Appendix is an article that sheds light
on root canals-a serious dental problem overlooked by many health practitioners.
Weston Price, a legendary force in modem nutrition, spent the better part of his life
researching root canals, only to have the dental establishment tum a deaf ear on his
findings.
The Index of this book has been enhanced to provide both the casual reader and
researcher better access to specific information. Furthermore, a number of areas
throughout the text have been updated and clarified.
viii
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK EFFICIENTLY ix
A final addition is a Summary at the end of the book. It includes a new perspective
on the fundamental principles of this volume through the eyes of Ayurveda, the tra-
ditional medicine of India. The Summary describes the "Sattvic" approach to diet as
well as life, focusing on the awareness that enduring physical and mental health come
from living in equilibrium, and from being mindful of our spiritual origins.
Second revision (Third Edition): Three major Sections, known collectively as "Access
to Healing with Whole Foods," have been added to Chapter 1. This new informa-
tion underscores the whole-food imperative in counteracting overweight and obesity,
diabetes, heart disease, and a number of other common degenerations.
In addition, this chapter provides for the discussion of the underlying relationship
between food and consciousness and offers insights to support long-term dietary
improvements. To acquaint the reader with the basic dietary intentions of Healing
with Whole Foods, a new section introduces wholesome eating patterns developed
from traditional and ancient diets. In addition, this chapter presents an introductory
cleansing and renewal program that prepares one for healing transformation. More-
over, various updates have occurred throughout the book to reflect recent research.