Foods that Heal and Foods that Harm

This whole huge area is very complex. There is biochemical individuality. What this means is that everyone has a unique biochemistry. What is medicine for one man is poison for another. Therefore a great deal of work has to be done to figure these things out. The RDAs are not that useful because everybody is different. One person might be allergic to peanuts. Another might thrive on peanuts.

The RDAs are only valid for well people. If you are sick, the biochemistry is different. Linus Pauling and Abram Hoffer figured this out. They were backed by the brilliant nutritional scientist Roger Williams.

Nutrients

"Good plant sources of protein are beans, peas, nuts, bread, and cereals." orthomolecular.org

Protein has been a double-edged sword. For most people, protein is good. However, there are some diseases (such as PKU, kidney disease, liver disease, etc.) where the patient is allergic to protein. In celiac disease the patient is allergic to an amino acid called glutamine. This amino acid is found in gluten and in dairy products.

Although animal products have a lot of protein, there is substantial protein in some plant foods.

Fats

"Saturated fats usually are solid in form and of animal origin. In many typical diets, meat fat is the main source. Saturated fats can raise the level of cholesterol in the blood." orthomolecular.org

Dr. Weil recommends fish oil, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. He does not recommend omega-6 fatty acids, which are common. Fish oil is a rare example of an animal product that is good for the cardiovascular system.

Minerals

"Everyone at every age needs calcium. This mineral helps build bones and teeth, and it is necessary for blood clotting." orthomolecular.org

I don't know who wrote this website, but I suspect either Dr. Hoffer or Dr. Kunin or both. This is one of my favorite nutrition websites.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is retinol. However, beta carotene can be converted into vitamin A by the body. Sources are shown below:

Barley grass, butter, cabbage, carotenoids (plant origins, converted to A by the body), carrot root, egg yolk, fish, gotu kola, liver, retinol (ready made A, animal origin, alcohol form), retinyl palmitate (ester form of retinol, ester is preponderant in fish liver oils), spirulina, whole milk.

Unfortunately butter contains a great deal of bad fat including cholesterol and saturated fats. Saturated fats are usually in solid form as in Crisco. Margarine also contains saturated fats. Beta-carotene is thought to protect against cancer. Vitamin C and vitamin D are also thought to fight cancer according to studies including one by Linus Pauling.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is formed with the help of sunlight. It is found in the following foods:

Butter, cod liver oil, eggs, halibut liver oil, herring, mackerel, meat, milk, salmon, sardines. Cholecalciferol can be produced industrially by the action of ultraviolet light on 7-dehydrocholesterol.

Vegans should get plenty of sun and should take supplements or vitamin D fortified soymilk.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin is importan for good vision (as are vitamin A and carotenoids) as well as other things. I believe it is in monoamine oxidase, an important enzyme. Riboflavin is in the following foods:

Almonds, asparagus, barley grass, brewer's yeast, cheese, chicken, eggs, green leafy vegetables, liver, meat, milk products, organ meats, peppermint leaves, Senna leaves, spirulina, Wheat germ.

Vitamin P (Bioflavonoids)

These substances have great value. My own theory is that they may benefit mental illness because they are polyphenols. Polyphenols inhibit an important enzyme called COMT. COMT may be going crazy in mental illness producing a toxin from dopamine. They are in the following foods:

Apricots, bark, black currants, blue and red berries, buckwheat, cherries, elderberry, fruits, grapes, grapefruit, garlic, green tea, green vegetables, hawthorne berry, horsetail, lemons, nuts, oil, oranges, onions, peppers, prunes, rose hips, soy beans, the peels of citrus fruits, and shepherd's purse.

PKU

This is a terrible inborn error of metabolism that causes an inherited form of mental illness and mental retardation. A special diet is used very low in phenylalanine. This amino acid is found in the following foods:

Almonds, avocado, bananas, beans, brewer's yeast, brown rice bran, caseinate, cheese, corn, cottage cheese, dairy products, eggs, fish, lactalbumin, legumes, lima beans, meat, nuts, ovalbumin, peanuts, pickled herring, pumpkin seeds, seafood, seeds, sesame seeds, soy, whey, whole grains.

Conclusions

The answers are not all known, but some of them are known. PKU may be only the tip of the iceberg. Other forms of mental illness and mental retardation are likely to also be cause by amino acid errors. In my opinion the PKU diet should be tried as a treatment in mental illness. Mental illness may be caused by a different form of amino acid error. People with PKU scream, throw things, have tantrums, are agitated, etc. They are given psychiatric drugs, but the drugs don't work. Only the diet calms them down.