Counseling Sheet

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.
Preventive Medicine

Our modern way of life is conducive to bowel disease. By changing our habits of eating and our styles of life we may avoid or heal bowel disease.

• Gradually change the diet, over a period of one week, so that it contains no low residue food (see list at bottom). Maintain strictness in this regard for several weeks.
• Avoid all animal products for several weeks, including even products made with sodium lactate or sodium caseinate. This measure changes the bacterial flora of the bowel, encourages the development of bowel strength, and reduces constipation or diarrhea.
• Fast one to two days each week, taking 8-10 charcoal tablets at bedtime on the night before the fast each week. Be strictly regular in mealtime and bedtime.
• Eat a balanced diet high in unrefined cereal grains, low in fat and protein.
• Add two to three tablespoons of wheat bran to your food each day.
• Avoid all stomach irritants (hot pepper, spices, vinegar products, baking powder and soda, caffeine drinks, nicotine, cocoa and chocolates, sugar, hot and cold food and drink, concentrated foods). Avoid all medicines, antacids, pharmaceuticals.
• Do not crowd meals close together. Put a minimum of five hours between the end of one meal and the beginning of the next with nothing between.
• Two meals daily, breakfast and lunch, are preferable to three.
• Eat slowly, take small bites, and chew well. Never overeat.
• Use few liquid foods and never drink beverages with a meal. The water must be absorbed before digestion of the solid portions can begin.
• Use no overripe fruits or vegetables, or foods having the faintest taint of spoilage; or foods "aged" during their processing, such as hard cheeses, sauerkraut, pickles, etc.
• Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily, 10-12 on fast days.
• If overweight, reduce your weight to normal.
• Avoid all tight bands around the abdomen. Keep the extremities well-clothed and warm at all times to avoid abdominal congestion.
• Have at least one hour of out-of-doors exercise each day.

Low Residue Foods and What to Use Instead:
‍Replace meats with legumes and whole grains.
Avoid milk, cheese, and eggs. Instead, use greens, legumes, and whole grains.
Omit sugar and sweet beverages. Add plenty of fruits, nuts, and sweet vegetables.
Resist white flour products. Invest in whole grain bread, cereal, and pastas.
Instead of polished rice, choose organic brown rice.