In this week's series we are covering The Mold Help Diet.  In today's segment we are discussing the foods you should avoid.  Later, we will cover the foods that are acceptable.

It is important to remember that according to the late Dr. Vincent Marinkovich essential health is imperative to the diet you consume.  Mold patients need to cleanse their bodies in order to heal properly.  When mold colonizes within the body, it lives off yeast, fermented products, sugar and many processed items.  When these items are eliminated from the diet the healing process can begin.  According to Dr. Marinkovich, 50% to 70% of the healing is within the diet.  Without following the diet the body will never heal even with medication.  It will generally take at least 3 months to heal by following the diet.  We recommend you check with an educated physician to determine approximately how long you should follow the MH Diet.

In preparing food, all produce (fruits, nuts and vegetables) should be washed in a solution of 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract in a sink of water prior to chopping, mincing or grating.  This solution eliminates mold, mycotoxins, and especially botrytis; a fungus that can colonize within the body, from the produce before food is prepared.   Ensure all prepared food is consumed within 24 hours.

Furthermore, all root produce such as potatoes and carrots, should be prepared in boiling water with a teaspoon of Ester C powder (available at most health food stores) added to the water prior to boiling.  This solution can destroy many mycotoxins that thrive on such produce.

THE MOLD HELP DIET

This is an adapted diet from Dr. Vincent Marinkovich

Symptoms of mold hypersensitivity can be worsened by eating foods, such as cheeses, that are processed with fungi. Other foods like mushrooms, which have gills that attract viruses, fungi, and other invaders, dried fruits, and foods containing yeast, soy sauce; which obtains its unique flavor from Aspergillus, or vinegar can also produce symptoms. Avoid these foods if you suspect any mold allergies, or have suffered from prolonged exposure to toxigenic molds, and have you checked for leaky gut syndrome by a knowledgeable physician.

Our recipe guide was made so this diet is more palatable as this diet is essential to cleansing the body of fungi according to several studies.  It makes sense that adding more medication to an overloaded immune system doesn’t always make sense.  For ordering info, please visit the Mold Help website here.

Foods to Avoid! 

• NO dried fruit; raisons, apricots, prunes, figs, etc.
• NO aged cheese of any kind – Some cheeses are acceptable if milk is tolerable, e.g., cottage cheese, mozzarella, provolone, ricotta and farmer’s cheese.
• NO mushrooms or fungi whatsoever, such as truffles, even avoid alfalfa sprouts.
• NO Leftovers- Eat within 24 hours, unless frozen (microwave frozen food to thaw quickly)
• NO Breads. Malted means moldy. Dough conditioners are moldy. Sourdough or sourdough starter is the worst. (Sometimes labeled yeast-free) Bread develops surface mold within a day. Some tortillas, biscuits, muffins, cakes and cookies are usually yeast free, yet high in sugar content. You can buy sprouted bread with no yeast (Not sourdough) at the health food store.
• NO Sauerkraut. It has been fermented.
• NO Tomato Products; Juice, sauce, paste, ketchup, etc., as they are made from moldy tomatoes.
• NO Beer – The darker the beer, the more mold it contains.
• NO Wine & Wine Vinegar – White wine is least moldy; clear vinegar may be tolerated.
• NO liquor – Vodka, tequila, clear rums are least moldy.
• Be careful of multi-B Vitamins – Many contain either yeast or mold (Rice hulls are moldy). Some are alright. Check with manufacturer. See note below on Aspergillus fermentation process.
• NO cider or fruit juice (juice contains mold as it is made with old fruit and mold emulsifiers).  Homemade freshly squeezed fruit is acceptable.
• NO Pickled and smoked meats and fish, including processed delicatessen foods, sausages, salami, bologna, frankfurters, corned beef and pickled tongue.
• NO eggs, regular butter, margarine, dairy, gluten and nuts if diagnosed with Leaky Gut Syndrome or have multiple food allergies.  More information on this at www.mold-help.org.
• NO melons, except watermelon if very fresh and eaten same day. 
• NO dried spices or herbs as they contain mold
• Avoid crackers, they are notorious for mold
• Dried fruits are very moldy. Soak in Ester C water. Rinse and bake to dry again. Then store in refrigerator or freezer.
• Peanut (store-bought) butter can’t be mixed with Ester C due to the mixing problem even if you mix thoroughly.
• Tea is quite moldy if purchased in tea bags. Use single herb teas from fresh sources in bulk. Use a non-metal strainer.
• Sanitize strainer and dishwashing rag or sponge occasionally with UrthPRO, or bake it or put it in a dishwasher.
• Pick out all dark and shriveled bits in hot cereals. Add honey and salt while boiling. This raises the temperature even more.
  At the end, add vitamin C powder.
• Do not use grains that are more than six months old. Store cereals in cupboard or freezer; not the refrigerator. There they attract moisture which develops molds.
• Buy red or gold potatoes instead of white ones and wash them well. Cut out dubious spots. They don’t have the green scopolamine areas which are toxic. Don’t fry them!
• NO corn. 
• Refrain from eating nachos, popcorn and other dry corn products or anything containing corn meal.

PRODUCTS OF ASPERGILLUS FERMENTATION: 

• SOY SAUCE- FLAVORED WITH ASPERGILLUS
• CHOCOLATE – ANYTHING MADE WITH CHOCOLATE LIQUEUR IS DEEMED UNSAFE DUE TO THE FUNGAL CONTENT.  WHITE CHOCOLATE SWEETENED WITH STEVIA OR FRUCTOSE IS ACCEPTABLE BUT CHOCOLATE IS BROWN DUE TO MOLD CONTENT.
• TEA & COFFEE
• MALT EXTRACT or MALTODEXTRIN (MOST CEREALS)
• LACTAID (MILK ADDITIVE)
• SOME VITAMINS – Selected brands ARE SAFE; SUCH AS SOLGAR® and JARROW®.
• CITRIC ACID (A VERY COMMON FOOD ADDITIVE MADE WITH THE ASPERGILLUS FERMENTATION PROCESS; NOT DERIVED FROM CITRUS FRUIT)
• SOFT DRINKS (Citric acid is made with the aspergillus fermentation process)
• FRUIT JUICE (COMMERCIAL-OFTEN MADE FROM MOLDY FRUIT; MANY CONTAIN MOLD ENZYMES ADDED IN PROCESSING)
• DIGESTIVE ENZYMES (PANCREATIC ARE ALRIGHT), OTHERS ARE NOT
• CHOLESTEROL LOWERING ENZYMES
• ACIDOPHILUS (Probiotics) WITHOUT F.O.S. (Acidophilus has very healing effects and promotes natural anti-fungals in the body; however, artificially produced F.O.S. is made with the aspergillus fermentation process.  If you would like natural F.O.S., you can consume crushed watermelon seeds and reap the same nutritional benefits without any aspergillus fermentation.

NOTE:  ALL FOODS WILL BECOME MOLDY IN TIME.  SHOP FREQUENTLY, BUY IN SMALL QUANTITIES, AND WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK THE VENDOR ABOUT THE FRESHNESS OF THEIR FOODS.  READ LABELS.  MOLDS THRIVE ON SUGAR-CONTROL YOUR INTAKE.  A MOLDY ENVIRONMENT (HOME, OFFICE, SCHOOL, CHURCH, CAR) CAN BE AN ADDITIONAL PROBLEM.  DO NOT STORE FOODS IN A FROST- FREE FREEZER FOR MORE THAN A WEEK OR TWO  BECAUSE THE AUTOMATIC THAW CYCLES SEVERAL TIMES A DAY.  ORGANIC FOODS--ALTHOUGH MUCH BETTER FOR THE BODY EFFECTED BY TOXIC MOLD DUE TO THE LACK OF CHEMICALS--TEND TO MOLD MORE QUICKLY AS THEY LACK ARTIFICIAL PRESERVATIVES.  TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM SODA WHICH IS LOADED WITH SUGAR.  EVEN WORSE, DIET SODA CONTAINS ASPERTAME WHICH IS METABOLISED INTO METHANOL, AND THEN QUICKLY INTO FORMALDEHYDE BY THE BODY.