Ebola & Diet                  www.EbolaandDiet.com

For persons with Ebola or at high risk

Food may need to be puréed or prepared extremely soft if the person is unable to eat. No raw food should be eaten. Depending on the person’s strength and vitality, only soft grain, miso soup, condiments, seasonings, and liquids need to be given. A small amount of beans, vegetables, cooked fruit, and seaweed or river moss or river weed may also be give if appetite allows. In extreme cases, food may need to be liquefied and given intravenously; amounts are standard averages and may be modified for the individual case. In addition several medicinal remedies and external applications may be beneficial.

Ume-Sho-Kuzu Drink

Ume-Sho-Kuzu is the main medicinal drink to strengthen the blood and lymph, enhance natural immunity, and prevent or relieve infectious conditions. See description below and recipe in the recipe section.

Whole Grains

Whole Grains: Soft brown rice or genuine brown rice cream, if weak digestion or no appetite served with kombu-sesame condiment 50/50 plus umeboshi plum several times a week. Instead of kombu-sesame condiment, gomashio (sesame seed salt condiment), shiso condiment, or sea vegetable condiment may be substituted or alternated.

In the event the person can eat whole food or in addition to the above soft brown rice dishes, rice balls may be given several times per week with umeboshi and nori.

Millet may be substituted or alternated with rice. Other grains such as barley, sorghum, or teff may also be used if rice and millet are unavailable..                    

Miso Soup

Miso soup daily should be eaten daily with moderate to strong salty taste using 2-year aged barley miso. It should contain wakame or kombu seaweed, and seasonal vegetables; other vegetable or beans soups may be taken occasionally and seasoned with shoyu or sea salt. Other misos, including instant miso, may be used if barley miso is unavailable.

Vegetables

A small amount of vegetables, including leafy green, round, and root vegetables, may be taken daily if appetite and digestion allow. They should be steamed, boiled, stewed, or cooked with other lighter cooking methods. Avoid the use of oil temporarily                  

Beans

A small volume of beans may be taken daily if appetite and digestion allow, especially lentils, chickpeas, azuki beans, and black soybeans. Use only organic or non-GMO soy and soy products; other African beans may be substituted for these.      

Sea vegetables

Small amounts of nori, wakame, and kombu daily; hiziki or arame small twice a week. In Africa, native seaweeds may be substituted. Traditionally river moss and weed were consumed and can be used instead.

Condiments

Gomashio or roasted and ground sesame seed salt in a proportion of 16:1 may be taken. Other condiments may be used on rice, grain, or other dishes and will be very beneficial for strengthening the person and preventing or relieving infection. These include umeboshi plums, tekka, sea vegetable powders, shiso leaf powder, and others. Altogether, only about 1 teaspoon of condiment should be taken at the meal. A touch of lemon may be used to help decongest the liver, especially if animal food has been previously eaten. But avoid too much as it is acidic and will be counterproductive.

Pickles

Eat 1 tablespoon daily of home-made pickles made with shoyu, miso, sea salt, rice bran, or other traditional medium (not sugary, spicy, or chemically), Sauerkraut may be taken instead.       

Beverages

Kukicha and occasionally roasted barley tea or other traditional nonstimulant, nonaromatic tea may be taken daily as principal liquid. Drink when thirsty, but when dehydrated drink continuously or as necessary. Spring, well, or filtered water may be used in cooking or for drinking. Avoid mineral water and distilled water.                  

Seasonings

Use white sea salt in cooking (but not at the table) and avoid sea salts that are grey, pink, yellow, or clumpy, as they generally have excessively high mineral content. Also avoid all commercial table salt. Use shoyu (natural soy sauce) in cooking (but not at table); use miso and umeboshi as a seasoning in moderation; avoid strong herbs and hot spices.

Oil

Avoid temporarily, though a small amount of sesame oil may be brushed on skillet if the person is too malnourished and wasting away; olive or other plant oil may be substituted for sesame (either light or dark). Avoid coconut and palm oil as they are saturated and contribute to heart disease.

Animal Food

Avoid all animal food temporarily as it can concentrate the virus. In extreme cases when the person is malnourished or wasting away, a small volume of white meat fish soup may be given for energy. Serve with a little lemon or grated raw daikon, turnip, or radish to aid in digestion.

Fruit and fruit juice

Avoid or reduce temporarily, but a little stewed fruit, especially that with a sour as opposed to a sweet taste, may be taken in cases of tightness or during the recovery period after the virus has been eliminated.

Nuts and Seeds

Avoid nuts temporarily except chestnuts; no nut butters. A small volume of pumpkin or sesame (1/2 to 1 cup per week) may be taken, ideally blanched or dry roasted, and eaten on grains or vegetables. Avoid tahini and other seed butters temporarily.

Snacks, Sweets, and Desserts

As a rule avoid or reduce during the illness, including natural sweeteners. However, if cravings or too contracted a condition arises, up to 1 tablespoon of brown rice syrup or barley malt may be taken. A small volume of cooked fruits may also be taken, if necessary, ideally thickened with kuzu.

Medicinal Drinks and Dishes

Amount and frequency is standard average and will depend on case. Click on Remedies for recipes.

• Ume-sho-kuzu: 1-2 small cups daily until recovered to help strengthen blood and lymph, resist Infection, and reduce vomiting. Ume-sho-bancha may be taken if kuzu is not available. Ume refers to umeboshi plum; sho to shoyu or natural soy sauce, and kuzu to kuzu (kudzu) root thickener. If kuzu is not available, use kukicha (bancha twig tea). If this is not available, just use water.

• Shio kombu:1/2 to 1 inch square daily for up to 10 days to strengthen the blood and restore flexibility to the heart and blood vessels and prevent hemorrhaging. This is salty kombu.

One or more of the following may also be given depending on symptoms 

·      A• Azuki Bean Tea to strengthen kidney discharge: 1 small cup daily

·      B• Barley or Pearl Barley Tea to soften skin and facilitate discharge: 1 small cup 2-3 times per week.

Swe• Sweet Veggie Drink: 1 small cup daily to reduce sweet cravings. (Made with 4 sweet vegetables: squash, onions, carrbot, and cabbage cooked in water and no seasoning).

·      K• Kombu Tea: 1 small cup daily or every other day to strengthen blood.

• Dr • Dried Daikon and Shiitake Tea: 1-2 times per week or more for acute cases to facilitate discharge of excess animal protein, relieve blockages, and relax.

• • Kan• Kanten or Yu-dofu with Chinese cabbage to cool down the body and prevent overheating from within.

• Lotus Root: Use fresh or dried lotus root in cooking (e.g., miso soup or side dish) to help relieve internal bleedin       

External Applications                    

·      T• Toffu-chlorophyll plaster on head, as much as needed, if necessary to break high fever 

·      A• Roasted salt pack on the kidneys, abdomen, or other region to relieve muscle ache or pain

Michio Kushi Guidelines on Ebola

For additional information  on the macrobiotic dietary approach to Ebola, please visit www.kushiinstitute.org. Educator Michio Kushi comments on many of the foods mentioned above, including his own personal experience visiting Africa during the AIDS epidemic.