Moldy Food

Moldy Food

Everything that's animal or vegetable can get moldy. While
living things are alive, the mold attackers can be held at bay. As
soon as they are dead, molding begins. First it molds; then bacterial
action sets in. This is what makes things biodegradable. It
is a precious phenomenon. It does away with filth—in an exquisite
manner. Without mold and decay the streets of New York
would still be full of horse manure from the days of the horse and
buggy and our lakes too full of dead fish to swim in.
Every grain has its molds; every fruit has its molds; tea and
coffee plants have their molds; as do all herbs, and vegetables.
Nuts have their molds; nuts grown in the ground (peanuts) are
especially moldy because the earth is so full of mold spores. But
the wind carries these spores high up into trees, and even up to
the stratosphere. Molds are not very choosy. They have their
preference for certain plants and conditions. But the same molds
can grow on many plants. This is why aflatoxin, for instance, is
found not just in your cereal, bread and pasta but in nuts, maple
syrup, orange juice, vinegar, wine, etc. Where is it not? It is not
in dairy products or fresh fruit and vegetables, provided you
wash the outside. It is not in meat, eggs, and fish. It is not in
water.
Although I find aflatoxin in commercial bread, I do not find it
in carefully screened wheat that has had its discolored, shriveled
seeds removed before using it for making bread, cereals

and noodles. It is not in baked goods bought at bakeries, left open
to air. Evidently the system of wrapping baked goods in plastic
keeps moisture trapped and starts the molding process. In spite of
adding mold inhibitors, American bread-stuff is far inferior to
Mexican baked goods in which I do not find aflatoxin!
Here is some good news for cooks: if you bake it yourself,
adding a bit of vitamin C to the dough, your breads will be mold
free for an extended period (and rise higher).
Aflatoxin
What is so important about molds? Some of them produce
very, very toxic chemicals wherever they grow. They produce
some of the most toxic chemicals known to exist. Aflatoxin is one
of these. My tests show it is always present in cancer patients; in
other words it has built up due to the body's inability to detoxify
it in a reasonable time. A great deal of research has been done on
aflatoxin. Any library would have more information.
Aflatoxin reaches the liver and simply kills portions of it.
After a hefty dose the liver is weakened for a long time—
possibly years. Hepatitis and cirrhosis cases always reveal aflatoxin.
The liver fights hard to detoxify aflatoxin and manage its
own survival. It manages for 2 to 3 weeks; then a portion of it
succumbs. So the toxic effects of a dose of aflatoxin aren't even
noticeable for several weeks! And without a taste or smell to
guide you, how would you know to stop eating the moldy peanut
butter or spaghetti? The answer is:
1. make and bake things for yourself
2. test the things you dearly love but can't make
3. treat things that are treatable for molds
4. throw the rest out of your diet

Treatments mentioned in the industrial research journals are
hydrogen peroxide, strong alkali such as lime-water, metabisulfite
(a common reducing agent) and high heat. I have tried heat
and vitamin C, which is also a reducing agent.
Just heating a food to the boiling point does not kill the
molds. Boiling for many minutes at a higher temperature or
baking does kill them (but not ergot, another mold) and also destroys
aflatoxin they produced and left in the food. For foods you
can't heat that high, for example nuts that are already roasted, or
vinegar, vitamin C comes to the rescue. I suppose it acts a lot
like the bisulfite; chemically destroying the mold toxin
molecules.