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"white food", and an intriguing old fashioned (white food) cure

#1 · June 6, 2019, 7:19 am

Quote from lil chick on June 6, 2019, 7:19 am
Today I wanted to look up the recipe for "blanc mange" because literally doesn't that mean "white food"? Did someone along the long history of humanity...decide white food was good? However, many of the blanc mange recipes did call for rich cream and full fat milk.

I've seen where some people mulch their asparagus so that the majority of it comes out white. The white bits of some alliums are the "good parts" like leeks for instance.

Then, my thoughts turned to "the milk cure". The milk cure was popular for many things, but maybe most hear of it as a TB therapy (prior to antibiotics). I've heard it said that the SKIM milk version of this diet was thought to be the most powerful. Here are some excerpts from an article: https://ndnr.com/womens-health/the-milk-cure/

"His prescription to the sick was to take half a cup or a whole cup (60-180 g) of *SKIM* (emphasis mine) milk 3 to 4 times daily, at fixed and strictly observed intervals. (Karell, 1911, p.296"..."abstain from all foods other than milk." " the milk cure would have been raw and from healthy cows. No GMO, no Roundup, no pesticides, and no body burden consisting of today’s taxonomy of over 100,000 chemicals existed a century ago"

"...The patients Karell presented were long-time sufferers for whom all the available medical interventions that were tried had failed. When these patients came to Karell, they had used up all of their options and milk was their last hope. The milk cure was conducted for several weeks and often continued after a cure.

Karell’s extensive experience using the milk cure revealed that combining the milk cure with other foods resulted in less than desirable results than the exclusive milk fare. If patients became thirsty on the milk cure, water was permitted. If patients became tired of the liquid diet and craved solid food, in the second or third week dried rolls could be taken at the 4 PM mealtime. (Karell, 1911, p.297)

Constipation was often experienced by patients beginning the milk cure, which was a good sign. If the constipation became obstinate, Karell suggested boiled prunes or a roasted apple. An enema could also be administered. If the bowels rumbled and diarrhea occurred, the milk was either too fat or too much had been consumed. (Karell, 1911, p.297) If a patient vomited bile and mucous, it was thought that the products of mal-assimilation, which the milk simply stirred up, were being evacuated. (Hill, 1911, p.5)"

"...Karell recounts a case of a woman who suffered for 4 months from vomiting and diarrhea caused by chronic bowel inflammation. He found her extremely emaciated with an adipose liver, and she had a past history of long-term menorrhagia and hemorrhage of the gut. He directed the woman to take 4 tbsp of skim milk 3 times per day, with no other food to be taken. “The vomiting stopped at once, the diarrhea at the third day, the stool became more formed and of such an appropriate quantity as had not been the case for years, and at the end of the second week the woman drank two bottles [of milk] daily.” (Karell, 1911, p.297) "

"...

A 67-year-old man presented with angina pectoris, and for many years had also suffered from vertigo. He presented with shortness of breath, catarrh of the lungs, and edema in the legs and feet. On examination, the man had accelerated superficial breathing, abnormal heart sounds, an enlarged abdomen, a pulse over 90, and his tongue was intensely red with two yellow stripes in the middle. The patient was unable to lie in a horizontal position at night, thus needed to sit upright in bed. He experienced shooting pains in the left side of the chest and in the region of the heart, and urination was sparse and dark in color. (Karell, 1911, p.362)

The patient had tried all known remedies without success. The man’s physician exhausted his options and had consented to the milk cure, which Karell administered. After 5 weeks, the urine discharge increased, relieving the edema of the legs; heart sounds returned to normal. “From the sixth week the patient received three times a day milk and once another fitting meal. About eight weeks later, the man was in his pulpit and … enjoys perfect health.” (Karell, 1911, p.363)

Other Disorders

The literature reports that Dr Karell’s successes with the milk cure were exceptional in cases of anemia, edema, rheumatism, obstinate weakness in the digestion, and, in particular, gout. (Karell, 1911, p.433) The milk cure was especially effective and indicated in any cases that were overshadowed by a defective digestion. Charles Porter, MD, used the milk diet to reduce high blood pressure, normalize body temperatures in anemic patients, and normalize body weight in both the underweight and overweight. Before commencing the milk cure, Porter would prepare patients with a preparatory fast. “After the preliminary fast, most patients should be put to bed, and take the milk diet while resting as completely as possible, mentally as well as physically.” (Porter, 1917, p.309)

Porter, like Hill and Karell, had much to say about the milk cure. These clinicians all claimed impressive clinical successes. Porter had over 32 years of experience with the milk diet and listed over 40 diseases, including obesity, colitis, neuralgia, Bright’s disease, early stages of consumption, goiter, paralysis, leukemia, and Addison’s, etc. (Porter, 1917, p.310)"

END of the excerpts here ...me talking now

I'm intrigued and wonder if the SKIM milk cure was actually a low A diet that allowed people to detox.

Today I wanted to look up the recipe for "blanc mange" because literally doesn't that mean "white food"? Did someone along the long history of humanity...decide white food was good? However, many of the blanc mange recipes did call for rich cream and full fat milk.

I've seen where some people mulch their asparagus so that the majority of it comes out white. The white bits of some alliums are the "good parts" like leeks for instance.

Then, my thoughts turned to "the milk cure". The milk cure was popular for many things, but maybe most hear of it as a TB therapy (prior to antibiotics). I've heard it said that the SKIM milk version of this diet was thought to be the most powerful. Here are some excerpts from an article: https://ndnr.com/womens-health/the-milk-cure/

"His prescription to the sick was to take half a cup or a whole cup (60-180 g) of *SKIM* (emphasis mine) milk 3 to 4 times daily, at fixed and strictly observed intervals. (Karell, 1911, p.296"..."abstain from all foods other than milk." " the milk cure would have been raw and from healthy cows. No GMO, no Roundup, no pesticides, and no body burden consisting of today’s taxonomy of over 100,000 chemicals existed a century ago"

"...The patients Karell presented were long-time sufferers for whom all the available medical interventions that were tried had failed. When these patients came to Karell, they had used up all of their options and milk was their last hope. The milk cure was conducted for several weeks and often continued after a cure.

Karell’s extensive experience using the milk cure revealed that combining the milk cure with other foods resulted in less than desirable results than the exclusive milk fare. If patients became thirsty on the milk cure, water was permitted. If patients became tired of the liquid diet and craved solid food, in the second or third week dried rolls could be taken at the 4 PM mealtime. (Karell, 1911, p.297)

Constipation was often experienced by patients beginning the milk cure, which was a good sign. If the constipation became obstinate, Karell suggested boiled prunes or a roasted apple. An enema could also be administered. If the bowels rumbled and diarrhea occurred, the milk was either too fat or too much had been consumed. (Karell, 1911, p.297) If a patient vomited bile and mucous, it was thought that the products of mal-assimilation, which the milk simply stirred up, were being evacuated. (Hill, 1911, p.5)"

"...Karell recounts a case of a woman who suffered for 4 months from vomiting and diarrhea caused by chronic bowel inflammation. He found her extremely emaciated with an adipose liver, and she had a past history of long-term menorrhagia and hemorrhage of the gut. He directed the woman to take 4 tbsp of skim milk 3 times per day, with no other food to be taken. “The vomiting stopped at once, the diarrhea at the third day, the stool became more formed and of such an appropriate quantity as had not been the case for years, and at the end of the second week the woman drank two bottles [of milk] daily.” (Karell, 1911, p.297) "

"...

A 67-year-old man presented with angina pectoris, and for many years had also suffered from vertigo. He presented with shortness of breath, catarrh of the lungs, and edema in the legs and feet. On examination, the man had accelerated superficial breathing, abnormal heart sounds, an enlarged abdomen, a pulse over 90, and his tongue was intensely red with two yellow stripes in the middle. The patient was unable to lie in a horizontal position at night, thus needed to sit upright in bed. He experienced shooting pains in the left side of the chest and in the region of the heart, and urination was sparse and dark in color. (Karell, 1911, p.362)

The patient had tried all known remedies without success. The man’s physician exhausted his options and had consented to the milk cure, which Karell administered. After 5 weeks, the urine discharge increased, relieving the edema of the legs; heart sounds returned to normal. “From the sixth week the patient received three times a day milk and once another fitting meal. About eight weeks later, the man was in his pulpit and … enjoys perfect health.” (Karell, 1911, p.363)

Other Disorders

The literature reports that Dr Karell’s successes with the milk cure were exceptional in cases of anemia, edema, rheumatism, obstinate weakness in the digestion, and, in particular, gout. (Karell, 1911, p.433) The milk cure was especially effective and indicated in any cases that were overshadowed by a defective digestion. Charles Porter, MD, used the milk diet to reduce high blood pressure, normalize body temperatures in anemic patients, and normalize body weight in both the underweight and overweight. Before commencing the milk cure, Porter would prepare patients with a preparatory fast. “After the preliminary fast, most patients should be put to bed, and take the milk diet while resting as completely as possible, mentally as well as physically.” (Porter, 1917, p.309)

Porter, like Hill and Karell, had much to say about the milk cure. These clinicians all claimed impressive clinical successes. Porter had over 32 years of experience with the milk diet and listed over 40 diseases, including obesity, colitis, neuralgia, Bright’s disease, early stages of consumption, goiter, paralysis, leukemia, and Addison’s, etc. (Porter, 1917, p.310)"

END of the excerpts here ...me talking now

I'm intrigued and wonder if the SKIM milk cure was actually a low A diet that allowed people to detox.

Liz, SpokilyDoesIt and 3 other users have reacted to this post.

#2 · June 7, 2019, 4:26 am

It slightly reminds me of this from RayPeat.com

In 1936, a man in Burr's lab, William Brown, agreed to eat a similar diet for six months, to see whether the "essential fatty acid deficiency" affected humans as it did rats.

The diet was very similar to the rats', with a large part of the daily 2500 calories being provided at hourly intervals during the day by sugar syrup (flavored with citric acid and anise oil), protein from 4 quarts of special fat-free skimmed milk, a quart of which was made into cottage cheese, the juice of half an orange, and a "biscuit" made with potato starch, baking powder, mineral oil, and salt, with iron, viosterol (vitamin D), and carotene supplemented.

Brown had suffered from weekly migraine headaches since childhood, and his blood pressure was a little high when he began the diet. After six weeks on the diet, his migraines stopped, and never returned. His plasma inorganic phosphorus declined slightly during the experiment (3.43 mg./100 cc. of plasma and 2.64 on the diet, and after six months on a normal diet 4.2 mg.%), and his total serum proteins increased from 6.98 gm.% to 8.06 gm.% on the experimental diet. His leucocyte count was lower on the high sugar diet, but he didn't experience colds or other sickness. On a normal diet, his systolic blood pressure varied from 140 to 150 mm. of mercury, the diastolic, 95 to 100. After a few months on the sugar and milk diet, his blood pressure had lowered to about 130 over 85 to 88. Several months after he returned to a normal diet, his blood pressure rose to the previous level."

Brown was supplementing carotene there, however without fats it probably didn't get absorbed significantly.

lil chick, Rich and Joe2 have reacted to this post.

#3 · March 28, 2023, 1:03 pm

Quote from Raul on March 28, 2023, 1:03 pm
I can vouch for the healing power of raw full fat goat's milk. I work summers at a farm in Wisconsin and take care of milking 5 does, so I have access to as much of the milk as I want, and often drink it while milking, meaning without temperature changes that purportedly degrade certain important enzymes. I do also drink it cooled or warmed, so I don't obsess over the temperature, so long as the change is not aggressive (i.e. pasteurizing, freezing). My diet there consists of a big breakfast that includes eggs (@andrew-b) and homemade bread made with recently stoneground partially (75%) bolted flour. Lunch consists of a little kefir and/or milk, and dinner of (our own) pastured beef, with bread and milk. I drink upwards of a quart to almost a half gallon of milk every day. Never do I feel as physically and mentally healthy and happy as on this diet. Work is physically demanding there, and my free time is devoted to creative endeavors, all of which is accomplished with reasonable effort, without feeling overwhelmed. I have tried eating like this elsewhere, without the addition of raw goat's milk, without success, so I am quite sure the milk plays a huge role for me. I would venture to say it is one of two critical elements in the equation, the other being consciously to abstain from vegetables that we grow at the farm, which I only started doing last summer. Being now aware of this 'vitamin A as a toxin' notion, once at the farm this year I am going to try incorporating to the aforementioned “(mostly) milk diet” foods such as mushrooms, bamboo shoots, coconut milk, hearts of palm, white asparagus, onion, garlic, certain white colored roots, etc., all of which I have been consuming recently while avoiding vitamin A and its precursors, with great success I must say. I will report back on my results on this same thread.

PS: On the topic of 'white food', in traditional Chinese medicine white food is thought of as benefiting the lungs and the large intestine, respectively the yin and yang aspects of one composite system. Interestingly, the skin is included in this system, and also important aspects of immunity. Spiciness -what we refer to as 'hot'- is the “flavor” that benefits this system of organs. Spiciness can be either cold, as in daikon root for instance, or hot, as in chili pepper. Overly hot-spicy food (e.g. chili pepper, in addition red and not white, which is meaningful to us, and to them, though in a different way) is thought to damage the system, so while nowadays in China (extremely spicy) Sichuan cuisine has become quite popular ALL over China, it is not thought of as healthy. Daikon is, with its mild cool-spiciness, indeed thought of as healthy, and consumed daily in many places in China, such as Guangdong (think Hong Kong), where incidentally hot-spicy is not a big part of the traditional cuisine, as it can be elsewhere.

Good luck to all, may you always be closer to your goal.

I can vouch for the healing power of raw full fat goat's milk. I work summers at a farm in Wisconsin and take care of milking 5 does, so I have access to as much of the milk as I want, and often drink it while milking, meaning without temperature changes that purportedly degrade certain important enzymes. I do also drink it cooled or warmed, so I don't obsess over the temperature, so long as the change is not aggressive (i.e. pasteurizing, freezing). My diet there consists of a big breakfast that includes eggs (@andrew-b) and homemade bread made with recently stoneground partially (75%) bolted flour. Lunch consists of a little kefir and/or milk, and dinner of (our own) pastured beef, with bread and milk. I drink upwards of a quart to almost a half gallon of milk every day. Never do I feel as physically and mentally healthy and happy as on this diet. Work is physically demanding there, and my free time is devoted to creative endeavors, all of which is accomplished with reasonable effort, without feeling overwhelmed. I have tried eating like this elsewhere, without the addition of raw goat's milk, without success, so I am quite sure the milk plays a huge role for me. I would venture to say it is one of two critical elements in the equation, the other being consciously to abstain from vegetables that we grow at the farm, which I only started doing last summer. Being now aware of this 'vitamin A as a toxin' notion, once at the farm this year I am going to try incorporating to the aforementioned “(mostly) milk diet” foods such as mushrooms, bamboo shoots, coconut milk, hearts of palm, white asparagus, onion, garlic, certain white colored roots, etc., all of which I have been consuming recently while avoiding vitamin A and its precursors, with great success I must say. I will report back on my results on this same thread.

PS: On the topic of 'white food', in traditional Chinese medicine white food is thought of as benefiting the lungs and the large intestine, respectively the yin and yang aspects of one composite system. Interestingly, the skin is included in this system, and also important aspects of immunity. Spiciness -what we refer to as 'hot'- is the “flavor” that benefits this system of organs. Spiciness can be either cold, as in daikon root for instance, or hot, as in chili pepper. Overly hot-spicy food (e.g. chili pepper, in addition red and not white, which is meaningful to us, and to them, though in a different way) is thought to damage the system, so while nowadays in China (extremely spicy) Sichuan cuisine has become quite popular ALL over China, it is not thought of as healthy. Daikon is, with its mild cool-spiciness, indeed thought of as healthy, and consumed daily in many places in China, such as Guangdong (think Hong Kong), where incidentally hot-spicy is not a big part of the traditional cuisine, as it can be elsewhere.

Good luck to all, may you always be closer to your goal.

Liz, puddleduck and 6 other users have reacted to this post.

#4 · March 29, 2023, 9:55 pm

Milk has helped me tremendeously as well @raul and I would have loved to have access to raw milk. The flavor is just unbeatable. Raw milk some years ago actually helped my teeth a lot. I did eat a very high oxalate diet back then but didn't know it at the time.

One thing I think of, is when did supplementation with A to animals become standardized (western countries only?)? I reached out to the one producer of pastured milk here and despite getting an all grass+hay diet, they still receive a vitamin+mineral supplement including A. So clearly there is a difference bewteen milk and milk, even when A is not added to the milk itself. They had analyzed the vitamin content in their milk compared to organic, I think biodynamic, conventional + grass in summer and conventional + no grass. In summertime pastured milk was highest in A and in wintertime it was lower but not lowest. I would have liked to see what the A content would have been without A supplementation. (All cows are supplemented with A).

I know A content in animal livers has increased crazy much here at least since the 50's and before (found a report on it). Probably because supplementation became a thing. Liver from farm raised animals probably wasn't as bad in the old days, as it is today.

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#5 · March 30, 2023, 4:08 am

I had to google, and apparently vita/mineral supplemntation recommendations in Denmark changed last year based on recommendations from USA. And guess what, they have increased vitA. Great 🤦‍♀️

I do agree with supplementation being a big issue. Both directly in the end product but also as supplement to the animals. I hope dairy will treat you well @jessica2 😊

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#6 · March 30, 2023, 9:09 am

Quote from lil chick on June 6, 2019, 7:19 am

Today I wanted to look up the recipe for "blanc mange" because literally doesn't that mean "white food"? Did someone along the long history of humanity...decide white food was good? However, many of the blanc mange recipes did call for rich cream and full fat milk.

@lil-chick check out the version from Cataluña, Spain, manjar blanco, which uses homemade almond milk and no dairy.

big thick white mulched asparagus from Navarra are considered a delicacy in Spain.

@liz i will investigate all this at the farm in WI. like their pastures, their feed is organic, and i do remember seeing carotenoids listed in the ingredients. during the winter, besides this multigrain feed, the goats eat dry hay collected during the rest of the year, as in most places i believe. likely the carotenoid content is greatly diminished in this aging process. i am not sure, given a fair choice, if the goats prefer fresh or dry. they go nuts for brewer's mulch, although they prefer the multigrain, which they have only when they're being milked. everyone at the farm will agree that winter milk is better tasting than summer milk. however, it does have also, and this might be the main reason, a much higher fat content. i will definitely see about measuring the vA content at the university in Madison.

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#7 · March 30, 2023, 9:12 am

I get whole milk without A (though it has D) for my daughters.

@jessica2

some people drink half and half, which as far as i've seen is never supplemented.

puddleduck, Deleted user and Joe2 have reacted to this post.

#8 · July 3, 2025, 7:46 am

Does anyone know if white carrots have beta carotene? AI says not but this article says they do

What Are White Carrots: Are They Just Parsnips?

Joe2 has reacted to this post.

#9 · July 17, 2025, 1:27 am

This deleted user mentions white carrots being acceptable on the diet

https://ggenereux.blog/discussion/topic/life-destroyed/?part=4

Joe2 has reacted to this post.

#10 · July 26, 2025, 3:16 am

Has anyone else tried white corn/white maize? What was the effect?
I see lil chick said that the white corn wasn’t white enough. Also problematic if there is a lot of lutein

https://ggenereux.blog/discussion/topic/corn-didnt-turn-out-white-enough/

Joe2 has reacted to this post.

"white food", and an intriguing old fashioned (white food) cure

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