The word “mucus” is from the Latin mucus which means “slime, mold, snot, etc.” Mucus refers to a thick, viscous, slippery discharge that is comprised of dead cells, mucin, inorganic salts, water, and exfoliated cells. It also refers to the slimy, sticky, viscous substance left behind by mucus-forming foods in the body after ingestion. The word “pus” is from late 14c. Latin “pus” (related to puter [putrid] “rotten”), from Proto-Indo-European*pu- compared to Sanskrit. puyati “rots, stinks,” putih “stinking, foul.” Pus often refers to a thick white, yellowish, or greenish opaque liquid produced in infected tissue, consisting of dead white blood cells, bacteria, tissue debris, and serum. It also refers to the substance that dead animal flesh is chemically changed to after being consumed or while rotting in one’s digestive tract. The ingestion of meat and dairy products create pus residue in the body, while starchy and fatty foods are mucus-forming.
The word “mucusless,” or mucus-free, refers to foods that are not mucus-forming. Such foods digest without leaving behind a thick, viscous, slimy substance called mucus. These foods include all kinds of fat-free, and starchless, fruits and vegetables.
All foods that are pus/mucus-forming are acid-forming. The word “acid” is from the early 1600s meaning “of the taste of vinegar,” from French acide (16c.) or directly from Latin acidus “sour, sharp,” adjective of state from acere “to be sour,” from PIE root *ak- “sharp, pointed” (see acrid).In chemistry it refers to a class of substances whose aqueous solutions are characterized by a sour taste, the ability to turn blue litmus red, and the ability to react with bases and certain metals to form salts. From a mucusless perspective, pus and mucus-forming foods are understood to be “acid-forming” inside the human body. Such foods create an acidic internal environment that is detrimental to wellness.
The following is a list of pus, mucus, and acid-forming foods:
FLESH (PUS-FORMING)
- Blood of Animals
- Eggs (All Kinds)
- Lard
- Meat (Beef, Chicken, Horse, Dog, Mutton/Lamb, Turkey, Veal, Pork:
- Bacon, Ham, Sausage, Gammon, Chitterlings, Pig Feet; Wild Game: Bison, Buffalo, Ostrich, Rabbit, Venison, etc.)
- Margarine (Made with Animal Fat)
FISH (PUS-FORMING)
- Crustacean (Crab, Crawfish, Lobster, Shrimp)
- Fish (All Types)
- Mollusks (Clam, Oysters, Mussels, Snail, etc.)
- Roe (Caviar)
- Salmon
- Shell Fish
DAIRY PRODUCTS (PUS-FORMING)
- Butter, Cow
- Buttermilk
- Cheese (All Kinds)
- Cream
- Crème fraîche
- Kefir
- Milk (All Animals and Kinds; Raw Organic, Skim, 1 or 2 %, etc.)
- Yogurt
CEREALS (MODERATELY MUCUS-FORMING)
- Barley
- Breads (All Kinds; Barley, Black, Rye, White, Graham, Pumpernickel,
- Zwieback, etc.)
- Cereal Grains (All Kinds; Maize, Farina, Kamut, Millet,
- Oats, Quinoa, Spelt, White Rice, Brown Rice, Whole or Refined Wheat, etc.)
- Cornmeal
- Pseudocereals (All Kinds; Amaranth, Buckwheat, Chia, Cockscomb, Kañiwa, Quinoa, etc.)
- Pastas
BEANS (MODERATELY MUCUS-FORMING)
- Beans (All Kinds and Forms; Black Beans, Black-eyed peas, Fava Beans, Butter Beans, Cannellini Beans, Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans, Edamame, Great Northern Beans, Italian Beans, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Lima Beans, Mung Beans, Navy Beans, Pinto Beans, Soy Beans, Split Peas, String Beans (Green Beans), White Beans, etc.)
NUTS AND SEEDS (MUCUS-FORMING)
- Nuts (All Kinds; Acorns, Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Cashews, Chestnuts, Hazelnuts, Peanuts, Pecans, Pistachios’, Walnuts, etc.)
- Seeds (All Kinds; Sunflower, Pumpkin, Hemp, Sesame, etc.)
PROCESSED FOODS (PUS AND/OR VERY MUCUS-FORMING)
- Dried Convenience Foods
- Fast Foods
- Frozen Convenience Foods
- Packaged Convenience Foods
- Processed Meat
CONFECTIONERIES/CANDY/SWEETS (PUS AND/OR VERY MUCUS-FORMING)
- Baked Goods (All kinds including pies, cakes, pastries, etc.)
- Candy (All Types; Bars, Caramels, Chocolate, Fudge, Jelly candies, Rock
- Candy, Taffy
- Gelatin (Jello)
- Ice Cream (Dairy and Non-Dairy)
- Marshmallow
ACIDIC, FERMENTED, OR DISTILLED DRINKS/SYRUPS (ACID-FORMING STIMULANTS)
- Alcoholic Beverages (All Kinds; Ale, Beer, Brandy, Champagne, Hard
- Cider, Liqueur, Mead, Porter, Rum, Sake/Rice Wine, Gin, Herbal Wine, Lager, Fruit Wine, Vodka Whisky, Tequila, etc.)
- Syrups (Brown Rice, Barley Malt, Chocolate, Corn, Artificially Flavored)
- Cocoa
- Coffee
- Kombucha Tea
- Soft Drink (Soda Pop)
- Tea (All Kinds from the Theaceae family)
- Vinegar (White, Apple Cider)
- Old-fashioned Root Beer
FERMENTED FOODS AND SAUCES (ACID-FORMING STIMULANTS)
- Fish Sauce
- Fermented Vegetables (All; Kimchi/cabbage and other veggies, Olives
- Pickles/cucumbers. Sauerkraut/cabbage, etc.)
- Miso
- Sauces with Vinegar (Hot Sauce, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Relish,
- Tartar, Barbecue, Salad Dressings, Salsa, etc.)
- Soy Sauce
VEGETARIAN/VEGAN PROCESSED FOODS (MODERATELY MUCUS FORMING)
- Chips (corn, potato, plantain, etc.)
- Frozen Vegan Breakfast Foods (waffels, etc.)
- Hummus (processed chickpeas)
- Lab Grown Animal Tissue
- Margarine
- Nutritional Yeast
- Pasta (egg-free)
- Pasteurized 100% Fruit Juice (potentially acid-forming)
- Plant milks (grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes including soy, rice, etc.)
- Plant-based butter (nuts, seeds, and legumes including soy, peanut, etc.)
- Plant-based creamers
- Soy Lecithin (food additive)
- Tempeh
- Texturized Vegetable Protein (‘mock’ meats including soy, etc.)
- Tofu
- Vegan Baked Goods
- Vegan Confections (All Types; Chocolates, Ice Cream, etc.)
- Vegan Cheese Substitutes
- Vegan Mayonnaise
- Vegan Whipped Cream
- Yogurts (Plant-based)
OILS (FATTY AND MILDLY MUCUS FORMING)
- Oil (All types; Avocado Oil, Chia Seed, Coconut, Corn, Cotton Seed, Cotton Seed, Flax Seed, Grape Seed, Hemp Seed, Nut Oils, Olive, Palm, Peanut, Quinoa, Rapeseed (Including Canola), Safflower, Soybean etc.)
SALTS AND SPICES (STIMULANTS/POTENTIALLY ACID-FORMING)
- Black Peppercorns
- Cayenne Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Cream of Tarter
- Curry Powder
- Nutmeg
- Paprika
- Pepper
- Salt (Celery, Crystal, Iodized, Sea)
- Vanilla Extract
STARCHY OR FATTY VEGETABLES AND FRUITS (SLIGHTLY MUCUS-FORMING)
- Artichoke
- Avocados
- Cassava
- Cauliflower
- Coconut Meat
- Corn
- Durian
- Fungus (Mushrooms)
- Green Peas
- Olives
- Parsnips
- Peas (Raw)
- Plantain
- Plantains
- Pumpkins
- Raw or Baked White Potatoes
- Raw Squashes (Winter, Acorn, Butternut, etc.)
- Raw Sweet Potatoes
- Rutabaga
- Turnip
- Unripe Banana
What are Deceptive Mucus-Formers?
Here is a list of foods that many people do not realize create mucus:
- Rice (great for creating glue to bind books, bad for the transition to a mucus-free diet)
- Avocados (fatty item that may be used on the transition, but are highly addictive. Although technically a fruit, if used it is best to combine them with a mucus-free combination salad or vegetables to aid elimination. However, it is recommended to stay away from them if you are not already stuck to them.)
- Nuts (Mucus-forming, but may be used on the transition. It is best to eat with dried fruits like raisins to aid with elimination.)
- Plantains (Starchy)
- Tofu (Slimy and mucus-forming.)
- Un-ripened fruits like green bananas (the riper the fruit you eat the better).
- Corn (It does not eliminate well. When cooked corn or corn chips are eating it becomes mushy and slimy in the intestines.)
- Corn chips (Some people use them on the transition, but they are very addictive and do not eliminate well)
- Beans (They are starchy and mucus-forming. But, they may be used sparingly on the transition within close proximity to green-leafy salads)
- Starchy Vegetables (Some vegetalbes are starchy and mucus-forming in raw or cooked forms, such as white potatoes. But, many other vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, become almost mucus-free (starchless) after proper cooking.
The Transition Diet
It is very important that people learn how to transition from the most harmful mucus-forming foods to the ones that leave behind the least amount of waste. To learn more about this transitional process, check out Arnold Ehret’s Mucusless Diet Healing System: Annotated, Revised, and Edited by Prof. Spira.