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Salt and pepper. Who could find fault with these most basic of traditional seasonings that have improved the flavor and palatability of food for millennia?
From black tailed waiters serving up beautiful jars of colorful sea salt crystals and freshly ground peppercorns at high end restaurants to the local diner with plastic black and white shakers on tables, these two seasonings have always gone together as the most primary way to flavor food.Â
Bone Broth Needs Salt and Pepper!
Homemade broths and soups in particular benefit from the addition of salt and pepper to taste.
The problem is that while unrefined sea salt is a very healthy seasoning to use as desired, pepper can be downright problematic and a potential two-edged sword for those with digestive complaints.
This may come as a surprise as pepper is allowed on the GAPS, a temporary diet for healing and sealing the gut wall in order to put symptoms of autoimmune disease into remission.
Pepper can indeed be helpful on the GAPS Diet. Black pepper in particular is especially favored by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD author of the GAPS book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome.
The reason is because it stimulates stomach acid production, hence facilitating proper and complete assimilation of food. Sufficient stomach acid production is enough to prevent symptoms of reflux, for example.
However, Dr. Campbell-McBride recommends that the use of pepper be adjusted for individual cases particularly if the pepper proves to be irritating.
When to Skip the Pepper
GAPS Certified Practitioner Kim Schuette of Biodynamicwellness in San Diego reports that all peppercorns, not just black, are best avoided in the early stages of the GAPS Diet as they are an irritant of the gastrointestinal tract and the mucosal lining of the stomach in particular.
Individuals who may not be on the GAPS Diet but who suffer from gastritis and ulcers, as well as those who do not tolerate nightshades (eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers) should also avoid peppercorns.
Avoidance of pepper is not a permanent thing. Ideally as the gut lining heals on the GAPS or similar healing diet (SCD, Autoimmune Paleo etc), these issues should resolve and pepper should be tolerated.
Fortunately, during this period of time when both ground pepper and peppercorns are avoided as the gut heals, sea salt should still be used to taste to flavor soups, broths and other foods. Sea salt, like pepper, is very beneficial to production of proper stomach acids and digestive enzymes. Given that the best sea salt is unrefined and never heated, it is best to add this traditional seasoning to broths and soups at the table to avoid the extended heating of the long simmering process.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Being a blogger can be and is an awful lot of fun but only if you make the right choices and commit yourself before you actually start blogging. Making use of hyperlink directories is actually other alternative for producing backlinks.
My husband claims he’s been reading that sea salt is no better than table salt because most sea salt is contaminated by pollution in the ocean.
What about cayenne pepper? Everyone in our family with gut issues seems to crave hot, spicy, cayenne and other hot peppers. Good or bad?
If you tolerate it, then use it. Cayenne is a very beneficial herb.
I’m wondering this too, Meg. I’m inspired to do more research on this now because we all have gut issues as well and I have been putting cayenne powder on everything. I cannot do black pepper either as it gives me horrible stomach/GI pains.
Thanks for another interesting article Sarah. I’ll add salt at the table instead of during cooking from now on!
In the third paragraph from the end you kinda sorta link peppercorns with nightshades. Peppercorns are not in the nightshade family and as far as I know do not contain solanine, the problematic ingredient in nightshades; (notwithststanding that they contain other compounds irritating to the digestive tract lining, which is how they stimulate the flow of digestive juices.) Also, I’m not endorsing this website, it just turned up in a google search.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62
“It may be helpful to note here that black pepper, which belongs to the Piperaceae family, is not a member of the nightshade foods.”
A food sensitivity test showed I am sensitive to it, and from what I’ve read most people are allergic to it and it can be quite severe. I don’t feel like I react to pink peppercorns-haven’t tried white. I always wondered if it was the potential for mold on the peppecorn flesh due to the longer drying time for black pepper that makes people more sensitive. I’ve been without it for a couple of years now but am starting to miss it. honey with a bunch of pepper in it is an actient tibetan (I think) remedy to ward off a cold at the onset. I was really enjoying that for a while! Thanks for the post, it’s helping me to get brave and try some out again. 🙂
After stopping the purple pill after 3 years without any improvement I found black pepper was a total NO item for me. I tolerate some white peppercorn but get almost instant reflux with black. thankfully I’d rather eat at home. I have other trigger foods but none react as quick or badly as black pepper.
Regarding reflux, Robin, have you ever tried probiotics or raw cabbage juice? My SIL was able to quit her prescription medicine for acid reflux after taking a regimen of probiotics each morning and enzymes before each meal. I also mention cabbage juice because while researching stomach ulcers on earthclinic.com, I learned that it can be a big help for those with GERD. My son’s ulcer was healed in three days of eating lots of raw green cabbage (he couldn’t stand the strong smell of the juice). An overload of cabbage juice can have a bad effect on the thyroid, apparently, so if I were using it for GERD, I would start with a reasonable amount, maybe about a half cup before each meal. Others on here could probably give some input on that.
Sometimes when I think I need more salt I add in some vinegar or an acid. Vinegar should be okay for the stomach, but I sure would miss my pepper.
Some countries actually use salt and paprika instead of salt and pepper.
What kind of recipes are you looking for?