The Doctor Cooks

The Right Diet and Lifestyle for You!

We’ve all seen it.  A friend tries a new diet.  She loses all sorts of weight, finds renewed energy and zest for life.  At her urging you try it and nothing, or worse yet, you gain weight and feel more tired than ever.  What gives?

I recently found a very good answer to this question after many years of searching.  It’s called your disease type.  Traditional healing systems see disease as an expression of imbalance.  Thus, by eating and caring for yourself in a way that keeps you in balance, you stay healthy. 

There are eight disease types, or ways in which your body can go out of balance.  Everyone has one of them.  Simply put, there are eight ways of eating and taking care of you.  Only one of them is right for you.   This explains why the diet that works for your friend doesn’t work for you.  She just happened to find a diet that keeps her disease type in balance.

HOMO OBESUS?

A new species of man may be evolving, according to medical researcher George Chaldakov, MD, PhD.  This species is missing the factors necessary to balance its metabolism and to regulate inflammatory processes and wound healing.  The result:  a species that is overweight, lives with degenerative diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis or arthritis, and dies of stroke, heart attack or cancer.

The evolutionary trigger for this new species is the calorie-dense, nutrient-deficient diet of Western civilization, the diet that most Americans and Western Europeans eat, says Chaldakov.  The paradox, he notes, is that while this is going on, millions of people suffer and die from starvation in less developed and poor countries.  Thus he is actively involved in popularizing the need for healthy lifestyle.

Lose Weight This Year

Resolving to lose weight is always one of the top ten New Year’s resolutions.  With 2/3 of Americans considered overweight, it’s probably one of the top ten resolutions abandoned by the end of January.  You can succeed this year by adopting a new way of life that includes healthy eating.  Here are a few books to guide you.

If It’s Not Food…Don’t Eat it is my favorite book to recommend to people who can’t seem to break the junk food, fast food life way of life.  Author Kelly Hayford was once a tobacco addicted junk food junkie.  She is now a nutrition and health coach.  I agree with Hayfords conclusion:  the key to health, energy and a natural body weight is to eat real food.  The rub is that most of what we have come to know as food is far from real.  Instead of nourishing us, it depletes our bodies of essential nutrients, making us fat, sick and tired.  Hayford helps you step out of the fast food rat race and eat for health.  Learn more at www.FoodFitnessByPhone.com.

The premise behind The Paleo Diet is that diseases of western civilization such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer, did not exist until humans began to grow their own food.  Backed up with studies, author Loren Cordain, PhD shows how eating like a hunter-gatherer can help you return to an “ideal body weight, optimum health, and peak athletic performance.”  On this diet, you eat grass fed meats, fish, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits.  You won’t find grains, dairy or beans in this diet. The hunter-gatherers couldn’t stop a wooly mammoth long enough to milk it, nor could they gather enough wild grains and beans for a loaf of bread or stew.  This way of eating is naturally low in carbohydrates, yet high in plant nutrients and healthy fats.  Unlike Atkins, who died with severe heart disease, you can follow a low carb approach, lose weight and restore your health.  Learn more at www.thepaleodiet.com.

We’ve all heard of wheat grass juice by now, thanks to Ann Wigmore.  She decided to let food be her medicine and cured herself of colon cancer.  She went on to found the Hippocrates Health Institute, now located in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Her book The Hippocrates Diet and Health Program details the “living foods” or raw foods lifestyle.  Wigmore’s research confirmed that food loses its enzymes and much of its nutrients when heated beyond 115 degrees Fahrenheit, and along with it, its ability to heal.  Raw foods have a special ability to induce detoxification.  As the body detoxifies it repairs itself.  The staff at the Hippocrates Health Institute is accustomed to seeing improvements in a wide variety of conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and chronic fatigue.  Insulin dependent diabetics have normalized their blood sugar and discontinued insulin use within a matter of weeks.  The living foods lifestyle is a big change for most of us, but with 2/3 of Americans overweight, most of us need a big change.  This could be the most significant step you will make in the direction of lasting health, energy and natural body weight.  Learn more at www.hippocratesinst.com.

The Book of Whole Meals by Annemarie Colbin is still one of the best guides to whole foods eating, even though it was written back in 1979.  Colbin, the founder of the Natural Gourmet Cookery School, now the Natural Gourmet Institute of Health and Culinary Arts in New York City, explains how our body seeks balance.  A diet of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, white flour and other processed foods creates wide metabolic swings that are difficult to balance, leading to obesity and disease.  Whole foods on the other hand center our metabolism so we can heal and maintain our health.  Colbin deftly explains the theory and the practice, right down to seasonal menus from which lunch is made from the dinner leftovers. My copy has been rebound and the pages clearly show its use.  Find this book at your local bookstore.

This article originally appeared in the January 2008 issue of the Kansas City Wellness Magazine in my monthly column, The Doctor Cooks.  Look for it in every issue!

Wheat May Not Be the Staff of Life

Bread and grains are one of the most sacrosanct elements of our diet. For most people, including the family I grew up with, a meal is a starch, meat and a vegetable. Dinner just isn’t complete without bread. Yet grains could be the culprit behind your health problems and you might do well to reduce or eliminate them.

Bread and grains appeared on the human scene about 10000 years ago. Humans left their nomadic hunter gatherer lifestyle behind in favor of agriculture. They cultivated grasses which evolved into the grains we know today such as wheat, rye and barley. But not everyone fared well on grains. Children failed to thrive and died due to diarrhea with undigested fat and food in it. The ancient Greeks identified this as celiac disease but did not know that it was caused by gluten. Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley. Today, celiac disease affects 1 in 133 people with a wide variety of symptoms including acid reflux, diabetes, headache, hypothyroidism, skin problems and infertility. Former Baylor University gastroenterologist Kenneth Fine, MD believes the incidence is higher because the standard blood test is not sensitive enough. He has developed a more sensitive test available at www.enterolab.com.

Loren Cordain, PhD of Colorado State University blames heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, cancer and other diseases of western civilization on an overly cultivated diet. In his book, the Paleo Diet and on his website, www.thepaleodiet.com, he recommends a diet of lean grass fed meat, but not pork, wild fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. He avoids grains, beans, milk products and even minimally processed foods like vinegar. People have responded well to this regimen, especially those with insulin resistance and diabetes.

Peter D’Adamo recommends a hunter gatherer diet for people of with blood type O in his book Eat Right 4 Your Type and website www.dadamo.com. The American Red Cross reports that 60 to 70 % of people of Hispanic origin have type O blood and about 45% of other ethnic groups are type O. He goes further to suggest that the blood types evolved in response to changes in the human diet and thus we are healthiest when we eat foods available to us at that time in human history.

Summer, with its bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables, is an excellent time to see if a hunter gatherer type diet could be good for you. This evolving body of research has convinced me that grains and cereals are not needed for human health and may be harmful to many of us.

This article originally appeared in the July 2007 issue of the Kansas City Wellness Magazine, www.kcwellnessmagazine.com.

Coriander Carrots

Coriander Carrots

This recipe is from Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna Sass.  I recommend grape seed oil instead of the oils she uses.  I plan to substitute fresh figs instead of currants.  I couldn’t resist!

To reduce the pressure via the quick release method, simply take the pressure cooker over to the sink and run cold water over it.  Tilt the pressure cooker away from the valve to avoid getting water into the cooker.

1 TBSP grape seed oil
½ cup finely sliced leeks (white and light green parts) or coarsely chopped onions
¾ to 1 cup water (use the manufacturer’s recommended liquid minimum)
¼ cup dried currants or raisins
1 TBSP ground coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
1 ½ pounds carrots, cut on the diagonal into ½-inch slices

1 to 2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
1 TBSP minced parsley

Heat the oil in the cooker.  Cook the leaks over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.  Add the water (stand back to avoid sputtering oil), currants, coriander, bay leaf, salt and carrots.

Lock the lid in place.  Over high heat, bring to high pressure.   Lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 2 minutes.  Reduce the pressure with the quick release method.  Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape.  If the carrots are not quite tender, replace (but do not lock) the lid and let them continue to cook for another minute or two in the residual heat.

Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice (if using) and parsley.  Serves 4 to 6.

Fennel Marinade

Fennel Marinade

I dug this recipe out of the classic The New Basics Cookbook by the Silver Palate duo of the 1980’s Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.  I need to have mine rebound!  Use any seasonal vegetables that hold up to grilling or broiling.

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
¼ cup chopped scallions (green onions)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh fennel seeds, crushed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Whisk the oil and the lemon juice together in a small bowl.  Stir in the remaining ingredients, whisking until smooth.  This will keep covered in the refrigerator or 24 hours.  Serves ½ cup.

Recipes from the Cancer Project

Call this an online cookbook.  The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine Cancer Project is assembling a library of plant nutrient rich, animal product-free, easily prepared and tasty recipes.  The Cancer Project, just like this doctor, recognizes that "it's the diet, stupid!"  A diet rich in plant foods is your best defense against cancer and disease.  Add this site to your bookmarks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's what I'll be bringing to my family's Thanksgiving potluck.  The presentation is especially stunning with the turban squash (pictured).  The recipe is from the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook via my friend and cook par excellence, Don Brown.  Happy Thanksgiving!

End of the Season Broccoli Soup

I made this divine “cream” of broccoli soup last weekend from some of Bad Seed Farm’s broccoli.  It’s dairy-free, instead using pureed raw cashews for the “cream.”  Thus, it has none of the bad guys cholesterol or casein and it contains the heart healthy fat, oleic acid that you won’t find in milk.  Cashews are also rich in antioxidants and magnesium. 

Another thing that makes this soup great is that is cooks up quick.  If you have time to plan ahead, soak the cashews 6 hours to overnight.  It increases their digestibility.

Brooke of Bad Seed Farm is hosting an End of Season Market and Social from 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm on Friday November 16, at Bad Seed Headquarters in the Crossroads District, 1909 McGee St, Kansas City, MO 64108.  Call Brooke at 913-522-3458 for more info.  I’ll be there for more Bad Seed broccoli and greens and to enjoy the last of the Bad Seed scene until spring!

As we move into a new season, I feel my energy shifting too.  My plans are to post to The Doctor Cooks weblog as I am inspired rather than twice weekly as I had been.  Don’t fret, I feel inspired often.   A new vision for the weblog may be in the works.  Stay tuned and thanks for eating your greens!

Why Does a Salad Cost More Than a Big Mac?

Do you or have you had cancer?  Take this article to your oncologist and share it with your senator or congressional representative.

More than 300 oncologists nationwide have signed The Cancer Project petition calling on Congress to reform federal nutrition policy.

Western dietary patterns—based on meats, dairy products, and other fatty foods–are linked to higher risk of several forms of cancer. Unfortunately, agricultural subsidies disproportionately support and encourage these unhealthy eating habits. From 1995 to 2005, the Farm Bill doled out more than $70 billion in food subsidy payments, of which more than three-quarters went to producers of sugar, oil, dairy, meat, and alcohol, while fruit and vegetable farmers received less than 1 percent of government subsidies. This skewed system of subsidies helps explain why a cheeseburger is often cheaper than a salad.

The federal government also buys up millions of dollars worth of bacon, burgers, and other fatty meat and dairy products and dumps them into the national school lunch Program and food assistance programs, such as the special supplemental nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Because diet is one of the greatest contributors to cancer risk, oncologists nationwide are banding together to effect change at the federal level. The petition, which attracted support from more than 300 cancer specialists across the country who believe in The Cancer Project’s mission to make healthy foods more accessible, was delivered to the Senate on October 25. A growing number of lawmakers understand the need for change. Sens. Richard Lugar and Frank Lautenberg introduced the FRESH Act, which could dramatically improve the Farm Bill. The Cancer Project stands behind the efforts of these reformers to reduce subsidies to wealthy agribusiness corporations that produce unhealthy foods and to increase the amount spent on healthy fruits and vegetables.

If you are an oncologist interested in joining our Health Professionals Network, please write to info@cancerproject.org.

The Cancer Project News, Fall 2007

Hummus Under Pressure

Hummus with Whole Wheat Pita Bread

I described how to cook garbanzo beans, also called chick peas in the recipe Quinoa Garbanzo Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette.  In Kansas City, Jerusalem Bakery sells fresh whole wheat pita bread.  Call early.  They sell out quickly.

2/3 cup garbanzo beans (also called chick peas) soaked overnight and cooked.
3 TBSP sesame tahini
2 – 4 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
2/3 cup cooking water

Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Paprika
Kalamata or oil-cured olives

Place the first six ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Process until well mixed.  Add cooking water to achieve a creamy consistency.  Drizzle each serving with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with paprika and top with an olive.  Cut the pita bread into triangles.  Enjoy by scooping the hummus up with the pita triangles.  Or, place some hummus inside the the pita pocket and fill the of the pocket with roasted vegetables.  Delicious!  Serves 4.

Butternut Apple Skewers

Fall is here and along with it comes an array of delicious squashes and apples. I've been stuffing roasted butternut squash halves (pictured) with Sicilian Caponata or cooked greens such as Ethiopian Okra, Bitter Lemon and Honey Simmered Greens, or Steamed Kale with Sliced Dates and Roasted Pecans.  It's easy to roast a butternut squash.  Slice it in half lengthwise.  Place the halves face down in a glass baking dish.  Cook in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.  The squash will indent when pressed with your fingertip when it is done.

Apples are rich in fiber and antioxidants; while butternut squashes are a great source of vitamins A and C.  Please enjoy this recipe from one of my favorite websites, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Use it as an appetizer, side dish or even dessert!  Click here for the recipe.

Time for Some Cleansing Soup!

This article appeared in the May 2007 issue of the Kansas City Wellness Magazine. Just as in the spring, it can be helpful to do a little cleaning.  I've collected my series of posts on detox foods from last spring under the category Recipes / Detox.  These foods work well spring and fall, as most of the cleansing foods come back in season during fall.  Alas, you will have to wait until next spring to enjoy dandelion greens.

Food Face by Benjamin Faltermeier, age 5, who says the face "has curly hair like me!"

It’s common to feel sluggish after the long winter.  Just like we throw open the windows and air out our homes come spring, we too can benefit from some spring cleaning.  A simple way to do this is to eat more vegetables.  I often suggest “green meals” where the bulk of your meal simply vegetables, or adding a glass of fresh vegetable juice at breakfast.  These are things most anyone can do with minimal risk of harm.  It will help you get back on track especially if you turned to white sugar, white flour and junk food to beat the winter doldrums.  Other forms of cleansing such as mono-diets, fasting and nutritional, herbal or homoeopathic cleanses require a good sense of your body or expert supervision.  It’s easy to overload your body’s detoxification systems with these methods resulting in a range of symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, rashes and headaches to outright illness.

Here’s a delicious broccoli-miso soup to build a green meal around.  It’s well known that broccoli is a cancer-fighting diva.  But do you know why?  The sulfurous compounds in broccoli are detoxifiers.  They neutralize and clear free-radicals and toxins from the body, including potential carcinogens, slow cancer cell growth and activate cancer cell apoptosis, a program in the cell that causes it to kill itself.   Miso consumption may explain why women in Japan have lower rates of breast cancer according to a recent study.  Heating miso destroys its beneficial enzymes, so add it just before serving.  Complete your green meal with an artichoke and some dandelion greens.  Learn the health benefits of and how to prepare these foods at www.thedoctorcooks.com.

Ethiopian Okra with Tempeh

Here's an excerpt from August 17, 2006.  My husband and I love Ethiopian cuisine for it abundance of vegetable dishes and seasonings.  It's rarely hot, but the liberal use of ginger and garlic make it super tasty.  My favorites include a collard green dish called gomen and a cabbage, potato and carrot stew called atiklett wat.

Quinoa Garbanzo Salad With Mustard Vinaigrette

The question at this time of year is what to do with the abundance of zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant.  I do my best to enjoy them fresh.  Every now and then I will freeze what I can’t use from the weeks CSA delivery.  Most vegetables need to be blanched or boiled before freezing.  A good general cookbook, such as The Joy of Cooking, offers detailed instructions on many preservation methods, including freezing.

Sicilian Caponata Saved Me!

I froze several quarts of Sicilian Caponata earlier this summer.  I have not had time to cook much with my office move and recent travel.  I just thawed it out and served it over spaghetti squash, which I also had frozen, shredded zucchini, arugula or potatoes.  And of course you can enjoy it a multitude of other ways.   Caponata is a delicious way to deal with the last of the eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and squash.  The sugar and vinegar in caponata preserved the dish on long sailing voyages and provided essential vitamin C to the sailors. 

Okra with an African Twist

Here's another side dish from August 11th of last year.  I shared this recipe with Selam Fikru and her husband Daniel.  Turns out okra is not traditonal in Ethiopia.  Daniel thinks the recipe is probably of Sudanese origin.  It's tasty no matter where is comes from!

Ethiopian Okra – Gombo

My husband and I dine regularly at Kansas City’s Blue Nile Café where Ethiopia native Selam Fikru works her magic entirely with fresh ingredients.   She says the secret to good Ethiopian food is to sauté the onions slowly over lower heat.  If you like this dish, you will love her food. 

1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP grape seed oil or ghee
2 cups okra, chopped into ¼ inch thicknesses
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium-low heat.  Add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent.  Add the okra and jalapeno pepper, sautéing for 5 minutes more.  Add the tomatoes and salt.  Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes more until the tomatoes and okra are tender.  Add a small amount of water to prevent scorching if needed.

Easy Edamame

Here's another entry from August 11th of last year.  Try this with the Jicama Sushi recipe in the current issue of the Kansas City Wellness Magazine.

Edamame Beans in the Shell

Edamame beans are green soybeans, harvested early, while they are still green and sweet. 

Place them in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes until the shells turn bright green.  Drain and run under cold water until cool enough to handle.  Eat the beans directly from the pod, or squeeze the beans from the pods and serve as a side dish.  My friend Dan likes pop the beans out by pulling the salted pods through his teeth.  However you eat them, sprinkle with sea salt or natural soy sauce and enjoy.

We Got the Beets!

On August 11, 2006 the heat was still on.  I offered several side dishes to go the with no-cook dishes of the weeks before.  You'll find a wide variety of beets at the farmer's markets this summer thanks to the cooler weather.

Roasted Beets

Beets, like most root vegetables, help us feel solid and grounded.  Our farmers markets are still selling beets, but without the greens.  If beets greens are available in your area, steam them for 6-7 minutes and top them umeboshi plum vinegar.  They are also delicious sautéed with walnuts or pecans in grape seed oil.  Roasting beets is easy and accentuates the natural sugars.  I roast them in the morning before it gets too hot.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Do not peel the beets.  Instead wash them and leave about ½ inch of the stems attached.  Place the beets on a large piece of aluminum foil. Fold the foil to make a sealed pouch.  Bake for 1 ¾ hours or until tender.  Allow to cool in the pouch.  Once cool, open the pouch and slip the skins off.  They will come off easily.  Slice and enjoy.

Sorrel Soup

This recipe from August 5th of last year reminds me that in this age where foods from all over the world are available at your local supermarket, there are still foods you just don't see in grocery stores.  Sorrel is one of them. 

You won't see much sorrel in Kansas City farmer's market's this year.  It was killed in the late freeze this spring.  But I'm savoring the memory of this soup and hoping for sorrel next year!