The Doctor Cooks

Food is Medicine for KCK Farmer (bitter melon omelette)

A melon that lowers blood pressure and blood sugar?  Greens that relieve menstrual cramps?  It’s a way of life for Hmong farmer Pov Huns.  “The Hmong are the hill people of Southeast Asia.  They don’t have access to medicines.  The town is ten to fifteen days walk.”

Huns grows bitter melon, known for lowering blood pressure and blood sugar.  Different ethnic groups prefer different varieties, according to Huns.  Koreans like them ripe, Vietnamese like them green.   Chinese like to stuff a green one shaped like a toy top.  The variety does not change the medicinal quality.

“Bitter melon greens are more nutritious than the melon,” says Huns, “They are added to green tea for cancer fighting effect.”

Daughters Inherit Chemical Toxicity From Mothers

SACRAMENTO, California - May 10 - The unique bond between a mother and daughter starts in the womb and lasts a lifetime. This Mother’s Day, lab tests of mothers and their daughters show that they share another, unwanted bond: a common body burden of industrial chemicals that can be passed down across generations. Read on>>>

Happy Thanksgiving

The Three Awarenesses of Food

Aware that this food is a gift, the work of many hands past and present and the wisdom and experience of the earth over billions of years, I aspire to eat this food with awareness, so I may deeply touch the miracle of it.

Aware that this food shapes my body substance and the way I relate to myself and the world, I aspire to eat only foods that nourish me in the amounts I need, no more, no less.

Aware that food can be raised in ways that minimize harm to the planet and its inhabitants, I aspire to choose my food carefully so that everyone and everything may experience the health and wholeness I seek for myself.

Interview with The China Study Author T. Colin Campbell

Mike Prussack of Raw Vegan Radio interviews Dr. T. Colin Campbell author of the book The China Study, described as "the most comprehensive snapshot of diet, lifestyle and disease ever taken."   This US government funded research concludes that animal protein causes inflammation and cancer while plant protein fights inflammation and cancer.  The interview includes topics such as the nutritional findings of the "China Study," problems with the Standard American Diet, the protein myth, and how our diet choices can reduce risk of disease. 

Be patient.  The page takes a while to load.  Once it loads, scroll down and click on the white button "To listen to this show now, click here." The interview starts at about 6:50 into the show.  Listen now>>

A Naturally Delicious Thanksgiving Dinner

This article appeared in the November 2005 issue of the Kansas City Wellness Magazine.

One of my great pleasures is holiday cooking.  It’s a happy reunion with recipes and ingredients that I don’t use everyday.  And like old friends, we just pick up where we left off and let the fun begin!  This holiday dinner will leave you delightfully satisfied, without the food coma that comes from the traditional emphasis on starches.  Whether you try a recipe or the entire menu, please enjoy this offering with my best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Menu

Black Bean Hummus with Sweet Potato Chips and Vegetable Dippers
Natural Turkey
Fruited Wild Rice Stuffing
Baked Stuffed Pumpkin
Rutabaga-Yam Puree
Carrots, Pecans and Fennel
Kale and Parsnips
Cranberry Kuchen

A Pan that Lets Cooks Forget Teflon

I ditched my teflon skillets years ago when I learned that the "fl" in Teflon meant flourine.  A known neurotoxin, it can leach into food from the tiniest imperfections or scrapes in the coating.  Today Teflon concerns are big news, leaving cooks wondering what to use instead.  Here, New York Times reporter Marian Burros shares her insights.  Read on>>>

Making it Work

Strategy is everything when converting to a minimally processed diet.  This week I encountered three patients, each with challenges that may be familiar to you.  Here’s how I advised them.

A patient I will call Jane was already on her way to a minimally processed diet.  Lunch was her downfall.  Midday was such a busy time, she reached for a fast-food chicken sandwich or a whole grain tortilla with lunch meat wrapped in it.  The solution was simple.  Fill that whole grain tortilla with Fantastic Foods Instant Black Beans or Refried Beans, prepared hummus from the deli section of her grocery or how about canned salmon?  Avocado is a great choice alone or in addition to the beans or salmon.  She also needed some vegetables at lunch.  Jane already made vegetables for dinner, so I advised her to make extra for lunch the next day.  Enthusiastic and getting the idea, Jane chimed in “and they’d be good with vinaigrette on top.”  She could also stuff them inside the tortilla.  For the taste of bacon, add Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Applewood Smoked Dulse, available on the web at Gold Mine Natural Foods.

TIP OF THE WEEK: THE MOST DANGEROUS INGREDIENTS IN CONVENTIONAL FOODS

From Organic Bytes:  Newsletter of the Organic Consumers Fund

1) Sodium nitrite -- causes cancer, found in most processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, sausage. Used to make meats appear red (a color fixer chemical).

2) Hydrogenated oils -- causes heart disease, nutritional deficiencies, general deterioration of cellular health, and much more. Found in cookies, crackers, margarine and many "manufactured" foods. Used to make oils stay in the food, extending shelf life. Sometimes also called "plastic fat."

3) Excitotoxins -- aspartame, monosodium glutamate and others (see below). These neurotoxic chemical additives directly harm nerve cells, over-exciting them to the point of cell death, according to Dr. Russell Blaylock. They're found in diet soda, canned soup, salad dressing, breakfast sausage and even many manufactured vegetarian foods. They're used to add flavor to over-processed, boring foods that have had the life cooked out of them.

Source: A new book by Mike Adams, entitled "Grocery Warning" takes a scientific look at a plethora of problematic ingredients in the everyday foods we eat.

Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_705.cfm

Easy One Pot Healing Stew

This recipe is for Mindy, one of my diabetic friends committed to healing her condition with diet.  Like many with diabetes, she’s transforming her diet from the heavily processed fast food that caused her condition to natural foods and feeling better everyday.  She came from Farmington, Missouri last week to visit and just loved this stew.

Aduki beans are naturally diuretic and balance blood sugar.  The greens provide potent phytonutrients and vitamins A and C.  The ginger, turmeric and pepper are natural anti-inflammatories.  I can’t think of a better way to enjoy your medicine.  This recipe is adapted from Yoga Kitchen by Faith Stone and Rachael Guidry.