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Some sweet potatoes cook up moist and others, relatively speaking, cook up dry. Here’s how to use Five Elements to discern which variety best suits your digestion. The so-called dry varieties (jewel, Japanese, and Hannah) are starchier and so more firm and mealy when cooked. The more “moist” garnets and Beauregards cook up softer and… Continue Reading
Homely to the Eye but Good Medicine Cashiers quickly learn the codes for broccoli and tomatoes, but not for the underutilized rutabaga which happens to be an Earth Element tonic as we’ll see below. They inevitably ask me, “Is this a turnip?” They’re close as this yellow-purple, and often gnarly, root is a horticultural cross… Continue Reading
Manufacturers are increasingly using pea flour in the production of low-carbohydrate foods. These days you’ll find it in pasta, chips, cookies, energy bars, and even dog food. Because it’s up to 28% protein, pea flour looks good on an ingredient label, but there’s a catch. It’s hard to digest. We’ll look at why this questionable… Continue Reading
Eating Meat Helped Resolve My Invasive Cancer As a longtime fan of yours, I remember reading that when you had cancer, you started eating meat again. I’m at a dietary crossroads myself and would love to know why you made the shift. —Syl Stenhouse, London, England In 1989, after twenty years of macrobiotics, then renowned… Continue Reading
There must be as much hype about salt as there are salt varieties. In this blog, I’ll share science-based guidelines for making the most flavorful and nutritious choices, plus a do-it-yourself home test. The first guideline for buying salt is to favor additive-free, unrefined sea salt, as it contains valuable trace minerals and is free… Continue Reading
Toasted sweet potato, the latest alternative to bread, has recently been sweeping the social media scene. Given the number of people on grain-free diets, this innovative “toast” now serves as a sandwich base in many a lunchbox. While popping a slice of sweet potato in a toaster wins points for cleverness, I prefer to make… Continue Reading
How to Discern Quality Avocado Oil One taste from your current bottle of avocado oil will tell you whether it’s best to toss it onto your salad or into the trash. Here’s how you can know whether or not you’ve fallen into the pure avocado oil hype. Avocado oil is garnering rave reviews for its… Continue Reading
When a nutrient-dense food makes you feel so good, it’s easy to make a habit out of it. Indeed, homemade bone broth energizes, heals and sustains in a way that no other food can. That’s why diverse cultures throughout the world use stock made from bones. Read more about the healing properties of bone broth… Continue Reading
Better Than Chips I used to indulge in potato chips and am delighted to report that this is past tense. I now opt for a savory and phenomenally healthful treat that’s equally crunchy. Thanks to toasted seaweed (which happens to be among our most nutrient-dense plants), I don’t miss packaged chips. Toasted sea palm has… Continue Reading
Yes, grains are contraindicated for an increasing number of people, as they exacerbate autoimmune disease and leaky gut, or intestinal permeability. If grains challenge your digestive system, here’s a way you can eat rice and be free of uncomfortable side effects like bloating, memory fog, or weight gain. As strange as it may sound, when… Continue Reading
The top of a dandelion’s taproot, its heart or crown, is a tasty nibble that, while money can’t buy, is free for the taking. In texture, color, and taste dandelion hearts are reminiscent of the base or heart of a head of celery, only with a light bitter-sweet dandelion essence. Adorning the crown are pearl-sized nascent buds,… Continue Reading
Here’s a truly great cookbook, Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen: 100 Recipes Featuring the Bold Flavors of Fermentation, by Leda Scheintaub (Rizzoli), 2014, 192 pages. While this book offers readers new to fermenting plenty of entry points, more accomplished cooks will find ideas for expanding their repertoires. Just as fermentation transforms food with a natural alchemy, Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen opens up… Continue Reading
As Fukushima radiation nears our west coast shoreline, here’s one obvious and practical precaution to take daily: Eat foods that will protect you. Conversely, avoid the foods that increase your absorption of radiation. Unquestionably, the best food is seaweed; you’ll find other top foods listed below. And what about the seaweed itself, you might ask.… Continue Reading
If you’re new to seaweed, this simple recipe is a tasty way to start a good habit. As with all seaweed, dulse helps prevent your body from absorbing radioactivity. Dulse has an almost bacon-like aroma and flavor, and when crisped is pleasantly chewy, rather like potato chips. As a stand alone, add a squeeze of… Continue Reading
Even though icicles bedeck the eaves here in my southern Oregon home, the markets are full of lush and wondrous fruits and vibrant salad greens that may look inviting but literally make you cold. This is because some foods have a chilling effect on the body that dampens our inner fire. While many foods are… Continue Reading
See The small, dry and intensely tart cranberry is second only to its cousin the blueberry in disease-fighting antioxidants. The remarkable anti-inflammatory properties of cranberries make them an excellent kitchen remedy for arthritic pain and infection. They quell damp conditions and so can help resolve overweight, organ prolapse, food sensitivities, varicose veins, edema, candida-type yeast… Continue Reading
See Fermented Cranberry Relish The small, dry and intensely tart cranberry is second only to its cousin the blueberry in disease-fighting antioxidants. The remarkable anti-inflammatory properties of cranberries make them an excellent kitchen remedy for arthritic pain and infection. They quell damp conditions and so can help resolve candida, edema, cysts, lumps and tumors. How do… Continue Reading
Fermentation is the secret to this fresh sweet and sour cranberry relish. If you haven’t yet made a cultured food, let this foolproof recipe be your gateway to tangible kitchen magic. Yes, you can effortlessly transform the flavor and healthfulness of basic ingredients into a superior product. I delight in the simplicity of this recipe… Continue Reading
This powerful soup is a nutrient-dense energy tonic, a delicious prescription. What is the difference between another chicken soup and this medicinal recipe? The secret is using a whole chicken to make the soup stock rather than opening up a box of prepared stock and throwing in some chicken parts, a shortcut you’ll find in… Continue Reading
For a thin but robustly flavored crepe, buckwheat has no peer. And talk about versatility! As an entrée or a sweet you can enjoy these tender flatbreads for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and they’re great in a packed lunch. For a savory dish, roll or fold in a filling such as sautéed kale and spinach… Continue Reading
It’s cherry season, and because these rubies are not great shippers or keepers, now’s the time to indulge. Here’s an easy recipe that transforms the essence of cherries into a tasty liqueur that is also a medicinal tonic. Historians note that in September 1784 George Washington packed a canteen of cherry bounce for a trip… Continue Reading
Sure, steaming is a healthy, quick and easy cooking method. But if you bought the line that “steamed veggies are most healthful” I’ve got some lovely news for you: To heighten dining pleasure as well as the medicinal and energetic properties of foods, using diverse cooking techniques is best. Here are two reasons why. Vive… Continue Reading
If you’re eating blueberries regularly because you’ve been told they’re a superfood, then you may have been duped. Yes, blueberries have a great nutritional profile. Yes, they may play a role in disease prevention. But let’s use our critical intelligence. A frequent serving of blueberries is nothing to write home about and certainly not worth… Continue Reading
Be savvy about harmful and healthful sweeteners. Here’s a list of the three kinds of sweeteners to avoid along with their various brand names. You’ll find details for those to favor at Quality Sweetener Guidelines. Armed with the information below about the “bad” sugars, you can now ignore various marketing claims for “natural” cane sugars and all sugar… Continue Reading
First, the good news: Quality sugar is part of a healthy diet! So your opportunity is to discern the good sweeteners from the bad ones and then to enjoy natural sweeteners occasionally rather than daily. For details about why to avoid agave, fructose, noncaloric sweeteners and many “natural” cane products like muscavado, see Sweeteners to Avoid. Here’s… Continue Reading
If you’re one of the many people who suffer from sugar cravings (as I did for years) here’s the secret to free yourself! Eat three satisfying meals a day. Here’s why: When satisfied, you need nothing more. But if your last meal fell short, if you didn’t get adequate nutrients, then it’s a chain reaction:… Continue Reading
Today many people do not easily assimilate dairy and or beans. If this is your situation, then until you regain your digestive prowess, perhaps it’s time for some chicken soup. Simply put, if you’re not feeling your best then the protein in a bite of fish, poultry or meat is easier to digest than is… Continue Reading
The historic Russian beverage kvass is traditionally made by fermenting rye bread, and often fruit, into an invigorating and effervescent drink. It’s currently marketed in Russia as a patriotic—and more healthful—soft drink alternative. My version is an ambrosial grain-free nectar that’s oh-so-easy to make. What does it taste like? A tangy blend of sweet and… Continue Reading
Serves 3 Here’s a delicious dessert or breakfast dish. Simply plump dried figs and then simmer until tender. This dish needs no adder sweetener, but you may dress it up with a dollop of crème fraiche or a grating of nutmeg 6 ounces (1 cup) dried figs, woody stems removed 1 cup apple or orange… Continue Reading
If you are interested in the connection between health and diet, here’s some important news. Sandor Katz’s new book, The Art of Fermentation is the first definitive guide on fermented foods with recipes taken from around the world. Today its rare for a cookbook to become adorned with the splatters and smudges that accumulate on real… Continue Reading
Part of the fun of biting into a fig is crunching into its hundreds of pinpoint-sized seeds. The fig’s intense sweetness is yet another pleasure. But it’s all those seeds—there can be as many as 750—that explain a fig’s curious biology. Each seed comes from an individual blossom hidden within the fig itself. These unseen… Continue Reading
Accompanying recipe: Dilled Red Radish, Carrot and Cauliflower Pickles You probably know that quality yogurt and pickles are remarkably healthful fermented foods that aid digestion and strengthen your immune system. However, not everyone knows that pasteurization strips their superfood ranking by destroying fragile nutrients such as lactic acid micro-flora. Therefore, insist on living fermented foods including… Continue Reading
Enhanced flavor is the first of three important reasons to soak grains, beans, nuts and seeds. To further blossom the flavor of these seeds, they can also be fermented or sprouted. In your mind’s eye, mentally compare the full, rich flavors and aromas of fermented sourdough bread to the more simple aroma and flavor profile… Continue Reading
Jane was in my office yesterday suffering with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. Her story is similar to countless other clients. Some years ago Jane became sensitive to wheat and so went without it. Her health greatly improved. Then, she heard about the wheat “alternatives” (spelt, Kamut and sprouted wheat flour) and gladly started eating these… Continue Reading
Why do some foods like chocolate, wine and cheese taste so delicious? Fermenting magically transforms their original ingredients into something more desirable. Besides upping flavor, some lactic-acid ferments, such as homemade sauerkraut, actually strengthen your immune system. Pickling, brewing and culturing are other terms to describe this process by which friendly enzymes, fungi and bacteria… Continue Reading
While nothing duplicates chocolate, carob is a healthy alternative. It looks and tastes like a mild cocoa powder. For some people a carob treat enables them to bypass chocolate. The carob pods, which come from a Mediterranean evergreen, are also known as St. John’s Bread because, apparently, they were a wilderness staple for John the… Continue Reading
Apricot kernels (Prunus armeniaca) are a good source of amygdaline. This controversial compound helps prevent cancer. It’s also known as vitamin B17 and laetrile. My mother always puts a few apricot pits into her preserves for, she said, “The flavor.” As a child, her logic was beyond my ken as apricot kernels are nastily bitter.… Continue Reading
Kefir is a creamy, tangy and tasty fermented milk beverage that is more healthful than yogurt. It builds immunity and imparts a sense of well being. A daily glass of kefir is a delicious and fuss-free way to support your energy and overall health (unless that is, you’re sensitive to casein in which case all dairy products are contraindicated). You… Continue Reading
Dandelion greens are the most nutritious leafy vegetable that you can buy (see chart below). Foraged greens are the first spring vegetable, they come on even earlier than asparagus, and they make a great spring tonic. But do enjoy them year round as a kitchen remedy and tasty green. Reflect on how their resilience hints… Continue Reading
The pearly white giant radish, daikon, is a remarkable healing food. It aids digestion, is a weight loss remedy, cleanses the blood, promotes energy circulation and increases the metabolic rate. It contains diuretics, decongestants and the digestive enzymes diastase, amylase and esterase. This makes daikon a primary ingredient in a variety of home remedies. Regular use… Continue Reading
Horrors at the thought of eating broccoli every day just because it may help to prevent cancer. With such an abundance of delicious, health-promoting vegetables to choose from, please enjoy a wide variety. Yes, broccoli does contain a class of potent anti-carcinogens (cancer-combating agents) called isothiocyanates. Of the millions of plant chemicals contained in our… Continue Reading
Is soy a good or a bad food? Here’s how to identify and enjoy healthful soy products and to avoid the poor quality ones. But first, purchase only organic soy foods. As over ninety percent of soybeans on today’s market are genetically modified it is imperative to use only organic (non GMO) soy products. Inherently, soy… Continue Reading
Miso is undeniably the most medicinal soy food. Current scientific research now supports its historical health claims. This delicious food is an effective therapeutic aid in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, certain cancers, radiation sickness and hypertension. Miso soup consumption is linked with up to a 50% reduced risk of breast cancer according… Continue Reading
If you regularly smear peanut butter onto bread or a cracker and call it a meal, you’re fooling yourself. Yes, this shoddy, cheap spread will temporarily stave off hunger but it doesn’t compare to a real meal. Besides peanuts are one of the most common food allergens and commercial peanuts are typically contaminated. High Pesticide… Continue Reading
Spelt and Kamut are heirloom wheat varieties that contain gluten. In recent years, they have been promoted as healthy wheat alternatives. Unfortunately, they are not. Today people suffering from memory fog, overweight and digestive issues do better avoiding all grains, even sprouted grains. People who substitute spelt or kamut for common wheat products typically react to… Continue Reading
Once again people are enjoying healthy and flavorful unrefined animal fats available in quality coconut oil, palm oil, lard, tallow, duck fat, smaltz (chicken fat), butter and ghee. Only saturated fats can safely withstand high temperatures. Below you’ll find a guide for quality (unrefined) saturated fats, but first here’s critical information: 1. Do not use refined oils… Continue Reading
Lupus is a sobering condition; however, as an original cause was malabsorption, you can profoundly minimize its effects and progression by improving your digestion. This is true for all other autoimmune diseases. When your diet is healing, you rebuild your foundational health and strengthen your immune system. Also see Prevent or Resolve Autoimmune Disease. How… Continue Reading
For the best possible curry, use whole cumin and mustard seeds and saute them just prior to use. While ready-made curry spice blends are convenient, they were ground who knows how long ago? They’re stale, denatured and have compromised flavor. It takes but a few minutes more to use whole spices. Give it a try… Continue Reading
When you find really fresh green beans, buy them on the spot and put the water on to boil. Refrigerated beans quickly lose their flavor and oomph. If the beans are less than fresh, you may wish to sauté them with an onion or use them in a soup or casserole where other veggies will shore up their… Continue Reading
Millet, a gluten-free grain, is an underutilized grain worth getting to know. Like rice, its variations are endless. Check out the list below for some ideas, such as the effortless polenta. Make extra and plan to creatively use one pot of millet as the basis for several meals in a row. I say “in a… Continue Reading
Velvety smooth, well-cooked beans are both delicious and digestible. Hard beans are neither. Here are my secrets—plus a recipe—for cooking up a satisfying pot of soft beans. With these basics there’s bowls of pleasure ahead. If beans are relatively new to your diet or if you have trouble digesting them, start by eating small amounts… Continue Reading
Accompanying article: Healthy Cookware Fresh herbs and creamy-white beans make a highly flavored dip. Serve with a selection of raw or lightly steamed vegetables, over pasta or as a dip for crackers or chips. To make a tasty thick sandwich spread, omit the oil. 1 cup cooked cannelloni or navy beans, drained 2 cups fresh… Continue Reading
It is critical to use unsalted butter to make ghee; and for the most flavorful result, use cultured butter. Organic Valley and some—but not all—European-Style butters are both cultured and unsalted. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled but requires increased cooking time. Makes about 2 cups 1 pound cultured, unsalted organic butter Place the… Continue Reading
Quality Unsaturated Vegetable Oils There is much confusion and misinformation about what constitutes a quality vegetable oil. But it’s really pretty simple to make a healthy choice, and it starts with looking for the words “unrefined” or “extra virgin” on the label. All other vegetable oils are refined. But reading a label isn’t enough, because… Continue Reading
All cherries—sweet and sour—are a folk remedy for aches and pain. But recent medical research validates that sour cherries are superior to sweet varieties in their medicinal properties. This resonates with our common sense. Sweeter fruits are higher in carbohydrates and, therefore, lower in micronutrients with pharmaceutically healing properties. Sour cherries provide highly effective pain… Continue Reading
Accompanying article: Peanuts Makes about ¾ cup. While almond butter can be made from raw nuts, roasting the nuts just prior to making the butter considerably enhances both flavor and aroma. To roast the almonds, spread them in a thin layer on a baking sheet at 300°F for about 20 minutes. Stir a couple of… Continue Reading
Here are five great daikon kitchen remedies for asthma, bronchitis, cold relief, indigestion and weight loss. The medicinal properties of daikon are impressive. And as you’ll see below, subtle preparation differences create different results. For example, when using daikon juice for asthma add ginger and don’t boil it. But for chronic bronchitis, bring the juice just… Continue Reading
The healthful seaweed agar is used as a gelatin to enhance the flavors of other foods; it has remarkable medicinal properties. If taken as a supplement, it aids weight-reduction as agar’s indigestible fiber absorbs and retains water resulting in a feeling of fullness. This remarkable fiber also soothes the digestive tract and so is medicinal… Continue Reading
Here’s a naturally gelled desert that takes 3 minutes to cook and it sets in 30 minutes! As agar enhances other flavors, your dessert tastes more delicious than the fruit juice and fruits themselves. You’ll find this unpretentious dessert satisfying for all and it is one that especially delights children. Agar, or kanten, is a… Continue Reading
Juicing fruits and vegetables extracts their water, sugar and nutrients. The result is an ambrosial nectar that, when fresh, sparkles with vitality. This potent beverage is one to respect and use with care. The dregs include most of the food’s fiber and pulp and some nutrients and flavor, making juice a refined rather than a… Continue Reading
Ghee, or pure butterfat, looks like liquid gold and is the most soothing and delicious ingredient imaginable. I lavish ghee in sautéed and baked goods as it enriches the flavors of both sweet and savory foods. I’ll detail why its such a healing food below and here’s the Homemade Ghee Recipe link so that you… Continue Reading
If you think you might be sensitive to gluten, it’s important to find out for sure. Here’s why. Early identification and repair give you better odds that you can again enjoy wheat in good health. Lingering in the murky realm of “maybe I do or maybe I don’t” and having another piece of toast is… Continue Reading
For the sheer fun of it, please join me for a toast. Let’s pull out the pot liquor (or pot likker), chink-chink our glasses and aspire that all beings might be well nourished. Even teetotalers can freely and joyfully imbibe this liquor. It’s the sweet and nutrient dense liquid that remains in the pot after… Continue Reading
Here’s a healthy and tasty snack that’s effortless to make and—as a bonus—it’s a time proven kitchen remedy for parasites. Take the seeds from a pumpkin or any winter squash, spread them on a baking sheet, season to taste and bake in the oven or toaster oven until golden. How easy! Fresh roasted pumpkin seeds… Continue Reading
There’s good reason why a traditional chicken soup is fondly dubbed “grandma’s penicillin.” A soup, broth or stock made with bones combats the flu by strengthening the immune system. It’s a classic protein-rich energy tonic that increases endurance and provides important nutrients. It’s no wonder that cooks world-wide and through the centuries have regarded silky,… Continue Reading
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