becoming whole

Start at the Very Beginning

Yesterday, an acquaintance of mine told me about having had a heart attack and his desire to change his diet. He also has depression and would like to lose a few pounds. He works long hours, lives alone, and eats a lot of processed and fast foods. He really has the desire to make some healthy changes but doesn't know where to start. I'm finding more and more people coming from this same place.

I eat a macrobiotic diet, but realize that not everyone can go directly from fast and processed foods to this way of eating. I really want to help this man, so I started to think about what I would do if I were in this position. I thought I'd just make three suggestions toward healthier eating ... a good place to start and not too overwhelming.

He doesn't eat breakfast, so my first suggestion was to start there. He'll be eating at work and only a microwave is available. I suggested that he start with instant oatmeal and found a brand that was sweetened with maple syrup. I suggested cutting up a few apple slices and adding these ... topping it off with "trail mix"...a combination of seeds, nuts and raisins.

Second, I recommended that he get a brown-rice cooker. Zojurushi makes a good one. It's digital and you can program it to cook the rice at whatever time you want it to be ready. I urged him to eat a portion of this whole grain once a day.

Third, I said that he might shop for a few fruits and fresh vegetables that he likes (broccoli & carrots) and canned beans, or bean soups, maybe at the Whole Foods in Winter Park, Fla., not far from where he lives. I suggested that he even think of buying some of the prepared food from their hot bar for dinner. I checked it out last evening and the best choices were the brown rice, a choice of three bean dishes (a black bean, a chickpea, and a tofu dish) and some fresh steamed squashes. Whole Foods also had a vegan soup at its soup bar — lentil vegetable. This is a wonderful healthy meal ... and easy.

I was also happy to find a flier at the customer service desk that listed monthly cooking (vegan & vegetarian) classes and a free tour of the store. I thought this was fantastic!

It's great that he's making the effort to "move toward health." I'm in an office/kitchen and he's cooking the brown rice that I bought at Whole Foods with a National Brand rice cooker that was in this kitchen ... it worked well. Moving toward health!

Mindfulness

I'm reading a book called Full Catastrophe Living, by Jon Kabot-Zinn, Ph.D., and learning (once again, I've tried before) to meditate ... and become more mindful. In it, I read a great quote by Nadine Stair, an 85-year-old woman from Louisville, Kentucky:

"Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day."

This inspired me to take 45 minutes out of my day to sit quietly and practice mindfulness ... and I'm glad I did because today I really needed it!

TODAY I WANT TO ANNOUNCE THAT VEGGIEGIRL IS THE WINNER OF THE COMMENTS CONTEST!!!

Cold Season?

A friend of mine recently wrote asking what to do for a cold. He had been exposed to his nieces and nephews, who all had colds and sniffles. I replied that this may actually be a good thing from a macrobiotic perspective. Allow me to explain!

Maine has a four-season climate and fall has been approaching with cooler weather, causing our bodies to contract. This contracting causes us to discharge excess from our bodies ... sometimes in the form of a runny nose, sneezing and or congestion. We want to discharge this excess. So an occasional cold, especially at this time of year, is not seen as a “bad” thing, but rather as a natural cleansing process of the body.

If secretions pool and an infection starts, a cup of bancha tea with half of an umeboshi plum (found in health food stores) and a teaspoon of good-quality soy sauce (I use Eden Brand or Mitoku) taken once a day for three days can help alkaline the blood and create an environment that viruses and bacteria are less likely to thrive in.

Another preventive measure I used for my children was to have them cut back on sweets if they were "coming down with something" — even fruit juices for a few days or more. And I'd give them a small bowl of miso soup daily to help alkalize the body ... along with good eating (whole grains, beans & vegetables) ... and rest.

Note: Don't overdo these measures. No more than 3 umeboshi plums are recommended per week. And miso soup ... 1 cup a day (1 teaspoon of miso/1 cup of water) is enough for most people. More is not always better. Life in balance ...

 
LAST DAY FOR MY COMMENT CONTEST ... PLEASE JOIN IN!

Off to Florida

I'm in Orlando, Fla., this week to have adjustments made to my wonderful prosthetic leg. (Many of you know that I lost my left leg to bone cancer.)  There are a lot of new advances in the field of prosthetics (wonderful knees and feet!), but as many of us above-the-knee amputees know, socket fit is key ... and has lagged behind in technology.

Stan Patterson, CP, has been developing and perfecting his revolutionary "elevated socket system" since 2000. It is changing the lives of many (hard to fit, aren't we all?) above-knee amputees.

Before I started going to Stan at Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates in May, I had been on crutches and one leg for three months with no hope in sight. I had exhausted many other options over a two-year period ... and, I was exhausted (and yes, discouraged). Thanks to Stan and his team of kind and caring people, I have been up and about ever since (no cooking on one leg ... yeah!), doing lectures and book signings on "two good legs," and enjoying better mobility than ever. Life is great walking and swinging my arms. To MOVE is to LIVE! Yippee!

Stan also makes legs for MANY Iraq War veterans, which is helping them return to active & productive lives. His motto is: Problems are solutions waiting to happen. I love that!

Note: The COMMENTS CONTEST is going great. I love hearing from all of you.  Please feel free to join in. It's easy...and fun!

A One-Pot Meal

I decided to post this recipe from Kristina Turner's, Self Healing Cookbook. It was the first recipe that popped into mind when asked what healthy meal could be made with only an electric skillet. I think this recipe could be adapted to one skillet.

I've recommended Kristina's cookbook to many students in my cooking classes. It's one that anyone could benefit from owning. Kristina has a very gentle, warmhearted  and easy-to-understand approach to  her writing and recipes.

HEARTY AUTUMN STEW 
4 cups water
1 large carrot
1 cup daikon radish
1 onion
1 stalk celery
1/2 cup burdock root
or parsnip (optinal)
2 cups butternut squash
1 strip kombu
1/2 package tempeh
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup fresh peas
2 heaping tablespoons kuzu, in 1/4 cup cool water
sea salt to taste

Peel the squash and cut the vegetables in friendly bite-sized shapes. Slice the tempeh in 1" squares, & saute, covered, in an oiled skillet on medium-low heat, 10 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, boil the water, add seaweed, onion, daikon, squash, carrot and burdock. Simmer 20 minutes, then add sauteed tempeh and celery. Simmer 20-25 minutes more, & toss in the peas. Remove kombu, slice into small squares, and return it to the pot. Season to taste with sea salt. Add kuzu and stir until thick. Stir well, so some of the squash dissolves into the creamy, thick sauce. Yum! Serve in bowls.

Kristina adds, "This slow-simmered, tasty stew goes over big with hearty eaters. Be sure and make plenty!" Serves 3-4.

*Just a reminder ... my COMMENT CONTEST continues through midnight Wednesday!

Where's the calcium going?

Last week when my sister Ruth and I were driving down to Boston we had a discussion about calcium and osteoporosis. Americans are the largest consumers of calcium in the form of supplements and dairy products but still have the highest rate of osteoporosis.

Little known to most people is the fact that the problem is not about getting enough calcium — it’s about keeping calcium that we ALREADY have in our bones there! To do this, we need to eliminate the calcium “robbers,” such as soft drinks and other carbonated beverages, coffee, high-sugar foods ... AND high animal protein (which includes dairy). I know the ads are confusing! But that's what they are, advertisements. From a macrobiotic perspective, these foods cause the blood to become acidic, and the blood leaches calcium from the bones to buffer it.

This can be explained from a more scientific perspective, too. A group of doctors, nutritionists and lay people called the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, headed by Dr. Neal Barnard, is educating people about these facts.

So what can we do about this problem? A lot. Cut down on our animal protein consumption, and eat more plant proteins, such as beans and bean products instead. Increase our vegetable and whole-grain (examples: brown rice, millet, barley) consumption. Add fresh fruit in place of non-nutritive, sugary "junk" foods. Drink water as your beverage of choice.

Cook with “good” oils, which are:  extra virgin olive, sesame, sunflower and safflower oils. Some non-dairy sources of calcium are: kale, collards, and other leafy green vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and many other beans. Check Dr. Barnard's link above to get a more complete list.

There are a lot of other things we CAN do to hang onto the calcium we already have in our bones, including getting some exercise. So if you cannot make it to the gym, even a walk early in the morning or on your lunch break is great. Or ... take the stairs! Even small changes are a step in the right direction.

A REMINDER THAT THIS IS COMMENT CONTEST WEEK! SEE THE END OF YESTERDAY'S BLOG POST!!! PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OVER THE WEEKEND TOO...

Summer Bounty & Comments Contest

My sister Ruth did the farmers' market shopping this morning. She was so excited about her cache of vegetables. As she was taking them out of her bags she was VERY excited. I saw this as a photo opportunity and deemed her the "Greens Goddess!"

This is such a good variety of leafy, round and root veggies. From left: lacinata kale, Mizuna (a leafy green), a white daikon radish, red & white turnips, broccoli, carrots with tops, green beans and parsnips. (All tops of these veggies can be eaten except for parsnip tops, according to Paul Pritchard, Healing With Whole Foods, the vegetarian foodie "bible.")

I don't want to forget this beauty at right ... this was the crown jewel!

Thank you Snell Family; Mike & Rob; Uncle's Farm Stand; Jamie at Lalibela Farm; Meadow Brook Farms; Fishbowl Farms; Richard, Christie, et. al. at Rippling Waters; and all of the other wonderful farmers at the Portland Farmers' Market!

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Today through midnight next Wednesday, I'm having a COMMENTS CONTEST ... because I Iove contests and COMMENTS. The only criteria is that the comment be relevant to the post. You can post a comment on past posts as well. THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER will recieve ... a complimentary copy of either Becoming Whole or Breast Cancer Exposed. On your mark, get set, COMMENT!

Masao's Kitchen

I was in Boston last week, so I took the opportunity of going to one of my favorite places, "Masao's Kitchen" in Waltham, Mass. Masao's specializes in macrobiotic and vegan cuisine, serving the most delicious freshly prepared food daily (except Sundays) from 12-7 p.m. If I even go remotely in that direction, I go out of my way to stop there.

My sister Ruth and I had (see photo below, from top clockwise):  the green lentils, deep fried tempeh with cabbage, butternut squash with onions, steamed broccoli & kale, kinpira (a dish made from stir-fried, then simmered matchstick cut carrots), burdock and lotus root, and pressure-cooked brown rice sprinkled with toasted sunflower seeds. We also added a dish of an arame & carrot sea vegetables after taking this photo.

We enjoyed this lunch! Mmmm ... just writing about this brings back pleasant memories and hunger pangs! Before we left, I bought more to take home for dinner. I always do this when I go to Masao's.

Masao makes the best macrobiotic desserts. I favor his blueberry cake. It' quite famous amongst the "macros." This visit was the first time in a long time that I didn't have dessert because of "going cleaner" for a while ... but, I'm going to request this for my 50th birthday (Oct. 20) cake!

Listening to My Body

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that I was eating even "cleaner" than usual. A friend asked, "Why do you feel the need to eat cleaner?"

I told her that during the summer I tend to eat a lot more fruit, sometimes more bread, and wheat, which I have a sensitivity to. Then I developed athlete's foot. This is my body's way of telling me that I've tipped the scales. Eating the macrobiotic way has brought my body back into balance ... but I still have to limit my intake of "sugar" even in the unrefined form of fruit and fruit juices.

So, for me, "going even cleaner" clears this condition up. Now, I'm LISTENING to my body ... and that makes me feel great!

Simple Healing Recipe

In the past couple of weeks, I've been sticking strictly to a simple recipe of grains, beans and veggies. I've been doing a macrobiotic diet for nine years because of advanced breast cancer so, I don't stray too far from the core diet. I have widened out to include more oils, snacks, more cracked grains and occasionally more desserts. At times I feel the need to go "cleaner" for a few weeks or more. This is one of those times, so I thought I'd share some simple healing diet recipes this week.

SWEET AND SOUR PINTO BEANS
1 cup pinto beans, soaked overnight in water to cover   
3 cups spring or filtered tap water
1 large onion with skin removed
1 carrot, diced
Shoyu or tamari soy sauce (I like to use Mitoku or Eden Brands)
1 tablespoons barley malt
1-2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
1 teaspoon of umeboshi or rice vinegar
1 inch piece of kombu

Drain beans, add water (3 cups or more) to cover by 1 inch. Kombu and whole onion can be added at this time.

Bring to a boil on high flame, turn down to low, simmer for 1 hour.

During the last 20 minutes, add the carrot. During the last 10 minutes, add several shakes of soy sauce and barley malt.

When done, stir in umeboshi (or rice) vinegar and mustard.

Serve with a whole grain (such as brown rice, millet, barley or quinoa), and vegetable(s) of choice.

As I mentioned last week, kombu is a type of sea vegetable that helps make beans more digestible and also adds minerals. Most health food stores carry it. If you don't have kombu, don't worry — it will still be delicious. A note about beans: Make sure to chew each mouthful well. This is the key to digestibility!

This was my full meal (clockwise at 12: steamed cabbage, broccoli, brown rice with quinoa, a Bubbie's brand pickle, and the beans! I also had a bowl of squash soup ... my first squash of the season.