12 Steps to Whole Foods
Introduction But you can rest assured that, in the case of green smoothies, the combination of greens and fruit is very valid and will not cause digestive distress. That’s because greens are not precisely vegetables; they belong in their own class. They are not starchy and are extremely low in sugar, and they are perfectly appropriate blended with fruits. For the most part, I don’t buy into food-combining theories for several reasons. First of all, common sense suggests that we were not meant to make rocket science of exactly what foods to eat, in combination with which others, and when. Eating is supposed to be varied, natural and, above all, simple. Second, I have never seen any real science behind food-combining theories with complicated diets built on those claims. It has become big business and those advocating for heightened awareness of how to eat are finding financial success, and some adherents claim to feel better. However, that success and improved health may be far more related to these new “experts” advocating against eating processed food than any code of combinations. Third, food-combining “rules” make people fearful or even paranoid and damage our ability to truly enjoy what we eat, especially in social settings. Fourth, food-combining “no-no’s” resolve themselves anyway when you eat a plant-based diet. Plants digest within a few hours, at most, so even if you buy into the idea that you should eat only foods that digest in the same length of time, a vegetarian diet generally does not cause problems in a lot of combinations and variety. That said, in the modern age, many of us have degenerative gut issues. Celiac disease and other milder gluten intolerances, Crohn’s Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, colitis, and many other gastrointestinal disorders have reached epidemic proportions, and untold numbers are as yet undiagnosed. I believe that due to three generations of a processed-food diet, as well as a meteoric surge in genetically modified foods, we will continue to see astronomical numbers of new diagnoses of food allergies and sensitivities as well as diseases of the GI tract. Candida overgrowth affects at least one in three Americans and it gives rise to many of our health complaints. (The candida yeast feeds on sugars.) I believe these maladies will continue to escalate until we radically change our growing and eating practices. If you are in the beginning stages of trying to ascertain why you have digestive problems, a few simple experiments may be in order. The first two are related to simple, common-sense food combining. First, I believe it may make sense to eat fruits only on an empty stomach, well in advance of a meal or a few hours after it. Fruits take 20 to 45 minutes to digest. Second, if there are two classes of foods I think do not go together, it is animal proteins (which take a long time to digest) and fruits (which take a very short time to digest). Third, anyone with digestive problems should make a strong effort to eat probiotic-rich foods, such as kefir or yogurt, and homemade raw sauerkraut. And I advise doing Step 8 (page 223) of this 12 Steps program sooner rather than later! Make a daily habit of consuming foods with live cultures to repopulate your stomach, intestines, and colon with the friendly flora that are your best defense against invading viruses and bacteria, yeasts, fungus, molds, and parasites. 20 12 Steps to Whole Foods © Copyright Robyn Openshaw
Introduction Fourth, I strongly recommend a food-elimination cleanse program, overseen by a naturopath or another practitioner you trust, to get to the bottom of what classes of foods are causing you problems. You may eventually be able to heal your gut and eliminate some food intolerances under the care of a good practitioner and while eating nourishing whole foods. Fifth and finally, I have reviewed many (if not all) of the food-combining theories, and if you are going to do one—especially to starve out candida (it never goes away, but it can become controlled and dormant, as the immune system is strengthened)—I recommend Donna Gates’ Body Ecology Diet. It focuses heavily on sea vegetables, which will be very foreign to most people. It also emphasizes probiotic-intensive foods. I am not a big fan of the poultry, fish, and eggs Gates recommends (my review of The China Study, on GreenSmoothieGirl.com under “Book Review” and in other places, will explain why). However, when you eliminate fruits and grains, in an effort to regain a healthy terrain populated with good bacteria rather than bad, getting enough calories is a problem. Therefore, for those with candida or significant health problems, I am supportive of undertaking the Body Ecology Diet and then, when you are healed, shifting to eating fruits and other whole plant foods. Will I Have to Use Lots of Tools and Ingredients I’m Not Familiar With? You’ll be introduced to lots of whole foods in this book, but never fear: in Appendix A (page 337), ingredients you may not be familiar with are explained, with tips on where you can find them. I have made an effort not to use large numbers of ingredients in my recipes or exotic, hard-to-find ingredients. I’ve also made an effort to use every ingredient in more than one recipe, so you have other places to “use it up” if you buy it—you can look up any ingredient in the index to find all recipes in this manual that use it. Usually you’ll find a new ingredient in your local health food store, a place you will inevitably become quite intimate with in the course of following this program! A whole-foods kitchen does have certain tools, but I have suggested them only when they are needed for each new step. Most months, you won’t need any new or expensive tools. However, one thing that no one who cares about nutrition should be without is the Blendtec Total Blender. On my site (www.greensmoothiegirl.com), I explain why I like this high-powered blender best, even though I own several (including VitaMix, Bosch, and others). This is a pricey machine at around $400, but it is the single best thing I own. Not the single best kitchen tool I own, but literally the best thing I own, period! I use mine four or more times every single day. I even take it in my suitcase to hotel rooms on vacation. I can’t overestimate the importance of having a high-horsepower blender with a good warranty for increasing your nutrition using many of these 12 steps—especially step 1. Some of the foods you’ll be introduced to are not expensive. For instance, whole grains and legumes are inexpensive—much cheaper than processed, packaged foods and meat and dairy products. And most chapters have a section on tips for saving money. Of course, some of the chapters, such as the vegetable garden, main dishes, and whole-grain sections, are inherently going to help you save. I know that most people live on a closely guarded budget, and being a frugal person with humble beginnings myself, I will not suggest you purchase anything that isn’t really important and a great investment in your family’s nutrition. Most of the people I know who are living this lifestyle—whole-food nutrition every day—are folks who live on a strict budget. You don’t have to be wealthy to be healthy! © Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods 21
- Page 1 and 2: 12 Steps to Whole Foods by Robyn Op
- Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Table of Contents
- Page 5 and 6: Table of Contents Cabbage Salad Dre
- Page 7 and 8: Table of Contents Kale Recipes . .
- Page 9 and 10: Table of Contents Parmesan Flax Cra
- Page 11 and 12: Table of Contents Nut Milk (3) . .
- Page 13 and 14: About the Author Robyn Openshaw gre
- Page 15 and 16: Now she has 12 Steps to Whole Foods
- Page 17 and 18: The 12 Steps program is a well rese
- Page 19 and 20: Over the years, I have learned a lo
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- Page 23 and 24: Foreword By family physician Denise
- Page 25 and 26: Foreword GSG nutrition is compatibl
- Page 27 and 28: Preface You’ve always wanted to e
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- Page 31 and 32: Introduction What Is the Goal of Th
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- Page 35 and 36: Introduction Nutrition is no differ
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- Page 39 and 40: Introduction sugary foods for even
- Page 41: Introduction Don’t I Need to Eat
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- Page 49 and 50: Introduction business, family—the
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Introduction<br />
But you can rest assured that, in the case of green smoothies, the combination of greens and fruit is very valid<br />
and will not cause digestive distress. That’s because greens are not precisely vegetables; they belong in their<br />
own class. They are not starchy and are extremely low in sugar, and they are perfectly appropriate blended with<br />
fruits.<br />
For the most part, I don’t buy in<strong>to</strong> food-combining theories for several reasons.<br />
First of all, common sense suggests that we were not meant <strong>to</strong> make rocket science of exactly what foods <strong>to</strong><br />
eat, in combination with which others, and when. Eating is supposed <strong>to</strong> be varied, natural and, above all,<br />
simple.<br />
Second, I have never seen any real science behind food-combining theories with complicated diets built on<br />
those claims. It has become big business and those advocating for heightened awareness of how <strong>to</strong> eat are<br />
finding financial success, and some adherents claim <strong>to</strong> feel better. However, that success and improved health<br />
may be far more related <strong>to</strong> these new “experts” advocating against eating processed food than any code of<br />
combinations.<br />
Third, food-combining “rules” make people fearful or even paranoid and damage our ability <strong>to</strong> truly enjoy<br />
what we eat, especially in social settings.<br />
Fourth, food-combining “no-no’s” resolve themselves anyway when you eat a plant-based diet. Plants digest<br />
within a few hours, at most, so even if you buy in<strong>to</strong> the idea that you should eat only foods that digest in the<br />
same length of time, a vegetarian diet generally does not cause problems in a lot of combinations and variety.<br />
That said, in the modern age, many of us have degenerative gut issues. Celiac disease and other milder gluten<br />
in<strong>to</strong>lerances, Crohn’s Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, colitis, and many other gastrointestinal disorders<br />
have reached epidemic proportions, and un<strong>to</strong>ld numbers are as yet undiagnosed. I believe that due <strong>to</strong> three<br />
generations of a processed-food diet, as well as a meteoric surge in genetically modified foods, we will<br />
continue <strong>to</strong> see astronomical numbers of new diagnoses of food allergies and sensitivities as well as diseases of<br />
the GI tract. Candida overgrowth affects at least one in three Americans and it gives rise <strong>to</strong> many of our health<br />
complaints. (The candida yeast feeds on sugars.) I believe these maladies will continue <strong>to</strong> escalate until we<br />
radically change our growing and eating practices.<br />
If you are in the beginning stages of trying <strong>to</strong> ascertain why you have digestive problems, a few simple<br />
experiments may be in order. The first two are related <strong>to</strong> simple, common-sense food combining.<br />
First, I believe it may make sense <strong>to</strong> eat fruits only on an empty s<strong>to</strong>mach, well in advance of a meal or a few<br />
hours after it. Fruits take 20 <strong>to</strong> 45 minutes <strong>to</strong> digest.<br />
Second, if there are two classes of foods I think do not go <strong>to</strong>gether, it is animal proteins (which take a long time<br />
<strong>to</strong> digest) and fruits (which take a very short time <strong>to</strong> digest).<br />
Third, anyone with digestive problems should make a strong effort <strong>to</strong> eat probiotic-rich foods, such as kefir or<br />
yogurt, and homemade raw sauerkraut. And I advise doing Step 8 (page 223) of this <strong>12</strong> <strong>Steps</strong> program sooner<br />
rather than later! Make a daily habit of consuming foods with live cultures <strong>to</strong> repopulate your s<strong>to</strong>mach,<br />
intestines, and colon with the friendly flora that are your best defense against invading viruses and bacteria,<br />
yeasts, fungus, molds, and parasites.<br />
20 <strong>12</strong> <strong>Steps</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Whole</strong> <strong>Foods</strong><br />
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw