12 Steps to Whole Foods

Making Salad the Star
This month, unless you’re feeling ambitious enough to tackle two new steps at once, continue buying whatever
salad dressings you normally like, because we will tackle salad dressings with high nutrition next month. If you
see a salad with a suggested salad dressing in Chapter 3, though, and you want to try it, you can jump ahead and
use that recipe—or just use whatever bottled dressings you currently have on hand.
What about Protein?
People are surprised to learn that many of the highest-protein foods are actually plants. They include quinoa,
soy, wheat, almonds, kidney beans, and black beans.
If you were raised in a meat-and-potatoes family, a dinner plate may not
seem proper without some meat, chicken, or fish on it, and without part of
the meal being hot. If this is important to you, transition to a diet higher in
plant food by practicing this month making your meat dish smaller. In
fact, you can cut your effort in half by making the same amount that you
used to serve your family for one night—but this time serve half the
portion sizes, replacing the big portion with the large vegetable “main
dish.” In essence, have the main dish and side dish trade places, size-wise!
Then you have the rest of that chicken or fish dish for another night,
saving time and money.
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, in Eat to Live, writes of how doctors and dietitians “are
surprised to learn that…when you eat large quantities of green vegetables,
you receive a considerable amount of protein.” 1 Eating a variety of greens
(spinach, kale, and broccoli are over 40% protein), you can build muscle
mass even for competitive body building, as is well documented by
weightlifter Stephen Arlin in Raw Power! 2 As you begin buying several
types of greens each week for your smoothies and several others for your salads, you have the complete array
of amino acids from which your body can build its own complete proteins. This method of getting protein,
from fundamental building blocks, is more work for your body, but the proteins are more durable and resilient.
If you still aren’t convinced, consider that legumes and nuts are another
excellent source of plant protein and are always a great addition to
salads. They are also a fantastic source of dietary fiber, and some recipes
in this chapter feature beans so meat eaters especially feel they are
getting a hearty meal. If you feel your body type needs extra protein, an
easy way to add it to a “main dish” salad to make it a meal (if you are not
vegetarian/vegan) is to add hard-boiled eggs or a can of tuna—making
sure that your eggs are free-range and organic.
Regarding eggs, if you choose to use them, consider that most eggs that
come from penned chickens are fed antibiotics, steroids, and other
chemicals that eventually become part of you. These eggs have a heavily
skewed 6:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids. Compare that to
what your body needs (and what organic eggs have), a 1:2 ratio of
Omega-6 to Omega-3. Of all the foods you may wish to consider buying
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods 55