With a formal apology for not posting these recipes a year ago, I dedicate the following recipes to Golden West College Summer Anatomy Class Lab Lunch Crew 2008.

Thank you, to all the anatomy students I've had the pleasure of teaching, for being wide-eyed, wonderful and curious about nutritional excellence.

May you all introduce radical nutritional wellness into your future health care practices. May you initiate nutritional protocols before medications. And may you go forth to help heal the planet and the people who suffer unnecessarily with preventable and reversible disease.

You are the heroes and heroines of our future.
Sincerely,
Ms. O'Donnell
Human Anatomy - GWC and LBCC

Its not easy to make a major change in your diet especially if you're not accustomed to playing around in the kitchen with recipes.

We'll post the recipes we think are delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare.

"Easy to prepare" is relative, though, if you're used to popping a hot pocket in the microwave, but cooking is creative and therapeutic and when you trust that you can prevent and reverse disease through the dishes you prepare for yourself and your families, you might even feel inspired. : )


Changing your diet will change your life in many ways you might not expect. We get most of our medical and dietary information from Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He's a family doctor in favor of radical well-being through nutritional excellence. His office is in New Jersey. He seems to have dedicated his life to educating families and individuals on how to take control of their health. For us, he's provided a profound voice of reason and new inspired sense of hope.


I encourage people to work through the discomforts and the changes of detoxing and in learning the art of "home"making through nutritional excellence.

*** Important Note***
Most all people switching to a diet of nutritional excellence will have detoxification symptoms. Most all people who are unaware of the idea of food detoxing will mistake it for hypoglycemia, protein deficiencies etc. and may be easily convinced this way of eating is not good for them.

Do Not be misled. Detoxing is favorable for your body. Let your body clean itself up. That's what it's designed to do and you may feel discomfort at first. As an alcoholic might detox or a new exercise program might make you feel uncomfortable at first, allowing your cell factories to eliminate a lifetime of wastes may feel uncomfortable. Don't throw in the towel just yet. Give yourself three dedicated months and then see how you feel.

Let your body do what it needs to do. Trust it. And get the extra support you may need at www.drfuhrman.com and www.diseaseproof.com

We're also happy to talk about our own experiences and to provide support and resources if you need it.


When you make a profound diet change like this, all 11 body systems will show their appreciation to you in ways that will surprise even the most resistant cynic. So, let's start by posting a few recipes I promised my summer school students at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California.

Oatmeal Breakfast for 1 person
**********************1 apple - diced and put into a big bowl
1 banana - sliced on top of that
1 big spoonful of flax seeds
1 big spoonful of raw sunflower seeds
cinnamon to taste - I love a lot
1/2 cup of cooked oats - whole oats -
**not more oats than fruits
and any other fresh fruits you like (blueberries and strawberries for sure).
Be creative.

Fruit Salad Breakfast
*********************
This is fantastic when its hot outside or after a workout.

5 or 6 lettuce leaves per person
Butter lettuce is a good one for this
Place a handful of shredded lettuce on the bottom of a large bowl.

1 sliced banana per person
Cubed melon - cantalope, casaba, watermelon or any combination - try one you've never had before
A handful of grapes per person
A half an orange per person divided into individual sections
A handful of raw almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds
And diced avocado if you feel adventurous

Place all the ingredients atop the lettuce leaves and enjoy.

Note: It's important to have some avocado, nuts and seeds with your meals in place of oils, butters, creams and salt.

Chocolate Blueberry Spinach Smoothies
for Breakfast or Lunch jammed pack with nutrients and kids love them too.

** Dark leafy greens are amongst the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.
When you put spinach in your smoothies, you increase the amount of micro-nutrients in your body and you can't taste the green-ness of it.

First blend the spinach, soy milk and pomegranate juice.
Then add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Serves 2.

2 handfuls of organic baby spinach
1/2 cup of soy milk
1/2 cup of pomegranate juice
1 medium banana (freeze banana chunks to give it an ice creamy quality)
1 Tbspn. natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups of frozen blueberries
1 Tbspn. ground flaxseeds


Lentil Spinach soup
This recipes makes a large pot and will last for a couple of days depending whose eating and how much.

1 diced onion
3 diced carrots
2 diced zucchini
2 large cloves of fresh garlic
2 cups of water
1 28 oz can of diced no salt tomatoes
(any other vegetables that suit your fancy : )
1 cup of red/coral lentils
1 Tablespoon cumin
Ground curry to your liking - start with a teaspoon and add more if needed.
Lots o’ spinach or swiss chard – 3 or 4 large handfuls of chopped greens

Water sauté = add water to cover the bottom of the pan, heat the water to boil, add the ingredients and sauté as you would with oil.

On medium heat, in large stock pot, sauté onions, carrots, garlic and other veggies (except the spinach) for about 5 minutes in water.

Add the cumin and curry – sauté for another minute
Add the tomatoes and water and lentils
Simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender
Turn off the heat
Add the spinach and cover
Let the spinach wilt
Mix all together and serve

This recipe is easy, comforting and quick. I usually make it in the crock pot but you don't have to - especially if you're using canned beans. The most important thing about this recipe is to use UNSALTED canned beans.

*For lunch we have the soup and a slice of whole wheat sprouted bread (Alvarado or Ezekial bread) with avocado mashed and green salsa on top and maybe a banana and handful of walnuts for dessert.
*For dinner, we include a large salad with variety of raw vegetables including avocado, nuts and seeds and dressing.
*Typical dressing: dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, fresh squeezed orange juice and a clove of garlic pressed in, stir it up and pour it on (no oil necessary).

Clean up your palate! Once you do, you will start to prefer a cleaner tasting foods, like vegetables and fruits and your cravings for processed and refined foods will begin to diminish.

Dessert a la Dr. Fuhrman Healthy Times Newsletter (www.drfuhrman.com)

Macabanana Popsicles
1 cup raw macadamia nuts
2 bananas
2 medjool dates
1 tsp. cinnamon
Blend all ingredients in a blender,food processor,or VitaMix.
Pour into popsicle trays and freeze until hard for an unusual summer treat.

***Important Note*******
If you are just beginning your change in diet, its oh so important to know that your meals may not taste as delicious to you as they do to us - YET. Be patient. The rewards will astonish you. You must allow time for your palate/mouth/tastebuds and body to adjust. If you eat a diet high in salt (which almost everyone does), it will take some time before you can taste the subtle flavors of delicious veggies and fruits. The longer you take to cut out salts and dairy and meats, the more difficult it will be to enjoy this way of eating. Remember that your body will do some detoxing.

****Another VERY IMPORANT NOTE*****
We are not doctors. If you have an illness and you are making a change in your diet, we recommend you get in touch with Dr. Joel Fuhrman (www.drfuhrman.com). We don't work for him or anything, we just trust him.

We changed our diet radically towards nutritional excellence a year and a half ago. Many of our loved ones and friends see the positive changes. Most of the most important beneficial changes cannot be seen, however. Matthew's blood pressure was curiously and dangerously high despite his lean body and active lifestyle. Within a month of our diet change, it was within a healthy range. I no longer have diabetes symptoms. I've lost 30lbs, which I wasn't expecting but it came off rather quickly. My complexion is better. My digestive system works distinctly and noticeably better. Food tastes way better. I sleep better. I no longer have premenstrual symptoms. And we both have a curious sense of inspiration that is intangible really, just knowing we are on the right path.

And lastly, this is not at all boring. We buy organic whenever we possibly can. We don't eat animal products - that includes dairy - except for special feasting days and occasions. We eat approximately 2 pounds of veggies and fruits per day (1lb. cooked, and 1lb raw), and that sounds like more than it actually is. If you weigh it out, its not as much as you think.

I am a lover of everything food, fun and festivity related. I promised myself if I felt deprived, I would rather deal with the weight, any disease and die younger, than to adopt a diet style that did not bring joy to my life.

And I am here to tell you that I have it all. We eat our nutrient-dense meals with gusto and feel better than we ever have. We feast with friends, occasionally, and enjoy those feasts outside our normal diet in ways we could have never appreciated before. We just don't eat feasting-style 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. It's been a true joy, this change. We think you'll like it too.

Until next time,
Be Well Little Cell

Ruth and Matthew : )