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 : )

The Time is Now

We found that our approach to our meals can help heal the planet, restore our health and give us a voice that feels more powerful than casting a vote.

And it's time to talk about it. We might even consider talking and debating the subject of diet styles in the same way we're speaking and debating feverishly over the public option, the senator's outburst and Obama's approval ratings.

Since the subjects are distinctly intertwined and we would be remiss, frankly, to do otherwise. So let's talk about it, okay?

It's been a one and half years since we made the switch to a mostly plant-based diet.



The formula is pretty simple but the commitment is complex and since many of our friends and family have expressed an interest in hearing more about how we live and eat, we're going to express what we can here in the way of observations, ideas, book reviews and recipes.

So this is the formula, if you will, that we've adopted from our research.

We eat:
All kinds of beans and lentils.
A mad variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Our main fat source is: All types of nuts, seeds and avocados.


Our table is always beautiful.
We're never hungry.
We always have dessert.
We're happier, healthier, stronger and more physically fit than either of us were when we played college basketball and baseball.



And yes, we get enough protein. We'll discuss myths and truths in our diet in later posts. And we'll footnote and reference the science for those of you who would like to read for yourselves, what we're reading.

Cancers, Diabetes, Migraines, Autoimmune diseases, Obesity, and Cardiovascular diseases can be prevented and reversed through changing your diet. Oh and don't forget depression.

Did you hear that people????


Cancers, Diabetes, Migraines, Autoimmune diseases, Obesity, and Cardiovascular diseases can be prevented and reversed through changing your diet.
Oh and don't forget depression.


With the exception of emergency medicine and rare cases, we are now convinced there is NO NEED FOR MEDICATIONS.

With the proper nutritional protocols, nearly ALL people taking medications for nearly all illnesses, diseases, and depression could be drug-free if they really want to be. The science is there and it's really good science.

The vast majority of doctors, though well-meaning, are nutritionally misinformed. This is due to the influence that large drug corporations and lobbies exert on the scientific literature. Yet there exist a handful of doctors, scientists and journalists who are interested in creating a new paradigm and helping to heal people through nutritional excellence, without drugs and without confusion.

So we're here at the Be Well Little Cell Blog.
And we're going to discuss it.

Until next time...
Be Well Little Cell.

Hello Friends,
We are here in France and we are getting settled which has indeed taken such a long time. We hope you have not given up on us. For those I promised posting recipes in a timely manner, I must apologize. I am very very sorry it has taken so long to come back to this site. I have been dreaming of time to spend posting smoothie recipes and delicious soup recipes. Please bear with me a bit longer while we are getting set up at home with the appropriate technologies.

For now, we are learning a new way to live here in France and there is so much to talk about in the way of food. The markets are everything people said they would be.
This is enchanted area in the way of open air markets. I have not been disappointed.
The vegetables and fruits are amazing.

You may know that Matthew and I changed our diets drastically back in January and I will review that in my next post. Since we have been here in the city of Rouen now a little over a month, we're beginning to find ways to stay close to the diet style we've become accustomed to.

We're reading a couple of very interesting books too. Mati is reading, The Omnivore's Dilemma. I hope he will post a review of the book. I am reading a book by the same author, called, In Defense of Food. We'll talk more about these and other good stuff we read and also post those recipes we spoke of so long ago.
For now, though, I must sign off, in the name of going to work.

I look forward to connecting back here very soon to post photos and indulge in the topic of interesting foods, recipes and other life changing food type topics.

Until Soon,
Ruth and Mati

Wake Up Call

The World Health Organization now ranks the United States as the most obese nation on earth.


The American diet consists of 52% processed foods and 41% meats and dairy products.


Fruits and vegetables--the most healthful foods--make up only 7% of our national diet.


The average American consumes 3600 calories per day, yet the Center for Disease Control estimates that 95% of all Americans are significantly undernourished.


The Center for Disease Control estimates that for the first time in our nation's history, the current generation of children will not live as long as their parents.

Source: Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Eat Right America Food Scoring Guide, www.EatRightAmerica.com

Meet Your New Best Friends--Yummy!

Nutrient-dense, low calorie foods must be the backbone of any healthy diet. Rather than juggling proportions of fat, carbs and protein, we should focus on getting as many micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals) in as few calories as necessary. True hunger is satisfied by adequate micronutrients, not a set number of calories. You can eat many empty calories without feeling full. This is how you end up overweight. Or you can eat delicious foods that contain few calories but satisfy your hunger in addition to preventing heart disease and cancer, our two biggest American killers.

But what are these foods? Below is a list of the healthiest foods on the planet. Bon appetit!

Top 30 Superfoods / Nutrient Score
1. Collard, mustard and turnip greens 1000
2. Kale 1000
3. Watercress 1000
4. Bok choy 824
5. Spinach 739
6. Brussel sprouts 672
7. Swiss chard 670
8. Arugula 559
9. Radish 554
10. Cabbage 481
11. Bean sprouts 444
12. Red peppers 420
13. Romaine lettuce 389
14. Broccoli 376
15. Carrot juice 344
16. Tomatoes and tomato products 190-300
17. Cauliflower 295
18. Strawberries 212
19. Pomegranate juice 193
20. Blackberries 178
21. Plums 157
22. Raspberries 145
23. Blueberries 130
24. Papaya 118
25. Brazil nuts 116
26. Oranges 109
27. Tofu 86
28. Beans (all varieties) 55-70
29. Seeds: flaxseed, sunflower, sesame 45
30. Walnuts 29

Source: Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Eat Right America Food Scoring Guide, www.EatRightAmerica.com