Excerpt

Most of these recipes are really easy to make. I am finally out to debunk the myth that states "If it's good for you its got to be annoying to prepare!" I figure if people are going to eat what I want them to eat, then what I want them to eat better be easy to make and easy to like. As Andrew Weil, MD, pointed out, Food that is healthy and food that gives pleasure are not mutually exclusive. So the three guiding principles for the recipes in this book are these: HEALTHFUL, SIMPLE, and TASTY. I will add that EVERY INGREDIENT SHOULD BE AS FRESH, PURE AND ORGANIC AS POSSIBLE. I have another principle that I tell my clients: YOU HAVE TO CHEAT ON MY DIET. Yes, it's absolutely required! Because if life isn't worth living, why bother fighting to be well? So there's Christmas and Easter and your birthday and that special invitation. It's fine to cheat occasionally. The question is, what do you do for 19 out of the 21 meals per week? Hopefully, a lot of what you'll do lies nestled in the pages of Hungry for Health.

It is my sincere hope that this book will help you make a lifetime commitment to healthful eating. As you change over to a predominantly plant-based diet consisting primarily of uncooked whole foods, dont concentrate on what you have to give up; thats negative and disempowering thinking. Rather, focus on what to include. Basically, if you aim to consume 10 servings (think half-cup to fist-size) of fresh fruits and vegetables daily, you wont have a lot of room or time to eat too much of the poor quality foods. In fact, you probably wont even desire them.

Do remember to be kind to yourself. Give yourself permission not to be perfect, for health is not about perfection; it is about balance. Guilt is a useless emotion anyway, and the only thing more dangerous to your health than what youre eating is whats eating you. If youre going to eat something bad, please enjoy the heck out of it and then get back to your health program.

Think of nutritional improvement as rungs on a very tall ladder. The climb should be a gradual process, and once you leave the ground, you should be proud of each additional step you take. Do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed, or you might give up. After all, you want to be in control of your self-help program; you dont want it to control you. Know that you cannot make all of the changes at once, and perhaps some you will never make. So choose your battles, and do not attempt to fight the next one until you have mastered the previous one whether it takes a few days, a few weeks or a few months.

The recipes in this book represent the foods I have been eating almost exclusively for over a quarter of a century. Despite the fact that I still have more rungs to climb, I have three times the energy now that I had when I was one-third my age! Yes, I do cheat occasionally, but I notice that the foods I love dont always love me back. So when friends admire my dietary discipline, I explain that its not so much discipline as it is just dislike for how I feel when I cheat. That is my wish for you a feeling of such vibrant health that once you experience it, you wont want to be without it!

Belgian Endive Boats

3 C raw pecans
16 Deglet Noor dates, pitted
1/4 C lemon juice
20 outer leaves Belgian endive

Wash endive leaves, pat dry and set aside. Process remaining ingredients in processor until finely chopped. Stuff each endive leaf with nut mixture. Chill and serve -- wonderfully filling!

Yield: 20 generous hors d'oeuvre

Father technology has not brought us freedom
from diseasebecause we have been dazzled by
his stepchildren fast foods, fractionated foods, convenience foods, packaged foods, fake foods,
embalmed foods, ersatz foods.

Sally Fallon

Alkaline Broth

1 C celery, diced (2 large stalks)
1 C green beans, diced (1/4 lb)
1 C zucchini, diced (1 small squash)
1 C sweet potato, diced (1/2 small sweet potato or yam)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small onion
1 1/2 quarts water (6 C)

Place all vegetables and water in large pot and bring to boil for 3 minutes. Cover and simmer vegetables for 25-30 minutes. Strain vegetables and discard.

Yield: 6 cups.

NUTRI-NOTE: Drink 1 C of broth twice daily, about 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This broth is heavily laden with minerals and will help eliminate excess acidity.

Alkaline foods are most valuable
for the sick person.

Dr. Bernard Jensen

Arugula Raspberry Salad

6 C baby arugula, rinsed and spun
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C goat cheese, flaked with a fork
1 C fresh raspberries

Place greens on chilled salad plates. Sprinkle goat cheese and walnuts over greens. Top with raspberries. Serve with Berry Dressing (see below).

Yield: 4 servings

"I am food. Head my plea:
I'll ruin you if you ruin me.
If you boil or fry my good away
You're the one that will have to pay!"

Dr. Henry Hudson

Halvah

1 1/2 C almonds
C raw tahini
3 T honey
1 tsp vanilla

In a food processor, process almonds until finely ground. Add the tahini, honey and vanilla and process thoroughly. Press onto a plate until it is 1/2 inch thick. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour or more. Cut into one inch square pieces.

Yield: Approximately 3 dozen pieces

"Whatsoever is the father of disease,
poor diet is the mother."

Chinese proverb