Walk with me through the needs of a young person moving away from home for the first time.
So say you have landed a job with a steady income, found a safe place near your work or school that you can afford. Furniture is not hard, but what to do about the kitchen?
Preparing your own food for the first time perhaps. Cooking is science, not voodoo. But you must be aware of your nutrition in order to protect your health, so that’s where we will start.
Instead of buying all your favorite snacks, consider your health. Use your new freedom to learn to choose what to eat by:
- Better health. Establish habits that optimize life-long health by avoiding toxins in processed foods.
- Better value. Fresh, whole foods are usually cheaper than processed foods.
- Better food. Fresh foods have fuller flavor than processed foods.
Basic Nutritional Needs
Consider this list of minimum requirements for one person to live a long, healthy life.
A. Clean water.
Why: Your body is 98% water, and replaces cells at an alarming rate. All this takes lots of water to work well.
How much: Drinking six to eight glasses of water each day is proven to improve health. Especially true in hot climates. Filtered water is best. Don’t drink from plastic unless you have no alternative.
Equipment:
- Get a portable water purifier. You will get years of safe, good-tasting water before you need to buy new filters, and you can take it with you camping or traveling.
- Get a safe water bottle (stainless steel without plastic liner) and only drink your own water. (Never leave it unattended.)
Storage: Start collecting gallon-sized glass wine bottles with non-rusted caps. Store three gallons for drinking and cooking, one is for cleaning and bathing. That should be enough for one person for one week, as in a water emergency. Filter as you use it for drinking, cooking and eating.
Preparation: Fill the water purifier ever night when you wash dinner dishes, so there is clean water for tomorrow. Drink (only) water with meals. Have another glass after meals and with breaks during the day to improve your skin, lose weight, and curb food cravings. Always carry a clean, full water bottle when you are out. Whatever the temperature, the water will quench your thirst.
B. 
Leafy greens.
Why: Chlorophyll is a wonder food. This substance that plants make from sunlight has a molecular structure identical to hemoglobin (red blood cells) except for the center atom. This means when we eat leafy greens they repair and replenish red blood cells, boost our energy and increasing our well-being almost instantly. (1)
Leafy greens regenerate our bodies at the molecular and cellular level, cleanse the body, fights infection, help heal wounds, promote the health of the circulatory, digestive, immune, and detoxification systems. Leafy greens stop DNA damage, helps fight the effects of air pollution, remove toxic heavy metals from the body, are strong antioxidants, help reduce inflammation, increase disease-resistance of cells, prevent growth of bacteria, and treat bad breath. The minimum USDA recommendations are 3 cups of dark green vegetables per week.
How Much: One head of romaine or curly leaf a week for three or four salads a week. Its okay to purchase bags of ready-to-eat salad that include the widest varieties of ingredients, so you can learn which you like most.
Equipment:
- Get a salad spinner to wash and dry the lettuce.
- Balsamic vinegar is great on fruit, steamed vegetables and salads and has many health benefits.
- Extra virgin olive oil and grapeseed oil are the only oils you need. Expeller-pressing is the best process.
- Get some Green Bags. They really do keep produce fresh longer, if you “burp” the air out before you tie it shut.
Purchase: Get about one head of lettuce per person per week. Locate a local farmers market or find an organic grocer in your area. Never buy iceberg lettuce, it has the nutritional value of cardboard. Opt instead for darker, curly leaves. Buying a head of lettuce is cheaper than pre-mixed salad, and gives you large leaves for sandwiches and lettuce wraps, too.
Storage: When you get home from the store, re-bag all your loose greens in Green Bags, burp and tie them. Store in the bottom drawers of the refrigerator, away from light. Purchase oils in small bottles and refrigerate. Try not to buy more than you will use in a month, for optimum flavor.
Preparation: Skip the dressings and get a bottle of balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar and some extra-virgin expeller-pressed olive or grapeseed oil. Use the olive oil for potatoes and salads and the grapeseed oil for everything else.
D. Cruciferous Vegetables.
Why: Cruciferous vegetables lower cancer risks, and help the body detoxify. Some cruciferous vegetables contain phytochemicals proven to burn abdominal fat. Some of the most beneficial cruciferous vegetables are broccoli, caulifouwer, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.
The health benefits of these vegetables seem to have been known for some time. Around 234-149 BC, Cato the Elder, a Roman statesman, wrote a treatise on medicine that included the following insight:
“If a cancerous ulcer appears upon the breasts, apply a crushed cabbage leaf and it will make it well.”
If cabbage isn’t your favorite, don’t worry. There are many other cruciferous vegetables out there, and one’s bound to taste good to you. Today these vegetables have been found to combat cancer of the of breast, endometrium, lung, colon, liver, colon and cervix.
- Four half-cup servings of broccoli a week reduce risk of colorectal cancer by 50%.
- Men who eat two or more half-cup servings of broccoli per week are 44% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
- Men aged between 40 and 64 who eat three or more half-cup servings of cruciferous vegetables a week were 41 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer.
- Broccoli fights the spread of cancer cells, even in the later stages. (2)
Cabbage – fights colon cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer, and helps peptic ulcers.
Brussels sprouts – are free radical scavengers, protecting DNA from damage, and improve gastro-intestinal health, reduce appetite and assist in weight loss.
Broccoli - helps the body produce detoxification enzymes, is a strong anti-oxidant. Half a pound of broccoli a week cuts cancer risk in half. Broccoli is good for the eyes and can prevent age-related eye problems.
Cauliflower – eliminates cancer-causing agents from the body.
Kale – also has powerful anti-cancer properties.
Mustard greens – are recommended for women in near menopause, since they stave off breast cancer, and support bone and heart health.
Radishes – are a potent anti-cancer vegetable, useful to manage liver disorders. It increases the flow of bile, improves digestion and helps maintain a healthy gall bladder and liver. Radishes are used as a laxative and digestive. Radish seeds are known to remove blackheads and pimples.
Other cruciferous vegetables: Rutabaga, arugula, daikon, wasabi, watercress, chinese cabbage, horseradish, collard greens, bok choy, kohlrabi, turnips.
Beware – Avoid eating cruciferous vegetables raw. The cruciferous family contains compounds (goitrogens) which interfere with the normal functions of the thyroid gland. (3)
How much: Half a pound per person per week.
Equipment: Steamer insert for a 2- to 4-quart pot.
Storage: Refrigerate all vegetables in Green Bags, tied. Most will last a week or more.
Preparation: Steamed is best.
C. Fruit, Nuts and Seeds.
Why: “An apple a day” is good advice. Apple seeds contain B12, so eat apples “seeds and all”.
Fruit, nuts and seeds are natural snack foods, full of powerful nutrition and energy.
How much: Two pieces of fruit per day and a small handful of nuts and seeds. (You cannot “overeat” fruit, but you CAN eat too much of one kind and make yourself sick.) Watch for best prices on seasonal fruit and buy what’s in season when you can. Nuts and seeds should be kept to a small handful a day.
Equipment: None. This is snack food, use your fingers.
Purchase: Organic fruit from the farmers market will last longest because its fresher. Find a local grocer that sells organic bulk foods for nuts and seeds.
In springtime, google “pick your own fruit” with your zipcode for a fun adventure in the country.
Fruit – Only purchase enough for one or two a day. Organic fruit from the farmers market will keep longest and taste best. Organic foods are grown in better soil and nurtured, so they generally taste better than grocery-store fruit.
Nuts and Seeds - Dry roasted nuts are healthiest without salt, but you can buy salted and go home and sift away most of the salt. Buy nuts and seeds in small quantities because they contain natural oils that will eventually go bad.
Storage: Never refrigerate bananas. Refrigerate oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits to preserve freshness. Refrigerate berries, grapes and peaches in tied green bags. Apples, pears and kiwis don’t need refrigeration. Put nuts and seeds into small glass jars to preserve freshness. Freeze nuts and seeds for longer shelf life.
Preparation:
Fruit – Always rinse fruit before eating by rubbing gently under water. Choose a special place for fresh fruit where you can grab one easily whenever you are home. Eat fresh fruit after dinner instead of dessert. Have a mediteranean picnic - a hunk of cheese, two or three different fruits, some olives and some crusty bread or a hard roll.
Nuts and Seeds – Get in the habit of eating a small handful of nuts and seeds each day. Eat the nuts as a snack and the put the seeds in your salad or use as a topping on meals.
D. Beans.
Why: Packed with power, beans combine with grains to create whole protein.
How Much: Plan to eat beans at least three times a week to get enough protein, more often if you don’t eat meat. Serve about a cup of cooked beans per day per person, of different varieties each day.
Equipment:
- Get a large stainless steel pot that holds about a gallon of water, with a lid that fits, or a large crockpot.
- Get a wire sieve with small holes for washing. Look for one that sits on the rim of the bowl for rinsing and straining.
- Get a box of wide-mouth mason jars for storing dry beans and pre-cooked beans.
Purchase: Lentils, navy beans, black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans and red beans are all good and easy to find. No need to look for organics. Bulk is usually cheaper than bags, but not always.
Storage: Store dry beans in mason jars in a closet away from heat and light. Beans will last years so if you have room, go for it.
Preparation:
Lentils - Lentils require no pre-cooking, and lentil burgers or soup take less than 30 minutes to make. Buy twice as much as other beans, for the convenience. Red lentils are smaller than green, so they cook even faster.
Other beans – Plan to pre-cook each kind of bean you like once a month or so. Prepare, refrigerate and use these just like canned beans.
- Measure two cups of beans into a colander and rinse. Dump them into the crockpot or gallon-size stainless steel pot and cover with six cups of water. (Add some salt-free vegetarian bullion cubes for more flavor.)
- Cover, set heat to highest setting and heat to boiling, about ten minutes.
- Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer about one hour, watching and stirring occasionally to keep from sticking on the bottom.
- When the beans are tender, turn off the heat and pour them into a sieve in a bowl to drain. (The water they are cooked in contains most of the gas.)
- With a coffee cup, scoop them up and put them in quart-size mason jars. Fill the jars with fresh water and cover immediately. The heat of the beans should be enough to make the button on the lid seal. Use a third to half a jar per person per meal. This method should make about two quart jars, that last about two months each.
- Label jars with the kind and date, refrigerate and use the oldest first when you cook.
E. Grains.
Why: Grains are rich in complex carbohydrates, your body’s best energy source for brain, heart and nervous system. Grains supply B vitamins and iron and phytonutrients with health-protective effects, and fiber. Eat only whole grains increases nutritional content. Grain refining removes more than half the fiber almost 3/4 of the nutrition.
A diet rich in whole-grain foods offers lower risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and gastrointestinal troubles.
How Much: The staff of life, adult men require twice the grain women do, but we all need it daily. Women need 3 to 4 servings per day, men need 6 to 8 servings per day. One serving is a slice of bread, 3-4 oz cooked grain, a cup of cereal, or 1/2 cup of rice or pasta.
Equipment: To bake your own bread:
- Get a small bread machine that lets you set the timer and bake later.
- Get a grain grinder to grind your own flour. You can mix grains and grind flax seeds into every loaf.
Purchase:
- If you are making bread: white wheat, red wheat, spelt, quinoa, oats, barley and bulgar.
- If you are not making bread: brown rice, oats, bulgar, quinoa, barley.
Storage: Store bulgar in a jar in the freezer. Store other grains in jars in a closet or refrigerator.
Preparation:
- For Breads: Grind grains in quantities just smaller than what you need, and store extra flour in quart jars. Setup the bread machine to bake so that the bread is ready at the time you wake in the morning. Bake about three loaves a week.
- Other grains:
- Brown rice is made by the dry beans method, in about half an hour you can cook two cups of raw brown rice for three or four meals that week. Serve Brown rice with steamed vegetables or in wraps.
- Use oatmeal in baking.
- Bulgar can be a meat substitute in chili. Add parsley to cooked bulgar for tabouli.
- Quinoa cooks in 10 minutes. Dice fresh vegetables and add to quinoa for a salad that is good cold or hot, and keeps well.
- Add barley to vegetable soups.
F. Eggs.
Why: An egg a day may prevent macular degeneration (blindness) in those over 55. Daily eggs lower risk of cataracts also. Regular consumption of eggs may prevent blood clots, stroke and heart attacks. They help regulate the brain, nervous system and cardivascular system, promote healthy hair and nails. Eating six eggs a week lowers the risk of breast cancer by 44%. And eggs are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D. (4)
How Much: Not more than three at a time, not less than six a week.
Equipment: Stainless steel omelette pan with hollow, stay-cool handle.
Purchase: About a dozen every week or so.
Storage: Refrigerate. Throw out eggs older than three weeks.
G. Sprouts.
Why: Sprouts are one of the most complete and nutritional of all foods that exist. Their nutritional value was discovered by the Chinese thousands of years ago. They are baby plants that work against toxins, resist cell mutation and invigorate the body’s immune system.
Sprouts are Living foods. Even after you harvest them and refrigerate them ,they will continue to grow slowly and their vitamin content will actually increase. Three-day-old broccoli sprouts have exceptionally high amounts of natural cancer-fighters, 20-50times that found in mature broccoli! (5)
Sprouts improve the efficiency of digestion, takes only a few minutes a day and produce a good portion of your daily requirements. The hassles are minor, the costs are low, and the freshness is wonderful.
How Much: Try to make sprouts every three days, a couple tablespoons at a time. This way you can have more than one variety ready to harvest. Grow three days to a week before harvesting.
Equipment: A mason jar and some cheese cloth.
Purchase: Buy only organic sprouting seeds. Here are two sources online: (6) http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search/search.php?keywords=sprouting%20seeds; (7) http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/
Storage: Refrigerate after sprouting.
Preparation: Place two tablespoons of seed in a mason jar, cover the seeds with water. Put the cheesecloth over the jar and cover with the lid ring, leaving the cheesecloth trapped in the center, so the seeds can get fresh air. Put the jar in a dark closet. Drain and rinse morning and evening. Once the sprouts have tails as long as the seed, put the jar in the window to green. After three days or more, harvest and refrigerate.
Top salads with them, use them on sandwiches, in soups, or smoothies.
You can also purchase powdered wheatgrass in health stores.
H. Fish.
Why: Some fish contain omega-3 fatty acids that fight heart disease.
Choose tuna, rainbow trout, anchovies, salmon, herring, redfish, Baltic herring, halibut, whitefish, mussels, perch, pike.
Beware: Avoid tilapia, catfish and large fish. Eat tuna no more than once a month.
How Much: Adult should eat two servings of omega-3-rich fish a week. A serving is about the size of a deck of cards. Pregnant women and children under 12 should limit fish because of the danger of toxins in fish.
Equipment: Stainless steel sheet pan (that fits your oven)
Purchase: Frozen or fresh fish already filleted, 6 to 8 oz per person per week.
Storage: Keep frozen fish frozen, refrigerate fresh fish. Always keep tightly wrapped.
Preparation: Bake fish in aluminum foil packets for 15 to 20 minutes. Coat salmon, herring, trout or smelts in ground walnuts, add a little walnut oil, lemon juice and vegetables. Seal the ends and top into an envelope and bake.
I. Other Vegetables.
Why: Balance your vegetable intake between the orange/red and green varieties. The more colourful your choice, the healthier it usually is.
As an easy rule, the darker and brighter the colour of the vegetable the more vitamins, minerals and fibre they usually contain. For example, spinach contains more nutrients than lettuce.
Make sure you balance the more starchy vegetables like corn, butternut squash, pumpkin, peas, root vegetables and sweet potatoes with less starchy vegetables like green beans, spinach, broccoli and cauliflower. (8)
How Much: A handful is usually a serving of anything. Try to include in at least one meal a day.
Equipment: Steamer and two or three-quart pot with lid, preferably glass with glass lid. (Visions)
Purchase: Buy vegetables one at a time to learn what you like. Try new varieties. Produce is season has the lowest prices.
Storage: Store vegetables in tied green bags in the bottom of the fridge.
Preparation: Fast steam or slow roast, stew or soup. (Cook only until tender.) Slice fresh vegetables for sandwich toppers.
Fast or slow:
Slowly baking root vegetables brings out a wonderful sweet flavor. Although a bit time consuming, requiring 40 to 60 minutes in the oven, there is very little hands-on prep time, except for chopping. They also make nice additions to stews and can be added for the last 20 minutes or so of cooking time. For faster preparation, chop root vegetables in small chunks and steam or microwave for 10 to 12 minutes. These can be served on their own or added to a ready-made soup for extra nutrients. Many of these root vegetables can also be sliced or grated and added to a salad. Or simply slice them to serve with a low fat dip.
Delicious:
Traditionally, many cooks serve root vegetables doused in butter or swimming in rich cream sauces. Fortunately, these vegetables also taste great when they are prepared more healthfully, for example stir-fried or baked. Simply toss with a touch of olive oil and add a fresh or dried herb of your choice (dill and thyme are favorites). A splash of orange or lemon juice or flavored vinegar adds a refreshing note when vegetable are steamed or microwaved. Another option is to play up their sweetness by roasting with some dried fruit or spooning reduced-sugar orange marmalade or other jam onto the cooked vegetables. (http://www.elements4health.com/4-good-reasons-to-include-more-root-vegetables-in-your-diet.html)
Conclusions.
The benefits of this diet are many, including the money you will save and the health you will enjoy. This article is a foundation article to the recipes and methods taught elsewhere on this website. Please use this reference as you determine your menu each week.
______
References:
- : http://beyourowndoctornow.blogspot.com/2009/07/benefits-of-chlorophyll.html)
- http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/08/10/the-remarkable-anti-toxin-cancer-fighting-power-of-cruciferous-vegetables.htm
- http://www.tandurust.com/health-research-and-news/cruciferous-vegetables-for-cancer.html
- http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-eggs.html
- http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sprouts.htm
- http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search/search.php?keywords=sprouting%20seeds;
- http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/
- http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/focus/nutrition/facts/oxidative_stress/fruitvegetables.htm