After coming out of the East Coast winter that never seemed to end, I’m excited to see the blossoms blooming, hear birds chirping as I wake up, get back into running and hiking, and lighten up my meals.
As the weather warms up, I find my body craving lighter, more refreshing foods. I love my soups, stews and winter squashes (see you in the fall, butternut!), but the bright colors of springtime foods draw me in!
Today’s salad is a new take on a salad I first tried about two years ago. I swapped out a few ingredients and ended up with a colorful bowl of tart,crunchy, sweet, and citrus-y goodness.
Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer until water runs clear. Fill medium saucepan with 2 cups water and add quinoa and kombu. Bring to a boil then cover with a lid and reduce heat to simmer for 10-12 minutes. Once water is just barely absorbed, remove from heat and leave covered for 5-7 minutes. Remove lid and fluff quinoa with a fork. Spread quinoa on a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool and prevent it from clumping together. This last step is optional but really helps!
Whisk honey, lemon juice, salt and olive oil together in a small jar. Set aside.
Put cooled quinoa in a large bowl and add apples, celery, cranberries, parsley, scallions and chopped almonds. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine evenly. Add more sea salt and pepper to taste.
I was teaching a workshop about Eating for Energy last week at a company, and one of the employees said she would love some creative ideas for how to use cauliflower, so I thought I’d dedicate an entire post to it.
This one is for you, Deb!
For starters, cauliflower is one of the most nutrient-packed yet under appreciated veggies out there. This less colorful cousin of our beloved broccoli happens to be one of the best foods we can eat, yet very few of us eat it!
Cauliflower is one of Dr. Fuhrman’s GBOMBS, which are the most powerful, nutrient-packed, antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, disease-fighting foods on the planet! Most of what we eat on a daily basis are GBOMBS. To learn more about them, click here.
Here are just a few more reasons why you’ll want to add more of this cruciferous vegetable to your life:
Packed with vitamin C and other powerful antioxidants that helps our cells protect and repair themselves from damage, which is essential for optimizing our health
Contains sulforaphane, a compound that has been shown to kill cancer stem cells, thereby slowing tumor growth, AND improve blood pressure
Source of potent anti–inflammatory nutrients. Chronic inflammation (caused by stress, what we eat, lack of movement, etc.) can significantly increase our risk of cancers and other chronic diseases, so we want to do anything we can to reduce inflammation!
Supports our body’s detoxification (“clean up”) process, which is important because we are exposed to so many environmental and dietary toxins on a daily basis
To learn more about the awesomeness of cauliflower, click here or here.
Most of us are familiar with eating raw or steamed cauliflower, but there SO many other ways to use this versatile veggie that taste amazing!
Why not try something a little more exciting? 🙂
You can roast it, make a substitute for mashed potatoes out of it, turn it into a pizza crust, whip up a batch of cauli-fredo fettuccine sauce (don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!), and use it to make soups creamy.
Check out the links below to 10 recipes that will make you fall in love with cauliflower.
I’ve been on a squash kick lately! From roasted butternut squash to creamy kabocha squash soup and even squash “pasta,” winter squash is one of my favorite foods because it’s versatile, delicious and nourishing.
Today we’re going to take a look at a squash that many of us have heard of before but might have been too intimidated to try making ourselves – spaghettisquash!
As someone who loved twirling pasta on my fork as a kid, this is a food that is fun to eat and play with…and it has lots of body-boosting benefits, too!
Winter squash is packed with antioxidants that support our body from the inside out – vitamin A for our skin and eyes, vitamin C for antioxidant protection, fiber for fullness, and folate, a B vitamin that supports our body’s production of mood-boosting neurotransmitters.
For more info about the awesomeness of spaghetti squash, click here.
Now, I’m not going to lie to you and say that it tastes just like spaghetti (because it doesn’t…it’s a bit crunchier and a tad sweeter), BUT it does give you a similar experience and is basic enough to be paired with a variety of sauces – from pesto and marinara to pad Thai.
Check out my video below for the step-by-step instructions for how to prepare spaghetti squash and then buy some for yourself, so you can make one of the recipes below! It’s easier than you think 🙂 If you’re more of a picture person, check out this post I wrote for step-by-step pictures and directions.
I’ve included a recipe below for a winter veggie saute full of GBOMBS like shallots, garlic, dino kale, beans, berries and pumpkin seeds. Here are a few additional spaghetti squash recipes for you to try:
1 large spaghetti squash
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, sliced
1 bunch dino kale (AKA lacinato or Tuscan kale), destemmed and chopped
1/4 cups water
1 15-oz can no-salt added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Slice a line down the length of the spaghetti squash, about a half-inch deep or make several slits round the squash to allow steam to release. It’s usually too hard to cut in half at this point unless you have a really good knife.
3. Put the squash in a 9 x 13 baking dish in the oven for 25 minutes, so it can soften enough to easily cut it in half. Remove squash from the oven and let it cool enough to handle it. Cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
5. Put the squash cut-side down in the baking dish and fill the bottom of the dish with 1/2 cup water. Return squash to oven for about 30 minutes or until the squash easily pulls away from the shell. Let the squash cool and then scrape out the inside into strands with a fork.
6. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté shallots in ghee (or oil) until fragrant, about 4-6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 30-60 seconds. Add spaghetti squash, dino kale and 1/4 cup water and toss until the kale is wilted but bright green. Add beans and toss until heated through then add cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Remove from heat and sprinkle with 1 1⁄2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar.
I’m back from vacation and excited to be in my kitchen again making new recipes to share with you!
I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I had half the day on Saturday to experiment 🙂
Today’s dish came about as I was planning the menu for a cooking class I’m teaching about GBOMBS foods (Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds/Nuts) for a client in DC. If you missed the GBOMBS post, check it out to learn which foods are the best disease-fighting, nutrient-dense foods we can eat.
Aside from being packed with nutrient-rich foods, the other motivation behind this recipe was to make a quick and easy dinner option (on the table in under 30 minutes).
Two of the GBOMBS foods in this meal are onions and mushrooms, two of the most underappreciated plants we eat.
For most of my life, I had no idea just how good these foods were for my body, but I’ve learned a lot about just how amazing they are!
They both contain powerful compounds called angiogenesis inhibitors, compounds designed to prevent the formation of new blood vessels, thereby stopping or slowing the growth or spread of abnormal cells and protecting the body against fat storage.
I didn’t eat onions or mushrooms until a few years ago (I’d deemed them both “gross”), and neither did my husband, Bill. Now, we love them and put onions in just about every savory dish we make.
What I like about this dish is that it’s “semi-homemade,” meaning one of the ingredients is from a can.
BUT, just because it comes from a can doesn’t mean we have to lower our standards when it comes to quality and nutrition! We still make sure we can recognize and pronounce all of the ingredients and that they are real, whole foods.
The star of this dish, a can of lentils from Eden Organic, passes the real food test 🙂
We’ve been using Eden Organic beans for years because they taste great, don’t get mushy at the bottom of the can like other bean brands, and they have no added sodium.
Lentils are packed with fill-you-up fiber and protein, and they keep me feeling full for hours.
Because the lentils are already cooked, this dish can be prepared in about 20 minutes and requires only one pan 🙂 Yay for recipes with minimal clean-up (not my strong suit).
I had leftovers for lunch today in my thermos, and they were delicious! The onions melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil (or other high heat cooking oil)
1 large yellow onion, cut into half moons
1/2 pound cremini (AKA baby bella) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
**100% GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Although all of the other recipes on my site are gluten-free, this can of lentils does contain a small amount of shoyu, which is made with organic wheat. I’ve contacted the company to see if they have plans for a wheat-free option in the future. In the meantime, if you are completely avoiding gluten, follow the box directions for cooking one cup of green lentils and add some basil, garlic and tamari to the dish at step #3 below.**
Directions
Melt 1 tablespoon ghee or oil in a large saute pan set to medium heat. Add onions and saute for 6-8 minutes or until soft.
Add 1 tablespoon ghee or oil, salt and mushrooms. Saute with onions for about 6-8 minutes or until they’ve shrunk in size and softened.
Add can of lentils, including juices, and stir to combine. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and sprinkle in scallions, tossing to combine. Serve hot.
Because winter feels like it is never going to end here on the East Coast, I’ve been in hibernation mode and have been really into soups lately. I thought I would try blending cauliflower in with a soup to make it creamy and delicious without the downsides of dairy, so that’s what brings us to this recipe!
This soup is simple to make and uses basic ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store or farmer’s market.
We used Japanese sweet potatoes, which is why the soup is white instead of orange, but any sweet potato will work.
In an 8-quart stockpot, melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat.
Saute onion, garlic and a 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and cook until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes, rosemary, and vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add the cauliflower and cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to a simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and black pepper. Using an immersion blender or regular blender*, blend until very smooth.
Return soup to pot and whisk in the maple syrup. Add more sea salt and pepper, to taste.
Keep the soup warm over low heat until ready to serve. Top with fresh cracked black pepper and a few lightly toasted pumpkin seeds, if you’d like!
*Note: If using a blender, vent it either by removing the lid’s pop-out center or by lifting one edge of the lid as you blend. Drape the blender jar with a kitchen towel. Blend the soup in batches, filling the jar about 1/3-1/2 for each batch.
Whenever I hear the phrase, “Taste the Rainbow,” I always think of Skittles.
They were one of my favorite candies as a kid, especially the purple and red ones!
Not so fun when you reach a wet hand into a bag of Skittles after an hour of swimming at the pool in the summer though… 🙂
Okay, so this post isn’t exactly about Skittles, but this recipe and the chewy bite size candies do have one thing in common…
They are both very colorful…and look like a rainbow!
I taught a group of a dozen coworkers how to make this kale salad last week and they LOVED it!
In fact, there wasn’t any left for me by the end of the demo – which is a good sign! Here’s what one of my coworkers said about the salad:
“I have a new appreciation for kale. I never eat it but the salad today was so good. I also want to start making my own dressings and that was fabulous.”
See what I mean?? You have to try this salad!
So, what inspired this recipe?
I’m currently going through a certification program to become a Culinary Nutrition Expert, and one of our assignments has been to focus on a particular health condition and come up with recipes and meal plans that would help someone with that issue.
I chose inflammation.
If you’ve ever had any kind of “itis” (dermatitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, colitis, rhinitis, gastritis, arthritis, thyroiditis, etc.), you’ve dealt with inflammation.
Our body is really smart, and it’s naturally designed to protect us from harm.
At its most basic level, inflammation is the body’s response to an attack from a “foreign invader,” such as an injury, infection, bacteria, or virus. It’s designed to help us fight the bad guys, so we can stay healthy.
We want our body to respond with inflammation temporarily when we do something like sprain our ankle or scrape our knee. Inflammation brings a rush of blood, nutrients and fighter white blood cells to the area to start the repair and healing process.
For many of us though, inflammation is driven in part by the food we eat (and don’t eat). Most of the Standard American Diet (abbreviated SAD) is full of pro-inflammatory processed, refined foods loaded with chemicals most of us can’t pronounce and would be more likely to find in a lab than a farmer’s market.
If we can reduce inflammation, we set ourselves up to be much better at preventing or delaying disease and even getting to a healthy weight. Dr. Mark Hyman has written extensively about inflammation and how to reduce it. Click here to learn more from him.
The key dietary recommendation to heal or “cool” inflammation is to consume an unrefined, whole food (ideally organic), high fiber, plant-rich diet, which naturally stabilizes our blood sugar (and energy levels!) – another key to keeping inflammation at bay.
When I was creating this recipe, I focused on making it an anti-inflammatory powerhouse, something that your body would love for you to eat…and that would taste amazing.
Crunchy, creamy, sweet, and the slightest bit salty, this salad has all of the flavors and textures we crave and love.
I’m about to get a little nerdy here, but just go with it 🙂
The healing foods in this recipe contain anti-inflammatory compounds like antioxidants, polyphenols, and flavonoids that not only help us reduce inflammation but also boost our immune system, slow the aging process, sustain our energy, and regulate our weight.
Here are just a few reasons why you’ll want to upgrade your diet and add in this super nourishing salad that’s loaded with immune, beauty and energy-boosting ingredients!
Avocado, hemp seeds, tahini, pumpkin seeds, and extra virgin olive oil are excellent sources of anti-inflammatory fats that are not only good for our body but also for our brain (our brain is 60% fat!).
The sulfur-containing compounds in garlic are also anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting.
Leafy green vegetables like dino kale contain flavanoids and antioxidants that reduce inflammation in the body.
Isothiocyanates (eye-so-thio-CYA-nates), sulfur-containing phytochemicals found in red cabbage, regulate the body’s inflammatory response.
Turmeric contains over two dozen anti-inflammatory compounds, the most powerful of which is the antioxidant curcumin, which gives it its bright yellow color.
Ok, now that you’re super stoked about eating anti-inflammatory foods, here’s the recipe! Bring it to your next potluck or holiday party – it’ll be a hit!
Taste the Rainbow Kale Salad
This is my #1 favorite salad of all time and is always a hit at parties and potlucks. Packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients and full of flavor, this salad will turn any kale hater into a fan in no time!
Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or raw honey)
1 tablespoon tamari ((gluten-free soy sauce))
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
Salad
1 bunch kale (dino kale is best)
1 cup purple cabbage (shredded)
1 cup carrots (shredded)
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 avocado (diced)
1/4 cup hemp seeds (shelled)
1/4 cup goji berries or dried cranberries
Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a bowl OR place them in a blender for 30 seconds until smooth. Taste and make adjustments to dressing, if necessary. Add a few tablespoons of filtered water to thin it out if needed. I like mine thick.
In a large bowl, place kale greens and add dressing. Massage dressing into kale leaves for about 2 minutes (until volume reduces by about 1/3). Add purple cabbage and toss to coat. Let sit for 15-30 minutes, so the dressing can continue breaking down the kale and cabbage.
When ready to serve, add in shredded carrots, pumpkin seeds, avocado, hemp seeds, and goji berries (if using). Toss to combine.
This salad will stay good for about two days in the refrigerator. The heartiness of the kale greens prevents it from wilting like other salads would.
Double this recipe if you’re bringing it to a party!
You can add in any vegetables you like. Try this salad with some diced bell peppers, chopped broccoli, cooked sweet potato cubes or other vegetables. To make more of a complete meal, add in your favorite animal or plant-based proteins (chicken, salmon, lentils, beans, tempeh). Chickpeas or white cannellini beans would pair well with this salad.
I don’t know what it was specifically that fueled my aversion, but unless they were blended together in pizza sauce or in my can of Spaghettios or Beefaroni, I wanted nothing to do with them.
Fortunately, over the years as I’ve opened myself up to foods and giving them a second chance rather than immediately writing them off, I’ve found that I really like tomatoes.
Especiallyheirloom tomatoes.
If you want to learn all about heirloom tomatoes, check out this link by a guy who has an entire website devoted to tomatoes!
An heirloom tomato is an open-pollinated tomato whose seed grows “true to type”—meaning, if you plant Cherokee Purple seed, you’re going to get Cherokee Purple plants. From generation to generation, that seed will stay true. Some heirloom tomatoes have, in fact, stayed within one family and so are heirlooms in the truest sense of the word. Other heirloom tomatoes circulate widely.
Beautiful heirloom tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes also tend to have a thinner skin and are more prone to bruising and puncturing, so it’s important to handle them carefully. Their flavor is second to none, and they come in lots of different colors, so they spruce up the plate!
I made this recipe using heirloom tomatoes for the first time last summer and LOVED it.
If you like to “go downy ocean, hun,” you should plan to stop by Easton’s farmer’s market on your way to or from the beach.
We’ll be making this dish tomorrow night for Meatless Monday. Give it a whirl if you’re looking for something new to try. Enjoy! 🙂
Heirloom Tomatoes & Chickpea Summer Salad
Ingredients
Serves 6
Base
2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch discs (or whatever thickness you like!)
1-2 handfuls of fresh greens or lettuce of your choice
Chickpea Medley
5.5-6 cups cooked (~ 3 15-ounce cans) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed (We like Eden brand!)
5 ounce baby spinach
1.5 cups cilantro, large stems removed (or parsley if you don’t like cilantro or want a milder taste)
3/4 cup red onion, chopped finely
Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon 100% pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt + ground pepper
Arrange the tomato slices on top of the greens and then follow this linkto the full recipe for the medley and dressing from one of my favorite vegan bloggers over at oh she glows (she makes veggies taste fantastic!).
As the weather warms up, I’m always looking for new ideas for light, refreshing, and detoxifying dishes.
Anything from the cabbage family (like the bok choy and red cabbage in this recipe) is cleansing to the body, which is what we want after our winter hibernation! It’s also a cancer-fighting superstar (AKA a GBOMBS food).
Beautiful, crisp, detoxifying bok choy. A true beauty food!
GBOMBS are a group of the most nutrient-dense, disease-fighting, health-promoting foods in the world, foods we should eat a lot of on a daily basis. Check out this post for the full details on GBOMBS and how you can benefit from eating them!
In her book, The Beauty Detox Foods, nutritionist Kimberly Snyder points out tons of other health and beauty benefits of eating cabbage (bok choy and red cabbage both count!):
Anti-aging/great for your skin because it contains vitamins A, C and E
Helps to detoxify or purify the blood (which also contributes to clearer skin and reduced inflammation)
High in fiber so it “keeps things moving” 🙂
Good for the thyroid and other endocrine glands because of its iodine content
Click here to read about even more of the amazing healthy benefits of bok choy in particular.
Now that you’re sold on WHY eating these foods is a good idea, here’s a recipe to try that shows you HOW to use them!
Beauty Detox Bok Choy Salad
Salad Ingredients
2 heads of bok choy, chopped into ½” pieces
3 cups of thin-sliced red cabbage (we run ours through the food processor to shred it quickly and easily)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Dressing
6 tablespoons sesame seeds
4 cloves of garlic, minced
⅔ cup white wine vinegar (I used Bragg’s raw apple cider vinegar, since I didn’t have white wine vinegar)
1/4 cup honey (I use raw honey, but use what you have! If you’re vegan, sub in maple syrup instead)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup tamari (Wheat-free soy sauce available in the Asian aisle of your grocery store. Use whatever soy sauce you have on hand if you don’t have tamari!)
As much as we have complicated what it means to eat healthy, some wonderful people have dedicated their lives to come up with ways to simplify it.
During one of my lectures in nutrition school, I learned a simple acronym from Dr. Joel Fuhrman (#1 New York Times bestselling author and board-certified family physician specializing in nutritional medicine) that has stuck with me ever since.
The acronym represents a group of the most nutrient-dense, disease-fighting, immune-boosting, health-promoting foods in the world, foods we should eat a lot of on a daily basis.
I’m going to get a little nerdy here for a second. I had never heard this information before, and it transformed the way I looked at these foods.
Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels. Tumors (and fat cells) need blood vessels to grow, replicate and spread.
The foods I’m about to share with you contain compounds called angiogenesis inhibitors. These compounds are designed to prevent the formation of new blood vessels, therebystopping or slowing the growth or spread of abnormal cells, like tumors, and protecting the body against fat storage.
The good news? You’re probably already familiar with these foods…but, chances are you aren’t eating enough of them and may not have known just how good for you they are.
Okay, you’ve waited long enough! Ready for the acronym?
Check out my video series on YouTube about each one. This video sums up the gist of why GBOMBS are so good for us, but I also outline that info below 🙂
Let’s break it down.
G = Greens
Sources: spinach, broccoli, cabbage, kale, collard greens, arugula, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, beet greens, red and green leaf lettuce, bok choy…and many others!
Nice to know:Chew them thoroughly (inhaling a salad won’t give you the full effect of the nutrients) to break down the cell walls of these plants in order to release their immune-boosting and anti-cancer effects.
BONUS: Per calorie, leafy green veggies have more nutrients than any other food, and they can be consumed in virtually limitless quantities. If you remember only one thing, remember to eat more leafy greens!
B = Beans
Sources: lentils, kidney beans, black beans, adzuki (aduki) beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, black-eye peas, cannellini beans, navy beans, split peas
Nice to know: It’s super cheap to buy dried beans and cook them yourself. As a time-saving strategy, we usually buy cooked Eden brandbeans because they come in BPA-free cans and are prepared with kombu, which is a seaweed that makes the beans easier to digest. Cooking beans with a thumb-size piece of kombu will reduce their not-so-pleasant gassy effects. “Beans! Beans! Good for your heart, the more you eat…” well, you know the rhyme!
O = Onions
Sources: red, yellow, and white onions, shallots, garlic, scallions, leeks
Nice to know: These give food a TON of flavor, so use them liberally (and bring a toothbrush!)! Just like with greens, the disease-fighting compounds are released when we chop, crush, or chew them, so remember to chew them well.
Nice to know: Raw mushrooms should always be cooked to get rid of the mild toxins they contain. They taste great sauteed, roasted, and mixed into soups, stews and sauces.
Nice to know: Don’t wash them until you are ready to eat them. Store a piece of paper towel in the container with them to reduce moisture and prevent spoilage. We buy a big bag of organic frozen mixed berries at BJs Wholesale Club for under $10! Berries are one of the most contaminated fruits, so it is best to buy them organic.
Nice to know: Buying raw nuts and seeds in bulk can save money. Store nuts and seeds in glass jars in your refrigerator or in a consistently cool, dark place. They contain delicate oils that can go bad (rancid) when left out in warm and/or variable temperatures.
The body is amazing. It’s smart. It was innately designed to resist disease and be immune to viruses and bacteria with proper nutrition.
Upgrade your nutrition by adding in one (or more!) GBOMBS at your next meal.
I’ll be posting some of my favorite GBOMBSrecipes in another post later this week, so stay tuned!
For more details and references to all of the studies that back up this information, check out this link on Dr. Fuhrman’s website. You could also read one of his books –Eat to LiveandSuper Immunity.I’ve read both and learned so much from him. These books (and the testimonials of the people in them) could literally transform your life!
As much as we have complicated what it means to eat healthy, some wonderful people have dedicated their lives to come up with ways to simplify it.
During one of my lectures in nutrition school, I learned a simple acronym from Dr. Joel Fuhrman (#1 New York Times bestselling author and board-certified family physician specializing in nutritional medicine) that has stuck with me ever since.
The acronym represents a group of the most nutrient-dense, disease-fighting, immune-boosting, health-promoting foods in the world, foods we should eat a lot of on a daily basis.
I’m going to get a little nerdy here for a second. I had never heard this information before, and it transformed the way I looked at these foods.
Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels. Tumors (and fat cells) need blood vessels to grow, replicate and spread.
The foods I’m about to share with you contain compounds called angiogenesis inhibitors. These compounds are designed to prevent the formation of new blood vessels, therebystopping or slowing the growth or spread of abnormal cells, like tumors, and protecting the body against fat storage.
The good news? You’re probably already familiar with these foods…but, chances are you aren’t eating enough of them and may not have known just how good for you they are.
Okay, you’ve waited long enough! Ready for the acronym?
Check out my video series on YouTube about each one. This video sums up the gist of why GBOMBS are so good for us, but I also outline that info below 🙂
Let’s break it down.
G = Greens
Sources: spinach, broccoli, cabbage, kale, collard greens, arugula, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, beet greens, red and green leaf lettuce, bok choy…and many others!
Nice to know:Chew them thoroughly (inhaling a salad won’t give you the full effect of the nutrients) to break down the cell walls of these plants in order to release their immune-boosting and anti-cancer effects.
BONUS: Per calorie, leafy green veggies have more nutrients than any other food, and they can be consumed in virtually limitless quantities. If you remember only one thing, remember to eat more leafy greens!
B = Beans
Sources: lentils, kidney beans, black beans, adzuki (aduki) beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, black-eye peas, cannellini beans, navy beans, split peas
Nice to know: It’s super cheap to buy dried beans and cook them yourself. As a time-saving strategy, we usually buy cooked Eden brandbeans because they come in BPA-free cans and are prepared with kombu, which is a seaweed that makes the beans easier to digest. Cooking beans with a thumb-size piece of kombu will reduce their not-so-pleasant gassy effects. “Beans! Beans! Good for your heart, the more you eat…” well, you know the rhyme!
O = Onions
Sources: red, yellow, and white onions, shallots, garlic, scallions, leeks
Nice to know: These give food a TON of flavor, so use them liberally (and bring a toothbrush!)! Just like with greens, the disease-fighting compounds are released when we chop, crush, or chew them, so remember to chew them well.
Nice to know: Raw mushrooms should always be cooked to get rid of the mild toxins they contain. They taste great sauteed, roasted, and mixed into soups, stews and sauces. If you’re particularly interested in the medicinal properties of mushrooms, you might want to take a look at this medicinal mushroom chart.
Nice to know: Don’t wash them until you are ready to eat them. Store a piece of paper towel in the container with them to reduce moisture and prevent spoilage. We buy a big bag of organic frozen mixed berries at BJs Wholesale Club for under $10! Berries are one of the most contaminated fruits, so it is best to buy them organic.
Nice to know: Buying raw nuts and seeds in bulk can save money. Store nuts and seeds in glass jars in your refrigerator or in a consistently cool, dark place. They contain delicate oils that can go bad (rancid) when left out in warm and/or variable temperatures.
The body is amazing. It’s smart. It was innately designed to resist disease and be immune to viruses and bacteria with proper nutrition.
Upgrade your nutrition by adding in one (or more!) GBOMBS at your next meal.
I’ll be posting some of my favorite GBOMBSrecipes in another post later this week, so stay tuned!
For more details and references to all of the studies that back up this information, check out this link on Dr. Fuhrman’s website. You could also read one of his books –Eat to LiveandSuper Immunity.I’ve read both and learned so much from him. These books (and the testimonials of the people in them) could literally transform your life!
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Sources: spinach, broccoli, cabbage, kale, collard greens, arugula, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, beet greens, red and green leaf lettuce, bok choy…and many others!
For more details and references to all of the studies that back up this information,