Vegetable goulash video and recipe

Get ready for some cold weather with a large batch of goulash. You can keep this in the refrigerator and reheat it on a busy day.  The flavors keep improving as it waits in the refrigerator for you to enjoy again and again.

Add, subtract or replace any of the vegetables in this recipe to suit your tastes or availability of foods.

Vegetable Goulash
12-16 oz rotini or macaroni noodles
2 quarts or about 64oz or more of tomatoes - whole crushed, stewed or sauce
8oz tomato paste (omit if you use tomato sauce instead of whole tomatoes)
12oz mushrooms
16 oz cooked beans - yellow eye, northern or black
2 sweet onions chopped in bite sized pieces
5-8 garlic cloves - minced
2 cups fresh or frozen greens - spinach, collards, kale, chard or bok choy
5 large carrots - cut in 1/2" pieces or smaller
5 stalks celery cut in bite sized pieces
1 large green pepper in bite sized pieces
2 cups fresh or frozen green beans - chopped
1 tsp chili powder
2 T nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
3 T fresh or 2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne or adjust to taste
1 tsp unrefined salt

When sauteing vegetables
garlic powder
onion powder
Braggs liquid Aminos
Salt and pepper

Boil noodles according to package instructions.  Using a large stock pot, simmer tomatoes, tomato paste, greens, yeast flakes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne and salt until heated through.  In a saute pan with 1-2 cups water, cook onions, carrots, celery and garlic until tender crisp.  Using a lid may help retain heat and cook the vegetables more quickly.  Add green pepper, green beans, mushrooms and yellow eye beans and saute until mushrooms begin to cook.  Make additions of garlic and onion powders, liquid aminos, salt and pepper to taste.  Combine vegetables and sauce, pour over drained noodles, stir and eat!  Store in refrigerator up to one week.

Why everyone needs to eat more cruciferous greens

   "It has been estimated that by making modifications in the diet, more than two-thirds of human cancers could be prevented."  

Carcinogenesis vol. 28, no. 2 pp. 233-239, 2007 @ www.carcin.oxfordjournals.org

Green vegetables are the new super food!  Did you know that cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, kale, broccoli, bok choy, collards, Asian greens) have the most healing and cancer fighting properties of all the vegetables?  Spinach (which is not cruciferous) is another necessary green food of which we should all be eating more.  There are certainly other vegetables as well as powerful disease fighting herbs that do the same thing, but this topic is about greens.  Not only do greens fight cancer, but they can give our bodies the necessary nutrition to heal from many diseases when combined with a plant based diet.

What do greens do for our health?

• Sufficient nutrition - protein, calcium, fiber, minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, amino acids, phytosterols
• Health promoting and immune boosting lactobacillus bacteria for good gut flora (when eaten raw or fermented)
• Directly and indirectly influence most, if not all of the various mechanisms of apoptosis (cell suicide of cancer cells).  "Additionally, many of these dietary agents appear to exhibit some degree of specificity for neoplastic cells while sparing normal cells." (Carcinogenesis vol. 28 no. 2 pp. 233-239, 2007 Oxford Journals)
• Induction of apoptosis in lung tissue (Carcinogenesis vol. 28.)
• Detoxification of the liver through phase II (toxin conjugation system, assisting in  the elimination of toxins from the body) specifically when consuming broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. (Vol. 3 No. 3 JANA pg.21)
• Cancer inhibition via the carotenoids in greens.

Check out this great video by Sergei Boutenko who has a fantastic story of his family's restored health through "green smoothies".  Sergei uses a Vitamix to blend a large quantity of raw vegetables to make the nutritive values more absorbable and easier to consume.  Healing greens are the base component of all his smoothies.

So get out to your grocery store and pick up some green vegetables that you have never tried before.  Mix them in a salad, steam them, juice them or blend them in a Vitamix and start your journey toward health!  Eat from the cruciferous family everyday.

Did you know that the cruciferous family of vegetables emerges from the ground as a seedling with two heart shaped leaves?  Cruiciferous is so named because the blossoms of the plant have four CROSS shaped petals.  Maybe God created them that way to give us a clue about what to eat.

Transitioning from the SAD diet to vegan diet

SAD, if you don't already know, is the acronym for Standard American Diet.  America doesn't have to take all the blame for the diseases of the rich.  Kings, Queens and Pharaohs of ages past have suffered chronic diseases from their rich diets.  Remember the Biblical account of Daniel when he and his friends chose to eat vegetables and water instead of the king's rich food?  After just ten days, they were found to be better in appearance than the other youth who were fed the king's food.  After three years, Daniel and the young men from Israel were found to be ten times better (than all the other youth) in wisdom and understanding (Dan. 1:20).

If you are making a transition to a vegetable based diet, I have to warn you that you may feel worse at first.  My experience was not too bad.  My allergic reaction to processed foods was much more uncomfortable to me than making the transition to a vegan diet; so, the effects of the whole plant-foods on my digestive tract were easy for me.

Gas  One of the most inconvenient reactions was the gas and bowel cleansing effects of the fresh and raw vegetables.  Again, this was more tolerable compared to the discomfort that I had from eating processed foods.  I had gas from processed foods, too, which was extremely painful and foul.  If bloating and gas is a problem for you in your transition, don't be concerned.  This reaction will settle down in a couple of days.  Fresh vegetables have living organisms (probiotic) that help your GI tract.  The new probiotics will wage war with the disease causing bad bacteria in your gut.  Gas is a natural consequence.  Consider it a detoxification reaction.  The increased fiber content of the vegetables are great pre-biotics (helping the good bacteria thrive) and offering a remedy to your sluggish digestion!  Bowels should move after every meal to prevent colon cancer, skin problems, and immune compromise.  Try a vegetable ferment or water kefir (fermented beverage - see link http://restoringhealththroughnutrition.blogspot.com/2012/10/vegetable-ferments-and-probiotics_27.html) to increase the probiotic benefits and relieve bloating.

One cause of bloating that is easy to do on a plant based diet is to combine vegetables with fruit in the same meal.  Leafy greens do not count.  Greens such as spinach or lettuces can be combined with berries or other fruits in smoothies or salads without causing gas.  However, when vegetables - for example: broccoli, green beans or asparagus - are combined with fruit, the sugar in the fruit is digested more quickly than the vegetables and fermentation begins to take place in the gut which produces a lot of "wind".

Insatiable Hunger  If you have been eating lots of restaurant or ready to eat processed foods, you have been consuming hidden MSG.  These additives are called glutamate (an amino acid used in high concentration to stimulate pleasure and overeating).  There is a period of detoxification that takes place when you stop eating glutamate.  The pleasure center of your brain has been desensitized, requiring more food to satisfy you.  For a few days, there will be times of intense hunger that will make you want the foods that have made you sick.  I encourage you to be prepared and not caught off guard for this 3-5 day period.  There is no reason to limit eating of healthy and nutritious foods.  The detox effect or toxic hunger is not real hunger.  There may be very little that you can do to relieve it even when you eat.  Dr. Fuhrman states in Disease Proof Your Kids , "Continual eating stops the discomfort, just like frequent coffee drinking stops the headaches from caffeine withdrawal."  If you eat continually to stop the hunger, the detoxing process will stop, too.  I suggest that you resolve and embrace the hunger feeling and believe that you will come out on the other side of the experience with a big WIN!

•  Eat lots of whole food starches: potatoes, corn, rice, squash, sweet potato, oatmeal, or cornmeal at your main meals.  Have them cooked and ready to have for between-meal-snacks until you have worked through the transition.
• Drink plenty of water to flush your system.
• Get some exercise.
• Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables so that you don't experience real hunger along with the toxic hunger.  This will ensure that your body is learning to respond positively to real nutrition. 
• Limit or omit sugar and caffeine.  Both will stimulate hunger and cravings.
• Fuhrman in his Disease Proof book listed the symptoms of toxic hunger: headaches, fatigue, nausea, weakness, mental confusion, abdominal and esophageal spasm, fluttering and cramping.
• High fructose corn syrup really gets the hunger going.  Get it out of your house.  You will find it in condiments, dressings, yogurt, breads, pop, granola bars and so many more things.  Read labels!

Food Cravings  Again, the processed foods will have a hold on you for several days.  Eating those foods just to satisfy the craving will only prolong your transition.  Get informed about flavor enhancing additives in foods and learn to read the ingredients labels.  For a detailed explanation of the "drugging" of our food, go to my blog post on food additives - http://restoringhealththroughnutrition.blogspot.com/2012/11/food-additive-that-causes-mental-fog.html  

If you are having a craving or feeling weak try the following distractions:

• Listen to an online lecture by one of the doctors who promote nutrition and vegetable based diets.
• Find a healthy recipe that will help to replace the food you crave.  Try www.drmcdougall.com for recipes.
• Talk to your support person or mentor for some encouragement.  If you are the only member of the family making this transition, it will be difficult but you can do it.  Look for a vegetarian society in your area or just start asking around for help - odds are high that someone you know will know a vegetarian.
• The Vegetarian Society of Hawaii posts videos on YouTube.  Watch one of their meetings online for encouragement.      http://www.youtube.com/user/vshvideo?feature=results_main
• Purchase or borrow some good books on nutrition as a distraction and motivator.  Some examples are Eat To Live, Dr. Fuhrman; The China study, T. Collin Campbell; or Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.
• Anticipate a time when you will learn to recognize true hunger - felt in the throat like thirst.  According to Dr. Fuhrman, "True hunger is a subtle sensation, and when you feel it, almost any food tastes good and satisfies you."  This is also a physiological time because the digestive juices have been replenished and are ready to receive food again.
• If you are spiritually fed, well nourished physically and have had your exercise, you have done well for the day.  Keep it up!
• Don't go hungry!  Just eat something that is good for you instead of the foods from which you are trying to break away.

 

Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, Sugar - Physically Addictive  Dr. Neal Barnard, MD

How to get protein from plants

It is possible to get plenty of the protein necessary to sustain life from plants.  Among all of the nutrients found in plant foods, protein is found to have an adequate concentration in a broad spectrum of sources from beans, nuts and seeds to leafy greens.  In fact, even a banana has some protein in it! 

Before exploring the sources of protein in a plant based diet, first ask this question:  "Why do I feel concerned about getting enough protein?"

The answer is: Because our country  has imposed the idea of protein as the perfect food for humans.  Watch this video to see why the emphasis on protein could be misdirected.

I don't agree with Dr. McDougall's views of human origin - primate to man evolution.  God created all things and through Him all things exist.  I can be a big girl, though, and listen to McDougall's understanding of the human body's need for energy.  My personal experience with changing to a plant based diet is that starches and lots of fiber are necessary for my physical energy and help to keep me feeling satisfied between meals.  

Can a person regain health on a starch based diet?  There are several testimonials on Dr. McDougall's website claiming restoration of health.  It is important to emphasize, however, that starch is the bulk of calorie intake while additional fruits and vegetables provide the necessary plant nutrients that fight cancer and disease.

Practical application of this information

• Keep plenty of starch foods in your refrigerator, ready to eat, such as cooked brown rice, roasted or boiled potatoes, cooked squash, baked or boiled sweet potatoes and cooked beans.
• When you feel hungry between meals, snack on starch and vegetable combinations.
• Make sure that main dishes have a starch addition (For example a vegetable soup with potato, corn or rice).
• Be cautious!  Additions of fat and oil to your diet can cause disease.  (yes, that means potato chips)

Dr. Joel Fuhrman is a medical doctor with a great message on nutritional density.  I have read his book, Disease-Proof Your Child; Feeding Kids Right.  It is an excellent resource of information for young married couples as it instructs much needed nutrition beginning two years prior to pregnancy of the mother.  His book shows how essential a child's diet from prenatal to 10 years can be to his or her long term health - preventing cancer, allergy, and many chronic diseases.

Watch this short video explaining nutrient density.  There will be a great slide showing the most nutritiously dense food.  Guess what it is.

KALE.  It's the new beef.

Vegetable ferments and Probiotics

Before I share the links, let me add a couple more important bits of information!

1. Never use city tap water (chlorinated or fluoridated) in your ferments or kefir.  Chlorine kills bacteria.  Chlorine doesn't choose between good and bad bacteria, it just kills it all!  Use bottled water.  Filters do not remove chlorine or fluoride, so just leave that stuff in the tap.  If you have a well, you should be fine to use water from the tap.
2. If you want to keep good gut flora in your body, refrain from drinking chlorinated water or cooking with it.  
3. Do not use salt that has iodine.  This will also inhibit the fermentation.
4. Use organic vegetables as often as they are available to you.  Not only are they free from harmful toxins and pesticides, they also have the good microorganisms that grow naturally in the vegetables.
5. The basic brine recipe for veggie ferments again:  1 TB salt to 1 quart water.  Cover with air tight lid and ferment at room temperature for 3 days.  It is okay to open and check the progress daily.

Here is a good link for a list of common mistakes made when fermenting vegetables.

http://www.foodrenegade.com/3-biggest-fermenting-mistakes-youre-already-making/

This website has great information on different strains of good bacteria, what foods they are found in and what they do for your body.  This particular strain is amazing!  L. rhamnosus is a strain that survives the stomach acids, goes to the digestive tract and fights bacteria that cause kidney and urinary illness.

http://www.probiotic.org/lactobacillus-rhamnosus.htm

Here is the recipe for Beet Kvass that I will try next time.

http://nourishedkitchen.com/beet-kvass-recipe/

This is the video explanation that you MUST watch!  You will understand why a healthy gut is so important to your mind and body.

This is where I purchased my water kefir grains (through Amazon)

http://www.keysands.com/

Another non-dairy beverage that provides probiotic help is Kombucha tea.  You can find it raw and bottled at the healthfood store.  If you make it at home, you have to purchase a starter "mushroom" or get some from a friend.  The recipe for kombucha is just tea, sugar and water with some finished kombucha as a starter with the "mushroom" which grows on top as it ferments.  I used to make it at home and it is delicious.  It also requires upkeep, so I will stick to my water kefir for now.

Last, Dr. Mercola has a wealth of information on his website.  He sells a probiotic product that is really potent.  It has all the strains of good bacteria that I would be looking for to boost my immune system should I fall prey to some chronic disease.  His video is quite informative.

http://probiotics.mercola.com/probiotics.html

Update on the beet Kvass
I am very excited about the kvass that I had tasted after three days of fermentation.  It is absolutely delicious!  Taken 4oz morning and evening, it should provide lacto probiotics.  It also aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver and dissolves kidney stones.  The recipe was from the book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Foods.  I would highly recommend it as a resource of information for anyone wanting to ferment food for health. 

These are a few of my favorite links....

Dr. McDougall has written several books.  I would like to own all his books and the books of many other doctors who have broken the secret of healing through dietary intervention. The internet is an amazing tool to get the information and encouragement needed to transition from the Standard American Diet to a vegetable based diet.  McDougall did a study, 30 years ago, on treatment of breast cancer through nutrition.  His website has some video testimonies at the top tab called "star mcdougallers".  He also has a free diet plan available with lots of recipes, if you are a recipe sort-of-person.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/  Be sure to check out his lectures at the bottom left side of the home page.  His wife, Mary, has made many recipes available for free on this site as well!  http://www.drmcdougall.com/newsletter/recipeindex.html

Check out this story from his site.

I have read the book by Esselstyn, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, which he mentions.  It is very good, has lots of recipes and comes from a cardiologists lifetime experience.  The movie, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" is also a good eye opener.

For some interesting recipes, I like Elana's Pantry.  I think that I use the recipe for Almond Crackers the most often in my house.
http://www.elanaspantry.com/vegan-almond-pulp-crackers/

The iHealthTube channel on YouTube is a great source of interesting, short video interviews with doctors, nutritionists, and more.  Some of the videos are very helpful.  It is possible to search the channel by topic.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ihealthtube?feature=results_main

The Gerson Therapy is something that we learned about while Adam was healing from his cancer surgery.  The concept of eating food that heals kindled a desire to increase vegetables in our diet.  We began juicing vegetables as a method to prevent cancer from returning.  This Gerson website offers information for anyone looking for an alternative to standard cancer treatments.  Since I like videos, I am glad to say that there are testimonies here as well!
http://gerson.org/gerpress/the-gerson-therapy/
There are three movies that site this therapy:  The Gerson Miracle, The Beautiful Truth and Dying To Have Known.  You can watch most or all of them on YouTube.  Gerson Therapy would be my choice of cancer treatment should I ever have to face such a diagnosis.  With my change in dietary habits, I think that the chances of having cancer are very slim.  If I develop cancer, you can know that I will accept it as an assignment from God.

Inspirational people and their websites

Dr. John McDougall
http://www.drmcdougall.com/

Dr. Pam Popper - Wellness Forum
http://www.wellnessforum.com/

Joel Fuhrman
www.drfuhrman.com

Dr. Neil Barnard
http://pcrm.org/

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
http://www.heartattackproof.com/

Dr. T. Collin Campbell
http://www.tcolincampbell.org/

Dr. Mercola
http://www.drmercola.com/

Dr. John Clark
http://www.amazinghealthadventure.com/
http://www.rev14.com/

veggie stuffed delicata squash and salad

Here was a satisfying lunch.  When I cook, I like to create something on my own or use a recipe that I can "tweak" to fit my own tastes.  I also have a personal motto, "Keep it simple, stupid!"  If a recipe calls for too many ingredients, discouragement sets in and I tend to avoid it.  This yummy squash was waiting on my counter for a day when I had time to bake it.  My husband and I each had a whole squash on our plates but I could only eat half because it was so filling.  Regarding the salad, my personal motto still applies.  I can't seem to find a dressing I like.  Processed dressings are often made with hidden MSG, balsamic vinegar is too strong and blended cashews in creamed dressing recipes make me wish I had whole cashews instead.  I like my salad with little or no dressing, so I use fruit or olives to "dress" it up.  It's simple, and delicious.

Veggie stuffed delicata squash
2 delicata squash (acorn or butternut would work as substitute)
2-3 cups shredded cabbage
1 onion slivered
4 garlic cloves crushed and minced
1 tspdried parsley
1 T nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp coriander
salt & pepper to taste

Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and bake - cut side down- on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.  Test to see if it is done by inserting a fork through the skin.  If it is done, it should be very soft.

Prepare the veggie stuffing 10 minutes before the squash is done.  Saute cabbage, onion and garlic in a hot skillet with 1/4 cup of water until vegetables wilt.  Cook to desired tenderness, adding seasonings and making additions of water as needed. 

Turn cooked squash over and stuff with veggies.  

Simple Salad
1 small organic romaine heart
2 hands full of fresh organic spinach
2/3 c organic grapes

Tear romaine into desired sized pieces, toss with spinach and top with grapes.  Eat.

Whole grain bread baking tips and "hidden MSG"

Why do people prefer white bread and junk food? 

Discover the hidden food drug in your bread!

There are a few tricks that I have learned from trial and error when it comes to making whole grain bread.  I will give you a list at the bottom of this post as well as a link to another interesting subject that was a huge discovery in my health journey.  Bread has not always been a tolerable food for me.  In fact, when I was completely gluten free for a couple of years, I was just beginning to feel a little better (digestively speaking) than I had in the past decade. . . but I gained weight on gluten-free foods. I was replacing gluten grains with dairy and meat instead of eating a plant based diet.

The discovery in my health journey was hidden MSG.  When I bought bread at the store or used all purpose flour at home to make my own bread, there were additives in the bread and flour that gave me heartburn.  I never dreamed that I would need to read the ingredients label of all purpose flour to make sure that it just contained wheat!  It turns out that 'malted barley flour', commonly added to all purpose flour, is a glutamic acid (MSG is mono-sodium-glutamate and the glutamate part of MSG is the problem).  Anything high in glutamate has been nicknamed "hidden MSG"

Why is glutamate added to foods, you may ask?  Because they enhance flavor, working as a toxin to the nervous system and exciting the brain to believe the food being eaten is the best you have ever tasted.  The toxic part of the experience comes in when the nerve cells are over stimulated, triggersing the cell suicide mechanism.  Nerve cells die when we eat glutamate and we become addicted to glutamic acid, causing cravings.  This makes glutamate a food drug.

    

 It is not your fault that you can't stop eating the whole loaf of bread.  The glutamate added to foods stimulate hunger, trigger the rapid hand to mouth overeating motion, and manifest the unsatisfied need to stuff yourself to the point of discomfort.  Glutamate are absorbed by the tissues of the mouth, lining of the esophagus, and throughout the GI tract.  Dr Russell Blaylock MD has written a book on the subject of glutamate in food, Excitotoxins The Taste That Kills, linking them to serious neurological diseases such as stroke, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, MS, ADHD, autism and even cancer.  Artificial sweeteners fall into the same category as glutamate since they work along the nerve pathway and do the same damage to the cells.

What foods have glutamate added to them?  Everything that is processed or sold in a restaurant.  Salad dressings, baked goods, baby food, baby formula, cold cereals, instant oatmeal, all-purpose flour, dairy products, ground meats, cured meats, package foods that are ready to eat, bad potato chips and healthy potato chips, spice mixes, french fries, coffee beverages, tea beverages, foods with ingredients labeled "spices" or "natural flavor", shampoo, lotion, toothpaste and if I haven't named it, put it here _____________.  This is exactly why the whole foods movement is taking off.  People are getting sick and they are finding that they feel better when they use simple ingredients and make their meals at home.  In Debby Anglesey's book, Battling the MSG Myth, she states the following, "The amount of MSG added to our processed food has doubled each decade since the 1940's".  There are currently no limits on the amount of MSG that can be added to foods in our country.  The FDA allows additives that are high in glutamate to be put in foods and labeled "No MSG"- because it is not the mono-sodium variety of glutamic acid.

What foods do NOT contain MSG?  What is left to eat?  There are plenty of great foods out there, many that you may have not discovered yet.  Whole foods that are sold just as they were grown - such as whole grains, whole grain flours, beans, fresh or frozen vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruit.  I plan to put up some videos with food preparations and some links to good recipe websites.  Hopefully, you can be encouraged to eat a truly healthy diet and get rid of disease in your life.  To start the journey, you need to begin to read labels - ingredient labels.  You also need to print off the "Hidden MSG" brouchure from the truth in labeling website.  Get familiar with the names of hidden MSG.  The food industry is continually trying to hide it in their products, so you have to visit the website often to check for updates.

Here are the links for more information on MSG:

http://www.truthinlabeling.com/

http://www.russellblaylockmd.com/

http://www.msgmyth.com/

This brochure gives a fairly complete list of FDA approved ingredient names for glutamic acid

http://www.truthinlabeling.com/brochure_ad.pdf

Whole grain bread baking tips - in order of preparation

Baking with whole grains can be tricky.  Buy flour that has no additives and is made from the whole grain.  Don't buy all-purpose flour with malted barley flour added.  Malted barley flour is naturally high in glutamic acid (hidden MSG).  Though your baked goods will be light and fluffy, you will be triggering your brain to overeat.  Follow the preparation directions below with your favorite bread recipe and let me know if it helps!

1. Start your recipe with the water.  Begin by adding the sugar (or honey) and salt to the water, soften the yeast by sprinkling it on top and allow it to "bloom" for 10 minutes.
2. Add oil after the yeast blooms.  Gently stir in the oil.  If you want to make your bread oil free, you can replace oil with applesauce!
3. Add only half of the flour for which your recipe instructs.  Stir it in and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.  Make sure that you have a large bowl because the yeast will begin to multiply and the gluten in the wheat will expand.  I have had a few counter top episodes with bubbling dough. 
4. Stir in the remaining measure of flour, making additions of ground flax seed or other grains at this time.
5. Knead, making additions of flour to incorporate all of the wet dough.  This should only take a minute or two.  You will know that you have added enough flour when the dough is too firm to flatten out when you stop kneading the bread for a few seconds.
6. Let your dough rise for 45 minutes.  Remove it from the bowl to gently knead again.  If there are any sticky areas in the dough, lightly dust with flour and knead 4-5 turns to mix it in.
7. Let your dough rise 30 minutes more before shaping into loaves.
8. Allow your loaves to rise until they are 2-3 inches above the height of the pan before baking.
9. Bake bread at 375 for 13 minutes, then lay a sheet of foil over the tops of loaves to prevent burning and bake an additional 13 minutes.

My health story

Depression, intestinal problems, indigestion, heartburn, sinus allergies, constipation, and declining energy have marked my life since I was a young adult.  Through my faith in God and my continued relationship with Him , I found the answer to my physical problems.  One day, as I went to Him in prayer, I asked God to show me what I must do in order to be well.  Asking for healing was enough, but I also knew that God wanted me to play some role  in getting well. He spoke to my heart and told me to eat an alkaline diet.  I went straight to the Internet because I had no idea what He meant.  After some searching, I found that there were two ways to interpret this message.  I could eat foods that were alkaline before digestion or I could eat foods that become alkaline after digestion.  I went with the latter of the two choices.  Vegetables, fruits, white chicken breast and fish were my foods (no dairy, grains or sugar).  After three days, my head cleared (improved cognition), I had energy, my bowels moved well, and my heartburn was controllable with medication.  I slowly added new foods to target what was causing my problems.  It was grains with gluten - so I thought.  My changed diet began in 2009.  In 2011, my husband was diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer.  You can follow our journey on his blog link "Pole Barn thoughts" pastorwolfgang.blogspot.com starting 1-25-11.  

After his surgery in July of 2011, he began to explore alternative treatment for health through a nutritional approach.  He started with the movie, Forks Over Knives.  We began to search lectures by Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. McDougall, Charlotte Gerson, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and others who sited studies and testimonials of people who had recaptured their health by turning to a vegan diet.  I started pouring myself into any medical journals or publications which were referenced by these people as well.  Dr. Blaylock opened my eyes to the nerve toxic glutamates that are added to foods to enhance flavor and cause food addictions.  I read, and still refer to, a published paper which referenced several studies linking plant nutrients to prevention of cancer and secondary cancer after chemo and radiation.  

The link is http://www.russellblaylockmd.com/ and the paper is under "published articles", JANA - Nutrition and Cancer, then scroll to page 17.  It has been a guide for helping my husband recover from the toxic treatments  he received before and after surgery.

We have been completely vegan since February 20, 2012.  I have experienced the following benefits: stopped taking anti-acids and all OTC medicine except for aspirin (should I ever need it), lowered my cholesterol, no more sinus allergies which require prescription or OTC medicine, lost 20 pounds, and have lots of energy.  I even have noticed that my vision is improved with the exception of needing my glasses to read.  My knees and hips don't hurt and my hands don't fall asleep in the night anymore. This is God's work in my physical life.  He has used our illnesses to turn our hearts away from following our stomachs.  Giving up the Standard American Diet (SAD) was not easy at first.  When I finally surrendered my beloved dairy, I threw my arms up in disgust!  However, surrendering all animal products was exactly what I needed to do in order to discover the healing that God had in store for me.  I am not sorry to give up something that I used to love because I know that God wants what is best for me.  This is the same surrender that believers must make when they repent from their life of sin and disobedience toward God.  We must surrender the desire to be the ruler of our own lives in order to experience the freedom we can have under the King of Kings!  

I want to be able to serve Him without holding back, without shortening my life on earth in order that I can spend my life for Him.  I believe that I was headed for a complete health meltdown with artery disease, weakened immunity and possibly ending with cancer.  Not anymore.  I eat better than I have ever eaten, and I can even include whole grains in my diet.  We are still learning and perfecting what we eat; but God knows we will eat what He provides and we will listen for His instructions.

Vegetable Stir-Fry, Rice Noodles video...

Vegetable Stir-fry with Rice Noodles

Frozen broccoli (gallon sized freezer bag full)
2 large sweet onions
6-7 cloves garlic
1 bag (6.5 oz) Maifun Rice Stick noodles
Braggs Liquid Aminos or choice of soy sauce
Dark sesame oil

optional:
8 oz mushrooms
organic coconut oil
Crushed sesame seeds
Ginger root