High Fiber-Low Cholesterol-Low Fat Quick and Relatively Healthy Eating
For any item on this entire sheet that you are unfamiliar with, say to an employee in the natural food store "Please find for me...." these things.
Breakfast:
- Quinoa: cooks in 10-15 minutes (or 1/2 the time if soaked overnight) on the top of the stove and is the ideal breakfast cereal. It is also good in soups/stews/chili/with stir fried vegetables.
- Milk substitutes: are Rice Dream Vanilla Enriched, Edensoy Extra, Almond Amazake, Pacific Ultra Plus, or Naturally Tofu. For "cream" in your coffee: Westsoy Lite Non-Dairy Creamer.
- Breads: "Organic" stone ground whole grain sourdough breads. Also Baldwin Hill Spelt (preferred) Rye & Sesame Wheat, Richard Bourdon or "The Baker" 7 grain sourdough, toasted or steamed.
- Fruits: Especially berries - blueberries/strawberries/raspberries/blackberries, also grapefruit and cantaloupe/honeydew/watermelon.
At any time: Green teas, and Yerba Mate have caffeine. No caffeine in Kukicha tea, Raja's Cup (excellent) or Inka coffee substitutes. Use 2 fresh bags of English Breakfast tea in each cup of hot water as a perfect substitute for coffee.
Lunch: Health Valley (brand) Fat Free Corn and Vegetable or Minestrone soups. Frozen or Eden or American Prairie (brands) canned beans such as great northern, chick peas, black beans, navy beans, and aduki beans. Lentils and millet cook in 45 minutes, brown rice or barley in 60 minutes: cooking time is reduced by half if soaked overnight. Seitan can be sliced for sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, and mustard.
Dinner: Meat alternatives, pastas and quick cooking whole grains:
- Quinoa, the whole grain (cooks in 15 minutes on top of the stove) or millet (cooks in 30-45 minutes) - these are whole grains and are much better for you than "cereals", breads or pastas
- Quinoa pasta is like an egg pasta
- Lundberg, Pastariso (brand) or Tinkyada (brand) are light brown rice pastas
- Eden Brown Rice Udon pasta - contains wheat (all wheat products are less preferred/omit)
- Sobaya Genmai Udon pastas - contain wheat
- Westbrae brown rice pasta - contains wheat
Wash one of these pastas in cold water, bring a quart of water to a rolling boil, and then put washed pasta in boiling water for 5-8 minutes. Take out, rinse and drain: ready to eat.
Proteins:
- Seitan ("wheat meat") sliced and pan fried (in one tsp. each toasted sesame oil + mirin (sweet rice cooking wine), + tamari with 3 tbsp. water) as a sandwich with mustard plus lettuce and tomato.
- Tempeh (read directions)
- Occasionally, and in small amounts: rice (preferred) or soy cheeses such as Soya Kaas (brand) Mild American Cheddar Style, Mozzarella, and Monterey Jack.
- Fish: wild, not farm raised. Steam or bake 4-8 ounces twice per week: trout, porgy, whiting, butterfish, halibut, mackerel, grouper, snapper, perch, pike, flounder, cod, scrod, roughie, salmon, swordfish, or tuna steak - the latter two occasionally because of mercury content. May substitute bison/free-range chicken/"game" meats for fish.
Flavor: Use the above described toasted sesame oil sauce. Less preferred, but acceptable, is "Molly McButter" or "Pam" spray. Any organically grown tomato/spaghetti sauce. "Gomasio" also known as "Sesame Shake." Nasoya (brand) Garden Herb Veggie or 1000 Island Dressing, Salt Free Herbal Bouquet, Bells All purpose seasoning, Parsley Patch (brand) "Italian Blend" herbal flavoring or "Mrs. Dash," "Mt. Fuji Mustard."
Cooking lessons: Contact us for information.
H. Robert Silverstein, MD, FACC
Hartford, CT