by Ellensue Spicer-Jacobson

Susan Silberstein, PhD, founder and director of the Center for the Advancement in Cancer Education, has created a book packed with 157 no-guilt, easy-to-make recipes that she and her staff have put together—titled Hungry for Health. Many are recipes adapted or borrowed from researchers, clinicians and recovered patients that the author has re-created to address a variety of needs that pertain to her four principles of healthful eating without sacrificing good taste.

Silberstein recommends eating with these four principles in mind.

1. Eat primitive, which means basic foods, mostly plants, including roots and fruits, greens and beans, seeds and weeds and some fish or wild game. Silberstein also provides information on good fats, free radicals and unadulterated foods.
2. Eat colorful, which translates into eating a rainbow of foods, mostly fruits and vegetables, where the colors are vibrant. The author explores carotenes, fiber, crucifers and chlorophyll—all-important to a healthful diet.
3. Eat alkaline—a fundamental concept often ignored, according to Silberstein. Researchers suggest a dietary ratio of 80/20; that is, 80 percent plant-based foods, which are mostly alkaline, and 20 percent animal foods, which are acidic. (Tumor cells thrive in an acidic environment.) As the author recommends, “When you dine, think alkaline.”
4. Eat organic, which many of us now recognize means eating foods that are grown without chemical pesticides and in soil that is nurtured with trace minerals, composting and crop rotation, so that plants absorb nutrients necessary for our bodies.

Following this user-friendly guide to basics, the author divides the recipes into six sections, from appetizers to juices and smoothies, followed by advice for creating a balance in menus—to eliminate stress when eating outside of the four principles above. Silberstein advises to enjoy time out, then get back to the healthier regimen without guilt.

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Here are a couple of recipes from Hungry for Health, including one that requires no cooking and one that does. Happy, healthful, guilt-free eating.

Banana Apple Pudding Yields 2-3 servings

2 medium apples, grated 16 raw almonds, ground 2 ripe bananas 2 tsp grated unsweetened coconut

Mash all but half of one banana. Combine mashed banana with apples and nuts. Place into small dessert bowls. Sprinkle with grated coconut. Decorate with slices of remaining half banana. Chill.

Glazed Carrots and Parsnips Yields 5 servings

2 cups parsnips, thinly sliced into 1/8-inch pennies 2 cups fresh carrots, thinly sliced 3 Tbsp honey 1 tsp salt 1 tsp grated orange peel 2 tsp butter 1 dash cinnamon

Steam carrots and parsnips over water for 8 minutes or until tender. Cook honey, salt, orange peel and butter in a skillet until bubbly, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes or until glazed. Sprinkle with dash of cinnamon.

 

Hungry for Health is available at Amazon.com.

Ellensue Spicer-Jacobson is a freelance writer in the field of food and health. Connect with her at Menupause.info. November 2014.

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