Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Deepak Chopra, M.D., Founder and CEO, The Chopra Foundation, Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization. www.choprafoundation.org

DAVID SIMON, M.D. is the medical director and cofounder of the Chopra Center and the author of two books, Return to Wholeness and Vital Energy. He is also the coauthor of Grow Younger, Live Longer.

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A revolutionary cookbook to renew body, mind, and spirit

The food at world-famous Chopra Center for Well Being is designed to delight the senses, enliven vitality, and tap into the joy of being alive. Now, Deepak Chopra, David Simon, and Leanne Backer offer you marvelous recipes from this extraordinary place of healing-showing how nature provides us with all the nutrients we need to create meals that are delicious as well as nutritious.

Combining Modern nutritional science and Ayurveda-the most ancient healing system on the planet-The Chopra Center Cookbook features more than 200 appetizing, low-fat, easy-to-prepare recipes for entrées, soups, stews quick meals, breakfast dishes, snacks, and desserts that take the guesswork out of choosing food that is good for the body, as well as 30 days of balanced meal plans. From Zucchini Pecan Bread, Vegetarian paella, and Breakfast Burritos to Rosemary White Bean Soup, Braised Salmon with Mango Tomato Salsa, and Unbelievable Double Chocolate Cake, you'll discover a new world of flavor and enjoyment as the authors show you how to eat food that is good for you, re-establish the mind-body connection, and reverse the aging process.

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The Chopra Center Cookbook

John Wiley & Sons

Chapter One

In cooking, as in all arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection.

Curnonsky

This book is a practical guide to help you prepare delicious, healthy meals that nourish your body and soul. The principles of our program have their roots in both modern nutritional science and the world's most ancient health system, Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that can be translated as the "wisdom of life," or "the science of longevity." It offers a holistic approach to living that is based upon a fundamental principle: your choices are metabolized into your body.

Make healthy choices and you will have a healthy body. To the extent that you can choose, elect the option that is most likely to nourish you, and avoid choices that are toxic or depleting. One of the most direct choices you make on a daily basis is what to put into your mouth. We encourage you to choose to eat healthy, delicious foods so you can create a healthy, vital body. Pay attention to these seven simple precepts and your diet will help you create greater mental and physical well-being.

1. Eat a wide variety of foods during the day. 2. Listen to your body's signals of hunger and satiety. 3. Use food to fill the emptiness in your stomach, not your heart. 4. If the meal isn't delicious, it isn't nourishing you. 5. Favor foods that are natural and vital. 6. Use herbs and spices liberally as both flavor and health enhancers.

7. Eat with awareness.

Let's explore each point in more detail.

1. Eat a wide variety of foods during the day. Most anthropologists date the origin of modern human beings to about 150,000 to 200,000 years ago. Up until about 10,000 years ago, we spent most of our days hunting and gathering food. During the course of a day, we sampled dozens if not hundreds of food sources. In addition to any animal protein we could snare, we ate a diverse range of roots, leaves, fruits, nuts, berries, beans, mushrooms, and seeds. Some primates in the wild today have been observed to nibble on more than two hundred different kinds of plants each day.

The average Western diet is much more limited in variety, and as a result we miss out on the extensive natural pharmacy that is available. Unfortunately, burgers, fries, and a diet Coke do not allow us to take advantage of the nourishing properties that a delicious, widely varied diet offers. Each day, nutritional scientists are discovering new health-promoting chemicals that are available to us through food. Think variety when it comes to your diet, and be sure to include the six tastes described later in this chapter.

2. Listen to your body's signals of hunger and satiety. Jonathan Swift once said, "My stomach serves me instead of a clock." Your appetite is your ally. Listen to it. You probably don't go to the gas station when your fuel tank is half full. Don't sit down at the meal table if your stomach is half full. Consider your appetite as a fuel gauge from 0 (completely empty) to 10 (stuffed). Do not eat until you are at a level 2 (very hungry) or 3 (definitely hungry). Eat until you reach a level 7 (satisfied). Do not go beyond this to a level 8 (rather full), 9 (uncomfortably full), or 10 (stuffed). Once you have reached your satisfaction level of 7, wait until you are back down to a level 2 or 3 before you eat again.

Appetite Gauge

Eat at level 2 or 3. Stop at level 7.

10 stuffed 9 uncomfortably full 8 rather full 7 satisfied 6 almost satisfied 5 no hunger awareness 4 could eat 3 definitely hungry 2 very hungry 1 hunger pains 0 completely empty

3. Use food to fill the emptiness in your stomach, not your heart. We learn to associate comfort with food at an early age. When you were upset as an infant, the chances are your mother offered you a bottle or her breast to calm you. As adults we sometimes seek food for its soothing, rather than nutritional, properties. If you do this on a regular basis, you are almost certainly not listening to your appetite. This often results in poor digestion, disturbed sleep, and weight gain. Use food to feed your body. Develop conscious communication skills to fill your heart.

4. If the meal isn't delicious, it isn't nourishing you. Enjoy your meals. Delicious food is nourishing to your body, mind, and soul. If you are struggling with a diet that you believe is good for you, but do not find at all appetizing, it will not ultimately be nourishing and you will not be able to stay with it for long. In this book we will convince you that you do not have to sacrifice delicious meals for good health.

5. Favor foods that are natural and vital. According to most traditional health systems, food carries a vital force in addition to carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This life force is known as prana in Ayurveda and chi in Traditional Chinese medicine. Freshly picked green beans from your garden are abundant in prana; beans that have been sitting in your pantry for six months are lacking in prana. To the extent possible, favor fruits and vegetables that are locally grown, freshly harvested, and prepared as soon as possible after picking. Not only are they more delicious, but you are sending your body the message that it is receiving the highest quality health-promoting nutrients.

The longer that a food has been sitting on a shelf since its harvesting, the more likely it is to be affected by oxidation. Free radicals initiate the decomposition of a fruit or vegetable immediately after it is disconnected from its source. A sliced apple or banana that has been sitting around for an hour begins turning brown because free radical molecules floating in the air deplete it of its natural antioxidants. Rancid food is this process taken to the extreme. We therefore encourage you to favor fresh foods as much as possible and to the extent that is practical reduce your intake of frozen foods, leftovers, highly processed, microwaved, and canned foods.

As more information becomes available on the harmful effects of pesticides on our personal and environmental health, we encourage you to favor organic fruits, vegetables, and dairy products as much as you can. Reduce your consumption of processed and highly refined foods. Favor fresh as opposed to canned or frozen, recognizing that there are some foods, such as garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salsas, and condiments that are just too difficult to regularly prepare fresh. Whenever you can, avoid leftovers or reheated foods. We are not encouraging you to become overly zealous about this point. Simply have the intention to eat foods that are as freshly prepared as possible.

6. Use herbs and spices liberally as both flavor and health enhancers. We encourage you to take advantage of nature's edible gifts to make your meals delicious and nutritious. Become familiar with the culinary and health-promoting effects of herbs and spices and use them generously. Even the simplest quickly prepared meal can be transformed into a...