Tired of being sick and sick of being tired? Follow this comprehensive guide for smart eating for an invigorated and healthy life. Current research concurs the plant-based, whole foods diet awakens your genes to better health. Smart Eating made Simple provides: • A step-by-step guide of what to eat • Scientific understanding of every plant nutrient • Information regarding the healing power of plants • An extensive list of evidence on disease prevention • An abundance of plant-based recipes Learn the best nutrition-based approach to healthy eating that you follow and enjoy day after day, year after year, putting an end to life-threatening diseases, and requiring less expensive medical procedures or medications. Good nutrition is 20% knowledge and 80% action.

Smart Eating Made Simple

By Jane Ibbetson

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Jane Ibbetson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-6659-8

Contents

Acknowledgements.............................................................................xviiAuthor's Preface to the Recipes..............................................................xixForeward.....................................................................................xxiPrologue by the Author.......................................................................xxiiiTime to Eat Plants: What Does That Mean?.....................................................1Minimally Processing of Foods................................................................2About the Green Revolution and Mass Production...............................................4Organically vs conventionally grown..........................................................5Wild/sustainable grown.......................................................................7Non-GMO......................................................................................8Foods That Heal..............................................................................13Dark Leafy Greens............................................................................17Cruciferous Vegetables and Herbs and Spices..................................................17Fish.........................................................................................19Nuts and Seeds...............................................................................20Legumes......................................................................................21Whole Grains.................................................................................21Root Vegetables..............................................................................21What Is Currently on the Table?..............................................................27The Healthy State of Living..................................................................27Health is a Choice...........................................................................30Hazards of Food Choices......................................................................36What Should Be on the Table..................................................................45How to Select the Right Foods................................................................45What You Get When Eating Plants: An Excursion into the Science of Plants.....................61Plants Provide Macronutrients................................................................61Plants Mostly Provide Micronutrients.........................................................97Recipes Using Plants.........................................................................123Breakfast....................................................................................123Main Dishes..................................................................................131Sides........................................................................................151Dips, Dressings and Sauces...................................................................175Salads.......................................................................................187Soups........................................................................................207Drinks.......................................................................................227Something Sweet or a Snack...................................................................231Appendix A: Ingredients and Sources for Recipes..............................................249Appendix B: A World of Flavors seasoning chart...............................................255Appendix C: Whole Grains chart...............................................................257Appendix D: Food Additives chart.............................................................259Appendix E: Nutrient Profile for Cooked Dry Beans............................................261Subject Index................................................................................267Bibliography.................................................................................279

Chapter One

TIME TO EAT PLANTS

What Does That Mean?

Clara was a hard-worker. She went to work everyday feeling tired; in fact, if given the opportunity, she would have slept 24/7. Going anywhere would be a chore. She dragged one leg while complaining of diarrhea and a hurting hip. This woman quit walking three miles per day for the fear of falling. Finally, after seeing many doctors, radioactive iodine zapped her thyroid. She quit dragging her leg but could not shake off the tiredness. Yet another doctor told her that she had the beginning of osteoarthritis. Over a period of ten years, she continued on the downhill slide resulting in a knee replacement. She could hardly walk six months after surgery. At this point, Clara was desperate and thought, "How can I continue to work like this?" She had to put her hand on the wall as she walked with every movement painful.

After changing her eating habits, Clara noticed with amazement that she was able to get up from her chair easily and walk without pain. In addition, she had a desire for sex that had previously been missing. Experiencing a good night's sleep and minimal urinary tract infections added another advantage. Recently, she walked a couple of miles to the beach with her son. Clara can now visit her grandchildren and play with them. Yes, all because of her diet. Do you believe Clara will continue eating this way? You had better believe it! I am Clara, Clara Jane Ibbetson, and plants have changed my life.

A person's food choices have a great deal of effect on day-to-day health and in the prevention of chronic disease as experienced. In today's medical world, evidence shows that many people eat foods daily that are not good for them. Eating whole, fresh, unprocessed foods provides better health. Thinking back, when was the last time your diet was even half plant-based? Do not stress, as a little meat will not kill you, though better eaten as a side dish than as a main dish. For health reasons, Thomas Jefferson treated a little meat as a flavoring for his vegetables.

When speaking of plants, I do not mean potato chips and ketchup despite the fact they are plant-based. Eat unadulterated plants as close to creation as possible because no one can make anything better than God, which means a raw plant is already as good as it will ever get. In addition, the plants provide such a variety—think vegetables, think nuts, think grains, think beans, think fruit. The greater the variety one eats, the more likely he will cover all the nutritional bases.

For health purposes, we need the unadulterated, unprocessed foods, not the edible food-like products in the supermarket. These edible, appealing products come in packages promoting health claims with a long list of ingredients. One should probably avoid food products like these because a multitude of substances is a good indication that something is not a true food. Reach for the plant-based diet.

Minimally Processing of Foods

In the quest to identify unwholesome food, one has to look beyond the list of ingredients. For example, did you know that manufacturers recently began adding lutein to processed foods, cereals, cereal bars, aged cheeses, and now we can get lutein-enriched eggs? This type of food processing started in the late 20th century. These invisible substances confer health benefits as "twice the antioxidant power", "less saturated fat",...