Bernadette Bohan’s The Choice: The Programme: The simple health plan that saved Bernadette’s life – and could help save yours too

Bernadette Bohan’s The Choice: The Programme: The simple health plan that saved Bernadette’s life – and could help save yours too Bernadette Bohan Inspirational cancer survivor and seminar speaker, Bernadette Bohan, whose memoir, The Choice, was a Top 5 bestseller in Ireland, introduces her long-awaited recipe book and 4-point plan to help you turn around your health and fight disease the natural way.Bernadette Bohan, an ordinary wife and mother, decided to take her health into her own hands after twice getting cancer. Her bestselling memoir, The Choice, is now followed by this invaluable cookbook and lifestyle plan.Bernadette explains her 4 point plan simply:• Point One: Juicing• Point Two: Clean water• Point Three: Power foods including the B17 foods, essential fats, enzymes, probiotics and sprouted seeds• Point Four: Safe personal care products such as non-toxic toiletriesThe book also includes inspiring case stories and 75 delicious recipes, written in conjunction with chefs from Cornucopia (Dublin’s No 1 vegetarian restaurant):- juices, smoothies and soups- raw salads and stir-fries- sprouting your own green foods- other whole food recipes, organic and meat/dairy free Bernadette Bohan’s The Choice The Programme The simple health plan that saved Bernadette’s life—and could help save yours too Bernadette Bohan To Ger, Richard, Sarah and Juliefor their love and encouragement Table of Contents Cover Page (#u3dee84cc-d7aa-5e93-b38d-69db8b77daf5) Title Page (#u015c96fd-6764-5641-9a65-8b7ca48a203f) Dedication (#u5e85515d-3bf6-5959-82ff-75e794b42216) A Personal Introduction (#u530b868e-83e2-5a02-aaa6-d1d78f037015) The Means to Better Health (#u6ab99b96-3cc8-5fc6-95a6-ee9b9200bb00) My Story (#u777119c4-ba13-59c0-bcf7-25450662179e) A Food-fight for Life (#uf7d0ee5e-9c7f-5f8c-a83b-d01111b537eb) Step One: Juice Up Your Life! (#u5532cae6-b8a6-5a06-b72f-3350cc0c241d) The Low-down on Juicing (#u48b9e3fa-cdf5-51a6-8ca6-9d9bf9f50484) Step Two: Powerful Foods (#ue09c5d43-c8fd-5adb-bf8c-f8809c2dc1ed) To Cook? Or Not to Cook? (#u06d049ac-f9f2-5a23-acc6-76aad1d5508c) The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (#litres_trial_promo) Nature’s Pharmacy (#litres_trial_promo) Step Three: Water – Pure and Simple (#litres_trial_promo) Water Should Just Be Water (#litres_trial_promo) Step Four: What’s Not on the Label? (#litres_trial_promo) Safe Personal Care (#litres_trial_promo) A Final Note… (#litres_trial_promo) The Recipes (#litres_trial_promo) Juices (#litres_trial_promo) Smoothies (#litres_trial_promo) Breakfasts (#litres_trial_promo) No-cook Soups (#litres_trial_promo) Cooked Soups (#litres_trial_promo) Fresh Main Meals (#litres_trial_promo) Cooked Main Meals (#litres_trial_promo) Snacks (#litres_trial_promo) Sides (#litres_trial_promo) Salads (#litres_trial_promo) No-cook Tasty Treats (#litres_trial_promo) Baked Treats (#litres_trial_promo) Resources (#litres_trial_promo) Bibliography and Recommended Reading (#litres_trial_promo) Index of Recipes (#litres_trial_promo) Preview (#litres_trial_promo) Other Books By (#litres_trial_promo) Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo) Copyright (#litres_trial_promo) About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo) A Personal Introduction (#ulink_6c26c6bc-f40e-513a-911c-45771abf72fa) I hope to show you that with some practical basicinformation you too can live a healthy life withouthaving to become an expert or nutritionist. The Means to Better Health (#ulink_da03e6a1-aada-5f80-904a-877d7323d67f) This is not rocket science…keep it simple and just do it! Rather than concentrating on what you can’t eat, this book concentrates on what you can eat. I feel there is no need to waste time preaching about what you cannot eat, as I strongly believe that nowadays we are bombarded with too much of this kind of negative information. Instead, I find it more useful to suggest that you should add more nourishing foods to your daily routine eating patterns. Furthermore, this way offers you the means to discover that when your body is nourished, the constant cravings for junk food and treats will all but disappear. Even if you believe you presently lead a fairly healthy lifestyle, I assure you that nourishing your body further will bring about even more energy, will keep you feeling fantastic, and will culminate in giving you much greater health. Maybe you are happy with your quality of life, but I suspect the fact that you bought this book means you may not be and you are looking for some sort of change. You may well want to ‘clean up your act’, but whether your interest in food stems from problems with your health or with maintaining your health, I hope this book will spark your imagination and illustrate how easy these goals are to achieve. I hope to show you how I, an ordinary woman and mother of three, having twice faced cancer, managed to transform my diet and lifestyle without any great hardship. I also hope to show you that with some basic practical information you too can live a healthy life without becoming an expert or a nutritionist. My motivation for writing this book is a direct response to the many requests I received for more information on what I have done to improve my own health. It is also in response to the countless requests for simple and easy-to-follow recipes – recipes for food that can both protect us from disease and comfort and nourish the body. I have included in this book my recommendations surrounding the four changes that I made to my own lifestyle, namely: Juicing fruit and vegetables on a daily basis Introducing powerful foods to my diet daily Cleaning the water coming into my home Switching to safe personal care products. These changes are simple and easy to implement if you have the motivation to do so. The benefits for me were many and helped me to recover from chemotherapy and radiation cancer treatments. For me the motivation was easy to understand: when diagnosed with cancer for a second time I wanted to find how to treat the cause of the disease and not just the symptoms. I discovered that nutrition plays a big part in combating the effects of degenerative diseases that affect so many of us. Never underestimate the value of good food – it can do more than sustain life! All research, to the highest level of biochemistry, exemplifies the benefits of maintaining health rather than waiting until we have a problem that needs to be fixed. Nowadays many of us eat for comfort, and believe me I’m all for a bit of comfort, especially living in a cold damp climate like Ireland! There is nothing nicer than a warm soup or a hot dinner on a cold wet windy day, but our bodies have certain requirements that demand we also eat for nourishment. When we meet these requirements we get the body’s defence mechanisms functioning properly and achieve optimal health. We can readily accept that machines need oil, fuel and water to run smoothly and to prevent them from breaking down. Likewise it is imperative that we supply the correct fuel to our bodies. I was touched and impressed with an e-mail I recently received from a 13-year-old girl who, having read my first book The Choice, decided that she was going to try to look after her health a little better. This young girl is not much older than my own daughter Julie. She is not suffering from any ill-health and yet has the foresight, common sense and responsibility to want to take care of her health at this young age. For me, healthy eating has become a great pleasure and has opened up many new tastes and ideas. These simple practical changes are easy to implement in day-to-day life no matter how busy you are, to help you improve your health. Ask yourself: How often have you stood in the supermarket and wondered what you could buy for yourself and your family that was healthy and did not take hours to prepare? Have you ever visited a healthfoods store and wanted to buy some wholefoods but you were not quite sure how to prepare them? Believe me, I know exactly where you’re coming from. I now find that having opened up my diet to a much greater variety of foods, many of the foods I used to like now taste rather bland. My experience has shown me that many of us have become collectors of information. Yet very often we are not prepared to put this information into practice. Remember that actions speak louder than words, and if diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, as I was on two occasions, you no longer have the luxury of time and you soon learn to focus on the job in hand. If only we could use our natural instincts and a little common sense to eat the foods that make us feel good, many of our health problems would disappear. This is not rocket science – so my method is to keep it simple and JUST DO IT. You too can also do it! My Story (#ulink_feb699b7-3788-59b2-a1b4-46535e95660c) I was so determined in my quest to beat cancer that Iimmediately set about making some changes. Whatever the outcome was to be, I was not about tosit around and wait until I got to the point of noreturn. I had to find a way to help myself. A Food-fight for Life (#ulink_cc413392-b461-5bd5-927b-859c10f2eb74) When diagnosed with cancer I thought ‘Why Me?’…Well, why not me? I thought that I had been leading a fairly healthy life. I ate fruit and vegetables every day and I did not overindulge in treats or junk. OK, I’ll admit I had a glass of red wine in the evening, but wasn’t that meant to be good for me? And yet here I was – facing cancer for a second time round. How could this be happening to me? My story is in no way unique, nor is it a story of doom and gloom. On the contrary, it is simply the story of an ordinary mother who tried to take responsibility and reshape the life that she so desperately wanted to hold on to. Rather than resigning myself to my fate, I luckily came to realize that where there’s a will there’s a way. Eighteen years ago, when I was 33 years of age and married with two small children, I developed cancer of the lymph system. I was pregnant at the time and subsequently lost my baby. I was advised by doctors not to have any more children, as it might well have been the pregnancy hormones that triggered the cancer. At that stage I took the medical advice and treatment and did as I was told. I went home with armfuls of drugs and felt completely helpless. After seven years free of cancer I believed that I was cured…I made the choice to have another baby. It dawned on me that in the eyes of the medical profession I may have appeared irresponsible, but for me it was a compulsion stronger than sense. I knew I was rocking the boat and that it could well work out to be a reckless decision, possibly jeopardizing my comfortable existence with my two children and husband Ger. The longing for another baby, however, was so deep and instinctive that I decided to take that chance. After all, life is for living, and where would we be in life if we never took any risks? Unlike my other pregnancies there was no rush of congratulations – it was like I had been selfish and reckless in my decision. My oncologist had been telling me for many years to put the thought of another child out of my mind and that I was better off than most other people as I already had a boy and a girl. Thankfully for us this was one piece of advice I didn’t listen to, and the decision turned out to be a blessing. My third child Julie, the joy of all our lives, was born safe and sound. The happy times and everyday dramas of motherhood took over, and concerns about cancer receded into the background of my family life. But, like the predator it is, the cancer was merely biding its time. Here was I, 12 years after the first time, and the cancer had now returned in my breast. I can still remember back to that first time when my son Richard was seven and my daughter Sarah was only four years old. How frightening it was then, as a young mother looking at my beautiful children, to face the possibility that I might not live to see them grow up! With the same disbelief I experienced on that occasion, I could not believe that I was back in this situation again. Julie was now five, and it was like history repeating itself – d?j? vu! What had I done to deserve this disease a second time? This was too cruel for one person in one lifetime! If only I’d had the foresight in the first place to learn how to prevent it! It was then that I decided to get to the bottom of the problem and educate myself. I had to find a way to fight back. By examining the fundamental role of nutrition and diet, I discovered they had a huge role to play in combating the effects of this cruel and frightening disease – a disease which is now affecting one in three women and one in two men in the world today. A number of questions stood at the forefront of my mind: Why have so many of us become so susceptible to this deadly disease? What made my immune system so weak that it had lost the ability to protect itself? Why has conventional medicine avoided the whole area of diet and nutrition? Why wasn’t there a more integrated approach combining Western medicine with complementary therapies? I was desperately looking to find answers to these questions. Surely there was some rational explanation? Despite not having the answers, I decided I would pursue the subject in depth. I soon discovered that there was information everywhere I looked, and surprisingly it was not all that incomprehensible or particularly complicated. I learned that this disease is caused by deficiency and toxicity. Each of us have cancers growing inside of us from time to time. What stops their growth getting out of hand is a healthy immune system. I also learned that, given the correct tools, our own body has the remarkable ability to heal itself, but that if we don’t provide our body with the correct building blocks we can seriously impede its function. Symptoms get worse with time and eventually our health will degenerate. The body will fail to protect itself from disease when we do not provide it with the correct nourishment to make healthy cells. So in order to help the body recover and thrive, it is imperative to provide a regular supply of food that is not stripped of its immune-boosting nutrients. Fresh, raw, unprocessed foods provide us with the best essential components for health and are the finest medicine that nature can provide. I was so determined in my quest to beat the cancer that I immediately set about making some corrective changes. These changes were intended to support myself through the six months of chemotherapy, the 25 radiation treatments, and the operation that now faced me. I was also hoping these changes would insure against future recurrences of the cancer. Whatever the outcome was to be, I was not about to sit around and wait until I got to the point of no return. I had to find a way to help myself. Initially I realized that these treatments were going to be very debilitating and I worked hard to try to counteract the effects on my immune system. What happened next amazed me! I had never experienced healing to this extent on a physical level before. As I switched to more nourishing foods, I first began to notice the disappearance of the arthritis in my right hand and shoulder that had plagued me for many years. This was really significant for me, as I could see the benefits happening in front of my eyes. I wore reading glasses and I realized I was picking them up less and less. As an added bonus I also lost my middle-aged spread! I will freely admit that having arthritis and wearing reading glasses are not such major problems when one has been diagnosed with cancer. But my positive attitude and actions were rewarding me with some very positive feedback from my body. So I began to look seriously at the bigger picture. I was hoping to heal myself from cancer and the side-effects of its treatments. Of course I couldn’t see the cancer itself, but I could see these welcome and apparent changes to my body. This was confirmation to me that when you give the body what it needs, it will speed recovery and reward you by supporting the natural state of health. I realized then that by boosting the immune system my body was back in charge. I remember thinking to myself: ‘If only I had learned all of this information earlier in my life! Why had I waited till my choice was so desperate?’ I was truly amazed at the incredible intelligence inherent in the human body…when we take care of it. In this book I will share with you the simple changes I made to support, sustain and improve my health throughout this challenging and difficult time. It appeared that the only option open to me where I could make a difference was with what was going into my shopping basket. After all, I had no time to waste wondering if it was the environment or some other unknown reason that was giving me the cancer. Neither my mother, who lived to the ripe old age of 93, nor either of my sisters had ever developed cancer – surely it could not be hereditary? It was very frustrating and disappointing to discover that none of my doctors was able to give me the answer to why I had developed this disease for a second time, or indeed why I had developed it in the first place! It still baffles me how so much money has been spent on cancer research and yet the medical profession cannot tell us what the cause is! How can this be? Thankfully, evidence is now available that clearly points to a connection between diet and cancer. This evidence is available from the Bristol Cancer Centres database. Encouraged by these positive changes to my body and coupled with the strong notion that nutrition was the bottom line when it comes to good health, it seemed a logical and natural step for me to investigate this area and learn how to improve my diet. How difficult could it be to switch to foods which, according to what I was reading, could fight this disease? I will admit that at times I found a lot of the information I got from reading and attending lectures confusing and a minefield of contradictions, nevertheless I was determined to press ahead. After all, when on holiday don’t we experiment with different foods all the time? I also know that for many of us, when we think of health foods we automatically assume they will be tasteless and awful. One reason for this is possibly because we don’t know how to prepare them. This was another area where I was keen to learn more. I wanted to find delicious and better ways to prepare food. From all the lectures I attended and experts I spoke to, the most astounding fact I learned was that when food is cooked or steamed above 43°C (115°F) it destroys almost 100 per cent of the enzymes in these foods. I also discovered that the enzymes destroyed in cooking are vital for breaking down foods into smaller, more usable nutrients, and this in turn helps the body absorb these nutrients from the foods more efficiently. Our health pays a significant price when we eat foods without these enzymes. This was when I realized that there are some foods we eat largely for comfort and others we eat largely for nourishment. As I learned more and began to prepare these foods, it was natural for me to want to pass this on to my family. Like every wife and mother I wanted to give the best nourishment to my husband and children. Let me assure you this was not met with open arms and there was an argument almost every evening around our kitchen table. Changing eating habits can be very challenging, especially for teenagers and children. This is why adding good foods, rather than eliminating poor ones, can be a better way of proceeding. You don’t spend all your time feeling hungry or thinking about the foods you cannot have, and – trust me – as you progress you naturally begin to stop buying expensive, convenience junk foods. Although not an easy task, in the end I decided to get sneaky and find ways of disguising these nourishing foods and sparing myself the arguments and the opposition. I even managed to make Sunday dinner with gravy that contained millet without them noticing. It may not sound very appetizing, but believe me it certainly passed the test with my bunch. They already suspect that I sneak as many nourishing ingredients as I can get away with into their food, but now that my secret is out it may not be so easy in the future. Where foods and nourishment are concerned, the evidence is neither black nor white. I often think of the millions that are spent on general education for our children, and yet very little of that time and money is put into educating them on the one thing they must do for the rest of their lives – EAT. Must we wait until scientific evidence proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that poor diet leaves us with a vulnerable immune system which can allow disease to develop? Some of us may simply not have the luxury of that time and cannot afford to sit around and wait until there is conclusive scientific proof. Waiting until we’re ill can sometimes be too little too late. Of course I understand that it is difficult to make large amounts of money from encouraging people to eat fruits and vegetables, and I strongly suspect that the financial motivation does not exist to fund research that proves the simple connection between good foods and health. One of the most important steps we can make towards better health is to take responsibility for our own nourishment. I know we all have a list of excuses why we can’t make juice, drink more water, or prepare some real food, but please don’t immediately dismiss these suggestions. Better to make one change than not try at all. Moderation is the key to success when making lifestyle changes. The truth is you can do it if you want to. The choice is yours. Over the past six years I have seen many people implement these changes into their lives without much difficulty, and believe it or not 80 per cent of these people were already healthy! It is not just cancer patients who are seeking changes to their lifestyles. The changes I made have certainly improved my life beyond measure. Although frivolous in comparison with cancer, losing my middle-aged spread was a nice bonus for me and I was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Recently my daughter Sarah was watching a family video and commented how she could not believe the change in my body shape since I changed my lifestyle. I have also experienced major improvements to my skin and hair, which again is very encouraging. Throughout my gruelling and arduous cancer treatment, people told me how amazingly strong and courageous I was – though I must confess I felt I had none of these qualities. I had all the normal feelings of anger, resentment and incredible fear. No matter how discouraging or difficult it was to face this punishing and trying time, I simply had no choice other than to get up and get on with it. Determination was the key for me, and by educating and informing myself I found that the knowledge I gained gave me the power to help, first myself, and then many others. I learned to take the good from a situation, and received great satisfaction and fulfilment in watching the people I helped thrive and return to good health. One of these people recently wrote to me the following few lines: The information I learned from you at the outset of my illness was like a roadmap to good health. It was such a relief to feel empowered and to be an active participant in my own recovery by simply changing some habits. The juicing and water drinking are now automatic routines that apply to the whole family. We have truly shifted our comfort zones and really feel the benefit of our new habits. I am fortunate to have made a full recovery from cancer and I now feel armed with a new confidence about my health and my future. My illness was a wake-up call, and by simply embracing the changes you recommend has given me the energy to focus on the future and has liberated me from the worries of my past history. Joy Remember – I am no expert and I understand if you might be sceptical, yet through my classes and lectures I have taught cancer patients (young and old), doctors, nurses, biochemists and many other professionals about my common sense approach of simply passing on the four steps that helped me return to good health. You can read my full story in my first book, The Choice. It is the story of a very ordinary mother’s life. From the responses I have received it would seem to provoke many different interpretations for its many readers. The book reflects why and how so many people have come to listen to my simple message and approach – and why I believe nutrition is the bottom line in maintaining health. The priorities in the recipes in this book are health, taste and simplicity. They have been put together in a pronounced userfriendly way. Together with the chefs from Cornucopia Dublin, we have worked on each recipe’s taste and simplicity, and in my opinion we have succeeded in providing recipes to suit all manner of tastes. We will be using familiar foods that reflect today’s modern lifestyle and are widely available in supermarkets, though you may also need to make an occasional trip to your healthfoods store! Here you will learn how to prepare healing therapeutic juices, scrumptious inviting salads, snacks, dips, mouth-watering main meals, and yummy nutritious guilt-free treats to add a little sweetness to your lives. I hope you enjoy the easy preparation and delicious tastes of these wonderful foods that will contribute to a more vibrant and healthier you! Step One: Juice Up Your Life! (#ulink_a783a79d-5a44-56e0-8a86-072bcc4eaa32) I often think we are obsessed with cleaning the outsideof the body, yet we forget about cleaning the inside… The Low-down on Juicing (#ulink_f1fb4a15-6b53-50ad-a7c6-b59421d33a3b) Juices are highly concentrated forms of nutrition and are of particular value to people fighting any kind of disease…They will revolutionize your body’s ability to heal itself and boost your natural defences. Juicing – A Way of Life If there was ever a sure-fire way of improving your health and well-being, then it is juicing. Juices are packed with nutrients and bursting with flavours. I immediately felt the benefits of these easy-to-prepare juices, with their delicious taste being an extra advantage. I can promise you there is no better way to recharge your batteries than with freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices. Juices have outstanding nutritional qualities and they begin their cleaning and healing of the body within 15 to 30 minutes of being consumed. Compared with solid foods, juices are easily assimilated by the body. This means the workload on our digestive system is reduced, which facilitates more efficient cleansing and elimination. Our systems are very often overloaded and clogged up with accumulations of wastes and toxins that constantly stream into the body, and green juices such as cucumber and celery are amazing ‘spring-cleaners’ and an easy way to detox the body. Juices are a perfect means to stimulate better elimination of wastes and toxins, and also assist with the detoxification process. I often think we are obsessed with cleaning the outside of the body, but we tend to forget the important task of cleaning out the intestines. Believe me, these cleansing drinks will flush out your system very thoroughly, and when taken first thing in the morning they will move mountains! They are also less expensive and far less invasive than other detox methods now available, such as colonic irrigation. I personally have seen many students with long histories of chronic constipation and congested intestines alleviate these conditions with great success by taking green juices. Juices are highly concentrated forms of nutrition and are of particular value to people fighting any kind of disease. Because of their therapeutic properties and amazing healing powers they are used in many natural healing centres throughout the world. They will revolutionize your body’s ability to heal itself and boost your natural self-defences, and you will see and feel the difference. A dear friend of mine, Ronald, is the best testament for juicing I have ever seen. He juices every day, has the energy of a 20-year-old, attends the gym, travels frequently, takes care of his invalid wife, and also tends his large vegetable garden. He is now 83 years old and is alert, active and productive with the most amazing (hydrated) skin you have ever seen. Why am I so amazed at Ronald’s health and vitality? Because most of us have come to believe that ageing is synonymous with disease and infirmity, and that by the time we reach our eighties we ought to have ‘one foot in the grave’. Rather than accepting that the inevitable consequence of ageing means physical degeneration and disease, Ronald has taken responsibility for his own well-being. He has taken the matter of ageing healthily into his own hands and is now reaping the rewards of his fruitful diet. Sl?inte! Of course it is inevitable that ageing will bring about marked physiological change, but by nurturing your body with the correct fuel you can make a significant contribution to ageing healthily – you can help your body become and continue to be a picture of health, regardless of how old you are. What better way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables and, equally important, to increase your children’s intake, than with delicious juices? Including these in your diet will be one of the healthiest steps you can take for your body. I have noticed I am at my absolute best when I am drinking these juices. They give you the stamina to live life to the fullest and I guarantee you will see positive results. With just two glasses of juice per day you can consume large quantities of fruits and vegetables, and the recommended daily amounts can be easily reached. For two 8-ounce glasses of juice per day you will need 6-8 portions of fruits and vegetables, whereas it would take the entire afternoon to chew your way through that many pieces. The point of increasing our intake is to provide our bodies with enough vitamins, minerals, enzymes and trace elements to support a healthy body and give sustained energy levels. A well-hydrated body is essential for good skinand enhanced vitality. If you find drinking large amounts of water difficult, these delicious drinks can easily increase your fluid intake. Juices are also an enjoyable way of increasing fluid levels after a work-out. Your shopping list will change, but you will gradually get a feel for the extra amounts of fruit and vegetable shopping required. Because these juices are uncooked, they are loaded with enzymes, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Enzymes are the catalysts for the breakdown of our foods, and I cannot stress their importance highly enough. You will find them mentioned throughout this book. The large amounts of phytonutrients in these juices are amazing for boosting energy levels and good looks. They help maximize our ability to fight disease and boost our capacity for self-healing. At one point I was juicing large amounts of carrots, as they are rich in carotinoids such as beta-carotene. It was no surprise that I noticed my eyesight improve, as beta-carotene is fantastic at enhancing eyesight. Juices are also a wonderful short-term antidote to a lack of energy or a sluggish metabolism, and you can increase your intake of these vital nutrients without any artificial colourings, flavours or preservatives. There is unquestionably a new proliferation of juice bars sweeping the country at present. Indeed, in the quest for health we have taken to the juicing habit superbly. The growth in this particular market shows that consumers have definitely become more aware of the connection between diet and health. A rock festival recently attended by my daughter Sarah had queues a mile long at the juice bar. All I can say is ‘great’ – I am delighted to see young people embracing this change for the better. One question I am asked repeatedly is if I use organic fruit and vegetables. My reply is always the same: absolutely. If you took an apple from a tree in your garden and then sprayed it with a chemical, would you then eat this apple or hand it to your child to eat? I think not. Remember, where there are commercial interests we, the consuming public, are not always given the correct information. Now that the consumer has become better informed and is more aware of the benefits of eating organically-grown produce, it has become much more widely available in the marketplace. There is no doubt that ‘eating organic’ is definitely catching on and is our only guarantee of purity. The organic end of the market is now becoming an expanding and lucrative business. You might wonder why. The reason certainly seems to be in direct response to the growing interest and demands of consumers for superior products – superior both in terms of having a better flavour and better nutritional value. Many of the producers now enthusiastically display their certification that will assure you of the authenticity of their organically-grown products. Organic classification ensures that the products are approved and inspected regularly by an independent organization that checks for compliance with all regulations and specifications. With the influx of chemicals into the food chain, exposure to pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers can now have far-reaching consequences. You should be fully aware of these chemically-laden foods, as you may get a little bit more than you bargained for in your shopping basket. It is no longer difficult to locate organic foods, but if you are unable to obtain organic produce, peeling off the top layer of skin from the fruit and vegetables you buy will generally remove any surface residues of chemicals. However, peeling is not the ideal solution, as many of the important nutrients in fruit and vegetables are contained directly under the skin. Along with the benefits of not exposing ourselves to absorbing foods that are irradiated and sprayed with pesticides, there is the added benefit of the sheer taste of these fruits and vegetables. In comparison, the conventionally grown chemically-sprayed varieties with their long sell-by dates are tasteless imitations of the real thing. These foods may essentially look perfect, but don’t be fooled as they offer little in the way of true flavour or nourishment. Does it cost more? Well yes, of course it commands a higher price due to the fact that the growing and harvesting of these crops is much more labour intensive. Although this is not always strictly the case, as I have on occasion bought cheaper organic produce than the chemically sprayed variety. It roughly costs about one-third more to buy organic foods…but it’s worth it. What with these harmful chemicals infiltrating our everyday diet, choosing organic foods may be your only option if you don’t want to bite off more then you can chew. With organic juices you are guaranteed freshness and they are so much tastier than packaged concentrates and cordials. Many of these packaged juices are full of sugar and are devoid of enzymes, as they are pasteurized and heat treated. I don’t find juicing time-consuming; I think it’s more about deciding to do it and then carrying it through. It takes about five minutes to make a juice and five minutes to clean up after, and I consider this time well spent. Juices are always better consumed within 15 minutes of preparation while the enzymes and nutrients are at their best. Don’t be tempted to make large batches to last for a few days, as oxidation will occur and this will rapidly diminish the nutrients in the juice. Another tip is that if you are going out and you decide to take a juice with you, store it in a stainless-steel vacuum flask with ice to slow down oxidation. This will definitely be better for you than a cup of coffee. The Right Juicing Equipment If ever there was a piece of equipment worthy of a place in your kitchen, it has got to be a juicer. It is important to spend a bit of time choosing the correct machine for your needs. There are so many brands on the market today that you could be forgiven for not knowing which one is best. I myself survived for some time with the centrifugal type of juicer, which is of the less expensive variety readily available in the high street. I use the word survived because I found it fiddly and difficult juicing daily with this type of machine. The reasons for this were: Centrifugal machines are difficult to clean. Be sure to check this out before purchasing a juicer. It is an extremely important point to remember, as cleaning can be time-consuming especially if you’re trying to fit making juices into an already full and busy schedule. They are wasteful as they produce a lot of pulp, which is not very cost effective. They mainly extract the water from the fruit and vegetables. You will notice this as the juice separates after a very short time. They can also destroy the nutrients in the juice, as these machines operate at very high speeds (about 3,000 revs per minute). The juicer I now use is a masticating juicer. I carried out a lot of research on many different machines before I discovered the machine I wanted. (You will find addresses in the Resources section to help you if you wish to purchase a masticating juicer). My trusty juicer will juice anything you throw at it. I have had trouble-free use of this robust machine for the past six years. Juicing is not the only thing I use this machine for; it has many other uses and I have found it to be an effortless way of making cookies and crackers. I feel sure I haven’t yet explored its full potential. Many of my students amaze me when they tell me of the wonderful foods they have managed to make with this machine. Natural healing centres throughout the world have been using these masticating machines for many years. They grind and crush the fruits and vegetables slowly, at around 110 revolutions per minute. While masticating juicers are more expensive, I have certainly found my machine to be worth the extra cost. It provides several advantages: The slow grinding process produces a good-quality juice loaded with enzymes and nutrients. Independent studies show that they extract up to 74 per cent more vitamins and minerals than centrifugal juicers. These machines are easy to clean and, believe me, this is a huge advantage and a major selling point of masticating juicers. A quick tip: after a juicing session I open the nozzle at the front of the machine and, with the machine turned on, pour a jug of water through the machine. This cleans out 90 per cent of any leftover waste and there is virtually no cleaning left to do. They produce very little pulp. I collect what little pulp there is in a small glass and pass it through the machine again and again to squeeze more juice from it. Wheatgrass and all leafy green vegetables (major sources of chlorophyll and nutrients) can be easily juiced in these twingear masticating juicers. With the cheaper machines these leafy greens get stuck and can jam the machine. These are just a few of the things to consider when purchasing a juicer, and I hope you find this short analysis of their relative effectiveness useful. I have researched and discussed the merits of various types of juicers with many experts and they all seem to have come to the same or similar conclusions. Wheatgrass Juice Wheatgrass juice is a superfood that deserves a mention all of its own. It has become justifiably popular and it is now best-known for helping those with weakened resistance because of its incredible effectiveness at fighting disease. It contains high quantities of minerals and is one of the richest sources of beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin B (a substance that is thought to destroy cancer cells). It is extremely valuable in suppressing bacterial growths and is highly effective at eliminating stored toxins, as it is rich in chlorophyll which aids the body in purifying the liver. Indeed, wheatgrass is so powerful that 1 ounce of it is said to be the equivalent of over 2 lb of fresh fruit and vegetables in terms of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and phytonutrients. Humans cannot eat wheatgrass. It can only be digested in a juice form, because in this form it can be easily assimilated and the body can utilize its storehouse of nutrients. Juice bars up and down the country are now supplying this wonderfully powerful juice. Indeed, it has become one of the top-selling health foods in the world. More details on growing your own wheatgrass can be found on pages 67-9. Let’s Juice You will notice I have used a lot of apples in the mouth-watering recipes that start on page 119 – mainly because apples are readily available all year round, and the majority of people have apples regularly available in their fruit bowl. Furthermore, apple seeds are a wonderful source of nitrosilides, which can help protect us from disease. Carrots also feature largely in the recipes, as again they are an everyday vegetable which most of us use and they are readily available. The use of readily available fruits and vegetables is important as it can be frustrating not having the fruits and vegetables available when you decide to make a juice. I hope you enjoy the different tastes, as well as the health benefits that juicing will bring to you. Remember; keep it simple and enjoy it! Yummy-for-your-tummy Smoothies Enzyme-rich smoothies are another wonderful way to kick-start your day. They are the ultimate fast-food as they can be whipped up in seconds. You simply throw all your favourite ingredients into a blender and whiz them up. What could be more convenient and easy? I should point out at this stage that juices and smoothies are completely different drinks, although both are beneficial. Smoothies, which include some fibre, require more prolonged digestion. With juicing the cellular walls of the fruit and vegetables are broken down and only the liquid is extracted, leaving the fibre behind. Fibre, which is important for health, can easily be added throughout the day by the intake of other foods. Digesting foods is one of the hardest jobs your body has to undertake, but in these liquid drinks we can digest and assimilate their precious nutrients much more readily. Smoothies take less time to prepare than the average breakfast of cereal, toast and coffee. Children are especially attracted to their yummy creamy textures and colours. Nourishing ingredients such as soaked fruits, seeds and nuts can be used as thickeners, and also nourishing essential fats can easily be blended into smoothies. Smoothies by their nature tend to use more fruits than vegetables, subsequently these will satisfy the sweetest tooth. Remember the old saying, though – a little of what you fancy does you good – and try not to overindulge. For sustained energy levels throughout the day, these drinks offer good nourishment for breakfast or lunch. The majority of households have blenders or even hand-blenders these days, so I hope you will not need to purchase another piece of equipment. If you do have to invest in one you will find them useful for many tasks such as making soups, smoothies, pat?s and stuffing. Hand-blenders are wonderful, as in the past when I would make soup I’d pour it into the food processor to liquidize the vegetables, and end up spilling most of it on the counter-top or on myself, so needless to say I find the hand-blender a big improvement! Some of the smoothie recipes included in this book has been given to me by my friends Stephen and David. They run a juice bar in Wicklow called ‘The Happy Pear’ and all I can tell you is they are absolutely gorgeous…the smoothies, that is, not the happy pair! Thanks for your kind help, lads! I hope that the smoothie recipes will give you ideas for some quick and healthy starts to your day. Step Two: Powerful Foods (#ulink_eb95a074-3893-560e-9f9b-8e74acd7fda1) Nature intended us to eat growing foods andliving foods that are full of vitality… To Cook? Or Not to Cook? (#ulink_91892a94-d424-52be-ac69-4ca8b1f222f0) We have been habitually conditioned to using foods that are stripped of nutrients and leave us with exhausted immune systems. We very often overlook the simple fact that eating raw food is what Mother Nature intended. This next section looks at the issues of preparing food, and the benefits of eating an uncooked diet. Nature intended us to eat growing foods and living foods that are full of vitality. What nature did not intend was for us to zap the life out of what we eat, resulting in us consuming tasteless, bland, dead food that in no way resembles nourishment. The result of continually eating highly processed foods is that we become increasingly susceptible to disease as the body loses the ability to repair itself. On top of this is the added concern that we then attempt to reinstate a sense of taste into these now tasteless foods by overloading them with salt and sugar. The term ‘raw food’ can often conjure up an image of something unwelcoming or even unpleasant. For this reason most of the recipes will be referred to as ‘uncooked foods’. Any negative connotations of raw food soon disappears when you begin to taste how delicious this food can actually be. I can fully appreciate how the idea of eating raw cuisine can seem strange and daunting. Many people think that raw food consists of a plateful of ‘rabbit food’, believing the meal will consist of leaf or two of lettuce and few sticks of carrot! On the contrary, you will find that the dishes included in my recipes will have you drooling in anticipation of their amazing variety of tastes and flavours. Crackers, crisps, pizzas, biscuits and cakes can all be prepared without destroying their nutrients. Using fresh, colourful foods takes the boredom out of food preparation and you will soon find yourself eating food of a far superior quality while also saving yourself some time and money. This trend is rapidly gaining momentum, although there is most definitely nothing new about the phenomenon. Humans have been eating this way since the beginning of time. What is new about the trend of eating raw food is the method of preparation. Chefs and novices alike have now created new, adventurous recipes for raw foods that are not devoid of nutrients and yet retain the appearance of cooked food. My experience of this dietary awakening first occurred while on holiday with my husband Ger when we visited ‘Juliano’s’—a raw food restaurant in Santa Monica, California. To this day he still talks about his surprise at the amazing taste of what was a totally uncooked meal. And believe me, this was praise indeed from him, as I am still working (with limited success, I might add) on converting him into a better way of eating. Looking back now, I remember that he was constantly sampling the foods on my plate. It did illustrate to me at that time that the only way to win him over was to learn for myself how to prepare these recipes. Uncooked and Ready to Eat! Another fact we often overlook is that eating raw food is what Mother Nature intended. Heating, processing and refining food knocks the life out of it, and I strongly suspect that these practices are conducted more in the interests of the food producers than those of the consumer. Not only are these overcooked foods lacking in nutrients but also of concern is the huge issue of the destruction that occurs in their preparation. When we heat food above 43°C (115°F) we destroy almost all the enzymes (essential for digestion and breaking up foods into smaller nutrients), nearly all the vitamins, and some of the minerals. Even steaming food is not as healthy as you might think. The high temperatures that result from steaming mean that, again, you may be destroying the valuable nutrients originally stored inside the food in its raw state. Enzymes Explained Uncooked foods have an abundance of enzymes that utilize and assist the process of digestion. A good digestive system supports the body’s basic needs and functions, and this leads to better health. You cannot have one without the other. On the contrary, poor digestion leads to malnutrition and toxicity. It is within the digestive system that most of the problems of ill-health occur. Uncooked foods are much less demanding on our bodies and are digested much faster than the cooked versions of these foods. Cooked foods, on the other hand, stress the body and trigger its defences, as they are recognized as invaders. When our bodies are constantly working to replace the nutrients destroyed in the cooking process, it has a profound impact on our health. In addition to this, foods that are overheated can produce dangerous free radicals which attack our body tissue and can lead to diseases such as cancer. On that note, I will provide a quick update on the story of Susie – a wonderful woman I wrote about in my previous book. I have had so many requests for more information on Susie’s health that I felt compelled to give her story a second mention. Susie and her husband John sought my help and advice some years back. She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer which had then spread into her lungs. Over the past few years she underwent three separate six-month sessions of chemotherapy. Then, four years ago, she made the choice to introduce some changes to her diet and lifestyle in order to give her body the food it required. She is now reaping the rewards. She recently told me that she truly believes that her new diet has saved her life. Susie is a wonderful example of a courageous woman who took responsibility for her self-healing. Over the past few years we have become good friends and it has been the best tonic for me to see this lovely woman thrive and return to health. Now she can happily enjoy life with her devoted husband John. It is important to be aware that nine times out of ten we miss the small truths when reading about nutrition, and very often this turns out to be the most vital information of all. The most important fact we seem to misunderstand, or perhaps are reluctant to confront, is around preparing our food. The convenience of cooking is not always a Godsend for our unfortunate bodies. A microwave meal may save you 20 minutes of cooking, but by heating foods at high temperatures we destroy the most important nutrients – the enzymes. These busy workers do all of the work in breaking up foods inside the body, and foods without these precious enzymes can place a heavy burden on the digestive system and leave us feeling sleepy and lethargic. With the absence of enzymes in the food we eat, the pancreas is required to work harder to produce them. Consequently it is difficult for the body to function properly. If we consume uncooked foods, we can provide our bodies with the precious stores of enzymes needed to repair and heal itself efficiently. It is not left unnoticed by the body when we use unnatural cooking methods. Nature finds a way of fighting back and the process of accelerated ageing occurs, as dead food cannot rejuvenate or regenerate the cells of the body. Many experts believe that enzyme deficiencies are the root cause behind every degenerative disease. You may think that you are getting the necessary nutrients in your food by checking what it says on the label or packaging, but if foods are not properly assimilated Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию (https://www.litres.ru/bernadette-bohan/bernadette-bohan-s-the-choice-the-programme-the-simple-he/?lfrom=688855901) на ЛитРес. 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