I’m trying to get you to eat more beans, in case you can’t tell. Peasant food, rustic. Old-fashioned. From the old country. Why did they eat so many beans? Beans are the only food on the planet that’s rich in both fiber and protein. This makes them very special, filling, nutritious. And inexpensive. So eat your beans! Thank you to Mark Bittman, and How to Cook Everything Fast, for the original version of this recipe. If you use canned beans, dinner can be ready in 15 minutes. Continue reading
Author Archives: Dr. Sukol
Diet is a Punishment, Eating a Celebration
Dieting means to restrict, to deny oneself. It is a logical consequence of the assumption that weight problems are due to overindulgence. But there is a big, fat fault line within this assumption, for if it were true, then denial would be an effective and viable option for losing weight. It is not, of course, which is why you have probably noticed that diets almost never work. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chicken with Yellow Split-Pea Gravy
I made up this rather elegant recipe one Sunday a few weeks back when I got tired of looking at a package of yellow split peas that had been in the cupboard for a very, very long time (no, I’m not going to tell). Embarrassing. Here’s what I did: Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Black Bean Nachos Grandes
Feed me! This is for the Super Bowl, in case you were wondering! Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Rice & Collards Soup
Last year I was asked to give a talk on vitamins and minerals. For lack of a more inspired approach, I decided to go in alphabetical order, plodding through all these micronutrients like an elementary school teacher. As part of the talk I shared ideas for good sources of the various vitamins and minerals. To my delight and surprise, I discovered that greens were a source of almost every vitamin I mentioned! Who knew? Greens even have tons of orange and yellow nutrients, like beta-carotene. The dark green pigment hides the lighter ones, but they’re still there. Continue reading
A Big Fan of Small Change
Maybe you know, or maybe you don’t, but I like to imagine that there’s a big sign on my office wall that says “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” It isn’t actually there, but I like to pretend it is, and I quote it all the time. It’s not important to hit the track like you’re training for the Olympics. It’s not reasonable to think you should be able to lose 20 lbs. by next month. And it’s definitely not in the cards for you to become the next meditation guru. But it’s not necessary either. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Another Kind of Magic Bean Soup — Vegetarian Chili
I love my slow cooker. I even have a bumper sticker that says so.
This is something really terrific — it takes 5 minutes to get ready, all day to cook and fill the house with heavenly smells, and no time at all to bring to the table for a satisfying and wonderful meal. Thank you to Clean Eating Chelsey for her version of Magic Bean Soup. As opposed to this one, from me and Michael Ruhlman. Continue reading
Research: One Cup of Broccoli at a Time
This past week I went to hear Dr. Mark Hyman speak to our medical students about functional medicine. My brain was spinning a mile a minute. That happens whenever I spend time thinking about actually preventing illness instead of chasing it. I channeled my energies by spending a good part of the time busily writing tweets to send out on my Twitter feed: Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Roasted Cauliflower Soup is the perfect vehicle for adding all kinds of heat (pepper, chili), nourishing fat (olives, coconuts, sesame, sunflower seeds), bite (onion, garlic), green (cilantro), red (tomato, chili pepper). Am I missing anything?!
Oh yes, it’s guaranteed to warm you from the inside out!! That’s important to remember when this Tuesday’s temperature is forecast to be minus 8 degrees. The good news? There’s a chance you may not notice if you eat this soup! Continue reading
A Poem for the New Year
In honor of the New Year, I share here a poem by the artist, author and educator Judy Chicago. I am inspired in particular by the last part of this poem, and by the idea that as health and wellness improve and flourish in our homes and communities, the medical-care delivery economy must, inevitably, shrink. More beans and greens means fewer dialysis centers. Fewer food deserts, fewer heart attacks. More physical activity, less depression. Continue reading