Better Living Through Food
No meat, no dairy, no caffeine – nutrition expert Gary Null says living the best life requires a total diet overhaul
Gary Null doesn’t accept excuses. You want longevity? You want a healthier life? Fine. Null will share his formula. But you have to follow the program. No whining. No cheating.
Null is tired of people who claim they want to lead healthier lives - as long as they can have their latté grandes and half-pound burgers. His key to longevity is a series of rather extreme changes, and if you drop one step, you might as well consign yourself to aches, pains, dulled wit, thinning hair and all the other assaults of aging.
“Americans recognize the tools they need for work are multifaceted and must be mastered. But they fail miserably to apply these principles to their health,” says Null, a holistic health advocate and author of “Get Healthy Now with Gary Null (Seven Stories Press, 1999).
“Where people are completely reasonable and rational in cause and effect in everything else, they have a lack of focus [in their approach to health],” says Null, who has been featured on PBS specials and radio shows.
Null offers seven steps to longevity. They include asking yourself how healthy you want to be. “This is the no-more-excuses step,” Null says. Other steps include cleansing your body, reducing stress and getting more exercise.
But most of all, Null wants you to change your diet: “If [whatever you’re doing or eating] doesn’t honor you and assist you, don’t bring it into your body, life or mind.”
Eliminate all dairy; meat, including chicken; processed and artificial sugars; caffeine; alcohol; cigarettes and cigars; refined carbohydrates, such as cookies, cakes and soft drinks; and finally corn, which Null says is a common allergen. “You’ll have to sacrifice comfort foods,” he says.
You don’t have to get rid of all your bad food habits at once, but you’ve got to do it eventually.
There are compensations, though. Add fresh fish, especially salmon, mackerel and herring; whole grains; beans; nuts and seeds; leafy and starchy vegetables; tubers; fresh fruits; onions; garlic; chives; and spices and herbs.
And get ready to drink juice – lots of it. That includes four glasses of freshly made fruit juice and vegetable juice to flush your system with important phytochemicals, which deliver disease-fighting antioxidants.
As proof that eating for long life doesn’t mean a boring future, here are three recipes that follow Null’s recommendations. For more information about Null’s take on diet and health, check out his Web site: www.garynull.com.
Spelt Soup
1 cup spelt (wheat berries)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
3 large ribs celery (sliced)
3 large carrots (halved length-wise and sliced)
3 cups chopped plum tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 pound potatoes (diced)
1 teaspoon crushed, dried basil
1 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed, dried rosemary
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
Soak spelt overnight in 3 1/2 cups water.
When ready to cook, heat oil in large pot. Sauté garlic and onion for 5 minutes or until tender. Add spelt and soaking liquid. Be careful; liquid may spatter. Add celery, carrots, tomatoes, water, potatoes, basil, oregano and rosemary. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until spelt and vegetables are tender (about 45 minutes). Stir in parsley and pepper. Add lemon juice. Serves 6.
Nutrition facts per serving: 130 calories; 3 fat g; 19 percent calories from fat;
25 g carbohydrates; 3.6 g protein; 4.8 g dietary fiber
Poached Salmon
1 (1-pound) salmon fillet (skin attached)
4 cups water
1 lemon (thinly sliced)
1 small onion (peeled and thinly sliced)
1 stalk celery (thinly sliced)
2 teaspoons peppercorns
Place salmon in a large, nonstick skillet. Add water, lemon slices, onion, celery and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Do not boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 8 minutes.
Carefully remove salmon from the poaching liquid, and place on a layer of paper towels. Gently pat dry. Discard the poaching liquid. With a pancake turner, carefully separate skin from salmon; discard skin. Cut salmon into 4 equal portions. (Salmon is excellent served over couscous, lentils or brown rice.)
Nutrition facts per serving: 184 calories; 7 fat g; 37 percent calories from fat; 5 g carbohydrates; 23 g protein; 1.6 g dietary fiber
Couscous and Vegetable Salad
11/2 cups water
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup whole-wheat couscous
3/4 cup canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed; reserve liquid)
1 cup diced cucumber
1 small tomato (chopped)
1 small red bell pepper (cored, seeded and chopped)
3 tablespoons currants
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed, dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed, dried marjoram
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring water, salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
Transfer couscous to a large bowl. Add chickpeas (without liquid), cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, currants, chives and nuts. Toss gently to mix.
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, thyme, marjoram and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add 3 tablespoons reserved chickpea liquid. Mix and pour over salad. Toss to mix well. Serves 4.
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