Finger Lickin' Good

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." -- Hans Hofmann

Through my work and travels I have been lucky enough to have been exposed to various eclectic cuisine running the gamut from small local cafes to iconic five-star restaurants. I have experienced some amazing food! Yet when I think about the most luxurious and exquisite meals I have had, visions of simple food made from a few natural ingredients are what most excite me.

Don't get me wrong, I admire elegance and have an appreciation of the finer things in life. But to me, beauty lies in simplicity. I don't need the fillers, additives, excessive amounts of sugars, fats, salts and other measures taken to taint the natural goodness of real food. And thanks to you, my community, I now have a plethora of additions to add to my mix of basics.

For those of you following my Basic Plan, or for all of you looking forward to eating in a way that sustains UltraWellness, I am thrilled to announce that I have chosen a winning recipe for you to enjoy. In a moment we'll highlight this week's winner, but let's first explore what makes a Basic Plan recipe noteworthy.

Creating Your Personal UltraMeal

I'd like you to refer back to last week's blog for the essentials on how to create your personal UltraMeal. The two plans are ultimately the same except there is a bit more flexibility regarding carbohydrate intake with the Basic Plan. Remember, this plan is for you if your blood sugar is under control and you are making progress in the Seven Keys of UltraWellness.

Carbs and Your Diet

Let's explore some tips on how to effectively integrate carbohydrates into your diet. I know this is a confusing topic, but after reading this you should be an enlightened carb consumer!

1. This is a slow carb plan, NOT necessarily a low carb plan. Carbohydrates are essential for our body to function, and I want you to include the right choices in the appropriate portions. Choose primarily from starchy vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fruit. Of course, get rid of all refined carbohydrates and sugars.
2. If you are transitioning from an Advanced Plan, start small and progress slowly. Keep insulin from spiking by taking one serving of complex carbohydrates with each meal. Hint: One serving of carbohydrate is equal to 15 grams. As insulin sensitivity improves, you can increase your consumption of slow carbohydrates to 30 grams per meal and 15 grams per snack.
3. Eat three meals per day with two snacks.
4. Regardless of the plan you are on always eat a carbohydrate with some protein, fiber or anti-inflammatory fat. Never carb it alone!

This is merely a template for ensuring optimal insulin sensitivity. It is most important that you listen to your body and adjust the amount of carbohydrate based on your individual needs.

Here are examples of SLOW-burning carbohydrates that you can play with:

Starchy Vegetables:

• Sweet potato (1/2 cup)


• Cooked Carrot (1 cup)

Whole Grains:

• Black or brown rice (1/3 cup)


• Quinoa (1/3 cup)

Legumes:

• Lentils, Chick Peas and Black Beans (1/3 cup)


• Black eyed-beans (1/2 cup)

Fruits:

• Apple (1 small)


• Peach (1 medium)

For a complete list of carbohydrate guidelines, please join my community and check out the downloads section for my report on "Low Glycemic Vegetables."

There are various ways to incorporate these nutritionally-dense carbohydrates into a meal. Like I said, I like to keep it simple yet interesting. Many of your recipes achieved that, and I can't tell you how difficult it was to select just one!

There was one that embodied all of the principals of whole foods eating and accomplished creativity, elegance, flavor, fun and of course... simplicity. I am proud to announce this week's Basic Plan winning recipe. The winner is...

Roasted Red Pepper & Cannellini Bean Soup

By Michele Rusinko

Serves: 8-10

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

A creamy and comforting soup for lunch or dinner.

• 3 red bell peppers, roasted
• 6 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)
• 8 cups cannellini beans (preferably soaked overnight)
• 1 cup basil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Dash sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast peppers until lightly blackened, about 20 minutes (or blacken over a gas burner). Blend peppers, broth, beans, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.

You can also reserve 2-3 cups of the beans and add after blending -- I find the recipe as written not only to be easier on your digestive system but a great way to "hide" beans from those who refuse to eat them, especially kids.

Also, I make my own vegetable broth (boiling a sweet onion, garlic, fresh parsley, salt & pepper for about an hour while the beans are cooking (I also buy my beans dry, soak and then boil).

The easiest way for a beginner is to buy the broth and beans but it is much healthier (and tastier) to prepare your own!

Nutritional Analysis:

Serving Size (about 1 cup): Calories 305, Fat 12 grams, Sat 1.5 grams, Cholesterol 0 milligrams, Fiber 10 grams, Protein 15 grams, Carbohydrates 36 grams, Sodium 60 milligrams

Why I chose "Roasted Red Pepper and Cannellini Bean Soup"

• Gluten- and dairy-free
• Low glycemic load, high fiber
• Lean plant protein
• Easy to prepare and allows for flexibility -- not a rigid recipe so you can use any herbs available
• Kid-friendly bean recipe
• Able to have leftovers and use as a quick lunch the next day
• Appropriate for Basic Plan. Serve with a green salad for a complete meal

Congratulations to Michele for providing us with a clear example of how simple ingredients can make a winning meal!

I like to think that what Hans Hofmann was referring to in the quote above is the sort of whole foods lifestyle that celebrates nothing more or less than that which nature has provided us with. Let's remove the myth that good food means exorbitant amounts of harmful ingredients so that we can unveil simple pleasures with significant health rewards. Cheers to getting back to basics and celebrating all the tasty creations you and your loved ones can cook up!

Now I'd like to hear from you...

Will you try this recipe with me?

What confuses you about slow and low carbohydrates diets?

Have you tried to a "low" carb diet and how did it work for you?

Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

Mark Hyman, M.D. is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a four-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on YouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter.

For more by Mark Hyman, M.D., click here.

For more on personal health, click here.

 

 

 

Follow Mark Hyman, MD on Twitter: www.twitter.com/markhymanmd

Comments

[webwzrd]

06:05 PM on 06/30/2012

It's as much about low carb as it is about low GLYCEMIC LOAD. Fiber slows down and evens out carb metabolism, so you can have a serving of boiled potatoes with two servings of greens and a few nuts to slow down it's absorption. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (blood sugar 3 month average of 330) 4 months ago and was placed on insulin injections. I immediately went on a low glycemic index, high fiber diet consisting mainly of lean meats and lots of leafy greens, along with nuts and other healthy fat and fiber foods. My blood sugar was under control in a week and I was off ANY diabetes medication within 2 weeks. I have since quit smoking and lost nearly 40 pounds.

I am now beginning to incorporate more varied low GI carbs back into my diet. In small measures and closely monitoring my blood sugar for spikes. So far, so good. If not for the herniated disk in my back, I feel like I'm in my 20's again. Actually, that's WHY I got the herniated disk :-).

[luckylily88]

05:59 PM on 06/26/2012

That soup sounds fantastic! I made a fennel and white bean soup the other week that was to die for. With a little slice of bread, a good bowl of it got me straight through until a late dinner without so much as a rumble. There's a lot to be said for these "slow carbs", and the days that I eschew meat for beans and lentils are usually my more productive ones.

[allerleirauh]

03:02 AM on 06/26/2012

Garlic tip: first cook the garlic and pepper in a teaspoon or so of olive oil until the flavors are released, about 30 seconds. Then add the oil to the recipe. Just boiling the garlic in the soup is not a good way to do it.

[Mwrose04]

08:27 PM on 06/25/2012

My children and I stick to a gluten free diet so I tried this soup tonight with great interest. I soaked and cooked the beans myself so the recipe took a long time to make. I would NOT recommend it for anyone else! It was incredibly bland and was otherwise horrible. We tried to make it better by adding chicken stock, onion and sun-dried tomatoes but it was still not good. Don't bother...

[KISS MY FEET]

04:08 AM on 06/25/2012

"This is a slow carb plan, NOT necessarily a low carb plan."

so we're all in agreement: Dr Atkins was right: carbs make you fat. carbs make you fat. carbs make you fat. carbs make you fat. carbs make you fat. carbs make you fat. carbs make you fat.

[Klad InVermont]

09:19 AM on 06/25/2012

And bacon will kill you.

[luckylily88]

06:00 PM on 06/26/2012

Not a little bit of bacon. What will kill you is going too far to the extremes.

[pigeonca]

02:47 AM on 06/25/2012

This is basically good advice, but if you're diabetic you need to know how YOU respond to various carbs. Everybody is different. My brother, for example, finds that brown rice and oatmeal spike his blood sugar almost as badly as white rice and corn flakes.

If you really want to know how your body responds to different meals, it's well worth investing in a glucose meter.

[webwzrd]

06:22 PM on 06/30/2012

I am also a diabetic, but my insulin is now controlled through diet. I have found that a serving or two of high fiber food slows the absorption of carbs, so your brother might want to maybe add a few almonds to his oatmeal and a serving of leafy greens, and maybe some nuts as well, to his brown rice.

[veritas88]

11:29 PM on 06/24/2012

One of my favorite "low carb" meals are pancakes made from almond flour. They're VERY quick and easy to make and they're delicious (and sugar and flour free)! Here's where I got the recipe:

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breakfast1/r/lowcarbpancakes.htm

[Alvarask]

06:43 AM on 06/25/2012

Thanks for the recipe! I'll give that a try. You can also use coconut flour if you're into experimenting with pancake ingredients, although almond flour is wonderful!

[webwzrd]

06:25 PM on 06/30/2012

There is a product called carbquick, fro which you can make pancakes and biscuits with only 10% of the carbs in regular flour. It's MUCH less expensive than almond flower, but I usually add some al mond flower for flavor. You can find it here: www.carbalose.com.

[veritas88]

11:20 PM on 07/01/2012

Thanks! I'll look into getting some.

[Steve Rockett]

08:31 PM on 06/24/2012

I knew a fellow who had a rare disease that caused his skin to turn the same color as the food he ate. Sadly he is blue today, but tomorrow he will be in the pink.

[ncyim]

08:02 PM on 06/24/2012

My fav low carb dish consists of: wild blueberries with yogurt, pumpkin, sunflower & milled flax seed, lecithin granules, cinnamon, turmeric, lemon peel, cocoa & stevia as breakfast and sometimes dinner too. Keeps me going for up to 4 hours without hunger. Is that low carb? The taste of the turmeric is most addictive.

[webwzrd]

06:26 PM on 06/30/2012

Interesting.... Do you have measurements? I would love to try it.

[TakeSake]

06:46 PM on 06/24/2012

Here is one of my breakfast recipes:
1. An apple, bitted and diced. Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes.
2. Add in walnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.
3. Toss in some berries, raisins, or whatever is around.
4. Slice in a banana.
5. Top with hemp milk.

[Chas53]

06:05 PM on 06/24/2012

McDougall has been leading the charge on this for years.
"The Starch Solution" is his new book.

[lolstephsis]

04:47 PM on 06/24/2012

I love how you specify that this is not "low" carb. Dr. McDougall's work has convinced me so well that now I turned from a paleo-follower to a high carb vegan ;) Gotta love my whole grains and legumes...

[Steve Rockett]

08:29 PM on 06/24/2012

If you see me on an elevator, please don't get on.

[luckylily88]

06:01 PM on 06/26/2012

Your body learns how to deal with grains and legumes and stops producing gas once you get used to it.

[Sarahbeth183]

03:16 PM on 06/24/2012

When I hear "whole grains" I think wheat. On closer examination here - realized that he's for the "no gluten" approach. This is confusing... Was surprised to hear that rice is a grain! And I thought I knew a lot about nutrition.. Maybe he should specify - "gluten free whole grain."

I came across a "gluten free" oatmeal the other day.. More confusion. How do they make this?

One thing I'm not confused about, giving up wheat - mostly bread. As much as I love it, time and time again, when I give it up I feel so much better. And I actually lose weight - and I don't retain water and have that bloated look. Now am I gluten sensitive, or is it just the extra calories? That's a question I'd like answered. If I know I was actually sensitive to it, maybe I'd be able to keep it from creeping back into my diet.

Why does the simple act of eating have to be so complicated? Sheeezz..

[williamg]

03:44 PM on 06/24/2012

When I hear "whole grain" I think of the latest marketing approach by General Mills and friends, which has been adopted by a lot of the food industry.

[somewhatodd]

08:53 AM on 06/25/2012

oats are gluten free unless they get contaminated.

[Cuthbert]

09:21 AM on 06/27/2012

Avenin (a protein in oats) is closely related to gluten and can be a problem for true celiac sufferers. However, oats aren't particularly great on nutrients either, so why risk systemic inflammation?

[me1vi11e]

02:58 PM on 06/24/2012

d

[ginadeoliveira2008]

02:27 PM on 06/24/2012

Reintegrating carbs?!! I'm a low-carb girl, thanks. Vegetables, fruits, beans? Right. The rest zero. I'm prone to cravings if I start with carbs in moderation. Doesn't work for me. Geeezzzz, I don't want 48 pounds back on me!