Because I am old, overweight, have high cholesterol,
high blood pressure, and diabetes 2, I am standing on Death’s
doorstep.
I’ve been looking at ways to improve all of
these ailments (with the possible exception of “old”), and to forestall my entry
through this world’s final portal.
I’m looking at recipes in a book called Prevent and
Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell B. Esselsyn, Jr.
M.D.
I couldn’t wait to look at the “More Than 150
Great-Tasting Recipes” at the back of the book, and so I dived right into
them.
They may be Great-Tasting, but some aren’t that
Great-Sounding.
Here are some of the recipes:
Anthony’s Oatmeal and Vegetables
Since this one is short, I’ll list the
ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled
oats
2 cups water
3 handfuls fresh spinach, or 2
cups mixed vegetables
low-sodium tamari
(optional)
What do you think?
Does it make your taste buds want to water or dry
up?
I can’t imagine putting vegetables in my oatmeal, can
you?
Here are some other recipes:
Pea Guacamole
Beet Greens Surrounded with Beets
Roasted Beets
Every-Night Kale
Beet Soup
Safe Soup
The Safe Soup sounds the
best.
That is, the ingredients sound
good.
I’ll have to make this one for the
taste-test.
A few more:
Black Bean-Oatmeal Burgers
(There’s the oatmeal again…with black
beans!)
Black Bean Cakes Supreme!
(The exclamation mark is not
mine.)
Tortilla Pie
Mushroom Ratatouille
Sloppy Lentil Joes
Seitan Bourguigon
(I have no idea what the words Seitan or
Bourguigon mean, so I’ll have to look them up.
I don’t like to eat anything that I don’t
understand)
Antonia Demas’s Couscous and African
Stew
(I’ve always liked the sound of the word
couscous.)
Peaches Baked in Lemon and
Ginger
(This one sounds real good and I’ll try
it.)
The good doctor (and author) writes about how “The
Revolutionary Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure” can only work if
people completely STOP eating fats, fried foods---“anything with a mother or
a face (no meat, poultry, or fish)…”.
The last admonition strikes me as odd, since we’re
always being told to eat plenty of fish.
“You cannot eat dairy
products.”
“You must not consume oil of any kind---not a
drop.
(And Dr. Esselstyn adds, “Yes, you devotees of the
Mediterranean Diet, that includes olive oil…”)
“Generally, you cannot eat nuts or
avocados.”
Yesterday I read where pistachios are now thought to
help make insulin work better, and today I read that avocados have the good
mono-saturated type of fat which lowers cholesterol.
In fact, I just ate two avocados and had some
pistachios.
I smashed the avocados and added sea salt, and added
half of a big lime.
The real trouble for my arteries will be the fresh
tortillas that I cut up into triangles and deep-fried in Canola
oil.
It’s true that almost everything that tastes good is bad
for you.
P.S. I just bought some more Macadamia nuts, because
they have high levels of the good fat---the monosaturated kind---and are low in
carbs. But the price for these nuts is out of this
world.
I am about to take out of the freezer eight
rib eye steaks that I’ll barbecue tomorrow.
Yesterday I had broiled turkey breast and turkey
dressing.
I ate more dressing than turkey.
(P.S. I had a large headache most of the next
day.)
As you can see, I’m getting a slow start on this
cure.
Dr. Esselstyn cites some very impressive statistics
about patients whose cholesterol levels dramatically dropped in a short amount
of time.
Time is ticking
for me, and it’s a time bomb if I don’t change my dietary
habits.
I’ll continue to take my Diabetes medicine and my
supplements of cinnamon, fenugreek and flaxseed oil (among other things), plus
my low-strength aspirin (whose dosage I sometimes increase, hoping that more of
the aspirin will help clear up the cholesterol build-up).
Finally, I need to make an appointment to get my blood
checked.
If my blood pressure and cholesterol are out of this
world, I’ll have to start this cure sooner not later if I hope to stay in
this world a little longer.
I’ll let you know.
P.S.
To be fair to Dr. Caldwell B.
Esselstyn and his book, many of the recipes sound quite delicious, especially
the recipes for soups, salads, and sandwiches.