Award Winning Author
Face Reading with Before & After Photos
If you’re concerned that you might have SIBO, (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), a glance in the mirror will inform you either way. Face Reading, a form of traditional Chinese medicine, correlates your small intestine’s health with the muscle tone of your inner lower lip. In seconds, you can easily apply this useful self-test. When you… Continue Reading
Here’s how to know which supplement is best for you The multiple forms of magnesium supplements differ significantly in their absorbability, their impact on the bowels and their desired benefits. So which supplement is right for you? Get savvy and choose accordingly. Magnesium is a necessary supplement for most of us these days. It reduces… Continue Reading
Our facial “imperfections” signal that there are underlying imbalances in one’s internal organs. They’re rather like road signs announcing your inner disharmony. Continue Reading
Uneven skin tone reflects digestive problems according to Chinese Face Reading. Here’s how to resolve discolored skin. Continue Reading
Face Reading Works Vertical lip lines show gut problems according to traditional Face Reading. They, along with color and skin tone irregularities, point to poor digestive health. Correcting your diet helps you regain smooth lips as we see in the before and after photos below. Sixty-five-year-old Georgette form NYC consulted with me last year because… Continue Reading
“I’m self conscious about my asymmetrical face,” reports this 33-year-old man from Assam, India, whom I’ll call Rudra. “What can I do?” Features that are similar in size and placement are considered a classical sign of beauty. An example is eyes that appear to be the same size and shape and that are positioned on… Continue Reading
This woman’s face shows 8 irregularities in her mouth region which correlate to her gut problems. The odds are that dairy is one of her triggers as she is Asian and most Asians and African American ethnicities have a high lactose intolerance. Continue Reading
What Your Gynecologist Doesn’t Know A fair-sized bump alongside your nose, or on both sides of your nose, typically corresponds to reproductive health according to Face Reading. Often, the skin color darkens as a precursor to where lumps often will manifest. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, facial irregularities represent an inner-organ disharmony. Deep inside, there’s… Continue Reading
Expendable Income but Calorie-Short Look at the faces of middle-class people around you and, surprisingly, many reveal deep-set hunger. Among my Face Reading clients, I’m increasingly seeing undernourished people whose diet logs, paradoxically, show adherence to a conscientious diet. They’re proudly eating “right” but either consistently calorie-short or unable to digest what they are eating.… Continue Reading
How Face Reading Helps Health and Moods Three of my Face Reading clients quickly improved the cosmetic appearance of their lips and mouth region. Terri, Joan and Esther muscled up and shifted from coffee to tea. They gained more than looks, they’re also enjoying greater energy and positive mood shifts. Plus their cravings are reduced.… Continue Reading
When blue veins show across your child’s nose bridge, she’s not at her best according to Traditional Chinese Face Reading. These veins, as we see below, are found in the very young whose diets are typically high in sweets and other inflammatory foods. This explains their Japanese name, kanmushi, or “sugar bug.” Continue Reading
Over-hydrating can result in needing to get out of bed in the middle of the night to pee. Unfortunately, nocturia, or waking to empty in your bladder, compromises deep sleep. Historically nocturia was a condition of pregnancy or advanced age. Today it is as commonplace as the admonition to “drink two liters of water a… Continue Reading
There are two types of chin wrinkles, innate and acquired; and the latter can be avoided. Due to an upturning chin some people are born with a horizontal line on their chin. Whereas an acquired chin crease gradually forms on, most often, seniors. It’s therefore known as a retirement line in Chinese Face Reading. This wrinkle also forms on younger people who have depleted their intrinsic energy Continue Reading
Weary of chronic yeast infections, this woman requested a Face Reading Consult. Here’s her photo plus the Before and After photos of two clients who suffered from—and resolved—the same complaint. We’ll name them Natasha, Cindy and John. Patterns that Faces Display While our facial characteristics are the result of numerous causes and conditions, nevertheless, certain… Continue Reading
Besides the inconvenience and discomfort, there’s a more important reason that frequent bouts of diarrhea are problematic. Chronically loose bowels signal malabsorption and, if unchecked, can lead to overall weakness and declining health. However, an occasional incident, triggered by the flu or travel, is actually quite normal and so no cause for fretting. Here are… Continue Reading
Here’s an effective Chinese kitchen remedy for a queasy stomach: charred garlic tea. It may sound strange, but its flavor is surprisingly mild and pleasant and, most important, it quells gas, diarrhea and a stomach ache. Regular (uncharred) garlic tea brings support to the gastrointestinal tract and stimulates one’s innate energy. But when the garlic… Continue Reading
A Root Cause of Snoring Wanting to stop snoring, this 59-year-old Californian, we’ll call her Hannah, requested a Face Reading. Before we look for subtle facial indicators that can correlate with snoring, let’s start with the big picture and first delight in Hannah. To me, her face radiates warmth and openness. Could one ever tire… Continue Reading
Bronwyn, who suffered from a kidney stone four months ago, reports: “It feels like another one is forming.” Kidney stones cause intense, wincing pain and may require medical intervention. Do It Yourself While an ultrasound is one scope for assessing kidney health, Face Reading is another and you can do it yourself. In this Mini… Continue Reading
Wondering about the subtle orange ring around her mouth, Joan* age 41, signed on for a free Mini Face Reading. Joan has noticed the ring for the past few years and had tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve it with various diets and remedies. In this blog we consider a person’s health and/or complexion concerns using the… Continue Reading
Aching joints plague Corinne, a 17-year-old Californian. In this mini Face Reading, we’ll sleuth some solutions for her pain by examining three facial features. How can Face Reading help resolve pain in the shoulders and toes? As we’ll see, facial clues point to underlying imbalances in the inner organ systems. To lose those aches, we’ll… Continue Reading
Facial Discoloration Two weeks ago, 34-year-old Polly looked in the mirror and saw her lips outlined with—to her eye—a garish orange color. It has persisted and, furthermore, she notes that when she’s hot, the problematic skin also itches. She wants a solution . . . fast. Let’s examine clues to understand the root of the… Continue Reading
Dear Rebecca, I’ve got red blotches on my face and itchy ears and it’s been going on for several months. I find that eating sugary things or drinking alcohol intensifies both. But even when I eat well, the blotchiness and itching are still a problem. Dear Suzie, Help is at hand, and it’s as near… Continue Reading
Targeted Remedies for Skin Problems If you have a bothersome complexion issue, you may be surprised to learn that what you see on the outside reflects an inner imbalance. It’s true: Your face mirrors your overall health. So even if your innards seem fine, an unwanted facial indicator is a call to action. Face Reading… Continue Reading
If there is discoloration, puffiness or hollows under your eyes, this gives you important information, as it signals an inner imbalance. Should you see any of these indicators, the following sketch and 7 photos will enable you to identify the root cause of your concern. And knowing what underlies the problem is a first step… Continue Reading
Feel Better – Sleep Better A hot ginger foot bath is a feel-good remedy that supports sound sleep and helps calm the parasympathetic nervous center. Additionally, it promotes circulation, reduces inflammation and helps drive out bacteria and viruses. As ginger both warms and energizes, it is especially useful during cold weather. During hot weather, enjoy… Continue Reading
Mini Face Reading Dear Rebecca, My primary concerns are my weight, digestion and chronic fatigue. I’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work. Exercise increases tiredness, inactivity increases weight, diets increase digestive problems. I feel like going into hibernation for a year. — Priyanka Dear Priyanka, How frustrating to try different solutions without gain. So… Continue Reading
Dear Rebecca, I first noticed melasma (dark blotchy patches) on my cheek bones about ten years ago and now it’s on my chin! Sugar makes it worse, even dates and dried fruits. What can I do? Dear Kathy, Thank you for sharing your photo and concerns. I’m sorry about your melasma; how disconcerting. Western medicine… Continue Reading
Like the Rising Sun If you have white sclera above or below your iris, consider it a personal vitality barometer. Typically, for most of our lives, white shows only on both sides of the colored orb. A quick look in the mirror and at faces around you confirms this. When white shows on three sides,… Continue Reading
Some sweet potatoes cook up moist and others, relatively speaking, cook up dry. Here’s how to use Five Elements to discern which variety best suits your digestion. The so-called dry varieties (jewel, Japanese, and Hannah) are starchier and so more firm and mealy when cooked. The more “moist” garnets and Beauregards cook up softer and… Continue Reading
Face Reading Shows Lip and Gut Connection If your lower lip is swollen, lacks tone and/or has a fuzzy border this signals bowel problems. Briefly, our lips are at the apex of our digestive tract and a readout for what lies south of them. So when your assimilation is good, expect your lips to have… Continue Reading
Your Variable Fiber Needs While a high-fiber diet is preferable, it’s not always apt. A high-fiber diet gets you more nutrition and supports regularity. But if your colon is inflamed, then it’s best to favor a non-irritating low-fiber diet until you’ve recovered. Here’s how to discern whether or not it’s best to peel that carrot.… Continue Reading
Blood sugar irregularities underly varicose and spider veins according to Five Element Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM). This is also true for hemorrhoids, which are nothing more than swollen veins in the anus, as well as the vulvar varicosity experienced by some pregnant women. And the more translucent skin of infants and toddlers can display swollen “sugar… Continue Reading
A cold touch and pale or even bluish lips are, one could argue, not so welcoming. Conversely, there’s a sense of well-being conveyed by both a warm handshake and (among Caucasians) naturally pink lips. There are medical reasons for cold extremities (see below), but the most obvious cause is often overlooked and, no matter your… Continue Reading
Swollen Lips, Beauty and Health Large bottom lip Having a lower lip that’s twice the size of your top lip is considered the most beautiful ratio for women according to a 2017 JAMA Plastic Facial Surgery study.1 This is a dramatic change from the past when evenly proportioned lips were the norm. Today most people… Continue Reading
Why Some Roots Give More Oomph A true root vegetable better supports your overall energy than any of the so-called root vegetables. Here’s why. Be it a tree or a carrot, it is a plant’s penetrating roots that extract nutrients from the soil and anchor it firmly into the ground. Burdock, for example, can penetrate… Continue Reading
Homely to the Eye but Good Medicine Cashiers quickly learn the codes for broccoli and tomatoes, but not for the underutilized rutabaga which happens to be an Earth Element tonic as we’ll see below. They inevitably ask me, “Is this a turnip?” They’re close as this yellow-purple, and often gnarly, root is a horticultural cross… Continue Reading
I recently served Coconut Chutney to a large gathering. There were no leftovers, and folks clamored for the recipe. It’s deceptively simple and vibrantly flavored. It comes from my collaborator, Leda Scheintaub and her husband Nash Patel who have just published a must have book, Dosa Kitchen: Recipes for India’s Favorite Street Food. COCONUT CHUTNEY 3⁄4… Continue Reading
With great pleasure I’m announcing my collaborator’s newest book, Dosa Kitchen. Leda Scheintaub and her husband, Nash Patel, have introduced a food completely new to Western palates: the dosa. This popular South Indian street food is a gluten-free fermented crepe that can be stuffed with or dipped into a variety of flavorful fillings and chutneys. Dosas… Continue Reading
Rather like a haiku in terms of its small size and focus on directly observable everyday experiences, Training in Tenderness is a guide for more fully opening our hearts. Why to do so? Dzigar Kongtrul, with easy to follow and reasoned logic, shows how this results in a more happy and fulfilling life. “When our… Continue Reading
Giving yourself an abdominal massage is an easy and powerful way to support your digestion and overall health. Commit to a five- to ten-minute session a day for two weeks and the benefits will inspire you to make it part of your daily ritual. Aim to give yourself an abdominal massage prior to breakfast; to… Continue Reading
Despite today’s assault of alarming news, there is reciprocity at the heart of the universe and this good news provides us with direction and the ability to rediscover our mutual belonging. My teacher, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, has just published a lively and engaging book, The Logic of Faith, that I enthusiastically recommend to everyone who… Continue Reading
Manufacturers are increasingly using pea flour in the production of low-carbohydrate foods. These days you’ll find it in pasta, chips, cookies, energy bars, and even dog food. Because it’s up to 28% protein, pea flour looks good on an ingredient label, but there’s a catch. It’s hard to digest. We’ll look at why this questionable… Continue Reading
For proactive healthcare, a basic understanding of biofilms is a requisite. The term biofilm refers to organic life forms (bacteria, yeasts and other microorganisms) that develop an extracellular matrix or, to be more graphic, a slimy film. Biofilms are a living, self-protective community that can develop and stick to any surface—living or otherwise—that is exposed to… Continue Reading
A Traditional Antibacterial Remedy Before we had modern drugs, colloidal silver was our primary clinical antibiotic. This suspension of microscopic silver particles in water is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent that speeds wound healing, treats infections, and has both antiviral and antifungal properties. Colloidal silver is regaining popularity for its ability to cure infectious diseases, including… Continue Reading
The Coca Pulse Test is a simple measurement you can do at home to know which foods strengthen you and which ones make you sick. You’ll find the steps below. I offer this method because it is scientifically sound. However, a faster technique–and the one I personally rely on–is muscle testing or kinesiology. Many chiropractors… Continue Reading
More Than Genetics Using traditional Chinese Face Reading we can decode the messages our faces reveal. As an example, let’s examine this mother and daughter photo. When your diet and lifestyle are right for you, your vital energy and innate beauty shine through unhindered. But if you’re not in balance, if there’s an energetic snarl… Continue Reading
Squash Leaves, Tips and Vines The tender ends of squash plants are a memorably delicious green with an herb-like squash flavor. If you’ve got vines in your garden or have access to a produce stand or an Asian market that offers them, do give them a try. Use up to eight inches of the vine… Continue Reading
DIY Diagnosis You can detect leaky gut (intestinal hyper-permeability) by looking in the mirror. Over centuries, Chinese medicine developed a sophisticated system of correspondences between outward signs and the internal organs; such as, for example, that the lower lip region reflects colon health. So take a look. If your lower lip is toned, uniformly colored… Continue Reading
Eating Meat Helped Resolve My Invasive Cancer As a longtime fan of yours, I remember reading that when you had cancer, you started eating meat again. I’m at a dietary crossroads myself and would love to know why you made the shift. —Syl Stenhouse, London, England In 1989, after twenty years of macrobiotics, then renowned… Continue Reading
A just published book by Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, The Tibetan Book of Health, is loaded with remarkable health tips and practices. I highly recommend it to all students of alternative medicine and to everyone seeking better health. Tibetan medicine shares similarities with both Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. It remains, however, a decidedly unique modality with… Continue Reading
New Fabric Supports Healing Want to tap in to your body’s own healing energy? Change your clothes! Wearing clothing made with a new type of fabric can actually promote healing from within. This fabric is imbued with ceramic (yes, you read that right!) and emits far infrared (FIR) healing properties. Far infrared or thermal radiation… Continue Reading
A newly published cookbook offers practical steps to enhance your health and energy. Divya Alter’s What to Eat for How You Feel is based on a living Ayurvedic tradition and is remarkable for conveying primal, jargon-free information. The book’s recipes are vegetarian, but the information shared is relevant for all dietary preferences. What to Eat… Continue Reading
This recipe is adapted, with permission, from Divya Alter’s excellent book, The New Ayurvedic Kitchen: What To Eat for How You Feel. Brussels sprouts are one of those compelling vegetables: you either love them or hate them. With their bitter, pungent, and sweet tastes and heating qualities, Brussels sprouts and red radishes are ideal for… Continue Reading
Castor Oil Packs—An Effective Home Remedy A warm castor oil pack is an ancient and effective treatment for a wide variety of health conditions. Applied externally, a pack increases lymphocyte (disease-fighting cell) production and thereby boosts immunity. (1) This aids in more efficient removal of toxins. The oil is derived from the seed of castor… Continue Reading
When you gaze at a mouth that’s gray, pale, purple or bluish at the corners, you can feel a sense of an energetic withdrawal. Simply put, discolored lips don’t look so kissable. No matter the natural hue of your lips, uniform color is a gage of health. In this blog, we’ll focus on dark mouth… Continue Reading
There must be as much hype about salt as there are salt varieties. In this blog, I’ll share science-based guidelines for making the most flavorful and nutritious choices, plus a do-it-yourself home test. The first guideline for buying salt is to favor additive-free, unrefined sea salt, as it contains valuable trace minerals and is free… Continue Reading
Self-Test to Determine if a Low-Histamine Diet Will Help Resolve Your Health Issues. If you suffer from allergic-like symptoms, suspect hypersensitivities to multiple foods, or have chronic health complaints, histamines might be the problem. There are no medical tests for histamine sensitivity and very few health professionals identify or treat this condition. But it’s not… Continue Reading
If you have nagging health complaints, you might be one of the increasing numbers of people with sensitivities to naturally occurring chemicals in foods such as salicylates. Guest blogger Maribeth Evezich, RD, offers information on sensitivities caused by salicylates (suh–lis-uh-leyts) to help you get a handle on–and resolve–your health issues. What Are Salicylates and Where Are… Continue Reading
Toasted sweet potato, the latest alternative to bread, has recently been sweeping the social media scene. Given the number of people on grain-free diets, this innovative “toast” now serves as a sandwich base in many a lunchbox. While popping a slice of sweet potato in a toaster wins points for cleverness, I prefer to make… Continue Reading
You’re apt to find it easier and less fussy to cook a sweet potato in a skillet than in a toaster. The fat adds welcome flavor and more efficiently conducts heat to produce a more toothsome toast.See A Step Up from Sweet Potato Toast. But don’t limit yourself to sweet potato; yam, and squash that is… Continue Reading
Popular medical opinion has it that anywhere from three bowel movements a day to one every three days is normal.1 Pooh on that! Both history and science show that our biological inner clocks are innately set for one full evacuation a day. Furthermore, there’s an ideal time. Breaking the fast reactivates the digestive system and… Continue Reading
Maribeth Evezich will post a guest blog here on August 1, 2016. It includes: – What are salicylates and where are they found? – How do salicylates work and how can they be a problem? – I think I’m salicylate intolerant. Now what? – Where to get help. Do revisit us. Thanks for your patience.… Continue Reading
How to Discern Quality Avocado Oil One taste from your current bottle of avocado oil will tell you whether it’s best to toss it onto your salad or into the trash. Here’s how you can know whether or not you’ve fallen into the pure avocado oil hype. Avocado oil is garnering rave reviews for its… Continue Reading
Created by Leda Scheintaub Snow pea leaves, also known as snow pea shoots or snow pea tips, are the prelude to the pea, the tips of the snow pea vines with beautiful radiating tendrils. Their flavor profile is completely different from the pods—slightly sweet, grassy, and fresh tasting—and a moreish introduction to the world of… Continue Reading
When a nutrient-dense food makes you feel so good, it’s easy to make a habit out of it. Indeed, homemade bone broth energizes, heals and sustains in a way that no other food can. That’s why diverse cultures throughout the world use stock made from bones. Read more about the healing properties of bone broth… Continue Reading
When bone broth is made only from bones, you’ve got a medicinal tonic. To further kick up this recipe’s value, add vegetables and potent Chinese medicinal herbs. Of the 13,000 herbs listed in the Chinese pharmacopoeia, here are the top eleven used for bone stock plus a broth recipe. Their invaluable healing properties both sweeten and… Continue Reading
Medicine from Scratch To enhance turmeric’s medicinal wallop, ferment it. In five minutes of your time (plus two days to ferment), you can create a base for a month’s supply of tasty and healing fermented turmeric tea. Best known for its characteristic bright orange-yellow color and as a signature ingredient in curry, turmeric is the… Continue Reading
Acid Indigestion and Heartburn – What’s Going on Down There? The pain caused by acid indigestion and heartburn is your tummy’s way of saying, “Ouch! What you’re eating hurts!” What to do? You can medicate to squelch the pain or you can avoid the foods that have become toxic for your system. While popping a pill… Continue Reading
Perhaps the most powerful tool to enhance your health and beauty is Face Reading. Your facial indicators, like discolored lips, are a readout of an inner imbalance. Identify those clues, make appropriate dietary and lifestyle shifts and regain your health. It’s that easy. Let me tell you how I learned this practical art and how… Continue Reading
Dear Rebecca: The color on my face is much darker than my neck, it’s not from a tan and it didn’t used to be this way. It makes me look weird. What can I do? –Tonya Dear Tonya: You’re right, skin color can change and I’ll tell you how to regain your normal color. See… Continue Reading
Dear Rebecca: I’m a 20-year-old college student, and I’ve had a white line around my lips for years now. This slams my self-esteem and confidence. Can you help me? —Zoe Dear Zoe: Im sorry for your discomfort and you’re not alone. In the past decade, we increasingly see different colors around the mouth. This reveals digestive… Continue Reading
Dear Rebecca: I started keeping a food diary as you suggested. It was really, really awful. It was too embarrassing to show anyone. I was grazing the entire day until supper, my one square meal. I was feeling stuck. So I said to myself, “I need to be gluten-free. I’m going to go gluten free.… Continue Reading
Better Than Chips I used to indulge in potato chips and am delighted to report that this is past tense. I now opt for a savory and phenomenally healthful treat that’s equally crunchy. Thanks to toasted seaweed (which happens to be among our most nutrient-dense plants), I don’t miss packaged chips. Toasted sea palm has… Continue Reading
Sun Tea–A Double Shot of Sunshine Likened to liquid sunshine, saffron tea is luminous, golden and uplifting. It’s smooth with a subtle floral flavor and the delicate lift that it gives makes me reach for it often. It’s the anticipation of that lift that has me setting a shot glass filled with water and a… Continue Reading
Yes, grains are contraindicated for an increasing number of people, as they exacerbate autoimmune disease and leaky gut, or intestinal permeability. If grains challenge your digestive system, here’s a way you can eat rice and be free of uncomfortable side effects like bloating, memory fog, or weight gain. As strange as it may sound, when… Continue Reading
You can resolve or mitigate autoimmune disease. If you suffer from progressively worsening symptoms that baffle your doctor, or if you’re diagnosed with a chronic disease, then odds are it’s autoimmune related. In autoimmunity, your immune system mistakenly attacks your healthy cells. Autoimmune disease (AD) refers to a varied group of illnesses that involve every… Continue Reading
The top of a dandelion’s taproot, its heart or crown, is a tasty nibble that, while money can’t buy, is free for the taking. In texture, color, and taste dandelion hearts are reminiscent of the base or heart of a head of celery, only with a light bitter-sweet dandelion essence. Adorning the crown are pearl-sized nascent buds,… Continue Reading
From The Whole Bowl: Gluten-free, Dairy-free Soups and Stews, by Rebecca Wood and Leda Scheintaub. Countryman Press, 2015. While the dandelion greens found year round at the greengrocers work well in this soup, for a special springtime delicacy, I encourage you to forage dandelions so that you can also feast on their hearts and buds. Early… Continue Reading
People frequently ask me what stainless steel cookware line I recommend. My first response is to think twice before buying a full line. If you own a 21-piece set of cookware, I’ll wager that two or three of those pots get regular use but that the other pieces are crammed in the back of an… Continue Reading
While bone broth is indeed a tasty and healing ingredient, here’s a shortcut. Cook meat on the bone, as in this Yucatan Turkey Thigh and Yucca Stew. Then you’ll create both the stock and the stew and only have one pot to wash. From The Whole Bowl: Gluten-free, Dairy-free Soups and Stews, by Rebecca Wood and… Continue Reading
Thrilled to be guesting with Be Nourished this month and to whet your appetite for our upcoming cookbook, The Whole Bowl: 50 Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Soups and Stews, with this highly flavored, warming soup. The Smoky Parsnip and Sweet Potato soup gets its smoke from chipotle and a back note of allspice adds rounded depth. Earthy… Continue Reading
Your lips play a key role in your social identity and because they top off your gastrointestinal system, they reveal its condition according to traditional Chinese medicine. As above, so below. Should you have vitiligo, a recurring rash, a milk mustache, blotchy or discolored skin around your mouth, this mirrors problems underneath your belt. Look… Continue Reading
As virtually all nonorganic corn products are GMO, making your own tortillas with organic masa is a prudent—and tasty—choice. Thankfully, quality organic masa is now available (organic products are free of genetically modified organisms). Of the various types of gluten-free bread, here’s why homemade tortillas are unparalleled. When making tortillas, you turn them twice on… Continue Reading
Reprinted with permission from Cultured Foods for your Kitchen by Leda Scheintaub. Photo by William Brinson. This recipe is an extension of the Fermented Millet Porridge concept (and a riff on the French-style chickpea flour–based bites known as panisse); after you’ve made your porridge, you pour it onto a baking sheet to firm up, then… Continue Reading
Reprinted with permission from Leda Scheintaub’s Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen Millet becomes surprisingly thick and creamy when it’s fermented (see Three Reasons to Soak, Sprout and/or Ferment Grains) and then cooked, making it a satisfying breakfast option for folks who are dairy free and those just looking to add more whole grains into their… Continue Reading
Here’s a truly great cookbook, Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen: 100 Recipes Featuring the Bold Flavors of Fermentation, by Leda Scheintaub (Rizzoli), 2014, 192 pages. While this book offers readers new to fermenting plenty of entry points, more accomplished cooks will find ideas for expanding their repertoires. Just as fermentation transforms food with a natural alchemy, Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen opens up… Continue Reading
Science now explains why going GFDF is so hard. We’ll look at that, and then the encouraging news: If you tried going without but backslid, you still have made inroads in realizing your GFDF goals. But first take a few seconds and imagine feeling utterly content. You’ve nary a suggestion of pain or suffering. You’re… Continue Reading
Almost chocolate in color, this gluten-free waffle tastes unlike any wheat waffle ever made. It has a nutty, satisfying flavor and is substantial in character while remaining light in texture. One taste and you may never again settle for a wheat waffle. You’ll find this recipe and other gluten-free quick bread recipes in my award… Continue Reading
You can taste for yourself that cooking in a clay pot delivers the most satisfying results. Or, right now, you can use your imagination to get a feel for it. Imagine cooking three potatoes. Cook one potato in stainless steel, the second in aluminum foil, and the third in an earthenware (unglazed clay) pot. The potato… Continue Reading
As Fukushima radiation nears our west coast shoreline, here’s one obvious and practical precaution to take daily: Eat foods that will protect you. Conversely, avoid the foods that increase your absorption of radiation. Unquestionably, the best food is seaweed; you’ll find other top foods listed below. And what about the seaweed itself, you might ask.… Continue Reading
If you’re new to seaweed, this simple recipe is a tasty way to start a good habit. As with all seaweed, dulse helps prevent your body from absorbing radioactivity. Dulse has an almost bacon-like aroma and flavor, and when crisped is pleasantly chewy, rather like potato chips. As a stand alone, add a squeeze of… Continue Reading
Since the 1980s I’ve cherished 100% ceramic cookware. To understand why, let’s consider roasted marshmallows. Some folks like to quickly toast/scorch the outside of their marshmallows, while others carefully slow-roast their soft little pillows until the heat deeply penetrates the core, enhancing the flavor throughout and—careful now—melting the sticky goodness right off the twig. Because… Continue Reading
Here’s an easy recipe for chicken broth that’s high in minerals, collagen and glycine. To read about its astounding health benefits see: Bone Stock. Enjoy it straight as an energy tonic or add it to soups, stews and sauces. The longer you cook the bones, the more minerals are extracted; however, excessive cooking and/or high heat… Continue Reading
Your own stock outshines any commercial stock in terms of the energy it imparts and the pleasure it delivers. Why’s that? Really ponder the indignities that one carrot would encounter going thru a commercial size factory to be spewed out as product with a shelf-life of more than 18 months. As commercially prepared foods are… Continue Reading
Even though icicles bedeck the eaves here in my southern Oregon home, the markets are full of lush and wondrous fruits and vibrant salad greens that may look inviting but literally make you cold. This is because some foods have a chilling effect on the body that dampens our inner fire. While many foods are… Continue Reading
See The small, dry and intensely tart cranberry is second only to its cousin the blueberry in disease-fighting antioxidants. The remarkable anti-inflammatory properties of cranberries make them an excellent kitchen remedy for arthritic pain and infection. They quell damp conditions and so can help resolve overweight, organ prolapse, food sensitivities, varicose veins, edema, candida-type yeast… Continue Reading
See Fermented Cranberry Relish The small, dry and intensely tart cranberry is second only to its cousin the blueberry in disease-fighting antioxidants. The remarkable anti-inflammatory properties of cranberries make them an excellent kitchen remedy for arthritic pain and infection. They quell damp conditions and so can help resolve candida, edema, cysts, lumps and tumors. How do… Continue Reading
Fermentation is the secret to this fresh sweet and sour cranberry relish. If you haven’t yet made a cultured food, let this foolproof recipe be your gateway to tangible kitchen magic. Yes, you can effortlessly transform the flavor and healthfulness of basic ingredients into a superior product. I delight in the simplicity of this recipe… Continue Reading
This powerful soup is a nutrient-dense energy tonic, a delicious prescription. What is the difference between another chicken soup and this medicinal recipe? The secret is using a whole chicken to make the soup stock rather than opening up a box of prepared stock and throwing in some chicken parts, a shortcut you’ll find in… Continue Reading
For a thin but robustly flavored crepe, buckwheat has no peer. And talk about versatility! As an entrée or a sweet you can enjoy these tender flatbreads for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and they’re great in a packed lunch. For a savory dish, roll or fold in a filling such as sautéed kale and spinach… Continue Reading
For a refreshing—and gluten free—tabouli, substitute either kasha or quinoa for the more traditional bulgur. Kasha will yield the most substantial, hearty and robustly flavored grain salad. Whereas milder-flavored quinoa will best mimic bulgur in terms of texture. Either grain makes a first class tabouli. Serves 4 2 cups boiling stock or water 1 cup… Continue Reading
Information on www.RebeccaWood.com is intended for educational purposes only and should not be substituted for medical advice from a doctor or healthcare provider. Rebecca Wood is neither a medical doctor nor a dietician. Use of this presentation does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. Note: no single facial indicator (such as wrinkles, discoloration or irregular skin texture) makes a particular diagnosis.
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