Food as Medicine: How to Use Diet, Vitamins, Juices, and Herbs for a Healthier, Happier, and Longer Life

Recently, I was diagnosed with renal failure. Immediately after the diagnosis I began a search for cook books and other helpful resources on kidney-friendly diets. I read the section of this book that was on kidney disease and kidney health and fell in love with it immediately. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who wants to make a change in their life.

This book is an excellent informative book, on how to use food, diet and herbs to get well. Unfortunately in the United States we seem to be lacking in the food education department. With the simplistic, dated food guide pyramid that many of us base "healthy" eating choices on, we still don't know what to eat, to keep us feeling well, and healthy. For example a "grain is a grain" at the base of the pyramid, our starting point, gives us so little information to keep us healthy. Is eating a piece of chemical ladden, processed fluffy white bread the same as eating a piece of luscious, rich whole grain pure bread? According to our Food Guide pyramid it is. Dr. Khalsa helps us get back to the basics of nutrition. It was such an interesting book to read. He made it simple for someone like me who doesn't like veggies that much. He gives excellent statistics, and recipes. Later in the book he gives specific nutrient and food information, as well as suggestions for herb use in specific diagnosis related illnesses. He has chapters on gender specific nutrition, and some excellent Resource ideas in the back of the book. It is worth it!

"Your body has the ability to heal itself if you just give it a chance. Using food as medicine gives [you] the greatest chance of all to heal....What you eat can either prevent cancer and other chronic illnesses or help cause them....My number one recommendation is to eat a rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables every day." Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.FOOD AS MEDICINE is a must-read for all, particularly those who dislike fruits and/or vegetables but want to be healthy and prevent diseases because the doctor explains clearly and succinctly what each food can do for your body. He also has a chapter about each common illness and what he recommends eating to overcome the illness. He reminds us that by cutting down on total calories consumed while eating nutritionally dense food, we can increase our life span by as much as thirty percent. Dr. Khalsa writes a chapter about each of his seven principles of yoga nutritional therapy to help you restore balance to your body, mind and soul. They are:1 Detoxify your body. (If fasting isn't for you, you can take two 450 mg aloe vera tablets at night or go on a monodiet.)2 Go organic. ("The switch to organic food is vital if we are to save our environment.")3 Limit or eliminate genetically engineered foods. (Examples include: aspartame, canola, corn, cotton, crook-necked yellow squash, dairy products, papaya, potatoes, soybeans, and tomatoes.)4 Eat clean protein. (Buffalo, rabbit, ostrich, and venison are some non-traditional sources. I personally enjoy the latter very much. Choose chicken and fish--preferably wild salmon or other oily fish. Shark, swordfish and tuna also have potential problems with contamination--mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium and arsenic. Also soy protein and definitely beans and legumes are great--they have almost no fat and are rich in fiber and good carbohydrates.)5 Discover juicing and supplements. (I don't do this one because there is more fiber in the fruit than the juice and that is good if you want to avoid getting type 2 diabetes down the road.)6 Cook consciously and eat mindfully. (Chew slowly, savor your food, sit down and relax and "remember that everything we eat comes from God, as do our health and healing.")7 Make the transition to the yoga nutritional therapy diet. ("By following a plant-based diet, you will find that you have improved focus and higher productivity in your daily life.")My favorite part is the valuable information about each food (chapter 5) as well as the anti-aging in chapter 18. I've eaten blueberries every day since I've read this book because "blueberrries contain the highest antioxidant capability...comes from a class of flavonoids called anthocyanins...blueberries protect against brain aging, heart disease and cancer. The most astounding aspect of research on blueberries has been in the area of brain longevity."Soar into healthy eating! Just adding one fruit or vegetable a day is a good habit to start. Do it!

This is a an excellent, informative book about the importance of food for a healthy body. Written by a doctor and kundalini yoga practitioner. Backed by legitimate research and self discovery. Delicious recipes in every chapter. This book is not just for yogis, but for anybody interested in a long, healthy life. NO scam diets. No false promises. Just the facts. The book will open your eyes to the importance of using food as medicine. Read and eat well!

This is a tremendously helpful book. The author is a physician who's also a believer in the spiritual aspects of health and nutrition. As a result, the book is as practical and grounded in science as you'd expect from an M.D., while providing an enlightened underpinning for what he teaches. Best of all, you can just look up what ails you, or what part of your physiological being could be improved, and find exactly which foods to eat to treat yourself well. Even if you don't buy the spiritual stuff, the nutritional advice is flawless and easy to use. This book goes on the shelf right next to Dr. Andrew Weil. I recommend it that highly.