“Standard American Diet, or S.A.D., is a term used by health food advocates to describe the dietary habits of average Americans. Advocates say the average American eats a diet relatively high in saturated fat, trans fat, chemical additives, refined sugar, and overall calories.” – Wikipedia

Scary statement indeed but not really surprising. A simple look at the shelves of your supermarket is enough to confirm. Highly refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, genetically modified produce, etc…. the list would be too long.

“So , I wanna get healthy. But it’s confusing…”

It’s true and makes sense: many people, many natural practices, many ways, many stories. There’s a lot of information out there. But the one thing that everybody agrees on is: USE YOUR COMMON SENSE! Eating a burger and fries to then sit 4 hours at a desk is not healthy, nor is swallowing half a gallon of ice cream at midnight. And what you heard your mother say all these years, it’s true. Eat your vegetables, they’re good for you.

Know what you really put in your mouth. Natural foods bring natural good health. Remember, reading a label in the supermarket shouldn’t take 5 minutes and a degree in chemistry.

Cook, fresh food is primordial to a healthy diet. Cut down on your consumption of preservatives, artificial coloring, refined ’sugars’ and processed foods.

“Ok, but I don’t have time to cook.”

A look at your regular schedule will probably solve that problem. How much TV are you watching every day? How long were you waiting in line for just a cup of coffee? A healthy meal can be made in very little time. Pick a new excuse.
There always is a way. Organize yourself, plan ahead and get advice (classes, books, internet…).

“But eating healthy is expensive!”

Living a natural lifestyle is not more expensive, I know, from personal experience.
Some items can seem highly priced but you only use those in very small amounts. A pound of whole grain or beans is pretty cheap, so are vegetables. Also, realize how much your health expenses are, these will drastically lower as you embrace a healthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, the benefits that come from natural living are priceless.

A Great Life is in front of you, just take it.

Patrick and Jeanne

—-As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself. Adelle Davis

1 cup kidney beans
4 cups water
1 piece of kombu, (the size of a postage stamp) or 1 pinch of sea salt

1 cup red onion minced
2 Tbs olive oil (or 1 Tbs toasted sesame oil and 1 Tbs olive oil)
3 Tbs ume vinegar

additional option – add 2 Tbs umeboshi paste or 2 chopped umeboshi plums

Preparing the beans:
- sort, wash and strain the kidney beans, place in glass bowl, add water and 1/2″ piece of kombu, soak overnight (8 to 12 hours)
- the next day, discard soaking water, put kidney beans in large pot, add 6 cups of water
- bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and boil for ten minutes, skim off foam
- once the foaming process has settled down, cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 45 mn.

- mix oil, vinegar and red onions together in a bowl, (if using umeboshi paste or plums, also add now)
- add kidney beans to the dressing while warm, this allows the beans to absorb the flavor faster
- this recipe can be served immediately but if you give it time to marinate it is even tastier!