DIET AND DISEASE

DIET AND DISEASE
The relationship between disease and diet has been well documented over the past five decades. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, over 80% of human cancer is caused by environmental factors. Those factors include smoking, diet, exposure to environmental toxins and alcohol. In other words, they are avoidable causes.
Even though this is well known the vast majority of doctors seem unwilling to make demands on politicians and business leaders to improve health in the most direct and effective ways. Could it be that there is a vested interest in keeping the sickness service running smoothly? The disease is big business. The corporate side of treating cancer is in a golden era. Spending on cancer medicines has hit a new milestone: US$100 billion in 2014 out of global sales of 1 trillion. Why would anyone be inspired to prevent a sickness that is such a cash cow? There is little doubt that the pharmaceutical industry is the driving force in forming medical policy.
A study published in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition showed that the average medical student was given 23.9 hours of nutrition instruction[1]. That’s one day out of 15 years. Nutrition, like prevention of illness, gets pushed to the side in modern medical training (and therefore practice). Doctors don’t know much about nutrition, but they act as if they do. I regularly hear from clients, students and friends about absurd statements regarding diets and health made by doctors. We simply need to look at the facts to see that simple changes in daily habits could create profound improvements in public health.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women.  We know the causes of heart disease.  It is the one of the most preventable, and probably the most studied, of all of the non-communicable diseases.  Over the last few decades, study after study has shown that the two main causes of heart disease are smoking and diet.  A reduction of smokers has resulted in lower rates of heart disease, but we have done almost nothing to address diet and heart disease except allow misinformation and commercial influence promote “heart healthy” products.

• About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year. That’s one in every four deaths.[2]
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. More than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2009 were in men.
• Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing nearly 380,000 people annually.
• Every year about 720,000 Americans has a heart attack. Of these, 515,000 are a first heart attack and 205,000 happen in people who have already had a heart attack.[3]

Coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $108.9 billion each year.[4]  This includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.
The World Heart Foundation says:
“The role of diet is crucial in the development and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Diet is one of the key things you can change that will impact all other cardiovascular risk factors.
Comparisons between a diet low in saturated fats, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and the typical diet of someone living in the developed world show that in the former there is a 73% reduction in the risk of new major cardiac events.”[5]
Diabetes
The number of adults in the U.S. with diabetes has tripled between 1980 and 2011. It is the seventh leading cause of death in America. Worldwide, the number of adults with diabetes will rise from 285 million in 2010 to 439 million in the year 2030.[6]
We know a lot about diabetes.  For instance, we know that type 2 diabetes accounts for between 90% and 95% of diagnosed adult cases. We are seeing more and more adolescents presenting with symptoms of type 2 diabetes. We know that diabetes contributes to heart disease, blindness and is the main cause of kidney failure and lower limb amputation. It causes over 73,000 amputations a year - that’s 1,400 a week[7].  'Management' of the disease does not prevent these complications. It simply delays them. Yet we also know that diabetes is not only preventable, it is reversible.
Researchers at the University of Newcastle (UK) showed that using a low-calorie diet could reverse diabetes.[8] It has also been shown that diabetics who had bariatric surgery and reduced their weight by 15kg showed signs of recovery.  Thousands of people using alternative health care have experienced a complete reversal of type 2 diabetes.
Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, is one of the UK's leading diabetes researchers. He sees successful management of type 2 diabetes as a curse.  “It is moving us away from serious attempts to cure the problem. We're getting pretty good at keeping people alive longer," he says. "And we're seeing more and more obese younger people going onto tablets ever earlier. That means the population living with diabetes is rising.” There is too much focus on management, and not enough on prevention.
My own experience with people with type 2 diabetes is that those given a good diet and good exercise programme always see a dramatic improvement in their condition within two or three weeks. Most of them have reduced or completely come off their medication and are free of the disease.
Cancer
When medical people talk about cancer they focus on the survival rates so they can give us good news. Survival from cancer has doubled over the past 40 years, the death rates have fallen and over half of all patients now survive at least ten years. We can now keep people alive with the disease. What we hear less regularly is that the occurrence of cancer is continually rising.

“It is predicted there will be 23.6 million new cancer cases worldwide each year by 2030, if recent trends in incidence of major cancers and population growth are seen globally in the future. This is 68% more cases than in 2012, with slightly larger growth in low and medium HDI (Human Development Index) countries (66% more cases in 2030 than 2012) than in high and very high HDI countries (56% more cases in 2030 than 2012)”[9]

The following figures are from a study that analysed statistics from 1975 to 1994 on the incidence of all cancers. The findings indicated that while the incidence of some cancers was decreasing, others were rising at an alarming rate. (The most dramatic decline was in cases of lung cancer, as a result of fewer people smoking.) There are some shocking figures in the report.[10]

• A contemporary black woman's risk of breast cancer is 54% greater than was her mother's at the same age. A white woman's risk is 41% greater than her mother's.
• Men today are three or four times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than their fathers.
• Excluding cancers linked to smoking, or where trends are confounded by changes in diagnostic procedure (breast and prostate; see below), relative to the previous generation, rates increased on average 13% in black women, 52% in white men, and 67% in black men. There was little change in white women.
• For non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which was analysed separately, the rates today relative to 25 years ago have almost doubled in white women, nearly tripled in black women, more than tripled in white men, and more than quadrupled in black men.

We can start looking at preventing cancer or we can continue to find ways to try and extend our lives with drugs by 6 months, 8 months or even some years. This 'living with the disease' usually means that the quality of life is extremely compromised. Living with the disease is also increasingly expensive.
Numerous studies from the past thirty years link breast cancer to dairy food. Prostate cancer has been linked to the consumption of animal foods, particularly barbequed foods.  But this is not a popular message for media to cover - and it doesn't go down too well with food producers or pharmaceutical companies either.
Organised medicine presents its successes to us with a flourish, and brushes its’ unfortunate failures under the carpet.  If medicine were really successful in creating health we would need fewer hospitals, and medical services would not labor under stress.
We are not condemned to continue feeding the money machines that both medicine and nutrition have become. There are things we can do to get out of this mess. We could stringently investigate the pharmaceutical industry's hold on the health care industry. We could independently test all drugs and assess their value. We could insist that all approaches by the pharmaceutical lobbies to physicians and politicians are transparent. (Pharmaceutical lobbies have spent over 2.3 billion dollars to directly influence law-makers and 183 million on political contributions since 1998.) At the time of writing, the industry has already spent nearly $10 million on the 2016 American elections and is expected to spend more.
Diet is a major cause of disease. This is good news - we can change our diet pretty easily. In the late 1960’s a revolution was brewing that challenged medical and nutritional mythologies, and it wasn’t generated from within the professions. A rebellious public were asking increasingly difficult questions that generated some stunning changes. The dietary principles we teach at MACROVegan Centre are aimed at the prevention, and reversal of the major diseases that plague our society. We also teach the practical life skills on how to make your healthy diet a practical and tasty one.
[1] American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, April 2006
[2] Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD. Deaths: Final data for 2010. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2013;61
[3] Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, Benjamin EJ, Berry JD, Blaha MJ, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2014 ;128
[4] Heidenreich PA, Trogdon JG, Khavjou OA, et al. Forecasting the future of cardiovascular disease in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011;123:933-44. Epub 2011 Jan 24
[5] World Heart Foundation, 2014 Report
[6] Shaw JE, Sicree RA, Zimmet PZ. Global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2010 and 2030. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010; 87:4-14
[7] National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014, American Diabetes Association
[8] Newcastle University, Reversal of type 2 diabetes: normalisation of beta cell function in association with decreased pancreas and liver triacylglycerol. July 31, 2013
[9] Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Ervik M, et al. GLOBOCAN 2012 v1.0, Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide: IARC CancerBase No. 11 [Internet]. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2013.
[10] Dinse, GE, DM Umbach, AJ Sasco, DG Hoel and DL Davis. 1999. Unexplained increases in cancer incidence in the United States from 1975 to 1994. Annual Review of Public Health 20: 173-209

DIETING IS OUT - HEALTHY EATING IS IN!

DIETING IS OUT – HEALTHY EATING IS IN!

Obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. Its prevalence has tripled in many countries of the WHO European Region since the 1980s, and the numbers of those affected continue to rise at an alarming rate. In addition to causing various physical disabilities and psychological problems, excess weight drastically increases a person’s risk of developing a number of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.
Over the past two decades, in particular, as to why we are ‘gaining weight’ despite so many ‘silver bullet’  ‘diets’ hitting the market there has been little movement toward any improvement to the obesity epidemic.  Many nations of the world continue to pile on the pounds.  What I am going to share with you is based on solid science.  What makes me different from so many of the health professionals is that my Weight Loss Nature’s Way Course is unique in that it is not a DIET. It’s about taking responsibility for your own health and that learning that healing and weight loss start in your own kitchen. You in charge of what you eat on a daily basis. You are your own doctor.
You simply can’t change your life, without changing your life. No matter what the latest fad crazy diet food, pills or others tell you, trust me…. The only path to sustainable weight loss and good health is by eating a wholefoods plant based diet. Anything that is new is generally not good for you, anything that is old is.  I have been teaching the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Macrobiotics for decades.  TCM is thousands of years old, and these cultures have no weight issues until they adopt a standard western diet.

There are many books currently on the market ‘Grain Brain’ and Wheat Belly’ being two of the many that quote such dishonest information to the general public.  They are big fans of meat (of course) so they demonise all grains for all people…..and tie it in with gluten problems and coeliac disease.
Complex Carbohydrates (sugars) are where we get our energy that sustains our life.  I have counselled hundreds of people with ill health who have been eating high protein diets.  The only way forward for human health, planetary health and sensibility are by adopting a wholefoods plant based vegan diet. Pure and Simple.
Next up with his nonsense was the food writer Mark Bittman from New York who had the world in a frenzy with his article on ‘Butter is Back’ (he has been discredited for writing that article).  Of course, people always love to hear good news about all their life-long bad habits, it makes them feel good.  The articles that sweep the internet and create huge confusion among consumers grow daily and weight Loss is at the top of the pile.
I have compassion and understanding that so many are unaware of the addictive additives placed in food and my vision and mission are to inspire as many people as I can to start learning simple home remedies and cooking techniques to take control of their weight problems and health.
I am not bogged down by an overriding ‘theory’ to prove.  I teach what I teach with fun and an open mind.  I have a no-nonsense approach to what works because that is what I continue to see year after year with clients who adopted this way of living. The information I share is simple, direct and hugely effective.  If you follow my advice you will be better for it and that is what I guarantee.

ARE YOUR HORMONES OUT OF BALANCE?
Hormonal balance is an important part of understanding how weight loss works and the results sustained. You can change everything you believed about dieting because hormones control your fat burning switch!  There are hormones that create weight gain and hormones that keep you lean.  I refer to this as having your fat burning switch in the on or off position.
There is so much cutting edge data now equating hormonal imbalance with weight problems. Eating a hormone balanced diet is the way forward to not only losing weight but also creating great health and vitality.  My Weight Loss Nature’s Way programme is in line with the recommendations from organisations such as the Centre for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.  In this article, I am addressing two major hormones in particular – one that stores fat – and one that burns fat.
SO HOW DO YOU BURN FAT?
Insulin is the hormone responsible for allowing sugars to be used for energy.  Insulin rises and falls according to blood sugar levels and is greatly influenced by what you eat. Carbohydrates are broken down in the digestive system and converted into glucose (blood sugar) to be used as energy in your body.
When glucose enters the blood stream the pancreas produces the insulin that allows the billions of cells in your body to open up and receive this energy to use for their various functions.  If you eat too many refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, pastries and sugar rich foods, the sugars in these foods cause a rapid rise in blood sugar. The flood of sugar stimulates the pancreatic production of insulin over long periods of time. This causes your cells to remain receptive. These excess sugars are stored as fat.  Normalising insulin levels is essential to stop this storage from happening. Dramatically reducing or eliminating these ‘refined’ carbohydrates is the best way to accomplish this.
Insulin has a sister hormone, and its name is glucagon.  This hormone is a critical component of your fat-burning biochemistry.  When you need more energy and there is not enough glucose, glucagon is secreted. The purpose of this hormone is the exact opposite of insulins. Glucagon stimulates the release of stored fats to be used as energy.
Reducing the consumption of simple sugars and refined carbohydrates stimulate the production of glucagon and stimulate the burning of stored fats. If a healthy diet is combined with even moderate exercise the combination of less fat storage and better fat burning is promoted. The dietary advice below describes some of the main features of a diet that promote hormonal balance and healthy weight loss.
Balance is the key to life at all levels.  Here are some simple explanations on how to balance the four hormones that cause you to gain weight and increase the three superheroes to help us burn fat.
THE FOUR FAT STORING HORMONES
TO BALANCE INSULIN

1. Cut out refined carbohydrates
2. Remove sugar from your diet and replace with grain syrups like rice and barley malts.

TO BALANCE ESTROGEN             

1. Cut out processed foods
2. Increase your daily intake of fibre
3. Cut down on coffee and alcohol
4. Do not use a microwave
5. BPA is an oestrogen compound found in plastic cups and leaches into the food particularly when heated.
6. Assist the body in breakdown and elimination by eating a natural foods diet

TO BALANCE CORTISOL

1. Reduce stress in your daily life
2. Elevated cortisol levels lead to higher insulin levels (create hunger pangs)

TO BALANCE LEPTIN

1. Cut out MSG and all commercial seasonings
2. Low levels of leptin signal the body to store fat
3. Sleep well
4. Eat slowly – chew well
5. Increase your consumption of sea vegetables

 THE THREE FAT BURNING HORMONES
TO INCREASE HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE

1. Get a good night’s sleep - Sleep deprivation almost completely abolishes HGH production.
2. Eat HGH Building Blocks. These include foods high in the B vitamins, like whole grains (quinoa), legumes, vegetables and proteins, and the mineral zinc which is found in seaweed.
3. Go Organic – Many of our foods are loaded with pesticides and chemicals which lower HGH.
4. Incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Workouts improve your body chemistry, including levels of HGH.   You can dramatically slow down the ageing process, increase your strength as you age and eliminate the many risks of so many diseases that come about through lack of exercise.

 TO INCREASE TESTOSTERONE

1. Eat Testosterone Builders, foods rich in beta-carotene (yellow and orange vegetables and green leafy vegetables, foods high in B vitamins and foods containing boron (fruits, nuts and legumes.  All of these foods cause your body to produce more testosterone.
2. Other testosterone boosters are amino acids.  They are the building blocks of cells, antibodies, muscle tissues and enzymes.
3. A diet high in fat alters testosterone levels.  Good fats are important for keeping testosterone levels up so eating more monosaturated fats from nuts, avocados and polyunsaturated fats is a good idea because they are burned for fuel and don’t make your fat.
4. Caffeine and alcohol affect your testosterone levels.

TO INCREASE PROGESTERONE

1. Progesterone enhancing foods include B vitamins in particular vitamin B6 found in beans, as well as many fruits and vegetables like avocados, spinach and tomatoes.
2. The other key nutrient in progesterone production is magnesium. Eat plenty of organic dark green leafy vegetables, and sea vegetables, almonds, seeds, nuts and beans which are all good sources of magnesium and also keep your liver healthy.
3. Poor liver function suppresses progesterone.

As you will see from the above it really is very simple to adopt a hormone balanced ‘diet’ into your life and alleviate weight problems once and for all.
MARLENE'S HORMONE BALANCING FOOD PLAN

• Eat at least 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks
• Focus on portion size, not calories – chew well
• Maintain a constant blood sugar level
• Eat natural foods rich in phytoestrogens
• Include good sources of vegetable protein; beans, legumes, tofu, tempeh,
• Drink filtered water, green tea or herbal teas
• Eat cooked foods
• Lightly cooked fresh vegetables
• Dark green leafy vegetables
• Sprouted seeds such as alfalfa, lentils and mung beans
• Pressed salads and pickles
• Colourful fruits in season
• Almonds, walnuts, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds
• Seaweeds
• Shitake and maitake mushrooms
• Miso - shoyu - tamari
• Wholegrains – short grain brown rice, quinoa, millet, barley
• Soba & udon noodles
• Naturally sweetened desserts (occasionally) using barley malt or rice syrup
• Go Organic
• Good fats in moderation and used sparingly

EAT HORMONE FRIENDLY
ELIMINATING THE FOLLOWING FOODS

• Refined carbohydrates
• Processed foods
• Alcohol and caffeine
• Non-organic fruits and vegetables
• MSG soy sauces
• All commercial seasonings
• Coffee (try grain based)
• Sugar-laden drinks and juices
• Meat
• Dairy
• Fish
• Eggs
• Sugar

FOODS TO USE REGULARLY FOR BETTER HEALTH AND WEIGHT LOSS
Whole grains: Whole grains are low-calorie; complex carbohydrates that haven’t been processed or milled like white flour or white rice. This means they haven’t been robbed of their essential nutrients or dietary fibre so essential in keeping weight down.
Vegetables: Bite for bite, vegetables and whole grains provide more nutrients and fibre with fewer calories than any other food group, making it easier to control your weight.
Sea Vegetables: They are a rich source of many trace minerals. Seaweeds break down and digest slowly compared to processed foods. This actually allows hormonal balancing to occur. Research shows that seaweed is not only an amazing health food but speeds up weight loss by blocking fat intake and promotes fat burning.
Beans and Bean Products:  Regular bean eaters are less likely to be overweight and have smaller waistlines than those who pass on legumes. Beans release energy slowly into the body, making them a great weight loss food. They are also high in protein and fibre, which satiates the appetite and helps keep you full for longer periods of time.
Along with Fruits, Nuts and Seeds and my Medicinal Teas you have a winning combination.
FOODS TO AVOID FOR HORMONAL BALANCE, WEIGHT LOSS & RENEWED HEALTH
Sugar
Tropical Fruits:
Deep fried foods:
Refined grains
Highly processed foods with chemical additives:
Cheese and dairy:
Red meat, pork and chicken
Fish
Eggs
My Top 3 Exotic Foods for Natural Weight Loss
‘Turn on Your Fat-Burning Switch’
Sea Vegetables
Seaweeds break down and digest slowly compared to processed foods. Seaweeds are also nutrient density, especially minerals; contribute greatly to hormonal balance too. Research shows that seaweed speeds up weight loss by blocking fat intake and promotes fat burning. Alginate the natural fibre found in sea kelp blocks the body from absorbing fat far more effectively than anti-weight treatments currently sold over the counter. A 2010 study by Newcastle University demonstrated what has been known for centuries in the Far East – Sea Vegetables are a powerful tool for weight loss.
Shitake Mushrooms
Dried Shitake mushrooms have traditionally been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an aid to the immune functions of the body and for breaking down fatty tissue. Japanese researchers discovered that this is because of eritadenine, a substance that reduces cholesterol. Researchers S. Suzuki and Oshima found that a raw Shiitake eaten daily for one week lowers serum cholesterol by 12%.
Daikon Radish
This magical vegetable is superior to anything I have used for years with clients to achieve amazing results.  It is a fantastic natural diuretic with a very gentle action that is excellent for managing the fluid retention that so often accompanies weight gain. The more fat cells we have, the more fluid we store. You can see me making this amazing tea using the fresh and dried version on my ‘youtube’ channel.
Marlene’s Fat Burning Tea
Daikon, Shitake and Kombu Drink
This tea helps the liver to open up and discharge smoothly.
1 dried shitake mushroom
½ cup dried daikon
1-inch strip kombu seaweed
3 cups spring water
Place the shitake, dried daikon and kombu in a small bowl, rinse and then cover with water. Leave to soak for about 10 minutes.  Discard the water.  Slice the shitake and place the ingredients into a pan.  Add the water, cover and bring to a boil on a medium flame.  Reduce the flame and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  Remove and discard the ingredients.  Drink the tea whilst hot. All of these ingredients are readily available in natural food stores and many supermarkets.
In good health

 
 
 

The Amazing Power of Wholegrains!

The Amazing Power of Wholegrains!
The most important dietary change you can make is to integrate whole cereal grains (particularly short grain brown rice) into your daily diet. This should be a staple for everyone.
Simply put, whole grains and grain products are the cornerstones of any healthy, whole foods diet. In our friend Verne Varona's fantastic book 'Macrobiotics for Dummies' he explains the power of grain in a way that a five-year-old could understand.
We can supplement whole grains with fresh fruits and vegetables from land and sea, beans, nuts and seeds. With the abundant variety of grains available to us, however, we could, in theory, survive on whole grains alone.
Grains are the link between the plant and animal kingdom from which we, as humans, draw life. Of the three macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat) carbohydrates are needed in the largest amounts. Here are seven reasons complex carbohydrates have such superstar status.
They are the main source of fuel for your body They are burned most efficiently as a fuel source. They are required by your central nervous system, brain, (your brain runs almost entirely on glucose and can’t use fat or protein for its energy needs), muscles (including your heart), and kidneys. They provide glucose to all of your body’s cells and tissues for energy. They can be stored in your liver and muscles for future energy needs. They can be found in whole grains, grain products, beans, vegetables, sea vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Whole grain foods support good health.
Eating whole grain foods reduces the risk of digestive disorders, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain cancers. Whole grains are high in complex carbohydrates and fibre that help fill us up and delay hunger. Weight control is made easier by eating the whole grains instead of higher-calorie foods.
Grains are the seeds of plants, and whole grain foods include all three parts:
Composition and Nutrition
Bran – forms the outer layer of the seed and contains fibre, B vitamins, minerals (magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, selenium, copper) and phytochemicals;
Endosperm – is the kernel and bulk of the seed containing complex carbohydrates, protein and B vitamins;
Germ – produces the sprout and contains B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin), vitamin E, minerals, unsaturated fats, phytochemicals and antioxidants.
Other nutrients in whole grains include tocopherols, beta-carotene, vitamin C, folate, glutamine, phytoestrogens, lignans, flavonoids, oligosaccharides, inositol, phenolics, saponins, lectins, and protease and amylase inhibitors. These nutrients may prevent diseases, lower blood cholesterol, stabilise blood sugar and improve immune function.
Fibre is the part of plant-based foods that the body does not digest. Whole grains have both soluble and insoluble fibre. Oats, barley, and rye have soluble fibre that slows stomach emptying and nutrient absorption, reducing the rise in glucose and insulin to improve blood sugar control. Bran has insoluble fibre that adds bulk to stool and shortens transit time through the colon, reducing the time the bowels carry waste products.
Wholegrains are indispensable to health by regulating bowel function, stabilising blood sugar, discharging toxins, decreasing cravings for sugar and fat.
A note on fibre; Dietary fibre from whole grains is divided into two groups, insoluble and soluble fibre. Both bind with the body’s harmful toxins, cholesterol, and fat (from which oestrogens are made) to remove them from our system via the bowel. Removing excess fat before it enters the bloodstream keeps oestrogen formation low. This is a positive quality because oestrogens can stimulate the growth of abnormal cells, which eventually leads to the growth of cancer cells. Known cancers that are stimulated to grow from oestrogen excess are breast, uterine, fallopian tube, vagina, prostate and ovarian as well as head and neck cancers.
To learn more about cancer prevention, my friend that I mentioned above, Verne Verona’s other book ‘Nature’s Cancer Fighting Foods’ is a wonderful book to read and should be a household item. His book also contains a great eating plan with many tasty recipes.
Pressure-Cooked Short Grain Brown Rice
Marlene's Power Packed Nutritional Breakfast 
Take two cups of rice, place in a sieve and rinse well with water. Soak the rice overnight. Discard the soaking water and place in a pressure cooker. Add 4 cups of water to the rice and a pinch of sea salt.  Seal the pressure cooker and bring to full pressure over the heat then reduce to a low simmer for 25 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow the pressure to be released naturally about 25 minutes. Remove the lid and hey presto!!….. You now have perfectly cooked whole grains.
You can use this batch of rice for your morning porridge just as I do and have done for years. Simply warm the required amount of rice in a pan on the stove by adding some water, rice or almond milk and simmer for 5 or 10 minutes until creamy. For a sweet taste, add some dried fruit, chia seeds, nuts, shelled hemp seeds, ground flax seed or linseed. If you prefer a salty taste, add a small drop of shoyu or tamari (naturally fermented soy sauces), some ground seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, gomashio or sunflower seeds.
Alternatively use the leftover rice by adding to stir fried vegetables, breaking up clumps of rice with the edge of a wooden spoon once you have added it to whatever you are cooking or make grain burgers and bake in the oven.
I store my rice in a glass container for up to five days in the refrigerator and use as I need it. If you do not have a pressure cooker – follow the instructions above, bring the rice to a boil and then simmer at a low heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is slightly sticky.
In good health