Our Mission
Integrative Nutrition is not just a school—it’s a movement. Our mission is to play a crucial role in improving health and happiness, and through that process, create a ripple effect that transforms the world. The ripple effect happens when one person learns how to truly heal their bodies by themselves through food and lifestyle, and then inspire someone else to do the same, and so on. If each person affects 10 people, that will eventually amount to tens of thousands of people and even millions over time. That’s the ripple effect in action.
A big part of spreading the ripple effect is teaching people how to get comfortable in the kitchen. The truth is that the body knows how to heal itself by itself, and if you focus on eating food for your bio-individual type and drinking enough water, most imbalances will improve naturally.
Early on, one of my teachers, Michio Kushi, told me that cooking is really a spiritual practice. While in the kitchen, you prepare nourishment for yourself, which is crucial to your health and happiness. And when you extend that nourishment to others by preparing meals for your friends and family, you create connection and show love. I always say a simple meal made with love is better than any fancy meal eaten in a restaurant. This is why it’s important to take a moment before you step into the kitchen to center your energy since your energy goes directly into the food you make.
My Mom’s Cholent Recipe
Cholent is a traditional stew. It’s simmered overnight and eaten the next day. The main ingredients are beans and potatoes. Sometimes meat is added. This dish is very grounding and perfect for the colder months. My dear mother would make it on special occasions, and it would help me feel warm and grounded.
Spiritual communities often choose the healthiest, happiest person to do the cooking because they want their food filled with positive energy. This impacts the whole community—the chef plays a critically important role. When the whole community is eating beautiful food filled with love and positivity, harmony is strengthened.
Cholent
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 hours
Ingredients
Serves 6–8
4 potatoes
½ cup barley
1 cup small beans
2 large onions
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsps extra virgin
olive oil
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Wash beans, barley, and potatoes.
- Cut onions and potatoes into large chunks.
- Place all the above into a heavy pot.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Add water to cover ingredients, plus
2 inches more. - Cover and cook 12 hours.
- Lift cover and check from time to time.
- Add salt an hour before servings.
If you’re feeling negative, whether you’ve gotten into a fight with your partner or had a bad day at work, it’s not a good time to be cooking or eating. That energy will go into the food and may foster negativity in yourself and anyone you’re feeding.
To clear your energy before cooking, try this exercise: Drop your chin to your chest, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Allow your stomach to expand completely while inhaling. Then, contract while exhaling. Clear your mind by telling yourself that you have nowhere to go and nothing to do except be in this moment. Center yourself. Once you’re feeling clear, light a candle to help make this a special moment.
Cooking is sacred, and it’s an art. In fact, it’s the only art that actually enters our body and creates our future. Long after the flavor in your mouth is gone, the food you eat is digested in your belly and helps create your cells, tissues, hair, skin, thoughts, and even your feelings, so this is a very important process. If you make the experience special, your food will be special. People will feel the love in your food. Try it!
It’s not practical to be totally perfect with your food all the time; just choose the healthiest option 90% of the time and eat whatever you want the other 10%. That’s my foolproof method for sustainable health and vibrant energy—I call it the 90/10 diet. If you put too much pressure on yourself to be perfectly perfect, you’re going to run into problems. Just know that the faster the food is made, the faster it’s eaten and the less nourishing and satisfying it is. You’re saving time but losing energy.
With this book, I’d like to encourage you to take a step back and make every meal an event. They don’t have to be fancy, but your digestion, weight, and mindset will improve if you slow down and make time to chew your food.
This book is for everyone—vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, and carnivores. I’ve put a lot of thought and care into creating recipes that will be easy to prepare and also nurturing for your body and soul. As you begin experimenting with these recipes, let me know how it goes. Share comments and photos by tagging @nutritionschool on Twitter and Instagram. I can’t wait to see your beautiful photos. Please spread the ripple effect by sharing these recipes with family, friends, and clients.