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Brain Warrior Basics

Getting Ready for Massive Change

Moderation? It’s mediocrity, fear, and confusion in disguise. It’s the devil’s dilemma. It’s neither doing nor not doing. It’s the wobbling compromise that makes no one happy. Moderation is for the bland, the apologetic, for the fence-sitters of the world afraid to take a stand. It’s for those afraid to laugh or cry, for those afraid to live or die. Moderation . . . is lukewarm tea, the devil’s own brew!

—DAN MILLMAN, WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR

Purge and Prepare Your Pantry

If you’ve been eating the standard American diet, it’s likely your kitchen contains foods that are sabotaging the health of your brain and body. Now that you’re a Brain Warrior, it’s time to do a clean sweep of your entire kitchen and toss out all the foods that don’t serve you and your family. Not having garbage food in the house also helps prevent impulsive, mindless snacking as you change your eating patterns. As Daniel and I like to say: make one decision to get rid of it instead of thirty decisions over time not to eat it in a weak moment!

We frequently hear patients parry this initial step with phrases like “everything in moderation.” Moderation of things that are not addictive and destructive to your health may be all right. However, moderation of things that cause addiction, inflammation, and ultimately disease simply doesn’t work. We have seen people fight this concept repeatedly, slide back into illness, brain fog, and despair over and over, until they finally come to the realization that when you tempt the devil, the devil usually wins. Think of unhealthy foodlike substances like the devil. You’ll be more successful if you avoid them altogether.

If the food you’re getting rid of is simply not “optimal” for the highest level of performance, you may consider giving it to a homeless shelter. However, if it’s truly toxic, please just get rid of it. Homeless people are the last ones we should be making sicker with toxic food. And please do not send your leftover candy to the troops we rely on to protect our country! The candy drives I see outside my daughter’s school and the local grocery stores, collecting candy and baked goods for the troops, drive us crazy. These are our heroes. They deserve delicious, nutritious food that will help them focus at the highest level possible. It’s not just you they are protecting. Their lives depend on it! Toxic “foodlike substances” lead to bad decision making.

Here’s a list of what to toss:

• The majority of processed foods. Most contain lots of unhealthy fat, sugar, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and other ingredients that you’ll be avoiding. Beware of any products containing more than five ingredients or ingredients you can’t pronounce. Read the labels. It will be eye opening.
• All foods that contain high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, artificial sweeteners, soy, trans fat, or hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fat.
• The following cooking oils: vegetable oils such as corn oil, safflower oil, canola oil, and soy-based oils.
• Cereal and other grain-based foods.
• Bread, pasta, and other foods that contain gluten.
• Fruit juice. Even if it’s 100 percent fruit, juice causes unhealthy blood sugar spikes. Whenever fruit sugar is unwrapped from its fiber source, it can turn toxic in your liver.
• Foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.
• Foods that contain milk or other dairy products. The exception is a bit of goat or sheep milk yogurt and cheese if you’re not sensitive or allergic to them, or organic ghee.
• Cookies, cakes, candy, and other sweets.
• Condiments such as ketchup, barbecue sauce, and mustard (unless it’s natural), which are usually packed with sugar, salt, and artificial ingredients and food coloring. Soy sauce contains gluten (usually), soy, and excessive sodium. Mustard that is gluten free and sugar free can stay. On rare occasions that you need soy sauce, choose organic, low-sodium sauce, which is gluten free.
• Jams, jellies, and pancake syrup. They are pure sugar. Most “pancake” syrup contains no maple at all! It is high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavoring.

Stock Up on Brain Warrior Basics

Now that you’ve purged your pantry of unhealthy processed foods, you have space for whole, nutritious foods that will fuel your brain and body with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds they need for excellent health and peak performance. It’s time for a trip to the grocery store, health food store, or farmers’ market to start stocking up on the Brain Warrior Basics:

• Vegetables and more vegetables. Purchase fresh, organic produce when possible and skip the white potatoes.
• Small amounts of fruit. The best choices are blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries, as they don’t affect blood sugar as much as starchy fruits like bananas. They are also super packed with brain-boosting antioxidants. However, berries should always be organic, as they absorb more pesticides than nearly any other fruit.
• Meat, fish, and poultry, including wild salmon, tuna, herring, chicken and turkey, lamb, and lean beef. Buy meats and poultry that are grass-fed, free-range, hormone free, and antibiotic free.
• Eggs. When possible, choose organic, DHA-enriched eggs from pasture-raised chickens
• Coconut wraps, zucchini wraps, and other bread replacements. See brand list on pages 338–39.
• Raw, unsalted seeds and nuts. Be sure to choose raw nuts and seeds, because when nuts and seeds are roasted, their oils oxidize and they are robbed of their health benefits.
• Fresh and dried herbs and spices. They supercharge your health benefits and contain fantastic flavor.
• Healthy oils such as coconut oil, almond oil, macadamia nut oil, and olive oil.
• Hummus, salsa, and guacamole. For dipping raw vegetables.
• Shirataki noodles. These are a gluten-free, high-fiber alternative to pasta. Our favorite brand is Miracle Noodle because they don’t contain soy.
• Unbleached sea salt. To be used in small amounts instead of bleached table salt.
• Salt substitute (potassium chloride). It’s a great substitute for many people on a low-sodium diet.
• Unsweetened almond milk or hemp milk. Drink these instead of cow’s milk.
• Nut and seed butter. Almond butter and macadamia nut butter are perfect replacements for peanut butter.
• Goji berries.
• Raw, shredded coconut, unsweetened.
• Vegan protein powder, sugar free.
• Flax, hemp, and chia seeds.
• Freeze-dried greens.
• Ghee. If you prefer a buttery taste and are not vegan, use this for cooking at high temperatures.
• Organic, low-sodium tamari sauce or any gluten-free soy sauce.
• Coconut milk creamer (plain flavor) or coconut milk.
• Stevia sweetener. Use this in place of sugar. Liquid stevia is less bitter.
• Erythritol sweetener. Use this in place of sugar for baking.
• Raw, unsweetened cocoa. Not commercial cocoa.
• Raw cacao nibs.
• Dark chocolate, sugar free and dairy free. Find chocolate sweetened with stevia or erythritol.
• Dried beans and lentils. Consume only in limited amounts.
• Lots of travel-sized storage containers, ice packs, and coolers for packing leftovers and on-the-go lunches and snacks.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a wonderful resource for budget-conscious Brain Warriors who are passionate about consuming clean food. The EWG has a regularly updated list of nonorganic produce that contains the most pesticides, the “Dirty Dozen.” The EWG also lists nonorganic produce with the least amount of pesticides and harmful chemicals called the “Clean Fifteen.” Try to avoid purchasing nonorganic produce from the “Dirty Dozen,” as pesticides have been linked to increased risk of many brain disorders like ADHD and Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes and hormonal disturbances.

Reading Sugar on Labels: How Much and What Kind of Sugar Is Okay?

Let’s face it: it’s simply not realistic to get rid of ALL sugar from your diet, at least not if you ever want to eat another salad or bowl of mixed berries. All vegetables and fruit contain sugar, along with the myriad of disease-fighting plant compounds and antioxidants that help keep your brain young. We don’t advocate that you eliminate these powerful foods from your diet, but we do want you to pay attention to how much sugar you are consuming overall. It’s a matter of consuming low-glycemic foods (explained in detail in the book The Brain Warrior’s Way) that give you the most positive nutritional impact.

One of the main reasons we’ve listed the nutritional information on these recipes is so you know how much sugar you’re consuming in a day. Healthy, wholesome fat and clean protein aren’t the major health stealers in most recipes. It’s the high sugar content and simple carbohydrates.

Here are some simple tips to help you understand food labels, especially sugar.

1. When reading food labels, the first thing you want to notice is the quality of the ingredients. Make sure you can pronounce them and that your grandmother would recognize them as food. There are a few exceptions, like stevia and erythritol, which are actually naturally occurring ingredients that may not have been popular items fifty years ago. Generally, food is not the best place for chemicals with scientific-sounding names.
2. Check out the amount of carbohydrates compared to fat and protein. Make sure your diet isn’t heavy with simple carbohydrates. One quick way to determine if it’s a simple carbohydrate is to see how much fiber it contains. Fiber is a special carbohydrate that is vital to gut health and doesn’t elevate blood sugar. You can deduct the fiber content from the overall carb count.
3. Look at the sugar content. If it has more than five grams of sugar, it’s a red flag. Be cautious. Less sugar is always better. This doesn’t mean you can never have foods with five grams of sugar, but avoid processed foods and baked goods with high-fructose corn syrup and especially high sugar content. A green juice without any fruit can contain up to six or seven grams of sugar, but it is extremely detoxifying and loaded with nutrition. We’d rather have you choose the green drink than the giant cookie. If you know something contains high amounts of sugar, have a smaller amount so you don’t get a large sugar jolt.
4. You will notice that the recipes in this book that contain the highest amounts of sugar are the salads and smoothies and recipes with lots of vegetables, especially tomatoes. The desserts are actually very low in sugar. Fruit is one of the fastest ways to increase your overall sugar consumption. We still want you to eat some fruit, but the sugar content is why we tell you to limit fruit to one or two pieces each day. Consider these facts as you put your menu together.
5. The higher the sugar is on the ingredient list, the more sugar the product contains.
6. Beware of sneaky trans fats. The idea that all trans fats have been removed from our food supply is false. If the label lists partially hydrogenated oil, it contains trans fat. As long as there is not more than 0.5 gram of trans fat per serving, manufacturers do not have to list it. To get around this, food companies have decreased the portions that they consider a serving size. Packaged snack foods that consumers consider one serving are often listed as up to four servings or more on the label. That means there could be 2 grams of trans fat in that one snack.

Why All the Fuss over Something as Natural as Fruit?

Up until the early 1800s there was no efficient way to store and can fruit and vegetables, which meant people usually ate them seasonally. People would often eat more of these delicious foods when they were available, knowing they would not have them for many months. What they were not able to do was eat five or six pieces of fruit every day out of convenience, or add fruit jams, jellies, and spreads filled with sugar all day long as we do now. Add to that processed snack foods, trans fat, and lots of chemicals, and we now have a perfect storm for chronic illness. It’s not a coincidence that with the revolution in industrialization, farming, and food storage came chronic illness the likes of which mankind had never seen in history. Be conscious of the food you consume. We recommend one piece of fruit each day to people who are diabetic or insulin resistant. If you are healthy, active and have stable blood sugar, you may be able to tolerate two pieces of fruit without problems.

The Importance of Oil and Fat

Although olive oil and other unsaturated fats (usually liquid at room temperature) are nutritious when consumed in raw form, they oxidize and become harmful when heated to high temperatures. When oils reach their smoke point during cooking, they break down, lose nutritional value, and become toxic.

For cooking I usually use coconut oil, ghee, or macadamia nut oil. Grape seed oil has a high smoke point and is a less expensive option. However, it has been shown to be more inflammatory than some of the previous oils mentioned. All of these oils have a higher smoke point than olive oil, so they can get hotter without breaking down. Often you don’t even need oil for cooking! Most of the recipes in this book suggest using vegetable broth for sautéing instead of oil. In most cases, it works just as well. Save the calories for your salad dressing.

Organic, unrefined, expeller-pressed, and cold-pressed oils are the healthiest. Processing strips oils of all nutritional value, leaving them as nothing more than liquid fat, and not the healthy kind. You can find unrefined oils in most health food stores. As a rule, oils should be colored somewhat the shade of the source they came from. For example, if olive oil has a light, clear color, it has been processed and stripped of its natural character. Olive oil should have a slight green tint. Oils are best stored in dark-colored glass bottles and should be kept in the refrigerator for extended storage time.

Stay away from cooking with flax oil. There is an ongoing debate as to whether flax oil is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids but, in truth, it can also cause inflammation. Flaxseeds are very healthy because they contain lignans, a type of antioxidant, but when the oil is removed from the seed, it can become pro-inflammatory. Also, while flax oil contains some omega-3 fatty acids, it is higher in the pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, which negates the omega-3s. Flaxseeds are great for you, but flax oil? Not so much.

One of the few dairy products I like to cook with is organic ghee, also called clarified butter. The milk proteins have been removed and the remaining product is safe for cooking and it’s not processed like other butter substitutes.

COOKING OIL GUIDE

Best Oils for Cooking at High Temperatures

When frying, braising, broiling, or any other cooking method at high temperatures, it’s best to use oils and fats that can be heated to high temperatures before they begin to smoke. When marinating meats in the refrigerator prior to cooking, you’ll want to choose an oil that remains liquid at cool temperatures, unlike ghee or coconut oil.

SFA=Saturated MFA=Monounsaturated PUFA=Polyunsaturated

TYPE OF OIL	TYPE OF FAT	SMOKE POINT
Unrefined Coconut Oil	86% SFA	450° F
Ghee	63% SFA	480° F
Avocado Oil	70% MUFA	500° F
Macadamia Nut Oil	80% MUFA	420° F
Rice Bran Oil	38% MUFA to 37% PUFA	415° F
Palm Oil	54% SFA	455° F

Oils That Are All Right for Cooking at Lower Temperatures

For heating or sautéing at low temperatures, the following oils are safe options. With the exception of cacao butter, these oils are usually liquid at room temperature.

TYPE OF OIL	TYPE OF FAT	SMOKE POINT
Olive Oil	73% MUFA	370° F
Grape Seed Oil	71% PUFA	420° F
Cacao Butter	60% SFA	370° F

Avoid Cooking with These Oils

While some of these oils appear to have a high smoke point, they are not stable fats and they oxidize quickly with heat, which is why you should never cook with them.

TYPE OF OIL	TYPE OF FAT	SMOKE POINT
Canola Oil	64% MUFA	400° F (most GMO)
Safflower Oil	76% PUFA	250 to 510° F
Sesame Seed Oil	43% MUFA to 43% PUFA	450° F
Sunflower Oil	19% MUFA to 63% PUFA	225 to 400° F
Vegetable Shortening	34% SFA to 52% PUFA	330 to 440° F
Corn Oil	59% PUFA	440° F (most GMO)
Soybean Oil	23% MUFA	495° F (most GMO)

Preparing Poultry, Meat, and Seafood

Generally speaking, cooking methods that require lower heat or less cooking time are healthier because they prevent a process that creates high levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Dietary advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are created by cooking meat, poultry, and seafood at high heat due to the chemical reactions that take place between carbohydrates, protein, and fat. AGEs can lead to inflammation, diabetes, and increased risk of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. As the protein that is necessary for healthy cells becomes damaged, vital organs also become damaged. Skin being the largest organ of the human body, damage to protein in skin caused by AGEs may be seen in the form of wrinkles!

This doesn’t mean you have to toss your favorite grill. But understanding a few simple concepts can dramatically boost your mental health, energy, and vitality. If you love grilling, try turning it down and cooking over lower heat for a longer period, or try a stove-top grill, which doesn’t expose meat to the open flame and gives you more control over the temperature. You’ll get that grilled effect without the associated risks.

Healthy Cooking Guide

Healthiest Methods

• Baking: A dry-heat method of cooking, usually in an oven, at moderate temperatures. Poultry and seafood are sometimes covered during the baking process to prevent browning and preserve moistness.
• Poaching: Usually cooked in water or broth below boiling point of 160 to 180 degrees F, poaching can be done in a pan over the cooktop or in the oven. While poaching is a popular way to prepare fish, it’s also a great way to prepare poultry. The intense flavor you may lose from charring or frying, you will make up in spades with moisture. Be sure to check poultry with a thermometer. An internal temperature of 160 to 170 degrees F indicates that poultry is finished cooking.
• Boiling: Usually done in boiling water or broth. The advantage is that poultry and certain types of seafood or meat cook quickly and remain moist and tender. Be sure to check poultry with a thermometer.

Next Best Methods

• Stir-fry: Traditionally, stir-fry recipes call for oil and very hot cooking temperatures. However, oil is optional. One of the most flavorful and healthy ways to stir-fry is with low-sodium vegetable broth or a little water. This method requires less cooking time due to smaller chunks of meat.
• Braising: When braising, you brown meat or poultry in a hot pan for a short time, then allow it to simmer in a covered pan or Crock-Pot for a long period of time. To improve on the health aspect of traditional methods (browning in fat or heavy oil), try removing as much fat as possible and use a small amount of oil or broth instead. Slow-cooking in broth is a great way to impress guests because the result is fabulously tender meat or poultry.
• Broiling: Cooking quickly on high, intense heat under the broiler in an oven seals the outside of many dishes, while leaving the inside juicy and tender. However, be careful about the amount of charring that broiling produces. Try to broil on the lowest setting possible. One way to decrease the amount of time under the broiler is to start with broiling, then finish off by poaching.

GRILLING GUIDE

Grilling	How Long	How Hot
Meat	3 to 5 minutes per inch of thickness	145° at center
Poultry	3 to 5 minutes per inch of thickness	160 to 170° at center
Fish	2 to 3 minutes per inch of thickness	135° at center

Least Healthy Methods

• Roasting: A dry-heat method of cooking, with a temperature of 300 degrees F or above, usually in an oven. Meat, poultry, or fish should be left uncovered so heat penetrates evenly. The difference between roasting and baking is the temperature. Roasting is achieved with more intense heat to produce a browned surface. Also, meat is often left uncovered during roasting to allow for caramelizing of sauces or browning of the surface. Avoid caramelizing food when possible for best health.
• Grilling: Rapid cooking on a rack over coals, electric coil, or open fire with intense heat. This traditional favorite is easy and produces incredible flavor. But like broiling, the intense heat and close proximity to fire (especially with open-fire grilling) can increase charring. To decrease charring, remove excess fat, start with grilling (and turn frequently), then finish off with poaching or baking. You can also try a stove-top grill, which doesn’t expose meat to the open flame. Consider cooking high-quality cuts of meat (not poultry) medium or medium rare.
• Microwave: Quickly reheating in a microwave, or an occasional meal in a bind, isn’t so bad. If it’s a choice between a quick healthy snack heated in the microwave for thirty seconds or a trip to the donut shop, the microwave wins, hands down. However, try to avoid making the microwave your best friend. Microwave cooking is an extremely rapid cooking method using electromagnetic radiation. The water molecules in food vibrate violently in the microwaves, creating friction, which heats food. Microwaving food not only changes the molecular structure of what it heats; it destroys the nutritional value of food. Multiple studies from Russia found that nearly all food cooked in microwave ovens were changed in some way, and nearly all contained carcinogenic agents after being microwaved.
• Frying: Rapid cooking of food in some form of oil or fat, at very high temperatures. Frying can be done in a hot skillet or in a deep fryer by submerging the food completely in oil. Previously, most studies linked fried foods to heart disease, diabetes, and many other illnesses. However, more recent studies from Spain have shown that the actual frying process may not be the culprit, as much as the type of oil and the frying method. Don’t fry food in canola oil, corn oil or soybean oil. In addition to being highly inflammatory, the majority of these oils come from GMO crops. Use oils that don’t break down at high temperatures such as coconut oil or macadamia nut oil, or ghee. Grape seed oil is an affordable alternative. While grape seed oil is affordable, it’s not as optimal for health as the other choices. Also, minimize the frying time by cooking food with another method of cooking (such as baking), then finish off by lightly frying in a hot pan for a few seconds. Fry food in a pan instead of a deep fryer, and minimize the amount of oil. This will still give you the result you are looking for without the excess oil.
• Caramelizing: A method of browning carbohydrates like sugar on the surface of certain foods, usually at temperatures above 300 degrees F. When carbohydrates are broken down in the heating process they become simple sugars, like fructose. Fructose is toxic to your liver. When protein is heated together with sugar at high temperatures in a cooking process, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) form, which, as discussed earlier, cause rapid aging, damage to vital organs, and even wrinkles!

Equipment and Tools

A Brain Warrior’s kitchen is a place of healing. Think of your kitchen like a “farmacy.” If food is medicine, you will need proper tools to prepare it.

Having the basic kitchen utensils is critical to cooking success. Here’s a list of regularly used utensils in our kitchen, and throughout the recipes in this book:

• Airtight storage containers, various sizes
• Box grater
• Citrus zester
• Colander
• Cooking spatulas—for high heat
• Cutting boards, meat safe
• Knives:
• Boning knife for trimming fat
• Chef’s knife, 5-inch blade and 12-inch blade
• Meat cleaver
• Paring knife
• Serrated knife for slicing tomatoes and bread
• Knife sharpener
• Lemon and orange juicer
• Mandoline slicer for thinly slicing vegetables and fruit
• Measuring cups and spoons, all sizes
• Meat tenderizer for pounding
• Meat thermometer
• Microplane grater
• Mixing bowls, various sizes
• Parchment paper
• Pizza cutter
• Pot holders
• Pyrex measuring cups, small and large
• Rubber spatulas
• Slotted cooking spoons
• Solid cooking spoons
• Soup ladle
• Strainer for vegetables and pasta
• Tongs, various sizes
• Vegetable peeler
• Whisks, various sizes
• Wooden spoons
• Zoodle Slicer (vegetable pasta maker)

KITCHEN APPLIANCES:

• Food processor
• Handheld electric mixer
• High-powered blender
• Immersion blender
• KitchenAid stand mixer is helpful
• Toaster or toaster oven

Pots and pans are best with sturdy bottoms. Nonstick pans can be convenient, but avoid Teflon. Ceramic is best as a nonstick option. Over time, try to collect the following:

• Baking dishes, 8 x 8, 9 x 11, 9 x 13 inches, and 8-inch round
• Baking sheets, multiple sizes
• Muffin tins, regular and mini
• Pots for sauces and soups, several sizes
• Roasting pan, 14 x 10 inches
• Skillets, multiple sizes
• Soufflé dishes
• Stockpot (large pot for making soups)
• Stove-top grill

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES:

• Candy papers
• Kebab skewers
• Muffin papers
• Parchment paper
• Self-sealing bags
• Tinfoil
• Wooden ice pop sticks

A Note About Nutritional Information and Recipes

Optional ingredients are not counted in the nutritional information listed at the bottom of each recipe. All ingredients marked “optional” or “add to taste” are excluded for lack of objective information.

Any recipe including salt in the ingredient list may be altered for low-sodium diets. Simply reduce the amount of salt according to your nutritional and health needs or eliminate altogether. Salt or salt substitute may be added as desired after the meal preparation is complete.

WATER YOUR BRAIN EACH MORNING!

Being hydrated increases your physical power by 19 percent. Being dehydrated by only 2 percent has a dramatically negative impact on cognitive function. A cup of warm lemon water infused with ginger is a stimulating, detoxifying way to wake up. Not only will you be more focused; you’ll be stronger in the gym and you’ll have greater aerobic capacity. What happens when you drink the juice of one lemon and ½ teaspoon of grated fresh ginger added to 16 ounces of warm water each morning?

1. The powerful flavonoids and antioxidants along with hydration are the best gift you can give your brain in the morning.
2. Citric acid in lemon helps aid digestion.
3. Increases vitamin C intake, which is good for your skin and immunity.
4. Flavonoids in lemon help balance pH to aid in detoxification.
5. Lemon and ginger have powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
6. Lemon and ginger contain powerful antioxidants to help fight free radicals.
7. The pectin fiber in lemons aids in craving control.
8. Ginger is soothing to the intestinal tract and may reduce symptoms of upset stomach, nausea and heartburn.
9. Ginger is neuroprotective, which means that it helps to prevent or slow the aging process of brain cells.
10. Ginger has been used as a natural pain reliever for centuries due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Follow with a hydrating, power-packed smoothie containing another 16 ounces of water. By the time you hit the gym, boardroom, or classroom, you’ll be hydrated, nourished, and brainpowered up!