chapter 3

THE WILD KITCHEN

“Cooking and shopping for food brings rhythm and meaning to our lives.”

Alice Waters

Now that you’re preparing to transition from your detox into “everyday life,” I want to introduce you to all the foods that make up the Wild Mediterranean diet—a diverse, delicious array of satisfying, nourishing foods for what I like to call eating “village-to-table.” As is the case with the Wild Mediterranean lifestyle in general, eating wild isn’t just about what to eat but also about how to eat it. That’s because while from-the-earth, nourishing foods are absolutely the foundation for better health, so is finding joy and community. And there’s no better way to do that than to do it with food—something Mediterranean villagers know a thing or two about. That’s why after I’m done walking you through all the delicious new foods that will become the foundation of your new lifestyle, I’ll introduce you to a concept that makes this new way of living so much more than a diet. It’s called “finding your food tribe,” and it’s what makes the difference between trudging through a high-concept, fad program (I’m looking at you, Paleo!) and creating long-lasting change that’s rooted in the kind of life you truly want to be living. So with that, on to the food!

The Wild Mediterranean kitchen has four basic components: fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and unprocessed dairy (as well as some grains, on occasion). To help you find as much variety within these categories, I’ve added a go-to list of pantry and freezer essentials, which also includes a sampling of healthy fats, condiments, seasonings, and herbs. So get to the grocery store or farmers’ market and go wild! And if you’re in need of some inspiration for how to use these gut-curing staples, I’ve provided more than fifty recipes showcasing the many wonders of Wild Mediterranean foods, including their incredible power to diversify your gut with health-promoting bacteria and keep it balanced for the long haul.

Buying Wild

Plants

There’s no better friend to your body than plant foods—particularly fruits and vegetables. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals, aid digestion, boost the immune system, strengthen the nervous system, fortify the blood, and even prevent cancer. There’s also no better friend to your gut than fiber, and these guys are packed with the stuff. Fiber nourishes our cells and reduces inflammation; and healthy microbes love getting their fill of it. Want to show your gut some TLC? Eat some plants! Making a habit of consuming a spectrum of fruits and vegetables, from apples to zucchini, diversifies the good bacteria in your gut, keeps you lean, and most important, keeps you satisfied. There’s nothing more filling than a heaping bowl full of plant fiber. Nuts, seeds, and grains are also examples of super-powered plants, and we’ll talk more about them later in this chapter.

When buying fruits and vegetables, I strongly recommend buying organic produce when you can find and afford it. The pesticides used to grow conventional produce can wreak havoc on your gut health by decimating the beneficial bacteria that live there, causing body-wide inflammation. Buying seasonally can help reduce the cost of organic produce as it’s not being shipped from another continent. Eating food as it’s coming up from the ground means you’re reaping the most health benefits, plus there’s no contest when it comes to taste. Exhibit A: Compare a perfumed, juicy, sun-ripened tomato from your garden or the farmers’ market in August to a pale, mealy one from the store in December. And if your fruits and veggies taste better, I guarantee you’ll eat more of them! Frozen organic fruits and vegetables offer another great option, as these foods are flash-frozen right after harvest. Often the frozen option is fresher than any nonlocal variety in the produce section that may have spent days if not weeks in a truck, or was picked too early so that it ripens on its journey.

If buying organic is absolutely not an option for you, consider limiting your purchases to foods not found on the Dirty Dozen; list compiled by the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org). These foods are the most heavily sprayed with pesticides and have thin skins that absorb said chemicals, and include strawberries, apples, nectarines, peaches, celery, grapes, cherries, spinach, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers (all colors), cherry tomatoes, and cucumber.

Vegetables

While I wouldn’t single out any vegetable as being unhealthy, I will advise you to be mindful of how much you eat of certain starchier vegetables, especially if you aren’t active. These include corn, white potatoes, beans, peas, plantains, yucca, and taro. Here’s a list of your best choices to give you some plant-spiration:

Artichokes

Avocados

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Carrots

Cauliflower

Eggplant

Fennel

Garlic

Leafy greens, such as kale, spinach, Swiss chard, and all lettuces

Leeks

Mushrooms

Onions

Radishes

Scallions

Fruit

Fruit—especially citrus—is a key element in Mediterranean cuisine. Daily intake of some fruits, such as apples or pears or grapefruit—all rich in polyphenols—can significantly reduce body weight in obese people, and—you guessed it—help keep healthy bacteria in the gut flourishing. That said, I do recommend that you initially go easy on fruit as you transition to the Wild Mediterranean lifestyle. As healthy as fruit can be, it’s still technically a “sugar,” which can trigger you to want other unhealthy, sugary foods. If you’re moderately active, stick to two servings a day. And of course, as is the case for all plant foods, be sure to choose fruit that is in season for optimal nutrition and flavor.

For citrus at its best, store it at room temperature. Great fruit options include:

Apples

Berries

Figs

Grapefruit

Lemons

Limes

Oranges

Peaches

Pomegranates

Watermelon

THE NITTY-GRITTY ON GRAINS

You’ll notice that I don’t include a lot of grains in the Wild Mediterranean diet, and it’s for good reason. We’ve come a long way from the old-school food pyramid—the one whose base is loaded up with bread and pasta and rice and crackers—and the outdated recommendation that cereal is the cornerstone of a complete breakfast. Plus, processed foods—and refined grains like cereals, breads, and muffins are, indeed, processed foods—are no good for the gut. It’s not that grains are necessarily bad, it’s just that how we grow and manufacture goods made with them has changed for the worse.

We humans began harvesting grain about twelve thousand years ago, which ensured our ancestors a steady food supply. The good news was that our population exploded. The bad news was that this grain-focused diet caused the first widespread occurrences of food-related disease, because grains are proportionately lower in nutrients than food from animals or from most vegetables.

Another reason for the health downgrade among our forebears was that they had shifted away from wild ways of eating—the classic hunter-gatherer diet of bugs, seasonal vegetables, fruits, and nuts, supplemented by moderate amounts of meat and fish—and it happened in a short period of time. When they started farming grains, and had a regular and ready food supply, they ate fewer vegetables, and probably less meat, and that’s where their nutritional troubles began.

In a way, we’re in the same fix today. But our problem is in many ways worse because the grains we’re eating—and the ultra-processed products derived from them—aren’t grown using traditional methods. Rather, modern grain farming involves techniques such as dousing crops with pesticides and employing genetically modified (GM) seeds in order to increase crop yield and boost the bottom line for farmers and manufacturers.

It’s no coincidence that the spike in gluten intolerance coincides with the increasing prevalence of such growing methods. Even for those who don’t suffer from celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder, processed wheat can cause similar issues, including nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes, anemia, and even depression.

I always suspected there was something more to gluten intolerance than just the gluten, and I was right: Recent studies claim the use of glyphosate—one of the most widely used herbicides in the world—is the most important causal factor in the epidemic of celiac disease. What’s particularly disturbing is that the majority of conventional wheat is grown from seeds that are genetically modified to withstand large amounts of glyphosate, allowing farmers to use even more of it on their crops. Farmers drench wheat crops with the herbicide in the field immediately prior to harvest because that actually kills the plant, which speeds the required drying time of the grain—a process known as “desiccation”—and offers a head start on killing off next year’s weeds as a bonus. Researchers believe that, in some people, the glyphosate-treated wheat is what causes an imbalance in the small intestine, leading to the development of celiac disease. There’s always a cost when you mess with Mother Nature. Maybe our microbiome is telling us something?

Whole grains traditionally include the three components of the grain: the bran (the fiber-rich outer layer), the germ (the nutrient-dense inner “nut” of the wheat), and the endosperm (the bulk of the kernel, containing a modest dose of vitamins and minerals). When all three parts are left intact, the wheat is referred to as “unrefined,” and unrefined whole grains are considered a good source of fiber (although I believe plants are far superior in that regard). Refined or processed grains, on the other hand, are stripped of the bran and the germ, leaving only the endosperm. This provides a processed product with a smoother texture and longer shelf life. However, by removing those elements, much of the grain’s nutritional value is lost. Food manufacturers will throw a bit of oat flour with inexpensive binders and fillers into a product so they can refer to it as “multi-grain,” although there’s really no additional health benefit—it just sounds good. You’re still essentially taking in refined grains. Dr. David Ludwig—who has devoted his research to clearing up the carbohydrate confusion—warns that such a shift in our food supply will have detrimental effects for generations to come, citing that they’re to blame for high levels of obesity in the very young and may eventually lead to the decrease in overall life expectancy.

While I’m certainly not anti-grain (I recommend having some rice and legumes on hand in the pantry, including wild rice—which is actually a grass!), I do recommend that you steer clear of their processed or nonorganic counterparts. You’ll see in Chapter 5 that my flour-based recipes all call for sprouted wheat flour. This means the grains have been soaked in water until they begin to grow sprouts before milling, making it a living food. This process decreases the presence of enzyme inhibitors—a grain’s natural defense mechanism that keeps it from being digested by hungry passerby in the wild—thereby making more of the grain’s nutrients available and digestible to you. Also, don’t fear farro or other “ancient” grains such as barley, emmer, and wheat berries, which, when sprouted, are very nutrient-dense and more readily digestible.

I have found over years of testing reactions to gluten-based foods with clients that about 80 percent of those with gluten problems can tolerate sprouted flours and grains without serious issues. This, of course, is after we remove all gluten from their diets with a pre-tox and detox. The rest remain quite sensitive and end up having to distance themselves from all wheat products.

Fresh Herbs

Herbs are card-carrying members of the plant family. Along with adding freshness when sprinkled over olive oil–drizzled vegetables and braised meats, herbs pack a number of health benefits, from the antimicrobial properties found in rosemary and oregano that can overpower drug-resistant pathogens to parsley’s ability to cleanse toxins from the body and regulate blood pressure. No real Mediterranean meal is complete without these herbs—I especially couldn’t imagine my life without oregano! To store fresh herbs, wrap them loosely in a dampened paper towel and place them inside a reusable plastic bag; they will stay fresh for up to a week. Or better yet, grow a few small pots of herbs on your kitchen windowsill or in your garden. Then harvest as needed and add them to anything and everything!

Basil

Dill

Flat-leaf parsley

Mint

Oregano

Rosemary

Sage

Thyme

Bay leaves

Proteins

I believe most people do well on a protein-rich Mediterranean diet because we humans (as mammals) naturally produce hydrochloric acid, which is our secret weapon for breaking down proteins and reaping all their nutritional benefits. Animal proteins in particular—or those derived from fish and meat—can help beneficial bacteria flourish, normalize glucose levels, and perform not-so-small miracles such as improving mood and boosting cognitive function. Furthermore, the Wild Mediterranean diet, which tends to be heavier on fish than on red meat, accounts for lower rates of death from all coronary and cardiovascular causes. As I outlined in Chapter 2, I recommend combining protein food with plant fiber (ideally in a 3:1 plant-to-meat ratio) because the combination allows gut bacteria to break down and process all of these beneficial nutrients more fully, which means a gentler experience for the digestive and immune systems and more health benefits for you.

When it comes to buying meat and fish, it’s extremely important to do so responsibly. As for meat and poultry, I again encourage you always to buy organic. Organic standards ensure that the animals have not been administered antibiotics or hormones, and that their feed has not been treated with pesticides or herbicides (and is not genetically modified). It also means that the animals are generally happier because they have access to fresh air, sunlight, and pasture. And happy animals = healthy animals. Note, though, that organic does not mean “grass-fed.” In the case of beef in particular—where it has been shown that animals fed grass are far healthier than those fed corn because of corn’s nasty effect on their own microbiomes—it’s important to ask your butcher what type of diet that animal received. The only exception to buying organic is if you’re purchasing meat or poultry directly from the farmer. Many small farmers can’t afford an organic certification because it’s expensive and involves jumping through a lot of regulatory hoops. Many of these farmers nonetheless offer a product far superior to what you can find in the store. So if you go to a farmers’ market, just ask the farmer how their animals were raised!

There are a few considerations to keep in mind regarding seafood and shellfish as well. The first is the presence of mercury, which thanks to industrial processes, has seeped into our oceanic food supply. Mercury can bioaccumulate, meaning that any mercury in one fish is transferred to the next fish that eats it—and so on. Mercury is bad news because it’s highly toxic, especially to the central nervous system. As a rule of thumb when choosing fish, the smaller the better. That’s because larger fish typically have lived longer and are higher up on the food chain, which means they have had lots of time to gobble up smaller fish and are now the repository of all the heavy metals they had. On the other hand, little fish and mollusks—such as sardines and scallops—haven’t had a chance to accumulate as much in their tissues. Other good options include salmon, mussels, rainbow trout, mahi mahi, halibut, shrimp, and Atlantic mackerel.

I once had a client whose standard lab reports and GI test made him look pretty darn healthy on paper, yet he complained of frequent loose stools. It wasn’t until I ran a urinalysis specifically for heavy metal toxicities that we found his levels were way above what’s considered normal—his weekly ritual of swordfish tacos had been loading up his system with mercury. I told him to switch to well-sourced mahi mahi, halibut, or shrimp, and after retesting a month later, his mercury levels had gone down considerably.

The other thing to keep in mind when buying fish and shellfish is how sustainably it’s being caught or farmed. Ideally you’d aim for seafood that’s been raised with consideration for the long-term vitality of the species and the health of the lakes, rivers, and oceans. It will mean fewer antibiotics and better-quality feed for the fish, and in exchange, more nutrition for you.

The Wild Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer

Take a moment to inventory your refrigerator, cupboards, and freezer. Having a well-stocked pantry is the first step toward cooking nutrient-rich food. Ditch or donate any highly processed stuff lurking in your kitchen; you won’t be eating it anymore, and you need to make room for all the nutrient-dense, gut-revitalizing food that will now form the core of your diet.

Dairy

About 65 percent of Americans have some level of lactose intolerance. That’s one of the reasons I advocate removing all dairy during the pre-tox, sea-tox, and land-tox, and then adding it back to your regular diet mindfully. That said, some dairy products can be a real boon to digestive health, particularly fermented products such as yogurt or kefir. Aged cheese, a microbioligist’s dream cocktail of beneficial bacteria and fungi, is also a great addition to the rotation. All those colonies of living critters interacting with one another over time are not only what give cheeses their character—the blue veins of Roquefort, bubble-dotted Swiss, the powdery rind of Brie—but also the probiotic power that your digestive system needs to thrive. It, along with other fermented or live-culture foods, is a perfect example of how eating wild is so far superior to taking a probiotic supplement for re-seeding the gut. Ten thousand years ago our ancestors may not have known what revolutionary science they were on to when making the first cheeses, but it’s an excellent illustration of how ancient wisdom has found its way into our modern health.

When adding dairy back into your diet, pay attention to your system, and even consider doing some pre- and post-prandial glucose testing (here) to determine if the sugar in dairy impacts your insulin reaction. If it does, give goat milk a try. Goat’s milk may help cut inflammation in the gut, which in turn protects your mucus membranes and boosts overall immune function. Eggs are another potentially immunogenic food, so be mindful when reintroducing them into your daily meals as well. When buying dairy, my guideline is simple: Buy organic.

Feta cheese

Ghee

Goat milk

Kefir

Low-fat milk

Low-fat yogurt

Hard aged cheese (ideally sheep or goat varieties, preferably raw), such as Parmigiano, pecorino, Manchego, Zamorano, or Comté, just to name a few

Ricotta cheese

Eggs

Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer Staples

With these items on hand, there’s always something to eat.

Olives of all varieties

Capers

Canned fish, including anchovies, tuna, sardines, and salmon packed in oil

Dijon mustard

Artichoke hearts in oil

Canned beans: cannellini, kidney, chickpeas (look for organic and BPA-free)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Dried lentils

Rices, including long-grain, Valencia-style short-grain, and wild rice

Canned tomatoes and tomato paste, with no added sugars

Infused oils, such as chili oil

Worcestershire sauce

Dried fruits such as figs, prunes, and cranberries

Nuts and seeds, including almonds, cashews, coconuts, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, and pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Vinegars, including apple cider vinegar, white wine and red wine, balsamic (more expensive balsamics don’t contain added sugars)

Coconut sugar

Honey

Sun-dried tomatoes

Dried mushrooms, such as shiitake, chanterelles, and porcini

Bay leaves, dried thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, mixed Italian herbs

Cayenne, ground cinnamon, ginger, cumin, paprika

Red pepper flakes

Fennel seeds

OLIVE OIL: THE ANCIENT SUPERFOOD

Olive oil has been a known digestive tonic for millennia. The Greeks were most likely the first to discover its remarkable health benefits, from use as digestive aid to a beauty product. Now modern science has confirmed that they were right: Consuming extra-virgin olive oil in particular has a number of health benefits, including anti-inflammatory qualities, the stabilization of insulin and blood sugar levels, and lower cholesterol. Olive oil is easily digested and readily absorbed by the body, and positively impacts every part of your digestive system. It can reduce both the risk of acid reflux and the potential for gallstones (thanks to the help it gives to the liver and pancreas in their daily functions). It also has a mild laxative effect, which helps combat constipation. Since antiquity, people have known about the benefits of consuming olive oil, which were attributed to its high oleic acid content. However, it is now well established that these effects can also be due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial powers.

You can and should use olive oil in dozens of ways. A bit of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) and a splash of lemon can perk up simple steamed or sautéed food, while a slick of virgin olive oil (VOO) will add flavor and moisture to roasted fish and vegetables. I even use it as a beauty product.

When buying olive oil, keep in mind that extra-virgin is made by a process called “first cold-pressed.” The word first refers to the olives that are pressed the first time around and “cold” means that olives are not incubated in temperatures higher than 81.9°F. This type of processing ensures that no heat or chemical additives were used to extract the oil, and that the olive oil retains its full nutritional value. Opt for extra virgin over “pure” olive oil, which can be chemically processed, and “light” olive oil, which is a mix of virgin and processed oil. These oils lack the health benefits of EVOO.

Salt and Pepper

If you’ve gone through the Wild Detox, you will likely find that your taste preferences have changed and you may need little or no salt to appreciate vibrantly fresh food. Toss your highly processed white salt and pick up natural fleur de sel or Celtic sea salt. It will cost a bit more, but the flavor boost will be worth it, and you’ll find yourself using less. Plus, you’ll be reaping the benefits of lots of natural minerals. Freshly ground pepper also makes a world of difference in terms of flavor and culinary punch.

Eating Wild Doesn’t Mean Spending Wildly

I know what you’re thinking: How can I afford all these fresh, organic foods and fancy olive oils and salts? And how on earth am I supposed to find time to whip up all these fancy meals? Well, you can stop worrying. I know firsthand that the Wild Mediterranean diet is not only less expensive than your current diet but also is more efficient (and effective). There’s even a study that backs me up. The Miriam Hospital and the Rhode Island Community Food Bank asked food bank clients to cook Mediterranean-inspired recipes three times a week. Their finding? Buying ingredients for meals based on fruits, veggies, and healthy fats—with smaller portions of lean meats—actually cost $750 less per person per year than the USDA’s cheapest healthy recommendations. Best of all, the participants reported that not only were their groceries cheaper but they also spent less time preparing meals than they had previously. Most important, they felt much better physically, too.

Drink for Your Gut

A major study in The Netherlands found that drinking tea, wine, and coffee had a positive impact on the diversity of the microbiome. A moderate intake of wine provides beneficial antioxidant properties, glucose-balancing, and expanded biodiversity thanks to its suspected role as a prebiotic, although overindulgence will have a negative effect. (See “Alcohol,” here.)

Both black and green tea have been shown to increase activity in the microbiota, although green tea appears to be particularly beneficial. Both aid nutrient absorption in the small intestine. Drinking coffee and tea can help you feel more satiated, and also consume less food and avoid snacking. Drinking black tea has also been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Green tea, rich in polyphenols, may play a role in weight loss. I always recommend buying organic coffee, wine, and tea. And I also have to offer the caveat that since everyone’s gut is different, your reaction to various beverages will vary. If you find yourself hungry, irritable, or you feel like your blood sugar has spiked and crashed, consider doing pre- and post-prandial glucose testing as outlined in Chapter 3 to see if any particular category of beverage has a negative impact on your own levels of blood sugar.

Find Your Food Tribe

Bringing a bit of Greece back to Los Angeles with them, my father and his friends from Athens regularly head out for dinners at local Greek restaurants. They share a meal, argue passionately about things like which region of Greece produced the best olive oil, and stop to admire beautiful women passing by. They sit—sometimes for hours—sharing stories, sharing jokes, sharing hardships. I used to love going with him to these dinners, remembering the same spirit among fellow villagers on my trips to Greece.

Aside from eating nourishing, whole foods, a crucial element of the Mediterranean lifestyle is finding your “food tribe.” It’s connecting with like-minded people who share your views on, quite simply, how to live a good life. This, of course, has a lot to do with what we eat, but also extends to things like healthy work-life balance, the importance of community, and a general worldview that feels compatible with and supportive of yours. Is it possible to find this kind of kinship with people who aren’t specifically following a Mediterranean diet? Of course! But something really special happens when you surround yourself with people who share your values about what you’re putting in your body. After all—as we’ve talked about from page 1—this isn’t a diet. This is a way of life.

If you lived in Greece, Spain, France, or Italy, you’d naturally be surrounded by people who ate and lived like you. Now it takes a little effort to carve out that community—but not without great payoff. Finding your food tribe means tapping into a support system, a social network, and—essentially—your village. Creating this sense of camaraderie can be a significant source of joy in your life—which is excellent for your health.