How to Become Smarter (58 page)

Soft-boiled eggs.
You can use the typical recipe: put eggs in water, wait until the water boils and then remove the eggs and place them in cold water, for example, under a running faucet. Traditionally, the official dietary guidelines have recommended limiting consumption of eggs because they contain a lot of cholesterol. Now that we know that dietary cholesterol has no effect on blood cholesterol, it is unclear if there should be restrictions on egg consumption.

Wheat extract.
You can prepare raw water extract of wheat as follows: mix 2 kilograms (~4.5 pounds) of whole-grain wheat flour (it is grayish in color, not white) with 5 liters (~1.3 gallons) of water to homogeneity. Allow extraction to occur for ~12 hours at 4°C (in the fridge). Decant the clear supernatant carefully (this is the wheat extract) and reextract the solids in a similar fashion using 2 liters of water (half a gallon) one more time. If somebody wishes to manufacture it on an industrial scale, the wheat extract can be sterilized by ultrafiltration [
245
]; boiling or pasteurization give it an unpleasant taste and cause the wheat proteins to curdle. The wheat extract can be stored at 4°C (in the fridge) for 1-2 days or at minus 20°C (in the freezer, in plastic bottles) indefinitely. The wheat extract has a pleasant taste, but most people will not find it to be a particularly attractive drink. It is almost as filling as whole grains, and you may feel full after ingesting several glasses of wheat extract, but you will most likely feel that your stomach is empty 5 or 10 minutes later. You can improve the taste if you sweeten the wheat extract with one-fourth volume of grape or pineapple juice (free of additives). The 2:1 mixture of wheat extract with carrot juice is another alternative. Raw wheat extract is highly nutritious and you can drink it with meals or between meals. In contrast to cooked grains, the wheat extract does not have sedative properties and will not slow you down. It has the opposite, stimulant and wakefulness-promoting effects, based on my experience. I consume the wheat extract instead of boiled grains when I have to do a lot of reading, and I use the opposite approach when I need to perform writing tasks. If you have trouble falling asleep or need to calm down, my advice is to avoid the wheat extract and to eat plenty of boiled grains instead.

Preparing the wheat extract on a regular basis takes some time and effort. If you, like me, prefer to spend as little time as possible on food-related matters, you may consider making a large amount of wheat extract in a large vat (20-30 liters or 5-8 gallons) so that you can do this procedure less frequently. Alternatively, you can avoid the wheat extract altogether. If you must consume a high-protein diet (which may require a dietary fiber supplement), you can use other, less labor-intensive fiber supplements such as psyllium husks instead of wheat extract. You can also avoid high-protein diets and meals most of the time.

It is best to store the dry wheat flour in the fridge or use it up immediately after the purchase because it can change taste when it stays at room temperature for several months or longer. In a similar fashion, you can prepare water extract from buckwheat flour, shredded whole wheat, and steel-cut oats. You need to use half as much buckwheat flour for the same amount of water, i.e. one kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of flour per 5 liters (1.3 gallons) of water. (You won’t be able to make a water extract from oat flour because the liquid and the solids do not separate out after you mix oat flour with water and put the mixture in the fridge for several days.) These extracts have a pleasant taste according to my experience. The water extract of grains contains all of the soluble proteins, vitamins, and carbohydrates present in whole grains, but it excludes starch, gluten, and insoluble fiber. The wheat extract may be an acceptable food to people who must avoid gluten.

Please note that inclusion of the water extract of grains is
optional
in all of the diets described in this book. Nonetheless, the wheat extract makes diets more balanced and diversified. I have never had problems with the wheat extract but there is a tiny risk that wheat flour may be contaminated with bacteria, yeast or yeast toxins. You need to contact the manufacturer regarding the safety of a product in question.

Simple salad.
Wash tomatoes, cucumbers, and cabbage. Cut tomatoes, peel and cut cucumbers, and chop cabbage in approximately equal amounts. Mix the cut vegetables with chopped dill (one-tenth amount). If you are not on the fruit-and-vegetable diet, you can add one-tenth amount of ground nuts such as pecans, walnuts or filbert. Alternatively, you can add two or three hard-boiled eggs, after you cut them into cubes about one centimeter (half an inch) wide. If your salad does not contain nuts, you can add unrefined sunflower oil. If you have to use salt, add one half of the amount you usually use.

Apple salad.
Wash apples, carrots, and cabbage in approximately equal amounts. Chop the cabbage finely and grate the carrots. Cut each apple into eight segments and remove the core. Mix the apples and vegetables and add one-tenth amount of ground nuts.

Mood-brightening yogurt.
Mix 100 ml (3 oz.) of red grape juice with a double amount of buttermilk or kefir and 300 grams (0.7 lb.) of unsalted unprocessed cheese.

You can find recipes that are more sophisticated than the above in the section that follows.

B
ETTER
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ISHES
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HAT WILL
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OME
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IME AND
E
FFORT

The amounts are listed in metric units;
approximate
amounts in pounds or ounces are indicated in parentheses.

Diet soup.
Ingredients:
0.5 kg (a pound) of potatoes, 0.5 kg of cabbage, 0.5 kg of carrots, 200 g (7 oz.) of tomato paste (free of additives) and one bunch of dill or parsley.
Instructions:
Pour approximately 1.5 liters (1.5 quarts) of water into a 4-liter (gallon-sized) saucepan and bring the water to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, wash the vegetables and then chop cabbage finely, peel and cut potatoes, and peal and grate carrots, in that order. When the water starts boiling, put the cabbage in the saucepan and let it cook for 15 minutes, then add carrots, potatoes, and tomato paste and mix well. Let the mixture boil for 15 minutes, then add 100 grams (3 oz.) of chopped dill or parsley. Remove the saucepan from the stove and let the soup stew for about 10 minutes. At this point, you can add boiled meat or boiled liver to the soup, if you have made those ingredients previously. If you have some leftover chicken broth from the steamed chicken recipe, you can add it for taste; do not remove fat from the broth. Dispense the soup in plates and (optionally) add a tablespoon of unrefined vegetable oil (such as sunflower oil) per plate.

Diet borscht.
Ingredients:
0.5 kg (a pound) each of ground beef and ground chicken, 15% fat or higher; 500 grams (a pound) of potatoes, 300 grams (10 oz.) of cabbage, 400 grams (a pound) of beets, 200 grams (0.5 lb.) of carrots, 100 grams (3 oz.) of tomato paste, 30 grams (1 oz.) of dried parsley root, one bunch of dill, and 60 grams (2 oz.) of lettuce.
Instructions:
Pour about 2 liters (0.5 gallons) into a 4-liter saucepan (gallon-sized) and bring it to a boil. Thaw the ground meat in a microwave oven. In the meantime, cut lettuce, shred cabbage, grate carrots, and cut beets into small cubes, less than one cm (half an inch) wide. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes about 3 cm (an inch) wide. When the ground meat thaws out, cut it into cubes about 5 cm (2 inches) wide and put the ground meat in boiling water. When the water starts boiling again, let the meat cook for about 5 minutes. Then add cabbage and beets, mix well, and let the mixture boil for about 5 minutes. After that, add the potatoes and lettuce and let the borscht boil for about 10 minutes. Add the grated carrots, chopped dill, chopped parsley root, and tomato paste and let the mixture cook for 5 more minutes. If you have to add salt, use one half of the amount that you usually add or use the salt substitutes described above. Remove the saucepan from the stove, close the lid and allow the borscht to stew for 15 more minutes. Dispense it into plates.

Diet Greek salad.
Ingredients:
60 grams (2 oz.) of ground filbert nuts, 500 grams (a pound) of tomatoes, 350 grams (0.8 lb.) of bell peppers, 400 grams (a pound) of cucumbers, 200 grams (0.5 lb.) of unsalted unprocessed cheese (made from pasteurized milk), 150 grams (1/3 lb.) of canned olives, and one bunch of dill or parsley. To prepare the sauce: mix 5 tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Instructions:
Cut the tomatoes into large chunks; peel the cucumbers and cut them into thin circles. Remove the seeds and cut bell peppers into thin slices. Cut the olives into small circles and shred the greens. Put everything in a salad bowl, add the sauce and mix well.

Shrimp salad.
Ingredients:
4 avocadoes, 4 tomatoes, 600 grams (1.5 lbs.) of fully cooked shrimp; sauce: 5 tablespoons of unrefined vegetable oil plus 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Instructions:
Shell the shrimp, cut tomatoes into average-sized chunks. Peel the avocadoes, remove the pit and cut the pulp into segments. Put all the ingredients into a salad bowl, add the sauce and mix gently, trying not to mash the avocado slices.

Fruit and cabbage salad.
Ingredients:
400 grams (a pound) of cabbage, 400 grams of seedless grapes, 2 average-sized apples, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 60 grams (2 oz.) of ground nuts, unrefined vegetable oil. Shred the cabbage finely, core the apples and cut into thin slices. Put the grapes, cabbage, nuts, and apples into a salad bowl, add the lemon juice, mix everything well, then add the vegetable oil and mix again.

Potato and salmon salad.
Ingredients:
300 grams (0.7 lb.) of salmon filet; 500 grams (a pound) of potatoes, 6 tablespoons of unrefined vegetable oil (e.g., sunflower oil), half a bunch of dill and the same amount of parsley.
Instructions:
Boil potatoes in their skins, peel and cut into cubes about 2 cm (an inch) wide. Cook the salmon filet by steaming as described above for steamed chicken thighs. Cut the salmon into small pieces; remove small bones if you notice any. Chop the greens and pass them through a meat-grinder. Put everything in a salad bowl, add the vegetable oil, and mix thoroughly.

High-protein salad.
Ingredients:
One bunch of dill and the same amount of parsley; three hard-boiled eggs, 300 grams (0.7 lb.) of boiled ground pork or beef (see the section “
Boiled meat
” above); 30 grams (an ounce) of ground nuts, such as walnut or pecan; 300 grams (0.7 lb.) of tomatoes.
Instructions:
Chop the greens and pass them through a meat-grinder. Cut the tomatoes and eggs into small pieces. Put all the ingredients in a salad bowl and mix well.

Sorbet.
Ingredients:
400 grams (a pound) of dates and 200 grams of shelled filbert nuts.
Instructions:
Pit the dates and chop them finely. Grind up the nuts using a meat-grinder. Mix the nuts with dates.

Stewed meat and cabbage.
Ingredients:
1 kg (2 lbs.) of cabbage; 500 grams (a pound) of ground beef or pork, 20% fat or higher; 200 grams (0.5 lb.) of carrots; 300 grams (0.7 lb.) of eggplant.
Instructions:
Thaw the ground meat in a microwave oven. Shred the cabbage, cut the eggplant, and grate the carrots. Pour about 2 cm (an inch) of water into a large non-stick frying pan, set the flame to about average strength and when the water starts boiling, put the cabbage in and close the lid. Let it stew for 10-15 minutes. Mix the cabbage. Cut the thawed ground meat into cubes about 3 cm (an inch) wide and put on top of the cabbage along with the slices of eggplant. Do not mix and if necessary, add a little water. Close the lid and let it stew for 15-20 minutes. After that, add water if necessary and add the grated carrots. You can break 3 to 4 eggs on top of that if you want to. Do not mix. Close the lid and stew for another 10-15 minutes. Remove the frying pan from the stove and mix the dish well.

Stewed mushrooms with chicken.
Ingredients:
3 chicken hind legs or four chicken thighs; 500 grams (a pound) of mushrooms; sunflower oil; one bunch of dill or parsley; 400 grams (a pound) of cabbage.
Instructions:
Cook the chicken legs by steaming separately, as described in a
section above
. Shred the cabbage, pour about 2 cm (an inch) of water into a non-stick frying pan, turn on the stove and when the water starts boiling, put the cabbage in. Stew for 10-15 minutes. Mix the cabbage. Cut the mushrooms and put on top of the cabbage. Do not mix; if necessary, add more water. Close the lid and stew for 20-25 minutes. If the dish is not fully cooked, add a little more water and stew for another 10 minutes. If the chicken thighs (cooked separately) are ready at this point, separate the flesh from the bones and cut the flesh with skin and fat into pieces about 3 cm (an inch) wide. Remove the frying pan with mushrooms from the stove, add the pieces of chicken, three to four tablespoons of sunflower oil and mix everything thoroughly. If you have to add salt, use one half of the amount that you usually add or use the salt substitutes described above.

Chicken with rice and vegetables.
Ingredients:
an average-sized chicken: 1.5 kg (3 lbs.), 400 grams (a pound) of tomatoes, 400 grams (a pound) of bell peppers, 300 grams (0.7 lb.) of brown rice; and unrefined vegetable oil.
Instructions:
Wash and cut the chicken. Cook it separately in a steamer as described in the
section
about chicken thighs above. Cut the tomatoes into average-sized chunks, remove the seeds from bell peppers and cut them into thin slices. In a saucepan, boil one liter (a quart) of water, add rice and cook for about 20 minutes. Can stir every 5 minutes to make sure there is no charring at the bottom. Add water if necessary. Then put the vegetables on top of the rice, close the lid and cook for another 20-25 minutes. If the chicken is ready at this point, then remove the saucepan from the stove; add the pieces of chicken, 4 to 7 tablespoons of unrefined vegetable oil (for example, sunflower oil) and mix everything well.