Lunch

DR. ALI's LUNCHES
(Low cost, everything toxic free, three to five days a week)

The Most Important Freedom Is Freedom From Disease

Truth has many enemies-among the better known are innocent myths, untruths, half-truths, lies, pernicious lies, and statistics. In clinical nutrition, truth has another little known enemy which, in my view, brings more harm: not knowing. Specifically, important aspects of nutrition not known to most people are:

► Eating healthy is not a sacrifice;
► One can eat healthy on a very limited budget; and
► It is easy to avoid common foods that cause adverse food reactions, such as sugar, gluten-containing grains, and dairy products (except yogurt and kafir).

One Cannot Unknow What One Knows

I see the essential problem of good nutrition to be a lack of proper information and clarity of thinking in matters of food. During the first 20 years of my pathology work, I knew much about disease and nothing about health. I regularly ate toxic foods, as did almost every other doctor in the hospital. I suffered frequent migraine headaches, hypoglycemia, and periods of unexplained irritability. Then my eating habits changes when my focus shifted from a study of diseases to that of the state of absence of health. Slowly and steadily, I began to experience the benefits of replacing bad foods with good ones. I hope the reader will also consider a food journey, beginning with Dr. Ali's Breakfast and Dr. Ali's lunch described here.

Armed with good information and courage, it is possible for people to eat well on a limited budget. The following suggestions provide light meals, which are:

( Wholesome;
( Highly nutritious;
( Oil-free;
( Sugar-free;
( "Everything-artificial-free";
( Gluten-free;
( Diverse; and
( Low-cost.

Low Cost of Lunch

The cost of Dr. Ali's lunch varies from 90 to 95 cents (45 cents to 55 cents per lentil soup and 35 to 40 cents for a cup of yogurt (with a light sprinkling of spices). Diversity in the dishes can be increased by using a wide variety of seeds and vegetables added to the basic lentil lunches.

Glutenous grains are a very common source of food reactions, such as undue tiredness after eating, abdominal bloating, and difficulties of mood and mentation. Dr. Ali's Lunch is an excellent way to avoid gluten recations. In essence, this lunch replaces wheat and other grains with lentils, seeds, nuts, and vegetables. That, pof course, increases diversity in food elements.

DR. ALI'S LUNCH RECIPE # 1 "PINK DAL" LENTIL FOR 20 LUNCHES

Total time required one hour; cost of 40 cents per lunch.

Ingredients:

1. Masoor (Ghulabi) dal / pink lentil 4 pounds ($4.99)

2. Fresh tomatoes 4 medium ($1.00)

3. Green pepper 1, medium hot (30 cents)

4. Garlic paste 1 tablespoon (10 cents)

5. Ginger paste 1 tablespoon (10 cents)

6. Curry masala 1 packet (89 cents) (available at Indian/Pakistani stores)

7. Salt 1 teaspoon (5 cents)

8. Fresh coriander leaves, two ounces (15 cents)

Directions:

1. Rinse dal in water and rub between your palms till froth, drain, and repeat

two more times until the froth is removed

2. Add 1 gallon water (4.5 liters)

3. Mix in masala, garlic, ginger, and salt

4. Bring to a boil and stir until dal (lentil) is cooked

5. Add washed and sliced tomatoes and green pepper

6. Continue to boil and stir at intervals for 15 minutes*

7. Add coriander leaves

Dining:

( Serve immediately, with or without a sprinkling seeds**

Freezing for storage:

( Cool the pot for 3 hours

( Put 8 to 10 ounces in separate zip lock bags, removing the air by flattening, zip

tightly, and freeze.

Heating Instruction:

( Break the frozen dal pattie into a small sauce pan and add four ounces of water

( Heat, sprinkle seeds and/or nuts of choice, and enjoy

Yogurt: Plain yogurt (goat or cow milk) 8 ounces with a pinch of masala (chana chat masla), cost: 50-60 cents

* Pink whole dal turns split, softened, and yellow in color seed

** Seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, coriander, cumin, dil, chopped almonds, cashew, and others of choice