Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

I’m not much of a dancer—me on the dance floor looks a lot like a dog floundering on a frozen pond—but nevertheless, Eating to Live on the Outside is about to tango. This week we’re hitting salad emporium, Green Tango.

A place that advertises “fresh chopped salads” has got to be good—right? Yeah, it is. Green Tango is a fine place for the discerning nutritarian to call home. So, enough jibber-jabber! Let’s crack this menu open and see what we got.

Green Tango offers two major options, Salads and Wraps. Let’s check out the salads first. Okay, technically they all “work.” All you’d have to do is drop the occasional egg, bacon, and cheese, but here’s the four that really caught my eye.

I dig The Big Salad, the Tusan Salad, the Fiesta Salad, and the Garden Delight. There’s A LOT of veggies in these. Combine they included iceberg lettuce, hard boiled egg, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, potatoes, chickpeas, feta cheese, arugula, white beans, cremini mushrooms, artichokes, parmesan cheese, corn, black beans, avocado, red onions, grilled shrimp, mesclun greens, broccoli, beets, artichokes, asparagus, and zucchini. Not doubt—this is a MASSIVE amount of phytonutrients—awesome! And once you ditch the egg, cheese, and shrimp it gets even better.

To ensure the health-promoting integrity of these salads, I’d order the dressing on the side. Speaking of the dressing, Green Tango has two options that won’t leave me feeling very guilty; fresh squeezed lemon juice and age balsamic vinegar. I could go for either of these.

If none of the Green Tango favorite salads entice you, why not make your own creation out of these wonderful ingredients? Feast your eyes on these: Romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, arugula, spinach, mesclun greens, almonds, artichokes, asparagus, avocado, beets, black beens, broccoli, carrots, celery, cauliflower, chick peas, cremini mushrooms, crispy noodles, corn, croutons, cucumbers, dried cherries, dried cranberries, green beans, hearts of palm, mandarin oranges, peanuts, peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, raisins, red onions, and roasted red peppers. How fantastic is this!

Here’s the salad I would create. Okay, I’d start with a spinach base—I love me some spinach—then on top of that I would pile on some avocado, beets, asparagus, and carrots. Now, for my dressing, I think balsamic vinegar would go nicely with the root veggies—don’t you agree?

Okay, if a salad is striking your fancy—which would be hard to believe if you’re a nutritarian—you could go for a wrap. The wraps are basically one of the salads wrapped up in an original tortilla or either an herb garlic, spinach, or sun-dried tomato basil tortilla. Now, I’m not anti-wrap, but when confronted with all these salad options, I’d easily pass on the tortilla, but if I were to order a wrap, I’d probably go with the spinach tortilla—it’s kind of cruciferous!

Now, to wrap things up—pun intended—I should mention that Green Tango also sells soup, but as we all know, prepared soups tend to be very salty—so, not thanks. Oh! And if you’re looking for a side to go with your salad, Green Tango offers fruit—pretty neat!

I feel like I got off easy this week. Green Tango sounds like a great place to grab a meal; very reminiscent of Eating to Live on the Outside favorite Just Salad—but what do you think? Does Green Tango REALLY stack up? You decide. Take a look at Green Tango’s menu and let me know how you’d handle Eating to Live on the Outside. Make a comment or send an email to diseaseproof@gmail.com. Until then, eat greatly! Peace.

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Man, am I happy this week is over—what a bear! Anyway, it’s Friday and you know what that means. Time to fire up the machine—vroom-vroom—Eating to Live on the Outside rides again! And this week Salsa Rico is on the hot seat. How will it do? Well there’s only one way to find out.

Time to rock and roll! First up, burritos, and right away we’ve got a concession, flour tortillas—eh, I can deal with it. Believe me, it could be A LOT worse. Now, the burrito I’d go with would be the Calimax; made with ancho chile salsa, melted jack cheese, rice, pinto beans or black beans, fresh pico de gallo, and fresh guacamole. Okay, I’ll ditch the cheese and the rice—and provided the guacamole has no sour cream—it’s a decent option.

Oh! If the tortilla freaks you out. Another option might be the Fajita Burrito Bowl; prepared with flame-roasted peppers, onions, Mexican rice, black beans or pinto beans, ancho chile salsa, jack cheese, and pico de gallo. Nix that cheese and rice and its looking good, and, no tortilla to contend with—sweet!

Next are the Specialties. Yeah, we’ll skip those. Unless of course you think nachos and quesadillas are nutrient-dense—you don’t, right? Let’s just move onto the Salads. I like all three of them. There’s some undesirables in there but combined they include shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, a blend of cheeses, cilantro, a taco shell, black beans or pinto beans, avocado mango salsa, tortilla chips, Romaine lettuce, black olives, cheddar cheese, corn salsa, and a chile lime vinaigrette. Wow, that’s a lot of stuff. Out of all that I’m dropping the sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, taco shell, and black olives. So if you make those alternations and go easy on the dressing, the Taco Salad, the Cabo Salad, and Chili Lime Salad are all good—nice!

Now, let’s check out the Tacos. I see one I like. The Grilled Vegetable Fajita Taco; made with flame-roasted peppers, onions, and obviously taco shells. It’s not the best option, but if you’re not feeling the salad, you might be willing to make the taco shell concession. Personally, the grilled veggies are great, but give me one of those salads any day.

Alright, let’s scope out the Salsas, they all look very veggie friendly. They could be a nice accent to one of dishes we already looked at. Here’s the three I really liked. The Corn Salsa is cool; made with ancho chili pepper, corn, fresh tomatilos, char-grilled plum tomatoes, fresh lime, and orange juices—not too shabby. I also like the Salsa Fresca; prepared with table salsa, plum tomatoes, sweet onions, jalapenos, and cilantro—you got to love cilantro. And finally, the Onion Salsa is simple but very tasty looking; it’s made with jalapenos, Spanish onions, cilantro, and lime juice—again, another winner! These would certainly liven up one of the salads, maybe as a salad dressing?

It’s probably worth mentioning that Salsa Rico has a couple sides you might want to consider making your main dish. The two that work for me are the pinto beans or black beans and the fresh guacamole—again, provided it is sour cream free. I hate when they ruin perfectly good avocado with sour cow juice—YUCK!

So what do you think? Is Salsa Rico workable? I think there’s hope. Sure, there’s some nasty stuff to deal with like rice, cheese, char-grilled (or burned) food), tortillas, and a potentially heavy salt load—ask the wait staff before you order—but overall I’d give Salsa Rico a shot.

Now it’s your turn, time to judge for yourself. Scope out Salsa Rico’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. Make a comment or send an email to diseaseproof@gmail.com. Until then, eat the best you can! Peace.

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I’m hungry. I worked out hard this morning, did an extra Yoga class last night, and now I’ve worked up quite an appetite. Lucky for me it’s Friday, which means its time to test out a new restaurant and—hopefully—grab a nutritious bite to eat.

And, I think we’ve got a chance this week. Justix has potential. It’s not perfect—most restaurants aren’t—but I think it’s got a decent shot at satisfying the discriminating nutritarian. So, grab your knife and fork, tuck a napkin into your collar, and let’s hit it!

Justix is, “Grilled food on a stick.” Well, as far as the “on a stick” part. That’s a little iffy. You’ve got six options; beef, chicken, pork, tofu, portabella mushroom, and salmon. Okay, I’m cool with the tofu, portabella, and salmon. The portabella mushroom is by far my favorite. It’d be my first choice.

As far as the sides go, I’d pair my portabella mushroom sticks with either steamed broccoli, grilled zucchini, steamed carrot sticks, potato wedges, or roasted veggies. I’m leaning towards the steamed broccoli or the roasted veggies, but I’d probably go with the broccoli—I’m on a bit of a steamed broccoli kick lately.

Onto the sauces, there’s three I’d consider ordering. I like Annabelle’s Mint & Orange, Cousin Tony’s Balsamic Glaze, and the Sub-lime Peanut Cilantro. Neither of them strikes me as a massive concession, but just to be safe. I’d order them on the side—what do you think?

Now, Justix isn’t just sticks and sides. They’ve also got some salads and wraps you can work with. Some are bad news; loaded with bacon, beef, blue cheese, and ranch sauce. Clearly, I’ll be avoiding all that stuff. As I’ve pointed out in the past, bacon is my nemesis—growl!

Let’s start with the wraps. I’m digging The Salmon BLT Wrap and The Veggie Wrap—the veggie being the obvious favorite—combined they include grilled farm-raised salmon, bacon, baby lettuce, tomato, ranch sauce, flour tortilla, portabella mushroom, red onion, zucchini, red pepper, goat cheese, and a Balsamic glaze. No question, I’m ditching the bacon and the cheese—yuck! I’m cool with the salmon. I’ll just make sure I don’t eat fish again for a few weeks. So, when all is said and done, the only major concession would be the flour tortilla—I can live it.

Salad time! The Justix Side Salad is cool. It’s made with mixed greens, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion. With dressing on the side, this one looks good. The next salad I could work with is the Southwestern Chicken Salad—relax! I’m nixing the chicken. Post chicken, the Southwestern salad comes with mixed greens, yellow corn, red onion, tortilla strips, and a lime cumin vinaigrette. Yeah, those tortilla strips are history and that vinaigrette is going on the side.

So there you have it, short but sweet. Granted, Justix is not a homerun, but, if you’re a hungry nutritarian looking for a quick bit to eat, you can certainly make it work—don’t you agree? Now, whether you do or don’t, let me know how do you handle Eating to Live on the Outside? Check out Justix’s menu, make a comment, or send an email to diseaseproof@gmail.com. Until then, eat healthfully! Peace.

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It’s Friday! Thank goodness. I’m pooped! But before my weekend can begin, I got to pay Georgia Brown’s a visit. Georgia Brown’s is a southern-style restaurant located in the heart of Washington DC. Let’s see how it measures up.

Well, it certainly won’t be an Eating to Live on the Outside all-star, but it has SOME Fuhrman-friendly potential. Sure, we’ll have to bob and weave through some of the undesirables—like fried chicken, cheese, and bacon—but there is hope.

Okay, as far as the “inspirations” go, I’m not too confident about any of them. Maybe you can make a case for the Fried Green Tomatoes, but I wouldn’t eat it; especially since they’re topped with cream cheese and mayonnaise—yuck! Let’s scope out the salads instead.

Unfortunately there’s only one I’d consider ordering—and it’s not without its own issues. The Country Kitchen House Salad is prepared with baby greens, dried apricot ginger vinaigrette, goat cheese, Bermuda onions, and grape tomatoes. Clearly, the cheese gets the axe! Now, like I said, the rest of the salads aren’t worth the trouble; loaded with chicken, cheese, and sausage—no thanks!

Now, even though I’m not a vegetarian. Georgia Brown’s two vegetarian options are looking good. The Black Eyed Pea Cakes are a bit of a mystery though. The menu doesn’t explain what they’re made of, so I’d ask the wait staff first; they’re served with Carolina red rice, asparagus, and lemon-cayenne mayonnaise. The asparagus is great, the rice is a concession, but the mayo has got to go! The Vegetarian Sample is okay; it comes with a black eyed pea cake, a fried green tomato, Carolina red rice, and sautéed spinach; not exactly a homerun, but workable. Personally, I’d ditch the fried tomato and yes, the rice would be a concession and so would the oil used to sautéed the spinach. I can deal with it!

If none of these tickle your fancy, give this a whirl. Try making a meal out of the sides because Georgia Brown’s offers some good ones. I’d order the collard greens, red rice, grilled asparagus, seasonal vegetables, and sautéed spinach. Nothing too bad here; the only concessions would be the rice and—again—the oil used to sauté the spinach and other veggies. No worries. It’s cool.

Like I said, Georgia Brown’s is far from perfect, but if all else fails. The side dishes make it workable. Now before I bid Georgia Brown’s farewell, let’s talk about their fish options. I’m not a vegan or a vegetarian—because I do eat fish—but I wouldn’t order any of these dishes and here’s why. For starters they’re prepared with things like sausage, duck, cream, and butter, but it’s also because the types of fish available aren’t exactly the most eco-friendly.

The Fried Catfish is the safest fish, but the whole “fried” thing puts the kibosh on that one. Next, unless you know the type of crab, lobster, scallops, or shrimp, it’s at best a crapshoot. So I wouldn’t order any of them. Finally, Chilean sea bass and Atlantic salmon are flat out bad news—I wouldn’t touch these! Do you see why I skipped over the fish now?

Okay, what do you think? Does Georgia Brown’s really have a shot at feeding a discriminating nutritarian? It’s certainly not perfect, but I think it works—just focus on those sides—but hey, its time for me to shut up. Check out Georgia Brown’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. Make a comment or drop me an email at diseaseproof@gmail.com. Until next time, eat well! Peace.

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Sometimes healthy living can be hard work. Imagine walking into Huddle House or Carino's Italian Grill. Eating at these places is like playing Russian-roulette with your health. So what we need is a healthy restaurant. Do we have one on tap this week?

Yes! “Our intention is to create healthful, tasty, and affordable foods, in their natural state, using only organic ingredients, imagination, and conscious care.” That’s the mission of Leaf Cuisine, an organic raw vegan restaurant. Sweet! That’s what I’m talking about. Let’s hit it!

Alright, I’m looking at the menu and I like what I see, so, its time to put my favorite strategy into action. Since all the food looks good—unlike the most of the standard American restaurants I review—I’ll share with you my favorites, and, I encourage you to do the same in the comments.

Let’s start with the appetizers. I like the Raw Slaw a lot; cabbages, carrots, herbs, and a creamy seed cheese dressing. Very cool, I make dressing with nuts and seeds all the time—avocado too! Speaking of avocado, I dig the Guacamole with Flax Seed Crackers; it’s pretty self-explanatory. Now, I really like wakame—seaweed in general—but wakame salads tend to be salty. So, I wouldn’t be too quick to order the Seaweed Salad. Darn it!

The soups don’t excite me too much, onto the wraps and salads. The Garden Delight is great; mixed greens, tomatoes, sprouts, carrot, red cabbage, and house dressing. Pretty basic, but still yummy, provided I go easy on the dressing. The Mediterranean Medley looks tasty; made with sun-dried tomato, walnut croquettes, spinach pesto sauce, greens, tomatoes, and sprouts. Oh! The croquettes are prepared by dehydrating a veggie, nut, seed, and herb pate. Sounds good to me! What do you think? Now, the Veggie Sunburger looks fantastic! It’s another veggie-seed croquette, topped with a tangy tomato sauce, mixed greens, sprouts, and, it’s all wrapped up in a collard green. What a great idea! An awesome way to avoid a bread or tortilla concession—kudos to Leaf on this one!

Okay, I’m briefly skipping over to the breakfast and house specialties. The Apple Spice Oatmeal looks tasty; sprouted oats, apple, banana, almond butter, raisins, and dates. Well, I’m hard-pressed to find anything bad about this. The Kale Salad is also a solid choice; they make it with copped kale, avocado, sprouted wild rice, mung beans, tomatoes, and cayenne. Lots of phyonutrients here, but I’d probably ditch the cayenne, no sense risking my tummy with the hot spice.

Now, jumping back to the smoothies and drinks. The Very Berry is cool; strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, banana, apples, and dates. Sweet! No pun intended. The Chocolate Milkshake looks very tempting; cacao, carob, banana, nut milk, coconut milk, and dates. For a chocolate-fiend like me—awesome! The Green Lean Scene is very Fuhrman-friendly; kale, mango, orange juice, cinnamon, and banana. Love that kale! As for the drinks, the Veggie Combo and the Got Greens are full of great stuff; combined they include carrot, celery, beet, kale, collard greens, parsley, and spinach. I can almost feel the nutrients surging through my body.

As for the desserts, I’d easily devour them all, but my two favorites are the Apple Pie and the Chocolate Brownie. The Apple Pie is made with apples, raisin compote, a date-nut crust, and cashew cream, and, the Chocolate Brownie is put together with raw cacao, chocolate sauce, chopped walnuts, and whipped “cream.” Provided neither of these are packed with sugar, I could order either one guilt free. What about you?

Okay, so there you have it. I think Leaf Cuisine is a slam dunk for a ravenous nutritarian, but, I want to hear from you. Check out Leaf’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. Make a comment or shoot me an email at diseaseproof@gmail.com. Until then, eat healthfully! Peace.

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