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

Hopefully my government rebate check comes soon, because I’m heading to Las Vegas! And in between gambling my dreams away, I’m dropping by Habib’s Persian Cuisine. This week Eating to Live on the Outside heads to Sin City—digitally at least.

Actually I’ve been to Las Vegas before, remember Vegas Style and Go Raw Café? But this week, from the comforts of New Jersey, I’m giving Habib’s Persian Cuisine a look-see. And to be honest, it’s looking pretty good, lots of stuff for a ravenous Eat to Liver.

The menu’s really cool. It comes with pictures and from the looks of them. I’m digging the Hammus and the Borani. The Hammus is made with chic peas, sesame seed oil, olive oil, and lemon juice. The oils are a little troublesome, but chic peas kick butt! The Borani is prepared with sautéed eggplants, onions, herbs, garlic, and yogurt. I’m ditching the yogurt.

The salads are rocking too. I’d go with either the Salad Shirazi or the Tabuli. The Shirazi comes with diced tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers—nice! The Tabuli also looks great. It’s prepared with parsley, tomatoes, cracked wheat, green onions, mint, red peppers, and olive oil. No worries on the olive oil again. It’s hardly the end of the world.

The entrees are little dicey. Too much beef and chicken for my liking, but there’s hope! Take the Mahi Mahi for example. It’s a filet of fish with vegetables and rice. Mahi Mahi is a safer fish and the rice isn’t a HUGE concession. Same goes with the Salmon. It comes with lemon chive and butter sauce. I’d skip the butter—yucky! Salmon is also a better variety of fish. Now, I don’t really like shrimp, but maybe you’d consider the Shrimp Scampi. It’s pretty simple; shrimp, vegetables, and rice. So far, what I like about the menu is the simplicity. Nothing too complicated. I find the simpler a food is, the better it is for you—don’t you agree?

Okay, onto the daily specials. The Ghormeh Sabzi is cool. Its sautéed herbs, vegetables, kidney beans, dried limes, seasoning, and rice. Well, sautéed can be iffy, but no worries, it could be worse. Sadly, that’s the only special I’d go with. The rest of them have chicken and beef. You might eat a little chicken every once and a while, but I’ve sworn off all animal products except fish. The Koresht Fesenjan is interesting because it comes with pomegranate and pomegranate is a wonder food.

As for the desserts and beverages, I don’t see anything I’d consider. Cheese cake and soft drinks aren’t exactly on an Eat to Liver’s radar. But overall I think Habib’s Persian Cuisine is pretty good. So next time you’re betting the farm in Las Vega, stop by. In the meantime, check out Habib’s Persian Cuisine’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. As always, you can make a comment or send an email to diseaseproof@gmail.com. Until then, eat wisely! Peace.

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I’ve got to thank Earl, Dr. Fuhrman’s tech-support and resident superman, for suggesting this week’s restaurant. Believe it or not, but it can take me a long time to find a place to review. So, this week Eating to Live on the Outside heads to 18 West. Well, digitally at least.

Alright, between the lunch and dinner menu I see a few appetizers I could run with. The Steamed clams are cool and so are the Mussels Bianco and the Zuppa Di Clams. The Mussels Bianco is made with farm raised mussels a light white wine, oil, and garlic broth. A little iffy, but I can deal with the oil and wine. The Zuppa Di Clams is better; little neck clams simmered in a light plum tomato broth. Now, Oceans Alive considers both mussels and clams safe to eat and according to Dr. Fuhrman mussels and clams are decent food choices. From the Food Scoring Guide:


18 West offers up two good salads too. The Spring Mix Salad is a bit of a mystery. The menu doesn’t say what’s in it, but it’s probably pretty basic. Ask the wait staff to be sure. Oh, and order the dressing on the side or not at all. The Seafood Salad could work too. Although, it doesn’t specify what seafood is in it. Again, ask the wait staff. Aside from the seafood it comes with onions, peppers, celery, and a lemon, oil, and garlic dressing. Provided the seafood checks out, it’s cool with me.


Okay, if you’re feeling bold. Maybe you want to give the pasta a whirl. The best options are the Papardella con Broccoli Rabe and Shrimp and the Cavatelli & Broccoli. Obviously I like the both of these for the broccoli rabe and the broccoli, the light oil and garlic broth is okay, but the parmesean cheese and shrimp have got to go. I don’t like shrimp and I wouldn’t eat cheese if you held a gun to my head. As for the cavatelli, I can handle it in this instance, but believe me. I know pasta isn’t a nutrient-dense food. Just focus on the greens, just focus on the greens!

Onto the entrees, I like the Tilapia Mare Chiaro. It’s prepared with tilapia, plum tomato broth, clams, mussels, linguini, and a side salad. Alright, both Dr. Fuhrman and Oceans Alive approve of tilapia, so that’s cool, but I’m nixing the linguini—I know, an Italian passing on pasta—sorry, not enough nutrients! I also like the Grilled Salmon Natural or Champagne Cream. Clearly, I’m going natural—not interested in the cream sauce. That means it comes with grilled salmon, exotic mushrooms, and NO light champagne cream sauce for me. When I read “cream sauce” I head for the hills.

Now, as is often the case, you could go very simple. Stick with the sides. In a pinch I could certainly be happy with a side of sautéed broccoli rabe, roasted vegetables, and a baked potato. What makes me sad is, as an Italian, I can’t really eat anything at an Italian restaurant. Maybe when I become a millionaire, I’ll open my own vegetable-based nutrient-dense Italian restaurant!

Overall, not 18 West is not the worst restaurant I’ve reviewed. A real bad Italian restaurant was Girasole. I’m pretty confident an Eat to Liver could make 18 West work, but, let’s not kid ourselves. I’m a big dummy. I blog for a living! So, it’s your turn. Check out 18 West’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. As always, make a comment or send an email to diseaseproof@gmail.com. Until then, eat well. Peace!

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With the Cubs and the White Sox kicking major butt, the windy city is the place to be. So, this week Eating to Live on the Outside heads to Chicago—via the marvels of the internet—we’ll be grabbing a bite to eat at the Blind Faith Café. Does it hold up? Let’s find out.

As for the appetizers, I’m thinking either the Mediterranean Hummus or the Guacamole and Chips. The hummus comes with toasted pita wedges and the guacamole is served with tortilla chips and fresh salsa. Neither of them is perfect. I wouldn’t order them, but if you’re hard up for an appetizer, these aren’t horrible.

The salads are a bit more palatable. I like them all and with a few alterations they’re all workable. You’ve got five salads to choose from. The Green Salad, Blind Faith Chef Salad, Santa Fe Salad, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad, and the Poached Asparagus Salad; combined they’re made with field greens, fresh sprouts, mixed greens, grated carrots, red onion, cashews, raisins, jack cheese, avocado, Romaine lettuce, barbeque seitan, tomato, corn, peas, tortilla ribbons, raspberry vinaigrette, caramelized pears, goat cheese fondue, steamed asparagus, poach egg, and ginger dressing. This is easy! I’d ditch the cheese, seitan, and egg, and I’d order the dressing on the side.

Onto the entrees, I see three I like. I’m digging the Teriyaki Grilled Tofu. It’s prepared with organic grilled tofu, teriyaki glazed Asian vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, and jasmine rice. The teriyaki glaze makes me a nervous, but I’m not too worried. The rice is a little iffy too, but, I can deal with it. The Massaman Curry is also pretty cool. It comes with Bok Choy, red pepper, cauliflower, asparagus, sweet and spicy yellow curry, and brown rice. Not too bad. And lastly, the Macrobiotic Plate looks tasty. It’s made with brown rice, shiitake gravy, butternut squash, steamed kale, sea vegetable salad, bean of the day, and miso soup. Hooray for kale! This is probably my favorite menu item, but I’d still skip on the miso soup.

Okay, what do the small dishes have to offer? The Grilled Vegetable Pesto Sandwich is neat; grilled zucchini, red pepper, organic tofu, sautéed pesto on baked foccacia, and salad, rice, or fries. Clearly, no fries for me! The foccacia bread is a little worrisome, but I’m okay with it. I also like the Pasilla Stew. It’s cooked with roasted garlic, tomato, caramelized onion, pastilla peppers, shimmered in an exotic savory stew. Provided this isn’t overly salty, it’s a nice option. Personally, I probably wouldn’t chance it.

I’m skipping the breakfast menu, nothing there really impresses me. Same goes for the eggs. I kicked eggs a long time ago. Now, there are a bunch of smoothies and juices that might be worth a look. The fresh squeezed carrot juice is cool. I also like the Blueberry Banana Boogie. It’s blended with blueberries, banana, apple cider, and Oregon berry juice—sounds yummy! The Hawaiian Sunrise is neat too. It’s made with peaches, pineapple, banana, mango nectar juice, and pineapple coconut juice. Nice! I can see the hula girls already.

Now, like always, if worst comes to worst and you don’t like anything on Blind Faith’s menu. Just order a bunch of sides. You’ve got a nice list to choose from: steamed kale, vegetable of the day, beans, sautéed tofu, a bowl of oatmeal, and steamed or roasted baby red potatoes. I’d go with the steamed kale, the veggie of the day, and the sautéed tofu. What would you order?

What do you think? Does the Blind Faith Café past the test? I think it does. There are plenty of veggies to soothe the savage Eat to Liver, but hey, what do I know? Let’s face it, I’m not that bright. You’re smarter than me. So give it a shot. Check out Blind Faith’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 wisely. Peace!

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This week Eating to Live on the Outside is brought to you by Bug. Bug is a loyal DiseaseProof reader and asked if I would take a look at Café Gratitude. All I can say is thanks Bug! Café Gratitude is great, definitely cool for any Eat to Liver.

Pretty much anything on the menu works. So, I picked my favorites. Let’s start with the appetizers. I’m digging the I Am Generous Guacamole; authentic guacamole, spicy tomato salsa, and live flax chips. The chips are a tad iffy, but its flax! No worries. I also like the I Am Insightful Spring Rolls. They’re made with carrots, cucumbers, unfried beans, avocado, tropical fruit, sprouts, fresh herbs, almond butter Thai dipping sauce, and collard green wraps. Sounds fantastic!

Onto the salads, I like the I Am Giving Asian Kale Salad and the Autumn Salad; combined they are made with marinated kale, sea vegetables, cucumbers, shiitakes, sesame seeds, fresh arugula, pears, walnuts, lentils, fennel, soft cashew cheese, and fig balsamic vinaigrette. Go easy on the dressing and these salads rock!

I’ll skip the soups because of the probable salt factor, but there’s a great pizza I like—when does an Eat to Liver get to say that! The I Am Mahalo Hawaiian Pizza is prepared with pineapple, avocado, marinara sauce, buckwheat-sunflower seed sourdough flatbread, sliced tomatoes, cashew ricotta, Brazil nut parmesan, and a side salad. Again, this is very cool.

The entrees and warm grain bowls have some good stuff too. As for the entrees, I like the I Am Terrific Live Pad Thai and the I Am Cheerful Live Sun Burger; together they include vegetable noodles, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, teriyaki almonds, Thai almond butter sauce, sprouted pumpkin seed and walnut burgers, sweet onion sunflower bread, lettuce, onion, house made catsup, pickles, side salad, macadamia cheddar cheese, and avocado. There’s a tiny salt hit here, no biggie.

As for the warm grain bowls, I like the I Am Graceful Indian Bahraini made with steamed red rice or quinoa, fresh veggies, cilantro, mint, cashews, Indian coconut curry sauce, sprouts, and avocado. Now, the I Am Accepting Sushi Bowl looks really tasty. It’s prepared with red rice, kale, cucumbers, nori, scallions, avocado, herbs, and a sesame-ginger sauce. Sure, the grains are a tiny concession, but I’m cool with it.

But, if none of these strike your fancy. Why not make your own meal from Café Gratitude’s sides? If it were me, I’d order a plate of I Am Extra Giving Side of Asian Kale-Sea Veggie Salad, I Am Extra Cheerful Sprouted Pumpkin Seed Walnut Burger Patty, I Am Powerful Spicy Live Sunflower and Pumpkin Seeds, and the I Am Extra Generous Scoop of Guacamole. Yummy in my tummy—sorry, that was corny.

Café Gratitude has a cool breakfast menu too. I’d go for the I Am Bright-Eyed Pecan Porridge; made with young coconut, pecans, seasonal fruit, vanilla, and cinnamon. Or, I’d give the I Am Plenty Great a whirl. It’s made with live granola, fresh fruit, and almond milk. I love almond milk! And for fun, I’d pair my breakfast up with a smoothie. I really like the I Am Luscious Raw Cacao Smoothie; fresh hazel nut milk, figs, dates, raw cacao, and vanilla. Yes, that would make me oh so luscious!

Now, the desserts and believe me, I know that they’re probably not the most nutrient-dense foods available, but if I were “forced” to order one. I’m leaning towards the I Am Cherished Raw Cheesecake. It’s a cashew cream cheesecake with an almond-date crust. Sorry, I’m from New Jersey, the diner state. Cheesecake—even faux-cheesecake—is in our blood.

Café Gratitude also serves up teas, coffee, beer, and cocktails. I don’t drink coffee anymore and none of the cocktails appeal to me, but I do like a couple of their organic caffeine-free teas and one of their beers—although I hardly ever drink beer. The two teas I like are the I Am Vital and the I Am Awed. The vital is blueberry roobios with schizandra berries and strawberries—sounds exotic—and the awed is tropical citrus rooibos, hibiscus, passion fruit, and essential oil orange and tangerine. Both sound very soothing. Okay, in regards to the beer. I consider Pinkus Organic Hefeweizen a delicacy. So, despite the health consequences, I’d be tempted to order one. I swear, just one!

My hat goes off to Bug for suggesting Café Gratitude. It’s a great place with lots of interesting Fuhrman-friendly creations. I’m pretty sure you’d have a good meal their, but—like I always say—I’m just a dopey blogger. Can you do better? Check out Café Gratitude’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 well! Peace.

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