Rebecca Katz - The Longevity Kitchen: Satisfying, Big-Flavor Recipes Featuring the Top 16 Age-Busting Power Foods [120 Recipes for Vitality and Optimal Health]

The information contained in this book is based on the experience and research of the authors. It is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician or other health-care provider. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should be done under the direction of a health-care professional. The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any of the suggestions, preparations, or procedures discussed in this book.

Copyright 2013 by Rebecca Katz
Photographs copyright 2013 by Leo Gong
Foreword copyright 2013 by Andrew Weil, MD

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
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Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

was originally published in different form in The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. in 2009.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher

eBook ISBN: 9781607742951
Hardcover ISBN: 9781607742944

Food styling by Jen Straus
Prop styling by Christine Wolheim

v3.1

For my husband, Gregg, who adds so much to my life.

I make it a priority to spend time in both of them, no matter how busy I am. As a physician, I believe we live in perilous times, especially with regard to aging gracefullythat is, with strength and vitality keeping pace with our internal calendar. In the last hundred years, medicine has taken us farther, chronologically, that at any time in human history. If you had been born in America in 1900, your life expectancy would have been just over forty-eight years. Jump forward a century, and a tiny bundle of male joy born on the first day of the second millennium can expect to live to reach seventy-five, while his twin sister can expect to reach eighty!

It should be a time of celebration, but for many people, the expectancy of those extra twenty-five to thirty years is tinged with trepidation. Medicine may have given us years, but it has also disconnected us from all that gives us personal control over how well we age. Whats happened to us, including an increasing sense of helplessness as we age, is a conglomeration of unintended consequences. Longer lifespans led to longer work lives, greater stress, less time for self-caresuch as a nourishing, home-made mealand less societal patience for those who would indulge in such things as family over work. Our dependence on modern medicine has led us to abdicate responsibility for our own personal maintenance.

Our parentsand our grandparents even more soran their own kitchens, had their own workshops, and were generally more self-reliant. Medicine was originally rooted in nature, drawing on the healing powers of herbs, spices, and food. Both the Latin and Greek roots of the word physician relate to knowledge of nature, while the Latin word for doctor means teacher. Youve heard the phrase Physician, heal thyself! Most likely it was an admonition to physicians to inspire their patients to take care of themselves by setting a good example.

We are at a critical moment in terms of societal health. Ill be blunt: weve reached the top of this rollercoaster ride, and if we dont relearn how to really take care of ourselves, the plunge towards chronic illness is not only going to be steep, but will begin earlier in life. Its one thing to consider a long, vital life with a quick denouement, another to face the reality of ten, twenty, or thirty years or more of chronic impairments. Its already beginning; lifespans are on the verge of shortening, with obesity and type 2 diabetes now threatening the entire population, including the very young.

But this doesnt have to be our collective fate. With my long experience in the garden, Ive devoted much of my professional life to educating people about how they can use great foods, deliciously prepared , to create a sense of well being that they can enjoy every day and nurture them across a lifetime. It is a philosophy that my colleague and kindred spirit, Rebecca Katz, embraces with her heart and soul, and whose essence is imprinted in every page of this inspiring, informative cookbook. Rebecca and her co-author, medical writer Mat Edelson, have delectably fused together a blend of taste and science that is irresistible to the palate and the mind.

Rebeccas enthusiasm is impossible to miss; it makes you want to jump over the countertop and get behind the stove. Reading this book, you get the very real sense that shes right beside you with a smile of encouragement. Those new to the kitchen will love her embracing style, while veteran home cooksand I can say this, being one of themwill marvel at her easy-to-learn techniques to enhance taste and flavor.

In a time of crisisthe vast majority of Americans no longer know how to cookRebeccas book is literally a lifeline to longevity. It meets readers wherever they are along the cooking/nutrition spectrum. Thats the key to creating a rapport. The delight in these pages is that for those who just want to eat delicious and healthy food, any recipe in this book will accomplish that. But inevitably, that first encounter will draw you in deeper. Believe me, the experience of your taste buds and the way your body feels after eating this way create a soul-level desire to know more. The information is all here, written in entertaining language accessible to both the layperson and wellness professional. I appreciate the depth of scientific information in this bookevery ingredients link to longevity and wellness is coveredand its presentation in a way that is incredibly accessible.

Rebecca has a phrase that encapsulates the message Ive always used to encourage people to eat well. She says, Great nourishing food and great taste can joyfully coexist at the dinner table. I say, Good health begins in the kitchen. Life is too shortand eating too regularto not make every meal both healthy and delicious. You can learn to live and thrive this way, throughout all your years.

All you have to do is peer inside this book.

Andrew Weil, MD
Tucson, Arizona

Andrew Weil, MD, you have our eternal gratitude and appreciation for your support and encouragement during this project and for your inspirational foreword.

Joseph Pizzorno, ND; Cynthia Geyer, MD; Colleen Fogarty Draper, MD, RD; Kathie Swift, MS, RD, LDN; Dale E. Bredesen, MD; Stephen Sinatra, MD; Jeanne Wallace, PhD; and Annemarie Colbin, PhD. We are blessed and grateful for your singular and cumulative expertise, which have informed and enhanced these pages.