Maximum Healing – Friendly Biology Made Simple?

Maximum Healing: Optimize Your Natural Ability to Heal by H. Robert Silverstein, M.D. is a complete guide to improving your immune system by blending today’s conventional Western medicine with alternative and ancient forms of healing. The book’s central idea is that our self-healing mechanism—the immune system—is more powerful than we think. If we make wise diet and lifestyle changes, the immune system can function at an optimal level, restoring health and preventing future illnesses. The book explains the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of every step of the healing process, and offers the multitude of benefits that come with each action you choose.

My favorite part comes in the section about Silverstein’s unique 30-day program that is outlined in the second half of the book. He breaks down various recommended foods and their properties. Silverstein takes every opportunity to explain to his readers why you should consume certain foods over others and their benefits to you as a whole. He even goes as far as to include a recipe section to give readers realistic options on how to cook foods that might not be widely popular or well-known.

Here’s an excerpt from Maximum Healing:

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Buckwheat

Buckwheat, often thought of as a grain but really a grass, is high in calcium.

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Millet

Native to Africa and Asia, millet is high in B vitamins, magnesium, copper, and iron. It is often prepared with cauliflower to resemble mashed potatoes.

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Millet “Potato Salad”

3¾ cups water

1 cup millet, washed and drained

1 onion, diced

1 large dill pickle, diced

1 teaspoon fresh or dried dill

1?2 teaspoon celery seed

4 tablespoons Follow Your Heart Vegenaise (mayonnaise substitute)

In a saucepan over high heat, bring water to a boil and add millet. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.

While millet cooks, mix onion, pickle, dill, celery seed, and Vegenaise in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

When millet is cooked, spread it in a rectangular baking dish and refrigerate, uncovered, until thoroughly cooled, then cut into squares. Add millet squares to the bowl with the onion and pickle mixture and mix gently.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 4.

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Oats

Oats provide remarkably high levels of protein, iron, manganese, copper, folic acid, vitamin E, and zinc. They are great for skin, immune function, and digestion. You can buy oats rolled (instant), steel cut, or whole. Whole oats, which are the least processed, are preferred. Steel cut are my second choice, while rolled are less desirable due to being highly processed. But the more processed oats are, the quicker they cook, so you may want to make your choice based on how much time you have. Whole oats cook in about thirty minutes, steel-cut in about twenty minutes, and rolled in just about six minutes. Be warned, however, that oats and corn are the grains with the most fat, and as a result they can hinder or stop weight loss, so avoid them if you are overweight.

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Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a Peruvian grain that is rich in protein, potassium, riboflavin, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, and folic acid. Because it is so nutrient-rich, it is often referred to as a super-grain. Quinoa cooks in about fifteen minutes in boiling water (or just seven minutes if it has been soaked overnight).

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Sweet or Glutinous Rice

This highly glutinous form of rice is common in Japan, where it is pounded into dumplings called mochi.

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Teff

Teff is a tiny, nutrient-packed grain, high in calcium, iron, fiber, protein, and other nutrients. It is also gluten-free, making it a good choice for those with wheat sensitivities. Teff is cooked by boiling in water for fifteen to twenty minutes.

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In a recent interview with Silverstein, when asked what he has learned about human nature that isn’t common knowledge, he replied, “Human nature is contrarian: it naturally likes to do what it should not and get society to sanctify its excesses. Rugged determination is required to overcome the temptations and lethargy induced by our current style of life.” And there you have it, folks!

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