Cook Real Food

WHOLE PLANT FOODS

Cooking Rules to Adopt

Rule #1: Minimize the amount of heat used to cook your whole plant foods.
Cook on the lowest heat possible, while balancing practical considerations.
Usually a low to medium heat is advisable, where you gently cook your food.
You only want to use high heat to bring water or foods to a boil, and then
reduce the heat to allow the foods to simmer on low or medium heat.

Rule #2: Minimize the amount of time that your food is subjected to heat.
Cook your whole plant foods for the shortest amount of time needed. Most
whole plant foods do not require any cooking, and are best enjoyed in their fully
raw forms. Other whole plant foods benefit from a gentle cooking that softens
them up a little within a few minutes. Only grains and beans require longer
cooking times, unless you are soaking or fermenting them.

Rule #3: Minimize the amount of water used to cook your food.
In general, you want to use the least amount of water needed to cook your
whole plant foods, especially vegetables and mushrooms. This is where you
want to use the sauté-steam pan method, as much as possible.

• For soups, the amount of water you use is normally not a problem because
the nutrients that leach out from the foods, remain in the broth you eat.

• For grains, a specific amount of water is needed to cook a dry grain

properly, and this is not an issue since the water is absorbed by the grains.

• For beans, while they will absorb some water, they will also release some
anti-nutrients into the water they are cooked in. Depending on your needs
and preferences, you may choose to use the water from the cooked beans
or discard it.

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 Cook Real Food

Cooking Methods to Adopt

Cooking Method #1: Keep foods raw, as much as possible.

Whole plant foods in their most natural, fresh, and raw state have the best
nutrient-density and nutrient integrity. Aim to eat a good portion of your whole
plant foods in their raw forms. This is easiest to do with all fruits, most
vegetables, some beans/legumes and grains, and all nuts and seeds.

Cooking Method #2: Sauté - Steam Method

Using a wide pan with a lid and a thin layer of water, you can easily and quickly
cook any vegetables that need to be cooked and mushrooms. This is also the
best and safest way to warm up batch cooked beans and grains, or complete
meals, rather than using any kind of high heat or microwave.

Cooking Method #3: Boil - Simmer Method

Typically, dry beans and dry grains require that you bring the water they will
cook in to a boil or bring them and the water to a boil, before reducing the heat
to simmer and cooking for a specified amount of time. The same applies to
starchy vegetables, like potatoes and winter squashes. Once you get the water
to a boil, then you can reduce the heat and allow them to simmer on low or
medium heat.

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