Uncooked vegetables, while nutritionally and esthetically desirable, are less easily digested. Cook all vegetables initially, preferably by steaming. Cooking has several important functions. There are heat sensitive and potentially troublesome substances in some vegetables and fruits that we want to alter by adequate cooking. Cooking denatures protein and reduces allergenic molecules. Cooking also softens food and liberates enzymes from ruptured plant cells, promoting easier digestion. All vegetables contain indigestible carbohydrate fiber as well as other indigestible molecules, some of which are toxic prior to cooking.

Well-cooked vegetables may lose a small fraction of their nutritive value, but the important advantages offered by cooking are worth the loss. Many people find that extra cooking significantly reduces digestive problems. More complete cooking is achieved by a pressure cooker, which raises the temperature higher than does steaming or boiling. If you are unlucky and find you have trouble eating phase 1 vegetables, try pressure-cooking. Purees aid digestion and are achieved by putting cooked vegetables or fruits into a blender or food processor and adding water as necessary to blend the mixture; soups, juices, and thick purees for use as spreads are easily made this way.

Treat the food you are preparing as you would a special friend. Use clean utensils for preparing and eating food. Rinse all your dishes, pots, and utensils very well to rid them of detergent. Wash all fruits and vegetables in hot water (to remove oily contaminants) and peel them whenever possible.

Steaming is a desirable method of cooking vegetables; steam them using a stainless steel basket in a covered pot or bamboo steamers (stacked in a wok or pan). Most vegetables and fish steam in less than 10 minutes. The method of cutting vegetable determines how long they need to cook. Steamed foods retain their vitamins and minerals, as well as their flavors and colors. Steaming several different foods or small dishes at once is an oriental style of eating.  The Chinese call it “dim sum” when small portions of varieties of succulent steamed foods are served for meals between breakfast and late afternoon. 

Live steam rises from boiling water to circulate around the food and cooks by direct contact.  You need a covered pot containing boiling water.  The ingredients are then placed in a shallow dish and set on a rack 2 or 3 inches above the water.  As a rule, the steamer should be opened as little as possible during cooking.  With longer cooking dishes, however, the water level should be checked from time to time.  Add boiling water to maintain the water level in the pot.

P1 Rice Cooking

Rice is the first desirable staple food you try; 1 to 3 cups of cooked rice per day provides a caloric base for your diet. Begin with parboiled (converted) white rice.  You can try other types of rice in Phases 2 and 3. Rice cakes are substitutes for wheat-based breads and crackers. Start with plain rice cakes (they are made with brown rice). Introduce rice cakes with sesame seeds, buckwheat, and millet later. Puffed rice or cooked rice cereal is a breakfast option. Rice-based commercial cereals include Rice Chexä, Rice Krispiesä and organic rice cereals. You can introduce rice noodles or vermicelli.  For added flavor, cook rice in chicken or vegetable stock.  Concentrating the stock before hand by reducing the liquid makes rice even more savory.  Make soup stock from breast meat with no skin or bones. 

Steamed Rice

Wash 1 cup / 250 ml of rice repeatedly in hot water, discarding the water. Add 2 cups / 500 ml of water.  Method  #1: Boil for 3 minutes and discard the water. Put the rice in a rice steamer and steam for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Method  #2: Use Uncle Ben’s converted rice. Boil for 5 minutes and discard the water. Place the rice in individual bowls, filling ¾ full to allow room for expansion. Steam over medium heat for about an hour. Check occasionally to ensure there is enough water for steaming, but not so much that it floods the bowls. Add water as necessary.

Boiled Rice

Combine 1 cup / 250 ml of Uncle Ben’s converted white rice and 2 cups / 500 ml of water. Heat to boiling over high heat, then reduce to low heat. Cover and cook about 20 minutes or until steam is visible around the edge of the lid. Do not remove the lid too soon or the cooking process will be interrupted.  Variations: Use chicken/turkey stock or safe juice instead of water for half of the required water. Add chunks of canned peaches, pears, grated carrot, or peas prior to cooking. When properly cooked, the rice will be soft and dry, not hard and wet. This recipe can be increased by maintaining the proportions of 2 cups water per 1 cup / 250 ml rice. For very soft rice, use an extra ½ cup /125 ml water per cup of rice.

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