Dr. Ben Kim's blog

One secret to making flavorful, creamy smoothies is to use frozen fruit rather than ice. We almost never add ice to our smoothies, choosing instead to use frozen banana slices. We buy several pounds of bananas at a time, and once they're ripe, we peel them, slice them into 1/2 inch portions, and freeze the slices in an air-tight bag or container in the freezer. Read more

If you enjoy cream cheese, I encourage you to give the following dairy-free and healthy cream cheese recipe a try. It calls for sweet cashews, a touch of fine olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs as an optional ingredient.

Cashews are rich in a number of health-promoting nutrients, including magnesium, copper, tryptophan, and healthy fatty acids. A diet that is rich in high quality cashews can help keep your teeth and bones healthy, and help prevent high blood pressure. Read more

According to a study published in the August 1, 2007 issue of the journal Sleep, rotating shift workers have significantly lower levels of serotonin (precursor to melatonin) than people who work regular day shifts. A total of 683 men of European ancestry were evaluated for this study; 437 were day workers, and 246 were rotating shift workers.

Serotonin is a hormone that circulates throughout your body. It is also a neurotransmitter in your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). A chronically low level of serotonin is associated with many health challenges, the most common of which are: Read more

If keeping your heart healthy is a top priority, consider adding lentils to your diet. Lentils are inexpensive legumes that come in a variety of colors, and every color is good for your heart and overall health.

Lentils are rich in folate, a vitamin that is essential to keeping your blood homocysteine at a healthy level - this is likely the main reason why eating lentils on a regular basis can keep your cardiovascular system healthy as you age. Read more

When I design dairy-free dietary programs for clients, I often recommend eating small amounts of raw, organic cashews on a regular basis, as cashews are extremely dense in health-promoting nutrients, and their natural creaminess and sweetness make them an excellent substitute for many dairy-based foods and snacks.

The following creamy cashew dressing recipe creates a rich dressing or sauce that goes well with vegetable salads and pasta dishes. It's naturally abundant in healthy fatty acids, magnesium, and tryptophan, making it a healthy choice for your cardiovascular, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems. Read more

If you want to have a healthy heart and good blood circulation throughout your body, you need to regularly supply your body with flavonoids, which are natural nutrients that have antioxidant properties.

Raw, organic chocolate is one of nature's most flavonoid-rich foods. When eaten on its own or with other healthy foods, raw, organic chocolate can help keep your cardiovascular system strong and healthy. Read more

This all-raw, nutrient-dense dip is an excellent substitute for dairy-based dips that are commonly served with vegetable platters. The creamy substance of this dip is provided by raw, organic cashews, which are naturally abundant in magnesium, healthy fatty acids, copper, and tryptophan.

Try serving this creamy dip alongside a bunch of celery sticks, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, broccoli & cauliflower florets, raw zucchini sticks, bell pepper slices, and any other raw vegetables that you enjoy. Read more

If you love pasta but can do without regular intake of refined carbohydrates, give this recipe a try - it calls for noodles that are made by thinly slicing raw zucchini into long strips; many raw food enthusiasts have long enjoyed zucchini noodles in place of conventional flour-based varieties.

The easiest way to make raw zucchini noodles is to use a special spiral slicer. There many different brands of spiral slicers on the market that you can view here: Spiralizer. Read more

Looking for more healthy recipes for the full body cleanse program? What follows are five green smoothie recipes - smoothies that are made with green vegetables and ripe fruit - that provide loads of flavor and nutrients to keep you going throughout the day. All of these smoothies are substantial enough to be full meals, so feel free to have "green smoothie days" during the full body cleanse program - days when you drink as many green smoothies as your appetite calls for, and nothing else. Read more

If you're doing your body good by avoiding pasteurized dairy products but you miss eating cheesecake, give this delicious dairy-free, all-raw, blueberry cheesecake recipe a try.

The "cheese" in this cheesecake is made with raw, organic cashews, and the crust is made with a combination of macadamia nuts, dates, and dried coconut. The recipe requires some work, but it's definitely worth the effort! Read more