Hydration
JUNE 2025 NEWSLETTER June, 2025 Newsletter Hydration – Deep Dive into Water Let’s talk about how to get hydrated the right way. Hydration is not optional, yet how do we do it right? Read on. Hydration Facts Most people know when they are “dehydrated.” That dragging, sluggish feeling. It’s easy to get there during a busy day. Many are not aware of a lesser level called under or subhydration. This is when we are drinking but not enough. This is a sneakier version yet still increases health risk such as cardiovascular event and lowers our ability to think! Being Hydrated Hydration is mostly independent of body weight. The typical adult needs about 2 to 2.5 liters (60 to 80 ounces) of water daily, along with basic and trace minerals. Salt facilitates water movement in the body, and it is actually harder to digest pure water than water with some salt. A popular salt mixture is Baja Gold sea salt, which contains about 70% sodium, with the remainder consisting of trace minerals. To prepare a half liter (or 18-22 ounces) of this mixture, add 1/2 teaspoon of Baja Gold fine sea salt to still or sparkling water. Drink this quickly first thing in the morning. You can also prepare additional batches to sip throughout the day to meet your daily hydration requirement. For Option 1, add 1/8 teaspoon of potassium chloride. If you are exercising or working out in the heat, adding potassium is a good idea. For Option 2, add 1/2 teaspoon of Magnesium BisGlycinate to your morning and evening drinks or to all of the bottles to boost magnesium levels. This is especially useful if you are experiencing signs of low magnesium, such as random muscle twitches and spasms, eyelid spasms, or a generalized feeling of low energy. You can even combine everything—Baja Gold, Magnesium, and potassium—for a full electrolyte replacement. The Dr Dan website has Amazon links for the items listed if you want to mix your own hydration drink.
Aloo Gobi – Restaurant Style
This is the traditional aloo gobi recipe, which is potatoes and cauliflower. It is not a low-inflammatory recipe, but it is included for reference. If you want to avoid nightshades, such as potatoes and tomatoes, check out the low lectin version. This version can also be made substituting tomato puree with pumpkin puree and 2 teaspoons applecider vinegar and sweet potato or Japanese yam in place of potato. Use one large cauliflower or two small ones. Cut the base stem, then break the florets into moderate-sized pieces by hand. Trim off any black areas, but do not cut off the florets. The stems are also edible and can be cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the florets in a pot of water to soak. Use an 8- to 12-quart stockpot large enough to hold all the cauliflower. Heat the pot with one tablespoon of ghee and one teaspoon of cumin seeds. Peel and cut two medium or large potatoes into chunks. Add the potatoes to the pot. Let the potatoes brown on at least one side. Do not stir often. Thinly slice one medium red or yellow onion. When the potatoes are browned, add the onions and one teaspoon coarse sea salt. Set aside one cup of Italian passata, or tomato purée—I like the Mutti brand. Grate one finger of fresh ginger and set it aside. In a cup, combine the following spices: 1.5 teaspoons of turmeric three teaspoons of Kashmiri chili powder, six teaspoons of coriander powder, and 3 teaspoons of roasted cumin powder. 1.5 teaspoons of garam masala. When the onions have softened and become translucent, add the ginger. Stir for about 30 seconds until the ginger becomes fragrant. Add the tomato passata and ½ cup of water. Cook and stir until the color darkens and the tomato aroma diminishes, about 2–4 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and add it to the pot. Add extra water, if needed, to ensure there is enough sauce to easily coat the cauliflower when stirring. Keep the pot on medium heat and cover it. Cook for 11 minutes. Stir and check for doneness of the cauliflower and sauce thickness. Adjust the water as needed. Cover and cook for eight more minutes. Repeat until the cauliflower reaches the desired texture. Remove from heat. Remove the lid, transfer to a heat tolerant container and allow it to cool. The flavors will intensify and the sauce will thicken as it cools. It will taste even better the next few days.
Pressure Cooked Brussels Sprouts
Recipe: Pressure cooked Brussels Sprouts Brussels sprouts are a family favorite, and the pressure cooker makes fast work of them. They can be made soft and easy to digest or firmer if your microbiome can tolerate it. These are great vegetables to start with as your gut is healing. Start with organic Brussels sprouts if you can find them. No need to cut or trim the stem at all! The pressure cooker will soften everything and it’s completely edible. This also saves a huge amount of time. Rinse and drain the sprouts. Place in the steamer, add 1-2 cups water, check the lid seal, set the steam valve to closed, rotate top into lock position and pressure cook on high for 8 minutes for very soft. Adjust the temperature in future batches based on your cooker and your preference for doneness. Note that 1 or 2 minutes in either direction makes a large difference in outcome. Also note that some sprouts are small and some are very large. The very large ones need much longer to cook. I prefer the smaller ones as they are easier to control
Pressure Cooked Broccoli, Cauliflower, Asparagus
Recipe: Pressure cooked broccoli/cauliflower Broccoli and cauliflower are great staples for almost everyone. Pressure cooking is a fantastic way to lower the lectin content even more and make them easy to digest. These are great vegetables to start with as your gut is healing. Start with two to four stalks of broccoli or one cauliflower. The way to cut both without making a huge mess is to trim the individual stalks at the stem for broccoli and to pull the florets apart by hand for cauliflower. The stems of both are edible too but the outer tough skin of broccoli needs to be cut off. Only use the tender inside of broccoli. Rinse and drain the pieces. Place them in the steamer and add 1-2 cups of water. Check that the lid is sealed and that the steam valve is set to closed. Rotate the top into the lock position. Steam the broccoli for 1 minute and the cauliflower for 0-1 minute. One minute will result in a firm texture, but you can cook it for up to three minutes for a softer texture. Yes, you can cook for zero minutes because the pressure cooker still needs time to bring up the temperature and pressure. This is the amount of time at pressure, so even zero minutes is still cooking. Your pressure cooker may require different times, but start with these. BROCCOLI: 1 minute ASPARAGUS: 0 minute CAULIFLOWER: 0 to 1 minute
Mashed Sweet Potato and Yams
Recipe: Mashed sweet potato/yams Mashed sweet potatoes are a fantastic way to fun-up your meals while keeping inflammation low and nutrition high. Avoid the lectins found in traditional potatoes and switch to the family of sweet potatoes and yams. Purple, red, orange, Japanese, and white are commonly found and organic versions often available too. Read to the bottom for the carbohydrate trick to make them more resistant, lower calorie and more nutritious! Start with 2-3 lb (1-1.5kg) of any type of sweet potato. Peel, slice into random size cubes. It is better to be random for the pressure cooker so that the hot steam can penetrate all the pieces. Rinse and place in the cooker with 1-2 cups water. Pressure cook for 16 minutes on high. Remove to a bowl and mash with a spatula. A masher should not be needed if cooked long enough. Add one full container of sheep, goat or A2/A2 cow yogurt. The sheep yogurt is the most tart and gives a sour cream like flavor. The goat yogurt is in between tartness and the cow yogurt is the creamiest. Japanese yam with A2/A2 cow yogurt is the closest to standard mashed potatoes and will fool most everyone. For even better nutrition, refrigerate overnight and reheat from cold over the next few days. This chemical conversion reduces the starch and increases the fiber just by changing the temperature. These easily last a week in the refrigerator. The refrigerate/reheat trick works with all the starches like potatoes and rice and will convert the starch to a more resistant form that feeds the microbiome and reduces glycemic response.
Fermented Vegetables – Krauts and Kimchi
Fermented Vegetables, A.K.A. sauerkraut, kimchi Please don’t leave! You might think you don’t like fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut or kimchi, but wait! The mass-produced restaurant and store brands are nothing like the homemade version I can show you. I never thought I liked fermented vegetables either, but then I saw a YouTube video on how to make sauerkraut and realized how easy it is. Once I tried it, I couldn’t believe how flavorful and fun these foods are to eat. In addition, they have incredible health benefits. Fermentation eliminates most inflammatory lectins while adding K2 and other vitamins, as well as enhanced flavors. Please give fermented vegetables a try before passing them off as unworthy. Basic sauerkraut. Any combination works, and the photo shows a more exotic combination: purple cabbage, carrots, bok choy, celery, and cauliflower. For your first batch, I recommend using green cabbage. The amount you need depends on the size of your container. A one-liter fermentation jar uses about one kilogram of chopped cabbage. I know, I know—the metric system. Sorry, folks, but for these recipes, you really want to use the metric system. It will make more sense later. A 1.5-liter jar uses 1.5 kg of cabbage (or total vegetables). See how easy it is? In ounces, a 34-oz. jar uses 2 lb. 3 oz. of chopped vegetables. Stick with the metric system here. Next is the salt, which should be about 2% by weight. This does not have to be exact. In metric, this is also very easy. For every 1000 grams (1 kg) of chopped vegetables, you need 20 grams of salt. Weigh your vegetables and multiply by 0.02 to find the amount of salt needed. It does not need to be exact, and up to 3% is fine. I like to use iodized Aegean Sea salt. Don’t use salt with a high potassium or magnesium content, as this will allow the wrong bacteria to grow. I found this out the hard way. Now, get your grip workout in by mixing and crushing the vegetables by hand with the salt. If you want to add a tablespoon of dill or other herbs, do so now. Keep squeezing and mixing the vegetables and salt until they start to wilt and become wet. Scoop all of the ingredients, including the liquid, into a fermentation jar. Using a wide-mouth funnel or kitchen tongs. A wooden “sauerkraut pounder” is nice for packing it down tight. Leave at least two inches of space at the top of the jar. Cut a large cabbage leaf into a circle and place it on top of the chopped cabbage to keep the small pieces from floating up. Then, add the weight that comes with the fermentation kit, if you bought one. If the top is dry, make a small amount of brine to top it off. Do not use plain water. Using a coffee scale, add 2 grams of salt for every 100 grams of water and Mix well, then use this mixture to ensure all the vegetables are submerged in liquid. Label the jar with the date and any special treatments, such as herbs. Then, place the airlock on top. Fill the airlock with regular water. Only fill it halfway. That’s it! Leave it alone for 7–14 days. You will see bubbles starting on day one, and the colors will change dramatically if you use colored vegetables such as radicchio or red cabbage. Note that radicchio requires three weeks of fermentation to reduce the bitterness. Some of my favorite combinations are listed below. Feel free to take a taste anytime to check on the progress and see if it has reached your preferred level. When you’re ready to eat, remove the airlock, close the hole, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, empty the contents into a container and let it gas off for a couple of hours. Sulfur-producing bacteria create some of the amazing compounds. The finished sauerkraut will last for weeks in the refrigerator, but it will likely be eaten long before then. Check out the equipment page to find the jars, funnels, and pounders to make your own amazing fermented vegetables! Some favorite combinations: Two heads of radicchio and bok choy stems (the leaves are great for salads) fermented for two to three weeks create an amazing wine-like flavor with a slightly bitter, crunchy bite. Taste of Thai: Green Cabbage: 1 large head Green Onions: 1 or 2 bunches, including the whites and roots Fresh Ginger: 3 or 4 thin slices Go easy on the ginger, as it becomes very powerful when fermented. This fermented food is crunchy, tangy, and zippy.
Sous Vide and Grill/Smoke Beef Chuck Roast
Recipe: Sous Vide and Grill/Smoke Beef chuck roast This cut has amazing flavor and texture in addition to being budget friendly, but requires the long cooking time of sous vide to get to that texture. Grass-fed/grass-finished chuck roast is often priced well. If you can’t find grass-fed then pasture raised is an alternative although they are usually fed corn the last two weeks. It’s still better than standard corn-fed beef. This is a great cut for a big family. I like to buy a 2-3lb (1-1.5 Kg) roast and then slice into thick medallion steaks, usually about 1.5 inch (4cm) thick, or leave it whole for a feast. Vacuum seal and freeze and then cook sous vide straight from the freezer. The cook time is 24 hours, so it does not matter if you start fresh or frozen and the thickness is not an issue either. Place the sous vide device and the meat into the sous vide container. Fill to cover with water at least 2 inches (5 cm) above to account for evaporation. I highly recommend 136 deg F (58 ºC) for medium-rare. Chuck roast cooked at this temp/time combination has a taste and texture more like a ribeye and is bursting with beef flavor. Start the sous vide 136 deg, 24-hour cook. Cover and check on the water level before you go to sleep. Depending on your climate you might have to add more water if there is too much evaporation. Just add water as needed, the sous vide device will quickly regain the correct temperature. When done, remove from bag and discard the liquid. Place on a wire cooling rack inside a pan. It won’t look good at this stage. Don’t worry. Dry brine with coarse salt, black pepper and place uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. The next day finish on a hot grill for 10 minutes with a flip at 5 minutes, or air fry 10 minutes on high, or if you have a smoker then 20-30 minutes on 325 creates a wonderful smoky crust. The thicker the chuck the longer the smoke. For two inch start at 20 minutes and go to 30 minutes for 3 inch thick cut. Let it rest for 5 to10 minutes and enjoy.
Yucca frita – Finishing your yucca
If you don’t have prepped yucca, name, taro or malanga root chips/fries then go back to Part I. Crunchy delicious chips with fiber and nutrition? Here they are. You did the hard work to prepare the raw yucca root and now have bags of frozen chips in your freezer. Take out your portion, place in a bag or bowl and douse with a good olive oil and salt, or any type of spices. Power up your air fryer to 450 and when it’s fully heated add your chips for 14 minutes. That’s it. They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside like a proper Belgian style “pommes frite”. I like to combine with a fresh guacamole as shown above taking advantage of the oil/salt already in the bowl, I start by putting oil and salt on the yucca in a bowl, then transfer the yucca to the airfry pan and put them in the preheated air fryer. Using the same bowl, add the avocado and other ingredients for guacamole while the yucca is cooking. I’ll often add more olive oil to the guacamole for extra creamy nutrition. Guacamole recipe here. For a bonus, Name root, malanga root and large Elephant Taro root are all made safe to eat with pressure cooking, and then frozen and cooked exactly the same as yucca. They do have a different texture and flavor and don’t get as crunchy as the yucca. If you see them in the store give them a try. All types of fries (Yucca, Malanga, Name, Taro) can be seasoned with Dr. Dan’s favorite spice blends from RA Signature Seasonings.