The Shaolin Temple Diet Nutrient Profile and Shopping List

This is the third in a series of posts sharing the amazing benefits Don and I have been experiencing eating a diet similar to those of the Shaolin monks, or the Shaolin Temple diet.  Read about the Shaolin monks and what the diet entails here, and about the many benefits to following this formula, for our health, time and budget here.

In this post, I share what a day of meals could look like while eating the Shaolin Temple diet, along with the nutritional profile.  I also outline the shopping strategy, post pictures of some of our recent meals, and provide links for some simple and delicious recipes.

The Eight Treasures Summer Congee recipe~according to Chronometer.com~ is about 650-685 calories.  I pretty much eat one full recipe most days.

We cook a double recipe every day for Don and myself.  The total calories comes to somewhere between 750-800 calories after adding about .5 tbsp. of raw sugar, ground black sesame seeds, and 6-10 grams of chopped walnuts.

I plugged in what an entire day of eating the Shaolin Temple diet would look like onto Chronometer.  Here is a summary of the results:

• Total calories – 1900-2000 ~ give or take ~(prior to adding in exercise which would result in a lower net total calories.)
• 327g carbs, 70g protein, 48g fat or a 66/12/22 percent breakdown of carbohydrate/protein/fat
• 50g of fiber, and well over 100% of ALL nutrients, except for vitamin E.  Almost 1100 mg calcium (soybeans, tofu, almonds, greens are all great sources); 19.5 mg iron, well over 100% of the RDI; 11 mg zinc; 62 mcg selenium; +29,000 IU vitamin A; 2.5g Omega 3 and 17.5g Omega 6.

This would all vary a bit depending on one’s personal selection of foods, and quantities eaten.  So here is one possible day of meals, eating the Shaolin Temple Diet:

BF:  Eight Treasures Congee, summer recipe, plus toppings (sugar, ground black sesame seeds, walnuts or peanuts)
Lunch:  1/2 block tofu, at least 4 cups of vegetables such as 3 cups chopped baby bok choy, 1 cup chopped cabbage, 1 scallion, 1/4 large red bell pepper, 1 carrot, 1-2 cups gai lan or Chinese broccoli, and 1/2 cup shredded or chopped daikon radish along with 1 – 1.5 cups brown rice
Dinner:  1.5-2 corn on the cobs, 2-3 small organic russet potatoes (all steamed)
(Nutrient profile for this is shown below.)

Recipes:  Eating the Shaolin Temple Diet; Baked Tofu Recipes; Easy Vegetable Recipes & Dressings; QB Greens

Here are add ons and modifications:

• 1-3 pcs. of fruit, either before congee, as between meal snack, or alternate late light last meal if hungry
• Up to 11-13 almonds, possibly eaten as a snack with the apple.  Almonds boost the vitamin E, the only nutrient that needs a bit more thought to get the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake.)
• Dressing for veggies:  additional little bit of other condiments, such as hemp oil or tahini like the Lemon, Hemp & Tahini dressing for the QB (Quick Boiled) Veggie Medley recipes.  (See links above.)
• Have Asian noodles and a light broth and more veggies for dinner instead of steamed corn and potatoes, like the Japanese Three-Noodles with Tangy Miso Sauce, or some whole grain bread (or Don’s yummy steamed buns) with a light sunflower or almond butter and preserves, or pumpkin or fig butter.Over the weekend, we celebrated Don’s birthday, and had sushi with our tofu and veggies for lunch, and Polenta Cake with Blackberry Sauce for dinner.  Recipe for the cake from the recent issue of VT (Vegetarian Times.)

 

 

Here is what our weekly shopping trip may look like.   This can be modified to suit your tastes, such as what type of evening meal you prefer, which vegetables, how much fruit you like to eat, etc.

For those who avoid soy because they think it is harmful to health, the opposite is often the case.  Soy beans are very beneficial, and part of the magic for helping menopausal women reduce hot flashes, and protect against breast cancer.  It is also beneficial for protection against prostate cancer for men.  Consumption of soy does not lead to an increase in estrogen as many believe.¹‚²,³  A macrobiotic diet, similar to the Shaolin Temple diet has been studied extensively, and have helped many people overcome debilitating and life threatening illnesses, including breast and prostate cancer.

The ‘powers that be’ want people to believe that soy is bad for us as it is a cheap, yet high quality protein source that can be  produced with far less waste of resources than animal foods.  The reason so much GMO soy (and corn) is grown is to feed billions of animals each year sold as food.  The more soy and other high quality plant proteins the public demands, the more will be grown organically.

But I digress.  A day of improvised, quick and simple meals, and typical shopping list below.

A day of meals, minus some fruit snacks/pre breakfast. Eight Treasures Congee Summer Recipe topped w/ raw cane sugar, ground black sesame seeds & chopped walnuts ~ A great way to begin your day, or fuel your mid-morning yoga class!

We’ve had these soy hot dogs in the freezer, and decided to use them since we were out of tofu. Wrapped in super yummy tortillas w/ a little avocado, served w/ steamed sweet corn and cabbage salad. An all American day of meals~Shaolin style~even your kids would love! And very quick and easy to prepare!

We had a late start to dinner, not our preference, but we worked out hard earlier, and were too hungry not to eat. So, noodles it is. These Japanese noodles are made from 100% whole grain, and are low sodium. I just tossed them with a little toasted sesame oil, low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar and Sriracha. Served over QB greens. Topped w/ hemp seeds.

 

Per person for one week:

1. Brown rice – 14 cups, or 5.86# – This includes the less than half cup dry in the Eight Treasures congee, and up to 1.5 cups more eaten every day at lunch.  Don eats a little more than 1.5 cups.  You could vary this with quinoa (which also costs more) or other whole grain or starchy food for lunch, like whole or sprouted grain tortillas.
2. Hato Magi/Job’s Tears or pearl barley – 30g per day for the congee x 7 days = 210g per week/per person.
3. Lotus nut/seeds – 210g  (One bag of 400g was $7.99)
4. Goji berries – 105g per week (think of this as really tasty medicine, as this is really good for the eyes, vision, and much more!  Read all about the therapeutic properties of all the Eight Treasures Congee ingredients, on the website post, Eating the Shaolin Temple Diet.
5. Chinese dates (Da Zao)- 4-5 pcs. per day added to congee.  These can improve sleep, among many other benefits.  Dates vary in price and quality.  Some are more shriveled and dry.  Some are more plump.  If they are really dried, it would be better to get already pitted, or else it will be hard to pit them prior to soaking, unless you soak them separately first.  We bought a pretty good sized bag of big plums for around $9.  Check out the website for links.
6. 140g each of mung beans, and either adzuki beans, small black turtle beans, or black soy beans.  We’ve been buying a package of organic black soybeans at the Asian market recently, on sale for $2.18.  It has been more than what we need for both of us combined each week, as only 1/4 cup dry is used each day in the congee.  Beans vary from around $1.29/# to over $2/#, especially if organic.  Our local Safeway has an excellent selection of bulk foods at excellent prices, even for organics.
7. 4-7 containers extra firm tofu, or other quality plant protein source such as Don’s Beet & Wheat Meat, plant sausages, etc. ($1.49-1.79 per block of tofu ~ that is far more protein for far less money than meat.)
8. 70g raw sunflower seeds for congee ~ total for week for one person
9. 2# bag organic carrots (~.79/#)
10. 1 bunch scallions (or more for two if desired)
11. 1 bunch celery
12. 1 Daikon radish
13. Several packages baby bok choy, or 2 big bunches
14. 1 bunch napa or green cabbage
15. 2-4 baby cucumbers for Pickled Daikon & Cucumber Salad
16. A couple heads of broccoli, or gai lan, Chinese broccoli
17. 1 5# bag organic small russet potatoes (enough for two for the week)
18. Japanese noodles (read labels and buy those without a lot of sodium.)  We buy whole grain noodles made from either buckwheat, sorghum, millet, corn, or a green tea noodle.  These delicate noodles are  yummy, and cook quickly.

    

    These Japanese noodles are great if you can find them. Good price, low sodium, cooks in 5-6 minutes. Several flavors including millet, sorghum, buckwheat, corn, black rice, and more. Below, Japanese Three Noodles with Tangy Peanut Miso Sauce, topped w/ Pickled Daikon and Persian Cucumber Salad. Recipes on http://www.veganearthgirl.com ~ ‘Shaolin Temple Diet’ tab.

19. Nuts/seeds:  Buy what is on sale, or choose among walnuts, almonds, dry roasted peanuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.
20. Condiments:  Cooking oil if desired such as a cold pressed sesame oil, canola oil, or XV olive oil.  Toasted sesame oil for making dressings, miso paste if desired, tahini, ketchup, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce or Sriracha.
21. Fruit such as apples, peaches, berries, melons – as pre-meal, snacks, or a light last meal.

 

I am continually amazed  that after four weeks of eating our version of the Shaolin Temple diet, including a huge, hot bowl of Eight Treasures congee every morning has helped me to remain cooler, despite the heat.  My hot flashes have nearly disappeared.  My chronic, pretty much life long sinus/phlegm issues have also cleared.  And while I look very forward to eating this big hearty bowl of congee after the calisthenics training Don and I do three days per week, I’m equally impressed with how I can eat it prior to a long yoga class, and have absolutely no problems digesting it.  No bloating.  Nothing but good, balanced energy.

Tofu baked w/ Amy’s barbecue sauce, served over QB (Quick Boiled) Asian greens. The broth is excellent for a quick miso soup. Just add .5-1 tsp. barley or young red miso paste per person to each cup of broth, and enjoy before lunch, or as an appetizer w/ a nori sheet. Below, all of our food packed to go to eat at our clinic. Leftover cabbage salad from the day before. Cabbage salad dressing made w/ lime juice, tahini, maple syrup, soy sauce, and a few drops of ume vinegar.

I’m so hooked on this congee, I’m not sure what I’d eat to help me sustain my energy during an hour and a half yoga class otherwise.  In fact, one night I woke up, and realized neither of us measured out our congee to soak prior to bed. I laid there for a few moments thinking, what am I doing up at this hour worrying about congee?  Then I thought about what all we could have instead, and my mind went blank.

Totally blank! That never happens!  I never have a problem figuring out what to make based on what we have on hand.  Never.  But suddenly, straight up oatmeal didn’t sound appealing to me at all, and neither did anything else, except maybe a tofu scramble, but tofu is our lunch meal now.

So, at 1 or 2 or 3 am, whatever it was, I got out of bed to go measure out the ingredients for the Eight Treasures congee, added the water, and crawled back in bed.

Addicted?  I think so.  I hope you’ll give this a try.  Let me know if this becomes a new addiction for you as well!

 

 

¹http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2981011/
²http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22393950
³http://ornishspectrum.com/zine/enjoy-delicious-healthy-diversity-soy/