Soba Noodle Bowls! And a reflection from my most recent month on the inpatient medicine service

I seriously love soba noodle bowls!  If you have never had soba noodles before, they are a Japanese style noodle made of buckwheat.  Buckwheat, by the way, is a complete protein food (contains all essential amino acids) and is a good source of thiamine. Soba noodle bowls are quick and easy to make, can be made with any vegetables you like, and taste great with a variety of sauces.  In this post I am going to share my 3 favorite sauces for this bowl, generous of me, I know.

Let me show you what we are making...but then you have to read my deep thoughts before we get into the recipe.

Looks fresh and delicious right?

My deep thoughts:

As a resident I spend a month at a time working in different parts of the hospital and various clinics.  I just finished a month taking care of patients admitted to the hospital with various illnesses.  While I was on service, my team admitted a patient that I personally have taken care of in the hospital every year of my training.  We can call him Mr. X.  Mr. X is a 60 something year old man, he is morbidly obese, has diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic kidney disease, and heart failure.  He was being admitted for a decompensation of his heart failure...again.  He has a weak heart and it can't keep up with pumping blood through his body, so fluid backs up in his lungs, legs, and even the skin of his lower abdomen.  He comes into the hospital for weeks at a time to get IV medications to help him remove the extra fluid from his body.

 Mr. X is an example of a person who has developed at least 7 serious medical conditions that could have likely been prevented or at the very least minimized by a whole food plant based diet.  There is tons of science available to back that bold statement up, please visit www.nutritionfacts.org for more details.  In America we spend a lot of money screening for and treating these chronic diseases, but hardly any on prevention.  If we could have given Mr. X a prescription for a whole food plant based diet, a daily walk, and meditation to manage his stress...maybe he wouldn't need the 10 prescription medications that he is taking or 4 hospital admissions per years.

By the way, Mr. X is not alone.  I also took care of Mr. Y who was having his leg amputated because of an infection that was a complication of his diabetes, Mrs. Z who had chest pain, Mr. A who had a heart attack, Mrs. B who had cancer, Ms. C who also had complications of diabetes and kidney failure...the list goes on.  In fact most of the people that I cared for in the hospital were there for illnesses related to their chronic disease.  My point is that the medical community needs to do a better job with disease prevention.  We need more doctors who are willing to teach their patients about lifestyles that promote health.  We need insurance companies that will pay for extended medical visits to do this teaching, cooking classes, gym memberships, and stress management. We also need patients who are willing to make lifestyle changes...maybe starting with this soba noodle bowl?!?!?

Thank you for reading.  Now are you ready for the recipe?

Soba Noodle Bowls

For each bowl you will need:
2oz soba noodles
1/2 cup shelled edamame
2 scallions, chopped
1/3 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Or really any veges and herbs you like.  Mint is great in this dish too and sometimes I use mixed greens.






Cook the noodles according to the package directions (boil water, throw in noodles, drain noodles, done)

While the noodles are cooking make one of these sauces:

Orange Miso Sauce

2 tablespoons white miso
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon tahini
1/3 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon agave nectar or maple syrup

put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth

Thai Peanut Sauce

3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons warm water
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 inch piece of ginger, chopped roughly
2 teaspoons siracha
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce or liquid aminos

put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth

Sesame Ginger Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce or liquid aminos
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped

put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth


Now simply pour some sauce over your soba noodle bowl, toss, and serve.

Happy eating and best health,

Dr. G


PS. Questions, comments, ideas of to make America healthy again are always welcome.