I’d like you to meet Zen. Zen is a 14-and-a-half-year-old Labrador Retriever with a feisty spirit. He sports a shiny coat and thinks that wandering the neighborhood is just the greatest thing. What’s the secret to his good health? Mung beans and barley.

Many years ago, Zen had drippy eyes and continual ear infections. The vet wanted to put him on antibiotics. I wasn’t comfortable giving him medicine since I was studying the Chinese medicine practice of rebalancing the body. I remembered a conversation I had with Grand Master Lu about foods with healing benefits. He said that corn silk tea reduces heat in the ears and that mung beans and barley cleared toxins out of the stomach.

Labs will eat almost anything so I made Zen a soupy mixture of mung beans and barley cereal and added a bit of rice. Then when the food was cooked, I added corn silk tea. I began to slowly integrate the soup for one month. I noticed that his health issues—in both his eyes and his ears—were beginning to resolve. Zen was looking great.

With this initial success, I continued the diet, adding leftover vegetables, and eventually, chicken or beef. Brilliant! He also gets seasonal herbs to support his immune health. My Zenny, as we lovingly call him, is happier and healthier than he has ever been. Although he does get rabies shots, Zen has never had a surgery, medication, or heart worm shots.

Now, at his lofty age of 14, people are amazed at his vitality, and quite frankly so am I.  This “old man” has shown me how, with love, good food, and Nature, life can be enjoyed with good health.

-Elaine Katen

Food, Real Stories
5 Responses to Zen’s Story: The Life and Health of a Dog
  1. I have a 14 and 1/2 year old pup too. She’s quite lively but I’m going to start giving her Zen food!

  2. Where do you get mung beans ?? I checked out the big store Walmart,, but they don’t carry it. Where can I find it ??
    Is it better with the sprouts ?
    Thanks for any information,,

    • You can buy mung beans at a Chinese grocery store and we’ve found them at Whole Foods and various super markets. As far as sprouts go, they offer a powerhouse of energy but do not offer the same “cleaning” purpose as the mung bean.

  3. Boa noite!
    Sou apaixonada pela MTC. Em pesquisa, tive a sorte de encontrar o Site. Tenho uma cachorrinha Pinscher (3 anos /2 kg e 200 gramas de peso), numero 0 ou 1, nome Layla. Ela é muito delicada, seja emocionalmente e fisicamente. Diria que parece um passarinho, extremamente frágil. Tem problemas de colite. Não quero continuar a dar ração (Biofresh). Tenho dado arroz integral cateto com carne moída (perninha). Por gentileza, qual orientação pode me passar para a dieta correta que devo administrar e se devo dar suplementos. Agradeço! Maria Helena: Brasil.


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