Happy Friday! I’ve decided to try to use Fridays as a day to talk about some of the best new books. There are so many I want to share so we will see if this can be a little forum for some of the better offerings and have recommendations from you readers too.
I’ve had this book on my nightstand for a while and been meaning to write about how fantastic it is. I don’t know about you, but eating better is always one of my goals in a new year and reading this book motivated me to make better choices for the family and in what I personally put in my body as well.
Think you’re eating well because your diet is filled with vegetables? Well think again! Did you know that the preparation and varietal makes a huge difference in the nutrition? I had no idea that some vegetables are lacking almost all their benefits by time they get to the supermarket shelf!
Eating on the Wild Side is an eye-opener and author Jo Robinson has done a great job with her in-depth research and history. You will learn so much about getting the maximum antioxidants and cancer-fighting advantages out of your veg and fruits.
Some of the tips I loved..Letting your garlic rest after chopping for just 10 minutes before cooking retains all it’s cancer-fighting benefits, but if you don’t wait you lose all of them in cooking. Carrots should be bought fresh and with their tops on. The very popular baby carrots can be months old and carrots are one of those vegetables that do not retain nutrients when frozen, and you can get eight times more beta-carotene by cooking a carrot than eating it fresh.
Like our grandmothers said, the skin is often the most nutritious part of vegetables and fruit and why one needs to buy organic. Those pesticides do not rinse off. Buying local is not just good for the earth, but by buying from farmer’s markets your fruits and vegetables will likely be picked the day before as opposed to stores who often sell things kept in refrigeration for weeks. The problem is many vegetables like broccoli lose almost all it’s nutrition waiting on the store shelf.
After reading this you’ll know the best way to retain nutrients, antioxidants and keep your produce fresh. There’s a shopping guide at the end of each chapter that tells you what varietals to grow and buy that have the most health benefits. The history of some of these plants is fascinating too..How they became cultivated and chosen over others makes it an interesting read.
When buying you want to looks for fruits and vegetables that have more exposure to the sun and hence more antioxidants. So choosing a baby lettuce over a romaine whose leaves are enclosed is much more desirable. Darker tends to be better for you, but in some cases like peaches and nectarines, the white ones, less propagated have much more nutrition. Chose less cultivated and more wild varietals when possible, from local sources or your own garden for your health. To top it off, there are also some yummy recipes dotted throughout this book I really liked.
Has anyone else read this? I think it’s the best food book since The Omnivore’s Dilemma which was eye-opening as well. Any other similar books you love? I find they really motivate me to commit to better eating.
