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Superfoods

I stumbled upon a great book wandering about Barnes and Noble a few days ago. The great marketing hyperbole in the title and after-title caught my eye and demanded that I pick it up off the shelf. The book is called SuperFoods RX: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, by Steven Pratt, M.D. Harper, $14.95.

Despite the right-up-front verbal narcissism, the book has a lot of good stuff in it which I want to share with you.

1. Beans - reduces obesity
2. Blueberries - lowers risk for cardiovascular disease
3. Broccoli - lowers the incidence of cataracts and fights birth defects
4. Oats - reduces the risk of type II diabetes
5. Oranges - prevents strokes
6. Pumpkin - lowers the risk of various cancers
7. Soy - lowers cholesterol
8. Spinach - decreases chance of CVD and macular degeneration
9. Tea - helps to prevent osteoporosis
10. Tomatoes - raises the skin's sun protection factor
11. Turkey - helps build a strong immune system
12. Walnuts - reduces risk of CHD, diabetes and cancer
13. Wild Salmon - lowers the risk of heart disease
14. Yogurt - healthy for your gut

Yeah, yeah, we know all this, Dr. Bea. You've given us this list before. But then, I reply, it's always good to reacquaint ourselves with a list like this. I have to admit that I really didn't LEARN anything new from this book, but I still bought it because it continually REMINDS me of the good food habits that I want to strengthen.

I have gone so far as to copy down the above foods on a little piece of paper. I carry it around in my purse and drag it out as I travel through the aisles of Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage. My agreement with myself is to cover ALL of the foods in one week of eating, having 2 or 3 or more of the foods every day.

Except for SOY! I really don't know why no one has read the same literature as I have indicating that soy is bad for you. So the soy-thing is up to you, but I wouldn't advise it except for fermented soy products and edamame. (Tofu is dangerous white stuff that turns little boys into little girls, promotes dangerous estrogen surges in breasts and reduces the efficiency of our immune system. Don't let the Soy Lobby win!)

Cleverly, the author includes what he calls "Sidekicks" to all fourteen foods (except for tea which has no Sidekick) and it makes things really simple. For example, what the heck am I going to do with pumpkin every week? Not to worry. Pumpkin "Sidekicks" are carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and orange bell peppers. Or, what if I am gluten intolerant - what do I do about oats? Well, the oat "Sidekicks" include non-gluten grains like brown rice, millet and quinoa.

The recipes are pretty good, too. They are offered by the chefs of the Golden Door and Rancho La Puerta Spas. I particularly like the one called Superfoods RX Salad, and here it is:

1 Cup spinach torn into bite-size pieces
1 Cup chopped romaine
¼ Cup shredded red cabbage
½ Cup sliced red bell pepper
½ tomato, chopped
½ Cup chickpeas; if canned, rinse well
½ Cup grated carrot
¼ Avocado, cubed
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1t. balsamic vinegar

Combine and toss all together. The author says "I eat this salad almost everyday - sometimes twice a day. Feel free to vary the ingredients using the SuperFoods RX sidekicks. Add a handful of your favorite fresh herb, 1 T grated parmesan or 2 T roasted nuts or seeds. The quantity is for one person, but you can easily multiply the ingredients to serve more."

Let's all take advantage of the wonderful fresh vegetables that abound at the various Farmer's Markets. Bon Appetit!

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