Book Review

101 Foods That Could Save Your Life

by David Grotto, RD, LDN
Book review by Cathe Olson

Rather than another diet book telling you what not to eat, David Grotto, a Registered Dietician and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, wants you to know what you can eat. In his book 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life, he tells you not only what you can eat, but why you should eat it.

After a very short introduction where Grotto explains his reasons for writing the book, he jumps right into the foods he feels everyone should include in their diets. For each food, there is a brief history of its origin, the benefits of eating that food, scientific research tidbits, selection and preparation tips, and a recipe.

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Flax, for example, is a plant native to Asia and Europe. Its Latin name means "most useful." Flaxseeds are a rich source of omega-3 fats, fiber, and lignans, which protect against several kinds of cancer. Whole flaxseeds can be stored at room temperature for one year and ground flaxseeds should be kept refrigerated for up to 90 days. Flax oil is sold in liquid or capsules. The recipe for Cinnamon-Walnut Granola from The Amazing Flax Cookbook is also included.

The food entries are arranged in alphabetical order-nice if you're looking for information about a particular food but not so helpful if you're interested in what foods might be beneficial for a specific condition (though you can work that out for most major ailments by using the index).

The information is easy to understand and helpful. I would have liked more advice on which forms of a food are the most beneficial. For example, the cranberry section mentions raw cranberries, dried cranberries, unsweetened juice, sweetened juice, juice cocktail, sauce, jelly, and supplements but no advice is given on which forms are more beneficial to eat. I can't imagine that an artificially-sweetened cocktail-style cranberry juice will provides the same nutrition and benefits as raw or dried cranberries or even unsweetened juice.

The appendix includes meal plans and a chart of phytochemicals and nutrients commonly found in the 101 foods. This book is not vegan but there are really not many animal foods that Grotto recommends-whey, yogurt, eggs, and some fish are about it. The book is mostly about fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, soy, whole grains, herbs and spices-foods that would be the main part of a healthful vegan diet.

Cathe Olson is the author of the new nondairy ice cream cookbook: Lick It! Cream Dreamy Vegan Ice Cream Your Mouth Will Love, as well as Simply Natural Baby Food and The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook. Visit Cathe's website at www.simplynaturalbooks.com and her blog at http://catheolson.blogspot.com.

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