Introduction

WHY 101 FOODS?

Life n.

1. The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms …

2. A manner of living.

My eighty-seven-year-old father’s favourite expression is, “When you wake up in the morning and both feet hit the ground, you’re having a good day!” Indeed! But certainly the definition of “life” encompasses more than waking up and just existing, right? Isn’t it also enjoying a life as pain-free and disease-free as possible? That is a truly desirable manner of living.

Sometimes it seems that our joyous holiday or regular dinner conversations revolve around nagging health ailments that constantly interfere with living. George now has gout, Grandma has diabetes, Suzy has irritable bowel syndrome, and your sister complains that she can’t lose those last ten pounds (well, maybe twenty), even on the latest deprivation diet. In response and without fail, someone at that dinner table always comes up with a home remedy or a wonder food, heard about from a friend, that is sure to cure the ailment. Yes, everyone feels that they have some expertise in the field of nutrition, but whether their advice is sound or even safe to follow can be a roll of the dice. Still, there are foods that hold vast curing and ameliorative powers. You just need to know how to find them.

Seeking out simple interventions and using food as medicine has long been the approach of many cultures throughout the world. Before the advent of modern medicine, the family was dependent on a mother’s intuition accompanied by her time-honoured remedies as the first line of defence in preserving the family’s health and well-being. Going to see the doctor at the first sniffle, cough or other sign of distress used to be “Plan B”, not “Plan A”. But as utilization of modern medicine increased, the focus on using food as medicine declined. We have embraced the convenience of statin drugs for reducing cholesterol, when the inclusion of foods with innate heart-protecting properties—such as fatty fish, oats, almonds and beans—might be just as effective. And many of the shortcuts of modern medicine are not without their costs. In fact, Americans who visit physicians following adverse reactions to medications account for well over two million physician visits each year!

This book aims to bring life-saving foods back into our health plans and to resurrect traditional medicinal uses for foods, many of which are now backed by modern science.

My Story

I’ve been a practising registered dietitian for over twenty years. But my interest in nutrition first began when I was fifteen. I was battling acne, weight problems, panic attacks—and I’m sure a few other things at the time—and realized I had to make some changes if I was ever to see sixteen. I was working at a health food shop at the time but ironically had very little interest in trying any of the products to help myself (except for the “natural candy”, which had all of the sugar, fat and calories as other sweets). I bought breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner at the fast food establishment across the street and started smoking. A customer who befriended me suggested that I try adding some veggies, fruit and whole grains to my diet—not all at once but a little at a time. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I made some of the suggested changes and quickly discovered what good health really felt like.

Over the years, as I became healthier and more intrigued about nutrition, I did a lot of reading on the subject. More and more customers started asking me for my advice on overcoming health hurdles that they were treating medically without success. I was dispensing advice to my customers, but didn’t have the credentials to back up what I was saying. I decided to pursue a degree in nutrition and became a registered dietitian.

Over the past two decades, I have worked as a nutritionist in conventional and integrative medical centres and in private practice. I’ve helped patients recover from multiple drug addictions; reverse heart disease; prevent and fight cancer; improve mental, physical and sexual performance, even when challenged with diseases including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s; and become pregnant—all through good nutrition practices.

Though I enjoyed meeting with patients and their families, I had always desired to get out my positive health message to the greatest number of people possible. In 1990, I was asked to host a live, nutrition-focused radio show called Let’s Talk Health, Chicago, which aired in four states in the US and ran for over ten years. Then in 2000, I was asked to be a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, an organization representing over 67,000 food and nutrition experts. Because I was experienced in both conventional nutrition and integrative medicine, and had also had the experience of interviewing hundreds of experts and answering the questions of thousands of listeners, they felt I could help consumers sort out confusing and often contradictory health messages regarding food and nutrition.

I have found that it is especially difficult for men to change their eating habits, so I was thrilled when I was asked to be on the scientific advisory board for Men’s Health magazine. I’m often asked to spell things out for guys in simple terms—“eat this, not that”. Bachelors do well with “black and white” and once married, that decision-making process often defaults to their wives. Women not only understand the importance of taking care of themselves and seeking regular medical attention, they also tend to be the caretakers of men too. My male clients have found that a simpler approach—a 101 Foods approach that keeps an eye on good taste and ample portions—has worked out best for them and their families, too. Through my work with thousands of individuals I found that focusing on restricting less healthy food choices didn’t always work when trying to get my patients to make lasting changes. Even my most motivated patients could give up their favourite foods and follow a “perfect” diet … for a while. They would try restrictive dietary plans if there was an obvious payoff, but eventually they would all come to me with the same questions: “Can’t I cheat just once in a while? Will I really be hurting myself?” I had always thought that an all-or-nothing approach was best and that half-measures wouldn’t benefit my patients. I assumed if I gave them an inch, they would take a mile. “Cheating” could only spell disaster, and they would eventually revert back to harmful habits. But fond remembrances of foods-gone-by left my patients yearning for the old days. They felt deprived and often resented that they couldn’t enjoy their favourite foods any more. Frequently, they pressed me to produce proof that adding just a few unhealthy favourites back into their diet was really going to derail their efforts, hoping I would come up empty-handed. In fact, I often did.

I came to the revelation that limiting quantities of less-than-optimal foods was a possibility, but writing them out of the book of life, permanently, was definitely not an option. Not only did I have to deal with my patients’ taste preferences that had evolved over a lifetime but many of my patients faced external pressure from family members who didn’t have the same motivation to abandon their favourite foods. So, more times than not, these “dietary insurgents”, like sweets and french fries, hung around—lurking behind kitchen cabinets or closed refrigerator doors, or worse yet, taking up temporary residence in the gleeful mouths of family members. Not surprisingly, I found that my patients didn’t want to admit that despite my warnings they had worked many of these foods back into their diets.

Change came more easily when I eased up on the restrictions. Soon I was known as “Let’s-make-a-deal Dave”. My patients proved that they were able to maintain their efforts longer, stabilize their weights, sustain blood pressures within acceptable ranges, and meet a host of other markers of good health even while allowing the occasional indulgence in their diets. I started to see a pattern. Many were focusing on including “lifesavers” or “powerhouse” foods in their diets while decreasing, but not abandoning, foods that had little health benefit. It finally dawned on me: healthy eating didn’t have to be black and white—grey works just fine too!

Ironically, in the summer of 2006, while writing this book, I became my own patient. For over a year, I became so focused on extolling the virtues of eating properly and exercising that I slowly but surely typed myself out of a healthy lifestyle. It seemed with each keystroke, my gut and butt got bigger, while I was giving advice to make everyone else’s smaller. My wake-up call came when I was asked to coach Chicago firefighters in a cholesterol-reduction programme. I found out that firefighters were at much greater risk of dying from a heart attack than they would ever be from putting out fires, so I was only too happy to help. As an act of solidarity, I had my own cholesterol tested, only to discover that I had my own fire alarm coursing through my veins—a cholesterol level of 238! That did it for me. But instead of my previous “nutrition smack-down” approach, I decided to slowly modify my diet by adding in the very foods you will read about throughout this book. After thirty days of simple changes, without any help from cholesterol-lowering medication or any radical diet, my cholesterol came crashing down to 168—a whopping seventy points in just thirty days. And I lost ten pounds to boot!

I begin every morning with a good-size bowl of oatmeal (porridge) topped with chopped almonds, figs, cranberries and cherries swimming in soy milk. I eat salmon and sardines and drink coffee and green tea. I started exercising for thirty minutes every day and have continued this programme ever since.

I’ve come across many foods that have had profound effects on my health and the health of my patients—foods that offer hope of eventually reducing or even replacing drug therapies to control conditions like high blood pressure, elevated blood lipids, and even diabetes. I saw digestive disorders, poor sexual performance, diminished cognitive function, low energy levels and others among an endless list of health challenges improve because of simple but healing foods. There are foods that not only literally save lives, but that are delicious and enjoyable too.

Many of the life-saving foods that are featured in this book are common everyday foods that you may have eaten all of your life but whose contribution to your health you have taken for granted. Your introduction to them may have started when your mother encouraged you to eat all of your vegetables because they would help you to grow up to be big and strong. Or perhaps you discovered that she was using a little extra garlic in the hopes that its healing properties might ward off colds and flu. But Mum was also given the ultimate task of making good-for-you foods taste great. She knew that unless it tasted good there was very little chance you would continue to eat your “medicine”. My goal, like hers, is to show you how to integrate healthy foods into your diet in a way that makes nutritious eating easy and delicious.

The Science of “Half Measures”

Small changes that don’t involve a complete lifestyle or dietary overhaul can have a significant impact on the quality of your daily life. Simple life-affirming actions, such as walking a few extra steps, thinking positive thoughts, and incorporating a handful of optimal foods into the daily diet are just a few of the well-researched choices that we can all make to battle many of today’s common health challenges. Yes, it sounds too good to be true, but the proof has been documented by leading researchers, such as Barbara Rolls, a leading obesity researcher from Penn State University and author of Volumetrics. In a study of 200 overweight and obese women and men, Dr Rolls found that those who added two servings of a low-calorie, dense vegetable soup to their diet lost 50 per cent more weight than those subjects who ate a less nutritious snack that provided the same calories as the soup. Also, including foods like whole-grain breakfast cereals and other whole-grain food items are associated with keeping healthy and trim. And the examples go on and on.

The 101 Foods

You may be wondering how I came up with these 101 foods. For starters, I turned in part to the concept of “nutrient density”. Adam Drewnowski, director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington, is one of many researchers who have been tackling the challenge of developing a system for consumers that clearly shows which foods are the healthiest. He developed a method based on a nutrients-per-calorie basis, meaning those foods that contain the most nutrition for the fewest calories. Dr Drewnowski reviewed over 360 different foods and assigned a naturally nutrient-rich (NNR) score to each one based on the content of fourteen key nutrients. However, his system doesn’t take phytochemical density into account. Phytochemicals are plant compounds that offer important health benefits but are not considered “nutrients” like vitamins and minerals. I have also incorporated phytochemical density into my analysis. A comprehensive chart in Appendix B features the phytochemicals that you will often see mentioned when I review the benefits of the 101 foods. Finally, I reviewed the scientific literature for exciting new research on the healing properties of foods. If a food was shown to improve health, regardless of its nutrient or phytochemical content, I included it in the list of the 101 foods. Also keep in mind that I don’t claim that these are the quintessential or the only 101 foods that could save your life. Nutritional science is ever evolving and we find out new benefits to foods all of the time—but be assured, the foods I have chosen in this book are worthy of residence in your shopping trolley and your stomach!

Because the science of nutrition is always progressing, I made the decision not to limit my criteria of evaluating the 101 foods to only the gold standard of human clinical trials but instead expanded it to all levels of evidence. I am a firm supporter of evidence-based nutrition but, unfortunately, randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled human trials and meta-analyses (reviews of several studies) are few and far between in the study of nutrition. For example, in 2007, a meta-analysis containing 149,000 participants appeared in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases and showed that consuming 2.5 servings of whole grains daily was associated with a 21 per cent reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease. Exciting stuff! The lead researcher suggested, based on this new evidence, that a doubling of effort should be made by policymakers, scientists and clinicians to spread the good news. Considering heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and the British, that sounds like a good idea. My patients want to know what they can do to save their lives now. If I waited until a meta-analysis came by as incentive to “double my efforts” in espousing the benefits of a healthy diet, I suspect many of my patients wouldn’t be here today. I didn’t want them to hesitate one moment in deciding to add more fruits, vegetables, nuts or whole grains into their diet. Why wait? Today’s possibility may be tomorrow’s probability and there is certainly no downside to eating healthy foods!

You Can Write Your Own Prescription with the 101 Foods

FIRST, EAT OPTIMALLY …

It was important to me before ever typing a word that this be a valued resource of great foods rather than another deprivation “diet book”. According to the latest surveys, one thing is abundantly clear: you’re tired of being told what to do, and I can’t blame you! You won’t see “don’t do this or don’t do that” anywhere in this book. This book celebrates food. I’ll leave the demonizing of this protein or that dairy product to others. But make no mistake, I do have an ultimate goal in mind: to encourage you to eat and live “optimally”. I define the food portion of optimal living as a diet that is calorie-controlled, is abundant in varied and intense-coloured fruits and vegetables, is whole grain-focused, contains appropriate levels and type of fats, and emphasizes low-fat dairy and reduced animal protein intake while increasing healthier, plant-based proteins, such as beans.

Think of this book as a starting point for improving your health, no matter what your health challenge. According to Dr James Hill from the University of Colorado, a leading researcher in obesity, even if your ultimate goal is to lose weight, just keeping your present weight stable is a great start. Try introducing a few new foods your first week. The sample menu plan at the back of this book shows how easy and delicious adding in can be, and you can trim down portion sizes to tailor things to a calorie level that’s right for you. Try a few more new foods the next week and the week after that. Eventually, you will find that many of your new foods have become replacements for foods less beneficial to your health. And then you will achieve a lasting programme built on my simple equation: doability + taste = sustainability.

If you really want to “put the pedal to the metal” and maximize the health benefits of the 101 foods, you need to embrace the power of synergy. As you have discovered from my story, eating a bowl of oats every day can be an effective method for lowering cholesterol. But adding nuts like almonds, walnuts and pistachios, along with some cranberries and cherries, all submerged in some soy milk, takes that bowl to a whole new level. When it’s coupled with a diet that includes lean proteins, low-fat dairy products and vegetables, with an eye on limiting saturated-fat foods like bacon, sausage and butter, along with moderate physical activity, the cholesterol-reducing power is awesome!

101 FOODS IS SOUND NUTRITION

Your body needs it all—carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and plant chemicals. You could buy bottles of dietary supplements and try to do your best to replicate what a healthy diet contains, but isn’t eating food that contains all of the building blocks of health naturally a lot simpler and better-tasting? Bottom line—no dietary supplement on the market today comes close to providing the life-saving properties of the 101 foods. Proper supplementation can play an important role in maintaining or improving health but it doesn’t compare to the healing-power capacity of food! Each food group serves an important function in the body, keeping you healthy and strong.

Carbo the magnificent: Carbohydrates give us energy. They’re the fuel on which the human body runs. The fruits, vegetables and whole grains that I feature do a great job of providing the right amount and right type of carbohydrates your body demands.

Keeping lean with protein: Protein helps repair the tissues of our body. In general, the western diet provides more than enough protein to meet our needs. Beans, soy, fish and whey are the featured protein champions in this book. You may ask, “Can’t lean cuts of beef, chicken, pork and so forth fit well into this programme?” Sure! In fact, some of the recipes contain some of these animal protein sources as ingredients. But I wanted to feature these special protein foods for two reasons: we don’t eat enough of them and these protein foods have special value-added attributes which I will explain later.

Chewing the fat: All fats are not created equal. Some contribute to heart disease and others work to fight it and other diseases too. Fat provides taste and satisfaction, and keeps you feeling full longer. It also is a vehicle for transporting fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E and K, that boost and protect your immune system, build strong bones, and regulate blood flow into your cells.

All the rest: Vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytochemicals (plant chemicals) are as important to your body as carbs, protein and fat. Food provides these nutrients in the right proportion.

Add it all together: The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a very credible resource for eating a healthy diet. The dietary icon that came from those guidelines is the latest food pyramid, otherwise known as “MyPyramid”. The new pyramid shows that all food groups are important in a healthy diet.

What You Will See in This Book

101 Foods That Could Save Your Life will reveal that many of the delicious foods that we often reserve for those special occasions, like cranberries and sweet potatoes, need to be invited back on a more regular basis. You will also be introduced to more unfamiliar foods like the super-nutritious grains teff, quinoa and amaranth, along with antioxidant-rich fruits like açaí from Brazil and goji berries from China. There is a wide world of healthy and delicious foods from which to select. Every food entry includes the following sections so that you can decide which foods will make the best additions to your diet.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

Each featured food has a story unto itself. Here you will find interesting background information that may include what plant kingdom the food belongs to, where its natural habitat is located and how it is commonly consumed. Also accompanying every food entry are entertaining factoids such as: Did you know … Amazon Indians used guava fruit to remedy sore throats, digestive challenges and vertigo, and to regulate menstrual periods?

“A SERVING OF FOOD LORE …” AND “WHERE IS IT GROWN?”

Did you ever wonder where coffee beans originated? You might be surprised to learn that South America, where most coffee beans come from now, was not the original place of origin. This section answers such questions as “How did the kiwi make its way from the Yangtze River Valley of northern China to New Zealand and the United States?” “What stops did it make along the way?” “Who are the major suppliers today?”

WHY SHOULD I EAT IT?

This section starts off with the nutritional value, just one of many important reasons for adding the powerhouse foods into your diet. Then I’ll cover the prominent vitamins and minerals unique to the featured food and explain how this food can improve your health.

HOME REMEDIES

Did mum really know best? She was giving cranberry juice to her kids to help fight urinary tract infections long before there was science to support its effectiveness. All she knew was that it worked! This section features many claims for the healing properties of the 101 foods that may not have been exhaustively studied … yet!

THROW ME A LIFESAVER!

This section references many research reports, from cell studies to animal studies to the granddaddy of them all, human clinical trials. Some of the studies show that there are unique properties to the 101 foods. Other research supports the value of including a food with a shared nutrient or group of nutrients held in common with other foods. You can also match up foods in the index that meet a common health challenge and then you will be on your way to a tailored approach!

TIPS ON USING THE 101 FOODS

Researchers at Gerber Foods found that a substantial number of toddlers didn’t eat ANY fruits or vegetables but did eat their fair share of sweets, french fries, and hot dogs. Not a big surprise, but it does raise the question, “Hey … who’s the boss here?” I know what you are saying: “I tried several times to get my child to eat fruits and vegetables but they simply won’t eat them.” My advice to you is to try and try again! These same researchers found that a new food may need to be reintroduced as many as seventeen times before a child will include it in their core group of favourites. Don’t give up! But to make your life easier, I have included helpful, tasty tips along with important selection, storage and food safety recommendations to maximize your family’s eating experience with the 101 foods.

THE RECIPE …

To help you jump right in with the 101, I’ve included one top-notch recipe for each food. The recipes are from award-winning chefs who know how to combine great taste and good health. I’ve also gathered recipes from noted dietitians, celebrities, family and friends. Most of the recipes were written especially with children in mind and were tested on my family and neighbours. The focus here is on the great natural taste of the powerhouse foods, and easy preparation.

BREAK IT DOWN …

Each recipe has been analysed for calories, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, fibre, sodium and protein using the top-rated recipe software programme, Food Processor by ESHA. All recipes contain virtually zero grams of synthetic trans fats.

How and Where to Shop for the 101 Foods

I’ve put together a list of name-brand suggestions for you to try at my website: www.101FoodsThatCouldSaveYourLife.com. The list is called “Dave’s Raves” and I will be updating it often to keep you on top of many tasty, convenient ways to enjoy 101 Foods. These are items that either my family or my patients have tried and enjoyed. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s certainly a good start! You may also check out the many websites that I found helpful while researching the origin, history and benefits of the powerhouse foods. These sites are included in the References section beginning on page 367. And, I’ve included my one-week sample menu plan (Appendix A) to help you get started.

Perhaps the two main dilemmas you will face along your path of the 101 foods are which food you will try first and where you will keep this book! Will it be kept among the cookbooks? Health and diet books? Resource guides? On your green tea/coffee table for all to enjoy? No matter where you decide to keep it, I hope you will consult this book often as you prepare your next meal and create the menu for your next holiday feast.