‘Eating on the Wild Side’ controversial ‘TRUTH’ of the missing link to optimal health

 (Organic Slant) In Eating on the Wild Side, author Jo Robinson reveals how the nutrition and flavor has been bred out of supermarket fruits and vegetables. Robinson tells us what we can do to reclaim our wild roots and the nutrition from our foods.

Ever since farmers first planted seeds 10,000 years ago, humans have been destroying the nutritional value of their fruits and vegetables. Unwittingly, we’ve been selecting plants that are high in starch and sugar and low in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants for more than 400 generations.

EATING ON THE WILD SIDE reveals the solution–choosing modern varieties that approach the nutritional content of wild plants but that also please the modern palate. Jo Robinson explains that many of these newly identified varieties can be found in supermarkets and farmer’s market, and introduces simple, scientifically proven methods of preparation that enhance their flavor and nutrition. Based on years of scientific research and filled with food history and practical advice, EATING ON THE WILD SIDE will forever change the way we think about food.

Here’s a small sampling of some of the latest scientific findings Eating On The Wild Side reveals:

• The arrangement of a plant’s leaves plays a major role in determining its phytonutrient levels: a lettuce plant with tightly wrapped leaves ( for example, a cabbage) tends to contain very low phytonutrients as compared with open and looseleaf varieties (red looseleaf lettuce contains among the highest levels).
• The general perception about plants and fruits typically high in phytonutrients is that they are usually rich in skin color, this is not necessarily true. White flesh nectarines contain 5 times more phytonutrient compounds than the yellow flesh variety. In the supermarket, the pale colored artichoke (including the heart) usually contains the highest levels of phytonutrients of any other vegetables. There are 25,000 phytonutrients compounds that have been discovered, only two families of the entire group of fruits and vegetables are colored.
• To enhance the phytonutrients in lettuce, cut the lettuce into strips and store it in a plastic bag with a few small ventilation holes up to one day for maximum value. The lettuce responds to being torn by releasing more phytonutrient compounds into its leaves. Make sure to eat the lettuce within 2 days to maintain freshness and quality.
• Cherry tomatoes contain the highest levels of Lycopene, up to 25 times more of this antioxidant than the bigger varieties.
• Up until the 1970’s when we ate sweet corn, it was 10% sugar. Then a mutant gene in corn was discovered that produced triple the amount of sugar, and now the super-sweet varieties contain up to 40% sugar, as much or more sugar than a snicker (candy) bar. 95% of corn that is eaten today is of the super sweet variety.