Tomato

It is quite easy really to achieve six servings by eating one big salad every day with all the usual ingredients we think of as salad vegetables: Tomatoes, lettuce, radish, cucumber, mushrooms, onions, and so forth.

The idea of eating salad for breakfast does indeed run counter to our Western cultural programming, but it is something that many societies do, notably in Africa. A copious mixed salad with some avocado, tuna flakes, or shrimp makes a great start to the day. Again, make it a large portion— at least one pound per person. It is not really so much: One large tomato, one cucumber, some onion, and some lettuce leaves make 9 oz of plant food. Round it off with 3 oz of canned tuna, and you have a hearty breakfast.

Old-Fashioned Haddock Breakfast. This used to be a good standby in many parts of the English-speaking world. Many people are old enough to remember, perhaps, when their grandparents used to eat like this. They would lightly poach a piece of haddock (or kipper or any other appropriate fish) in simmering water for about five minutes. They would accompany it with lashings of sauteed onion, grilled tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Eating in fast-food restaurants is a little harder. Find a salad, if you can; discard the packet of salad dressing, unless it is simple oil and vinegar. Consider carrying a bottle of your own vinaigrette. Or eat the all-day breakfast: Eggs with tomatoes and mushrooms (without bread or roll) are acceptable, but avoid the bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast, waffles, syrup, and muffins. It is not ideal to eat the processed meat in fast-food restaurants, but if you must, order the burger (no cheese) or grilled chicken sandwich and throw away the bun.

We know that there are many active compounds in the foods we eat, particularly fruits and vegetables. We are familiar with the "classic" micronutrients that have been identified over the past 100 years: vitamins A, B, C, and so on, and minerals like iron, selenium, zinc, and iodine. However, we now know that there are thousands of other micronutrient compounds that play a part in the smooth functioning of the body. In this book, we call them "background" micronutrients. For example, there is the family of carotenoids, of which there are over 600. They give the color to carrots, oranges, tomatoes, and melons. There is the phenol family with over 5,000 members. They too are present in all fruits and vegetables, and strongly present in tea, coffee, and wine. And there are the 7,000 terpene compounds, which are omnipresent in all plant foods, particularly in spices and aromatic herbs. We must not forget the thousands of bioflavonoids, yet another vast range of compounds that are essential to health.

in 1942, the USDA issued a new food guide that reduced the number of food groups to what they called the "Basic Seven." These were: green and yellow vegetables; oranges, tomatoes, and grapefruit; potatoes and other vegetables and fruit; milk and milk products; meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dried peas and beans; bread, flour, and cereals; and butter and fortified margarine.

In 1956, the "Basic Seven" groups were condensed to the "Basic Four": milk and milk products; meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dry beans, and nuts; fruits and vegetables; and grains. This time the "green and yellow vegetables" group has disappeared. "Butter and fortified margarine" has been dropped. "Oranges, tomatoes, and grapefruit" are lumped into the catch-all category "fruits and vegetables."

Above ground, the edible part can be the stem, bud, leafstalk, leaf, bean pod, or the immature flower. In addition, there are some fruits, such as the avocado and tomato, which are included in the vegetable category. Indeed, most people think of them and use them as vegetables, so they are surprised to hear that, botanically, avocado and tomato are fruits. A large percentage of our ancestors' food supply came from vegetation that was levered out of the ground with a digging stick. Today, we still eat many foods that grow underground— roots, tubers, bulbs, and corms (solid bulbs).

The vegetables from above ground cover a huge range of plant parts: stems, such as asparagus from the Mediterranean and kohlrabi from Europe; buds, such as Brussels sprouts from Belgium; leafstalks, such as celery from the Mediterranean and rhubarb from Asia; leaves, such as Europe's cabbage, lettuce, and spinach; immature flowers, such as cauliflower from Europe, broccoli from Turkey, and artichoke from the western Mediterranean; immature fruits, such as eggplant from southern Asia and cucumber from northern India; mature "vegetable-fruits," such as tomato from Peru, avocado from Central America, and bell pepper from the Andes; edible bean pods, such as runner beans from tropical America; and edible fungi (mushrooms) from just about everywhere. Of course, today, these plants are grown all over the world, wherever farmers can produce them economically.

Fruits that are both low glycemic and low sugar are "good" to eat without restriction. Fruits in this category are gooseberry and raspberry. Tomato, which is technically a fruit, is also included. There are other low-glycemic fruits, such as cherries and grapefruit, which nevertheless have a significant content of various sugars. You should go easy on these fruits if your doctor is asking you to restrict your intake of fructose or glucose.

Eggs Any Style. Omega-3-rich, free-range eggs any style are fine to start the day. Make a hearty vegetable-filled omelet or grill some tomatoes and mushrooms with eggs any style. Don't forget that plant food should form the major part of the meal, and no backsliding— definitely no bread.

Eating in fast-food restaurants is just the same, only harder. Resign yourself to ordering the burger and throwing away the bun. Find a salad, if you can, but discard the packet of salad dressing (consider carrying a bottle of your own vinaigrette). Or eat the all-day breakfast: eggs with tomatoes and mushrooms are acceptable, but avoid the sausage, steak, hash-browns, toast, waffles, syrup, and muffins.