Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health

By Jo Robinson

Book Overview

The next stage in the food revolution: a radical way to select fruits and vegetables and reclaim the flavor and nutrients we've lost. 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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316227943
• ISBN13: 9780316227940
• Release Date: June 2013
• Publisher: Little Brown & Company
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

i first read this book through the library system...

i first read this book through my local library system and i loved it so much, i bought a copy. extremely relevant, timely information about how our grocery store food is slowly losing a ginormous % of its nutrient density through corporate streamlining of GMO and mainstream food species. the historical information about how humans naturally selected which varieties to keep and which to toss was incredibly interesting but then it goes on to show how that is playing out now in your local grocery store (yes even whole foods too). i also appreciated the guide to grocery store shopping, selecting more nutrient-dense varieties and learning about how to rebalance our bodies using lost varieties and explaining the minutia of what makes food nutrient dense in the first place. it has helped me seek out the varieties of food that contain more bioavailable nutrients, what to plant (if you garden), and why.

Engaging, fascinating stuff

This is a extremely readable book about many of the common vegetables we eat and how we got from the wild version to what we currently find in the produce section or farmers market. There are tons of simple-to-make changes that are useful for optimizing health and a wonderful format in which there are summary points at the end of every chapter. If you enjoy gardening, there are suggestions for what seed varieties to look for. As a nurse and someone who is very drawn to learning about health and optimizing well-being, I wanted to own and be able to re-read this book as well as share it with family and friends.