Investigative science journalist Jo Robinson’s most recent book, Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link To Optimum Health is the perfect guide to have on your kitchen counter in summer when many fruits and vegetables are at their best. This delightful text will tell you whether cooking your carrot or eating it raw will deliver the most nutrients (and why), when to let your food rest after tearing or pressing (the 10 minute “press and rest” rule for garlic), and how to get the most phytonutrients from 9 groups of vegetables and 8 of fruit. It’s a favorite of mine- a well-organized easy reference that includes information on the wild origins of the produce we now buy in our grocery store.

Eating on the Wild Side includes chapters on: Alliums, greens and root crops, tomatoes, cruciferous veggies, legumes, and the “A” grouping, “artichokes, asparagus and avocados”, among others. Part Two is devoted to fruits: Apples, berries, stone fruits, grapes and raisins, citrus fruits, tropical fruits and melons. Spoiler alert — Chapter 17 is entitled: “Melons: Light in Flavor and Nutrition.” As I often say, “all whole foods do have some nutritional benefit, but the question becomes, how much, and is there an overriding downside to an insulin spike with that particular fruit or vegetable?” I try to get the most of my food choices and dollars by using a higher carb less nutrient-dense vegetable only as an accent.

Ms. Robinson is also the New York Times best-selling author of Pasture Perfect. She has spent more than 20 years researching the benefits of raising animals on pasture and presenting peer-reviewed data to ranchers, governmental agencies, and agricultural groups. Her other books include The Omega Diet written with Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, an exploration of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Jo Robinson lives on Vashon Island, Washington, a short ferry ride from Seattle and is developing a test garden for relatives of wild plants. She has authored or co-authored fourteen books, one of which was featured in an hour-long PBS special.  

You can follow Jo Robinson at www.eatwild.com