The modern synthetic diet, formulated to appeal to our inherent attraction to sugar, salt, fats, and calories at the expense of nutrition, leaves us over-fed and under-nourished. A considerable portion of chronic human diseases, including diabetes and heart disease, appear to be related largely to a diet that is inadequate in the essential vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and other constituents found in natural, unprocessed foods.
Employing a no-nonsense, tabular format, Vegetables and Fruits: Nutritional and Therapeutic Values presents detailed information on nutritional and therapeutic constituents and their applications for more than 200 vegetables and fruits currently available in North American markets. Edited by one of the world's best known and respected researchers, this comprehensive reference guide begins with a general introduction to essential human values such as protein, minerals, vitamins, and fiber.
Five tables list nutritional and therapeutic values, vitamin and mineral content, and flavonoid, isoflavone, and carotenoid presence in raw vegetables. The sixth presents uses of vegetables and fruits to maintain health and fight disease. Five appendices provide lists of scientific and English names, as well as a review of chemical compounds and their sources.
Today, dietitians agree that plant foods should comprise the major part of the healthy human diet. Moreover, they have determined that fruits and vegetables are the keys to obtaining not just adequate vitamins and minerals, but a wide variety of other elements that can contribute therapeutically to human health. With the increasing emphasis on good nutrition and healthy eating, this handy guide is crucial to ensuring optimal nutrition from a plant-based diet.
Industry Reviews
While primarily written for researchers, manufacturers, and producers, much of the information is applicable to others, such as public health educators, nutritionists, dieticians, and business entrepreneurs. The healthful properties in vegetables and fruits shown in this superb book can help prevent disease and make people's lives healthier. This title is an authoritative, comprehensive, and informative reference tool. It is highly recommended for public and academic libraries. --Fu Zhuo, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, in Journal of Agricultural & Food Information, 10:80, 2009 Vegetables and Fruits presents detailed information on more than 200 fruits and vegetables. It lists the nutrients and the medicinal value each food was used for over the years by different cultures around the world. The chemical components are cross-referenced to the foods they are contained in, making it easy to locate. Excellent research was done by the author to put all this valuable information together. Vegetables and Fruits will prove to be an invaluable source to refer to by seasoned researchers as well as students first starting out. Well organized and easy to understand by everyone. --MAKING SCENTS, 2010 ! lists over 200 fruits and vegetables with a highly complete listing outlining each piece of produce's protein, minerals, flavonoid contents and more- quite literally everything and anything one would wish to know. --James A. Cox in Midwest Book Review, 2008 This book is clearly a reference on nutritional and therapeutic components found in fruits and vegetables. The list given is enormous and is certainly not limited to the use of fruits and vegetables in the United States. ... by thumbing through the book you will be convinced that consuming a diversity of fruits and vegetables is a healthy habit. --Joost Bogemans, Intellicrops, Ninove, Belgium, in Economic Botany, 2009, 63(2)
