12 Best Foods
By Wanda A. Adams DEBORAH BOOKER | The Honolulu Advertiser
The 12 best foods? Now, there's a concept that'd spark a debate at a nutritionists' convention.
But Dana Jacobi, a New York-based writer, food consultant and enthusiastic home cook, says that, in writing her "12 Best Foods Cookbook" (Rodale, 2005, $21.95 paperback), her aim wasn't to stir up controversy.
She was just trying to figure out what to eat to garner the most health benefits — not just nutritional components, but disease-fighting agents found in foods. "My impulse to write the book was partly for myself, as well as to help others who are reading almost every day about one of these things being really good for you because of this or that component in the food," she said.
The more she learned, however, the more complex it got. Some components only do their work if they're eaten daily; others must be eaten raw, or in combination with other foods that help make their nutrients available. Jacobi began investigating and putting together food combinations and food categories that would offer the most significant health impact.
She came up with her top 12: Black beans, blueberries, broccoli, dark chocolate, oats, onions, salmon, soy, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and walnuts.
"By no means am I saying these are the only foods you should eat," she said in a phone conversation from her New York City home. "What I'm saying is, remember these foods when you're blasting through the supermarket with kids hanging off the shopping cart — these are the important bases to cover, foods that will put a floor under your diet."
Her definition of "best" combined three factors:
In fact, more than 70 foods are included in the recipes in the book, and these were chosen for the same reasons. For example, there's lots of fresh corn in the book because it contains anti-cancer agents and fiber.
Jacobi gave a lot of thought to practicality. For example, alliums — a group that includes garlic and onions — are an important food for their anti-inflammatory and blood-thinning properties. But you really need to eat them raw to get the most benefit. She thought many people would draw the line at eating a lot of raw garlic, but might be able to manage thin-sliced raw onions in a salad, or a handful of minced onions thrown on top of a soup as garnish.
Jacobi describes herself as a disciple of Dr. William Willett (author of "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating; Free Press, 2002) and the Mediterranean diet, rich in unrefined carbohydrates, fresh fruits and vegetables and lean protein sources. "I believe that, depending on your personal circumstances, your own health picture, it is OK for up to 35 percent of the diet to be 'good' fats. My basic philosophy is: Everything is OK in moderation."
Which is why, for example, bacon is used occasionally in the book. But she takes the trouble to explain how bad nitrites are for you and to suggest seeking out nitrite-free cured meats.
Jacobi is equally realistic about the real-world interest of Americans in improving their diets: "While interest is clearly rising, I think for the total population, it's appallingly low." She believes this is because people like to eat what they were raised with, they aren't willing to spend much time learning about new foods, and their time for cooking is extremely limited.
She says two factors tend to play a role in sparking people's interest: when they begin to pay the health price for indulgence, and when they have children.
For this reason, the focus in her book is on the simplest possible recipes for the most possible flavor impact. Steam broccoli and whir it together with a couple of ingredients for a gorgeous emerald puree.
Roast sweet potatoes and mash with three spices. Buy some smoked salmon, put it on a plate, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on finely chopped onion. Make a salad of grape tomatoes and chopped watermelon (you can buy the watermelon already in chunks) and whisk a couple of ingredients into a vinaigrette; add feta to make it an entree salad.
She chose foods she likes — sweet potatoes, onions, blueberries and especially oatmeal.
Advertiser Food Editor
Dana Jacobi
