Noting that “Americans have a love affair with lists,” author David Grotto has pooled his experience as a dietician and former national spokespersons for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to put together extensive lists that offer diverse solutions for various conditions and information categories.
Based on the latest research on food and nutrition, The Best Things You Can Eat is designed to provide a single go-to source to reveal lists of the best foods organized into three main sections: ‘Vital Nutrients,’ ‘Best foods for Whatever Ails You’ and ‘Best In Show,’ which showcases the best in categories of grains, snacks or best foods for sleep, for example. The sections are further subdivided into categories which offer several lists within each. Section 2: Best Foods For Whatever Ails You includes the chapter entitled ‘Digest This!’ laying out the foods to give a “smooth move,” “soothe the stomach” or aid you when you’re “on the runs.” Other chapters in this section are: Hearty Foods, Sugar Blues, Oral Majority and Best for the Inside and Out. All in all there are 60 lists to aid in food remedies.
The lists are broken down into bite-size pieces of information that build on a clearly laid-out table/chart that reveals the summarized lists of foods for the category. The list for the Top 7 Sources of Insoluble Fiber, for example shows the “Sneak-A-Peek: Rankings at a Glance” chart of the foods, revealing the ranking, the food, the serving and amount in milligrams. The write up offers slightly more information on the condition or dietary need for the food, and then a more in-depth look at each food in the list. Some chapters also feature dietary recommendations and advice from various experts in the field, as with the list for ‘Foods to Raise a Little HDL,’ where nutrition expert Dr. Brill recommends limiting sugars and boosting fiber as just a couple of ways to “raise a little HDL.”
These lists provide easy-to-read-and-digest, well-rounded information that guides you to further research, if so desired. For example, the list that offers top foods for bad breath explains: “Eating foods that have a strong odor associated with them certainly can cause halitosis, or bad breath. But the driving force behind chronic halitosis is often poor dental care.” The book also includes text boxes containing tips, facts about various foods, and a section called ‘Shocker Food!’ which offers some surprising facts about food, such as polar bear liver having such as strong dose of vitamin A that it can kill you.
The Best Things You Can Eat offers a diverse and detailed but accessible resource to improving one’s health by choosing the best foods to eat.