The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition: How to Buy, Store, and Prepare Every Variety of Fresh Food

by Sheldon Margen

The single most authoritative guide to shopping and eating for better health and a longer life: The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition, with a directory of every nutrient from beta carotene to zinc.

Here is a comprehensive guide to more than 500 fresh and whole food -- all the familiar ones you are likely to find in a supermarket or greengrocer's, along with more exotic fare, from amaranth to tomatillo. A user-friendly format supplies all the information you need to compare, select, and prepare foods - so that you know you are buying the best for you and your family.

Every food entry provides:
• Latest Findings on the links between foods & disease prevention
• Nutritional Profiles showing calories, carbohydrates, protein, fats, fiber, and key vitamins & minerals
• Comprehensive Listings of different types and varieties
• Shopping Tips for choosing the freshest foods - and when/where they're available
• Best Storage Methods to preserve taste and nutritional value
• Cooking & Preparation Tips for retaining a food's nutrients
• Creative Serving Suggestions that include delicious new ideas along with healthier ways to prepare traditional dishes

Color photographs, charts, cooking glossary, complete nutritional directory, and hundreds of tips, shortcuts & food facts.

Genres: Reference, Nutrition, Health, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Cooking

512 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 1992

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable & remarkably accessible reference on precisely what the subtitle says: how to buy, how to store, and how best to prepare fresh food.

Regarding that last: this is not a cookbook, which is one reason why I find it so useful. I've got several very nice cookbooks; they tend to accumulate dust for years at a time. But this I use on at least a monthly basis. What they mean by "how best to prepare" food is on the level of the following partial entry on serving apricots (chosen at random):

"The delicate flavor of fresh apricots is best appreciated by eating them raw, preferably at room temperature. These fruits can also be used in any recipe that calls for nectarines or fresh, frozen, or canned peaches. Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and almond nicely complement apricots.

"Combine fresh or canned apricots with hot peppers, lime juice, chopped onions, and ground cumin for an imaginative version of fruit salsa to serve alongside chicken or fish. Or, add sliced fresh or canned apricots to chicken salad."

That's it - a general guide to how to serve the foodstuff (grain, fruit, vegetable, dairy, fish, meat, legume, etc.), along with general guidance on how to broil, grill, poach, etc. each item.

That's in addition to the handy nutritional info give for each item (like the FDA panels on the sides of packages, as well as the special 'boxed' info given for any given item: for apricots, e.g., there are boxed sub-entries on dried apricots and apricot nectar.

With regard to shopping, there are excellent pictures of different varieties (if any): the entry for salad greens features good photos of green leaf, red leaf, Bibb, red oak leaf, green oak leaf, Boston, romaine, and iceberg lettuces.

All in all, the best general reference on food I've ever seen. Highly recommended.

[Alicia Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book for close to 20 years. It's a great reference for those questions nutrition questions that come up. For me these are usually one of two kinds: a) "Are there any nutritional benefits to eating X?" and b) "Which is better, nutritionally, X or Y?" It never lets me down. It has other interesting information including how to prepare and store different foods, and something of their history. But it's when I'm wondering if watermelon represents more than sugar water, or if quinoa is healthier than brown rice, that the book's value comes through.

[Gretchen Heimlich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my most oft-referenced book. I wish they would publish a new edition, but this one is still great, I love it. Includes nutritional information, interesting facts, shopping tips, storage, preparation and cooking tips of practically every fruit, vegetable, grain, seed, nut, or meat you're likely to come across. And I've probably forgotten some things...

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my best resource when I first took an interest in the nuances of eating healthily. Although I now aspire to learn the art of traditional cuisines, which have nutrition built into them, this book was a great launching place for me as I waded through the grocery store: Which melon is healthier, honeydew or cantalope? What are the pros and cons of bulghur vs. couscous vs. quinoa? How much of a difference is there between the nutritional profile of kale vs. spinach? How can I pick out a good avocado? Even answers questions like, Why does asparagus make your pee stink? (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, it's probably because you're one of the 40% of the population for whom that doesn't happen!) I still pick it up from time to time, but I've basically read it from cover to cover.

[Jennifer Fenwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have used this book more than any other book I have owned. It gives a nutrition overview of every food imaginable. It gives you tips on how to prepare each type of food, how to pick the freshest individual foods at the grocery store, and it has lots of little random tidbits of info thrown around. Awesome book.

[Tat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful reference book for the kitchen. The book is divided into sections: vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat, grains, etc. Each section lists individual foods, and for each food entry, there is information on proper storage, shelf life, nutritional benefits (and detriments, if any), and ideas about food preparation and serving.

[Nand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book as a ready reference. Not only does it have a wide array of nutritional information, on a huge variety of produce but gives recommendations on basic preparations. I've had it for many years now.

[Tammy Abode · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must have book . Everyone should own one

[Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend of mine had a copy because it was on her reading list for school (she was getting her MA in nutrition). I ordered it off of abe.com for $1.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite food guide. Basic common sense and fun with food...all kinds of food. I read this all the time.

[Cws]

613.2 Mar