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have been shown to improve cardiovascular

and cholesterol health. While you may enjoy

them raw (kudos), they’re divine cooked up

and softened in some good fat. A tip I learned

from integrative oncologist Dr. Santosh Rao is

to allow garlic to sit 10 minutes after mincing

and before combining with something acidic,

as this allows for the conversion of beneficial

compounds. Also, when mincing garlic, first

slice in half vertically to see if there’s a green

stem in the middle. If so, remove this garlic

“germ”; it has a bitter flavor.

• Non-starchy colorful vegetables. And this is

the lovely category of everything in between!

This includes bell peppers and other

peppers, turnips, asparagus, artichokes,

celery, eggplant, jicama, sugar snap peas,

green beans, pumpkins, cucumbers,

zucchini, summer squash, and tomatoes

(which are technically a fruit but are

generally viewed as a veg). All are gloriously

nutritious and delectable in their own right,

and I urge you to play around with different

ways to enjoy them.

Gorgeous fruit: My husband and I usually

prefer to eat fruit as a snack or with breakfast,

and I enjoy several servings every day. Fruit

is nature’s candy, as scrumptious as it is

beautiful to look at. Most fruits are fiber

powerhouses, and each variety contains its

own rainbow of vitamins and minerals. Some

fruits are higher in sugar than others, so I’ve

categorized them according to their sugar

content. This is not a prescription for how

much is too much—that’s up to your body.

However, it is worth understanding that fruit

can have a significant impact on your blood

sugar. When cutting dried fruit, rubbing a thin

layer of oil on a knife before cutting makes it

much easier and faster.

• Low-sugar fruits. Blackberries, cranberries,

raspberries, avocado (indeed, it is a fruit!),

lemons, limes, and rhubarb

• Moderate-sugar fruits. Strawberries,

blueberries, watermelon, nectarines,

peaches, papaya, apples, grapefruit,

honeydew, cantaloupe, and apricots

• High-sugar fruits. Pineapple, banana,

mango, plums, pears, oranges, kiwis,

cherries, figs, and dried fruit

Allergy versus Intolerance

versus Sensitivity

GLUTEN

I know your head is probably spinning from

the gluten-free bug that’s swept the nation in

the past several years, but here’s the deal with

gluten. Gluten is a protein found in certain

grains like wheat, barley, rye, and spelt. People

who have celiac disease cannot tolerate even

a speck of gluten because it will cause their

bodies to start to attack its own tissue. Celiac

disease affects only a small percentage of

the population, but allergies, sensitivities,

and intolerances to gluten are much more

common. Allergy symptoms tend to show

up immediately after ingesting a food, in the

form of hives or rashes, difficulty breathing,

nausea and vomiting, and irritation of the

throat or mouth. A gluten allergy doesn’t

tend to cause the same amount of long-term

damage to the intestines as celiac disease.

Intolerances or sensitivities are more difficult

to diagnose, because the symptoms can

appear more slowly. Usually, these symptoms

include mental and physical fatigue, digestive

upset such as bloating or constipation,

and headaches. If you experience any of

these, I suggest working with a health-care

professional to cut gluten out of your diet for

Cruciferous

vegetables,

like cabbage,

kale, Brussels

sprouts, and

radishes, are a

fantastic defense

against chronic

inflammation.