Matthews Kathy - Superfoods Rx: fourteen foods that will change your life

With the advent of fast-food chains and TV dinners, the whole idea of fresh vegetables and healthy foods was essentially forgotten by most of America. But little by little we are seeing a resurgence of interest in and commitment to healthy foods with greenmarkets springing up and organic foods being sold in supermarkets. SuperFoods Rx is the next major step forward in the food-health connection, and I am certain that people are ready to appreciate that what we eat can act as good or bad medicine.

While most of us are well aware that food choices are important to health, very few people realize that foods can actually promote health. This is good news to us all because it means that instead of worrying about what foods we should avoid, it introduces an era when we can, at last, embrace foodsparticularly SuperFoodsas allies in our quest to live long, healthy lives.

We are constantly increasing our awareness and knowledge that we are what we eat. The Wall Street Journal recently featured articles including Yes, There Are Some Healthy Snacks That Your Kids Will Actually Eat, Toward Smarter Snacks, and Big-Brand Logos Pop Up in Organic Aisle. The very next day in the same publication was a half-page color spread of fruits and vegetables by a major food company welcoming the message Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases (July 10, 2003, U.S. National Cancer Institute, as endorsed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration).

SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life is an exciting concept based strongly in academic science and peer-reviewed research clinical trials conducted by some of the worlds leading clinicians and research scholars. My close friend Steve Pratt, M.D., has devoted many hours to nutrition and its science and implementation, and this book is the exciting culmination of those efforts.

Steve and I have been practicing physicians, colleagues, and close friends in southern California for more than twenty years. In addition to being practicing specialists, we also are interested in the entire patient. My original background was in family medicine where I first became board certified in family practice. Steve is also a physician interested in the entire well-being of his patients. Thus, the inquiry and journey from treatment to prevention to concern for the whole patient has always been an important part of our medical practices. As the former CEO of the world-renowned Scripps Clinic, I can state that physicians in all of our specialties are gaining an increasing awareness of the role that nutrition and foods play in our patients and their disease processes. I think the important underlying concept of SuperFoods Rx that certain foods can promote and enhance healthwill be embraced by all health care practitioners as well as the general public. Its a book whose time has come.

The SuperFoods Rx Lifestyle Pyramid is of particular interest to those looking for a balanced, healthy lifestyle. It includes more than just food. Steve correctly includes exercise, stress management, faith, friendship, laughter, daydreaming, sleep, and other elements necessary for a long-standing, healthy life.

I am pleased to be continuing to work with Dr. Pratt in all aspects of medicine, especially our research efforts. Together we are looking at what foods might function as natural sunscreens in the plant world and how such information can help and protect us in the future. Both the eye and the skin provide a window into the inner aspects of our bodies, so our research is important for a multiplicity of reasons.

Change can be both challenging and difficult for all of us. To think that overnight you and I would fully incorporate the fourteen SuperFoods into our daily routine may be unrealistic. Heres how I plan to do it: I plan to add one SuperFood a week to my life in 2004. Call me in January 2005 and I bet Ill both be and feel healthier than ever!

Steve remains at the forefront of helping each of us live better, longer, and more productive lives with his research, leadership, and forward thinking in nutritional medicine. I hope that SuperFoods Rx will help you find a better, healthier future.

HUBERT (HUGH) T. GREENWAY, M.D.,
CEO emeritus, Scripps Clinic,
chairman, Mohs Dermatologic Surgery

Each time you sit down to a meal, youre making life-and-death decisions. Does that sound scary? At first blush it truly is. But heres how I see it: you have an exciting opportunityone that wasnt available even a few years agoto make choices that will change the course of your lifespan and your health span. You are making decisions right now, at your very next meal, that will affect how you spend the rest of your life, whether youre 22 years old or 62.

See this book as a fork in the road:

One way leads to a handicapped space in front of the mega-drugstore. Youre 68 years old and youre struggling to navigate to the back of the store where the pharmacist has your meds waiting. He greets you cheerfully; he knows you well. Youre taking nine prescription medications and on a good day, you can walk around the block with your grandson. On a bad day, you log a lot of TV time. You fill your basket with your prescriptions and a few over-the-counter medicines. You shake your head sadly when the elderly man behind you in line says, Old age isnt for the faint of heart, is it?

Theres another choice. You pull up to the farmers market. Youre 68 years old and youve just finished a tennis game with some pals or an hour of satisfying work in your garden. You grab a basket and fill it with delicious fruits and vegetables. Youre thrilled to see that blueberries have come into season and you stock up on spinach and orange bell peppers. There are no ripe tomatoes yet but the broccoli looks perfect. Youve got friends coming over for dinner so youll stop by the fish market for some wild Alaskan salmon. Maybe youll pick up some almonds; youve been meaning to try that new dessert recipe. You duck out of line for a moment to grab a small red cabbage and smile when the cashier says, I dont know where you get your energy!

Its a simple choice, really: the right foods or prescription drugs.

Of course no one can guarantee that one will ensure youll avoid the other. But there is enough evidencesome published, some just being reported at medical conferencesthat the power of certain foods can make a significant difference in your risk of developing a host of diseases. This is extremely exciting because it puts the tools in your hand, and on your plate, to change your future.

SuperFoods Rx is based on a very simple concept: some foods are better than others for your health. We could all guess that an apple is better for you than a potato chip. But what about choosing between a couple of pretzels and a few walnuts? Did you know that eating a handful of nuts a few times a week can reduce your risk of getting a heart attack by at least 15 percent and perhaps as much as 51 percent? Even if you smoke, are overweight, and never exercise. Thats how powerful certain foods are.

SuperFoods Rx presents the fourteen known nutritional powerhouse foods that can help you extend your health spanthe extent of time you have to be healthy, vigorous, and vitalas well as, perhaps, your lifespan. These are the foods that have been proven to help prevent and, in some cases, reverse the well-known scourges of aging, including cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers, and even dementia.