The Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook. Laura Lea

some of my

       favorites when cooked properly. Cruciferous

       vegetables have particularly potent anti-

       inflammatory compounds.

      • Leafy green vegetables. Kale has its own

       empire for good reason, but so should

       spinach, Swiss chard, bok choy, arugula,

       and collard greens. Leafy greens are packed

       with crucial antioxidants, which help

       quell damage from environmental toxins,

       chemicals in our body and beauty products,

       stress, over-exercise, processed foods, and

       medications. This class of vegetable is also

       rich in the alphabet of vitamins—A, B, C,

       D, E, K—and minerals, such as calcium,

       magnesium, and folate. And let’s not forget

       about the lettuce family, such as Bibb,

       romaine, and butter lettuces, all of which

       contain many healing compounds.

      • Starchy vegetables. My absolute favorites!

       Here we have jewel-toned beauties like sweet

       potatoes, yams, and beets, winter squashes

       like acorn and butternut, carrots, potatoes,

       and parsnips. These veggies have a higher

       sugar and starch content than others,

       making them ideal candidates for roasting

       and caramelizing. But they bring more to

       the table than just flavor—they contain

       a host of nutrients, insoluble fiber (which

       helps create bulk in your digestive system

       to push out waste), and soluble fiber

       (a natural stool softener . . . no other way

       to say it, guys).

      • Allium vegetables. A.k.a., the smelly guys—

       garlic, onions, scallions, leeks, shallots, and

       chives all fit into this category. I say bring

       ’em on! The sulfides responsible for the

       pungent aroma in these bulbous vegetables

      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