-Thanks to the Italians, the Baby Boomers are no longer eating chops, carrot rings, “Surprise” peas and Deb potato several nights per week.
-Pasta has a lower GI (glycaemic index) than rice especially when the pasta is cooked al dente (only just cooked, not cooked until gluggy). Living in Australia, it makes more sense, environmentally, to grow wheat because it uses less water. Hence, more recipes in this book incorporate pasta.
-A great way to increase our vegetable intake is to take a jar of tomato sauce as a base and cook extra vegetables in the sauce. Tomatoes, especially cooked tomatoes contain antioxidants (such as lycopene). A high intake of tomatoes has been liked with a lower incidence of some chronic diseases such as prostate cancer.
-If no fresh vegetables, use canned or frozen vegetables which are usually just as nutritious as fresh fruit and vegetables. They are preserved as soon as they are picked and will retain more nutrients than fresh vegetables or fruit that have been stored in fridge for over a week.
-Try adding a handful (or more) of chopped edible "weeds" such as sow thistle, mallow, amaranth, stinging nettle, nightshade or sea celery (if you are near the coast). See my edible weeds page.
-When cheese is eaten with cooked tomatoes the calcium is made more bioavailable.