Decades of scientific research now confirm that mom was absolutely right: vegetables really are good for you. They play a key role in warding off killers such as heart and arterial disease, many forms of cancer, plus dozens of other ailments–to say nothing of their ability to slow down the aging process.
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Hall Laboratories has actually come up with a line of “phytochemical” pills that purport to encapsulate the chief nutrients in foods such as broccoli, garlic, spinach, and tomatoes. But Consumer Reports on Health newsletter says no one can truthfully claim to have distilled the essence of broccoli down to just the two chemicals in the broccoli pill: “It will still take fruits and vegetables to do the job. That’s because the maximum benefit from produce may depend on interactions between various nutrients that occur in natural combinations in a produce-rich diet.”
I found the answer in ethnic restaurants. You would expect Indian and Chinese cooks to do great meatless things, but I was taken aback to learn there is now an Italian restaurant specializing in vegetarian dishes. When I arrived at Piatto Verde (334 W. Chicago, 335-3739) with an intrepid band of carnivores I was given a brief history of vegetarianism in Italy. The diet of the ancient Roman peasant was basically broth, pasta, vegetables, beans, and fruit; the Renaissance saw a renaissance of vegetarianism led by folks such as Leonardo da Vinci.
We also had a sprightly curry of a half dozen veggies in the chef’s “masala” or personal cooking base ($5.25), though I preferred the okra, or “bhindi,” in masala ($4.95). Sated after a meal that also included several wonderful Indian breads, one well-traveled, otherwise nonvegetarian companion pronounced the dinner “the best Indian meal of any kind I ever ate.”
