Dr. Weil's cooking dos and don'ts; create healthier and more delicious meals with these easy tips from Andrew Weil, M.D

Natural Health, May-June, 2002 by Donna Coco

Beans, Grains, & Nuts

* DO choose dried beans over canned whenever possible. "It's not that hard to soak them overnight and cook them," says Weil. "I make hummus a lot, and I always start with dried chickpeas. I think it tastes better." But if you like the convenience of canned beans, go ahead and use them, he says, because their nutritional values are similar to dried. However, canned beans sometimes contain a lot of sodium, so read labels. (You only need about 1 g of sodium daily, says Weil.)

* DON'T buy a lot of foods made with white flour, like most breads, cereals, and baked goods. White flour has been stripped of its fiber and nutrients, Weil explains, and your body converts it too quickly to sugar, which can lead to a number of health problems, including weight gain. "I don't eat a lot of bread," says Weil. "The bread that I eat, my favorite breads, are sour-dough and whole-grain rye bread. I like grainy, chewy bread. But I think that I eat a fraction of the flour that most Americans eat." If you buy flour, make sure it's organic, Weil says, because wheat is heavily sprayed with pesticides.

* DO enjoy pasta, says Weil, but choose organic durum wheat (semolina) varieties or Asian noodles like udon, soba, and cellophane (which don't contain white flour). And don't smother noodles with heavy cream sauces.

* DON'T overcook pasta. Cook it to al dente, which means slightly firm. Al dente pasta is healthier, Weil says. Because it takes your body longer to digest firm noodles, your blood sugar levels will be lower than if you eat softer pasta.

* DO buy unrefined grains, whole and cracked, like wheatberries, black rice, and quinoa, suggests Weil. They're a nutritious, delicious, and filling source of complex carbohydrates and a good source of energy. Boil grains until they're tender and then mix them with cooked vegetables, recommends Weil, or use them in cold salads dressed with a vinaigrette. (For great grain recipes, see "Summer Salads that Satisfy," page 92.)

* DON'T pick roasted nuts over raw. "Raw nuts last much longer. Once nuts have been heated, they're going to spoil much quicker," explains Weil, who adds that you can easily roast nuts yourself. "I like some roasted nuts. I like roasted almonds, but I also like raw almonds. There are some nuts that I really prefer raw, like cashews and pistachios."

* DO be choosy about where you buy your nuts. "I think [the supermarket chain] Trader Joe's has really good-quality nuts. They turn over fast. I usually buy my nuts there--usually raw, unsalted nuts that are sealed in packages," says Weil. "If I'm going to buy nuts from a nut bin, I smell them." If you detect a linseed oil or oil-paint smell, they've gone bad. And always store nuts in your refrigerator.

Fats & Oils

* DO purchase extra-virgin olive oil and use it for sauteing. (Well buys organic oils whenever possible.) Most of the fats in this plant oil are monounsaturated, which helps to lower your LDL ("bad") cholesterol and raise your HDL ("good") cholesterol. And it doesn't oxidize when heated. Oxidized oils contain free radicals, which are dangerous to your health. However, never heat any oil so that it starts to smoke, cautions Weil, because then it will also begin to oxidize. Exposure to light and air will also speed the oxidation of oils.