Salmon was abundant in North and South American and was consumed frequently by early Americans. Archaeologists have also discovered glyphs on cave walls in southern France that suggest that salmon was a staple part of the diet of even the Paleolithic man. It is safe to say, salmon have provided a mainstay meat source for thousands of years. Not only are they an excellent source of protein and healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, when compared to other fish, they are on the low end of the spectrum for mercury content.

Green, leafy vegetables come in many varieties and provide a wide array of nutrients. The consumption of green leafy vegetables is as old as mankind. Dating as far back as 120,000 years ago, in South Africa, the Khoisanoid (Bushmen) people are believed to be one of the oldest representations of early humans. These people had a strong history of collecting leafy vegetables from the wild and using them for various rituals, medicines, and of course as foodstuffs. In historical texts, including from Africa, India, Greece, Italy, China, Europe, and the United States, cultures around the world share in this rich history regarding the use of green, leafy veggies.

Garlic has been used in cuisines for health maintenance, and as medical remedy, since ancient Egypt. It is believed that the Egyptians consumed garlic as a part of their daily diet. Garlic is also mentioned in the Bible, where it was consumed for strength and to increase productivity. Garlic is mentioned in various other texts as well, from ancient Rome, Greece, China, Japan, and India; used for its perceived medicinal and nutritional benefits. It was even used during the earliest Olympics when athletes were fed garlic as a performance enhancer. Even Hippocrates, who is widely regarded as the father of western medicine, used garlic in some of his medical treatments.

Avocados (Persea americana) are believed to be one of the earliest consumed Meso-American fruits. Consumption of avocados dates back almost 10,000 years ago to Coxcaltan, a Peubla state of central Mexico as well as to the Tehuacan and Oaxaca valleys. Avocado trees grow between 10-12 feet high and have smooth leathery, green leaves. The fruits are a dark green or black when ripe. Avocados have a variety of shapes, some globular, some oval, and even some which are pear-shaped, leading to the nickname “alligator pear.”

Of at least 38,000 types of mushrooms, about 1000 of them are edible. Edibility may be defined by criteria that include absence of poisonous effects on humans and desirable taste and aroma. Recent studies, from preeminent mycologists such as Paul Stamets, suggest that consumption of certain mushrooms provide a myriad of beneficial physiological benefits, including improved immunity, reduced inflammation, lower cholesterol, and increased nutrient absorption. Since all mushrooms are heterotrophic, they assimilate nutrients through absorption of simple molecules, after first degrading what they are going to consume using enzymes that they release. Essentially, mushrooms decompose the stuff around them and make use of the constituent molecules/components.

Nutritional yeast (aka Nooch, Yeshi, or brufax) is a deactivated form of yeast, primarily Saccharomyce cerevisiae. Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. Nutritional yeast is yellow in color and sold as flakes, granules, or a powder-like form. It is typically grown (or cultured) on a mixture of cane and beet molasses, harvested and subsequently heated to kill the yeast, and finally washed and dried.

In common speech and cuisine, the term “berry” generically refers to any small, edible fruit with multiple seeds. Aggregate fruits, such as blackbery, raspberry, and boysenberry, are berries in this sense, but not botanically. While berries have been cultivated throughout human history, there are still many wild populations and the fruits are commonly foraged.

“Athens is named for the Goddess Athena who brought the olive to the Greeks as a gift. Zeus had promised to give Attica to the god or goddess who made the most useful invention. Athena's gift of the olive, useful for light, heat, food, medicine and perfume was picked as a more peaceful invention than Poseidon's horse - touted as a rapid and powerful instrument of war. Athena planted the original olive tree on a rocky hill that we know today as the Acropolis. The olive tree that grows there today is said to have come from the roots of the original tree.”