Here is the simple rule for me: If it is a REAL FOOD, then EAT IT. If not, then don't eat it.
The other important rule is that it must be ORGANIC, to avoid ruining your good food with bad chemicals. I very rarely eat things that aren't grow or certified organic, but if I do, I make sure they are soaked and scrubbed very well.
Read the labels on EVERYTHING. Better yet, stay away from labels and buy things that are WHOLE FOOD. Unless they are all WHOLE ingredients (this is rare, unless you are shopping in the right places, but does exist) then don't buy it. If it has a list of ingredients that you can't pronounce or don't know what it is, then DON'T EAT IT. Also, ask yourself is it vibrant, life-giving, colorful, full of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, healthy fats, and nutrient dense?
If it is something that will HELP improve my health, then I eat it. If it is something that won't HELP my health, the cost to digest it, is too high. So I don't eat. I consume only what is worth the energy that my body has to spend to digest.
Here is a list of all the ORGANIC healthy foods I eat:
VEGETABLES
***Strive to always eat organic. And never genetically modified (GMO)
ALL Vegetables, especially dark leafy greens and rainbow colored fruits and vegetables.
I have been back on forth on the nightshade vegetables, which some people feel should be avoided as they aggravate autoimmune responses as well as the Cruciferous vegetables (particularly raw) that could affect thyroid. I cut all these out of my diet at one point, but it did not help, and in the end I feel strongly that each vegetable and fruit has been helpful vitamins, nutrients, and phytochemicals that help our bodies function optiminally, help reverse disease, and keep us well. I EAT ALL OF THEM.
The top common vegetables in order of healthiest and most nutrient dense, according to the Worlds Healthiest Foods are as follows: Spinach, beet greens, turnip greens, swiss chard, asparagus, Mustard Greens, Bok Choy, Mushrooms (Crimini), Kale, Broccoli, Parsely, Sea Vegetables, Tomatoes, Romaine Lettuce, Bell Peppers, Summer Sqaush, Cabbage.
If you cannot buy ORGANIC or grow your own, please stay away from the vegetables on the dirty dozen list (which are the highest in pesticide residue when conventionally grown.)
Celery, Spinach, Sweet bell peppers, Cucumbers, Cherry, tomatoes, Imported snap peas, Potatoes.
FRUITS
***Strive to always eat organic. And never genetically modified (GMO)
ALL FRUITS, especially dark berries.
I have been back on forth on the sugar content in fruit which some say spikes blood sugar, and feeds cancer cells. I have researched many stories of people who healed cancer on an all fruit diet as well as corrected diabetes using fruit. In the end, I believe dispite the sugar content, each whole (Not dried) fruit has been helpful vitamins, nutrients, and phytochemicals that help our bodies function optimally, help reverse disease, and keep us well. I EAT ALL OF THEM, though I try to make sure that my ratio of fruit to vegetable is 30/70.
The top common fruits in order of healthiest and most nutrient dense, according to the Worlds Healthiest Foods are as follows: Pineapple, Strawberries, Cantaloupe, Kiwifruit, Oranges, Lemons and limes, Grapefruit, blueberries. Berries of all kind in my opinion are a powerhouse of nutrition.
If you cannot buy ORGANIC or grow your own, please stay away from the fruits on the dirty dozen list (which are the highest in pesticide residue when conventionally grown.
Apples, peaches, Nectarines, strawberries, Grapes
NUTS/SEEDS - I eat them all, only organic and preferably raw and sprouted. Particularly seeds. Limit peanuts, and choose almonds more often.
SPROUTS - Make your own organic sprouts. Sprouts, particularly broccoli and sunflower are powerhouses and have 200 times the amount of nutrients than the actual vegetable.
HERBS - Grow your own organic herbs. Use them to season foods. They have antibacterial properties and cleansing properties and are full of nutrition.
SUPERFOODS - I use high quality superfoods in powder form and add them to smoothies, etc. David Wolfe and other similar products that are REAL FOOD with limited processing and nothing else added, except the high quality organic food - in dried, fresh, or frozen form.
STARCHES
Organic unrefined Oats, groats, rice, grains, barely, millet, beans, lentils, potatoes, etc. Do not be afraid of these foods! I went off them for so long worrying about them, but in the end I believe that they are helpful and necessary for the human body. Many (Most) are gluten free! They are the staff of life, do not be afraid of the hype. They have sustained cultures for thousands of years. Ever wonder how all those poor people in China and Africa who barely have anything to eat at all survive for so long? STARCHES. Organic whole grains and rices. Where I once avoided these like the plague, I now consider them integral to sustaining life.
OILS/FATS - I go back and forth on oils. Currently, I use high quality organic cold pressed olive oil and coconut oil and organic butter and ghee. This changes, but currently I believe fats are good for you in high quality limited amounts. Although it is always better to eat the REAL FOOD, rather than just the oil, which has no real nutritional value. For instance, eat the whole OLIVE, the whole COCONUT. I try to eat my oils raw, in their pure form and never use them to cook. Saute or steam your food in water or broth or sauce. Heated oils are not good for you.
SPICES - Spices are powerhouses as well, turmeric, ginger, and garlic are my winners. Buy the whole food from of spices when you can. Sprinkle dried organic spices to flavor meals often.
ANIMAL PRODUCTS
FISH
- Wild caught fish. (Obviously you can't have organic, but stay away from farm fed even if organic. You lose out on everything that the fish naturally eat in the ocean.)
- Limit LARGE fish for mercury content. (ex. Tuna. Although I love tuna and do eat it because it has many other health benefits and is actually the top fish for specific highest value of nutrients.)
- Choose Salmon, halibut, sardines, cod, etc.
I have been back and forth on all animal products including fish because of the pollutants, specifically in our waters and do not want to ingest any mercury or other harmful toxins, but in the end, I believe that man has been eating fish since the beginning of time and it is truly full of wonderful nutrients including omega's and iodine and vitamin B12 that our specifically lacking in vegan food.
MEAT
I go back and forth on meat, almost constantly. I have gone straight vegan, straight raw vegan, and I have been paleo -- I cannot decide whether meat is our friend or foe. When I am vegan I worry about cutting out the iron and vitamin B12 and other nutrients that are found in meat products, and worry about deficiencies. When I am eating meat, I worry about toxins and unhealthy fats that feed cancer and disease. At this point, I believe, that SOME meat (that comes from a good organic source) is healthy for the human body in small amounts and it should be considered a side dish, (all animal products should make up no more than 25% of your total diet in my opinion)
Avoid all Feedlot animals, and only grass fed, pasture raised, free range animals. This avoids exposure to hormones, antibiotics, carcinogens.
BROTHS -- I make high quality bone broth from Organic Chicken and add many vegetables to make this stock which I feel promotes healing and has many healing compounds.
DAIRY
I go back and forth on dairy all the time. When I eat dairy, I eat high quality organic sources only. Raw milk cheese, Keifer, and organic goat yogurt and milk. I feel dairy has many probiotics that the body can use to heal the gut. But I struggle with whether animal products in general are bad for health overall and cause disease. Currently, I still include it for the nutrient value in high quality form, but it is a small part of my diet.
If you drink milk or consume any kind of dairy, the only milk products you should be consuming are raw and unprocessed. Pasteurization kills beneficial enzymes and other nutrients that help boost your immune system, and homogenization renders the butterfat in milk toxic and pro-inflammatory due to changes in its molecular structure.
EGGS
I go back and forth on eggs as well, but I believe Eggs to be much better than meat (for the reason that it is much highly concentrated and more easily digested in nutrients. The eggs are the healthiest as they are growing and have not yet been introduced to toxins, except through the mother. Eggs, in theory, could be classified a super food for all their nutritional benefit (raw). When we cook them, they change, and they lose some benefit, but if you don't cook them you run the risk of bacteria especially if not a free range grass fed egg.
SWEETENERS
Raw honey and royal jelly has many healh benefits and a powerhouse of healing properties when used raw and in moderation.
I use raw coconut nectar to sweeten something.
Those are the only two sweeteners I use.
DANGEROUS FOODS I NEVER EAT
Gluten (Wheat products, unless it is Ezekiel bread, I sometimes eat that) If it is certified organic and sprouted whole grain bread then I will eat it.
Anything in a box with ingredients other than real whole foods
Anything with additives, preservatives, colors
Anything with MSG or any form of added glutamate
Anything GMO (Here is a list of the most common GMO foods in the American food supply. Soy, Corn, Canola, Sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, Alfalfa, Yellow squash, Zucchini.) Organic is safe.
JUICING
Buy a juicer. Any good kind that you will use and juice in order to flood your body with nutrients, vitamins, minerals that can go directly to the cells, bypassing the need for your body to work at digestion. The juice is said to be able to get to your cells within 20 minutes, and absorbed into your blood stream. This is such a good way to flood your body with vital nutrients for cell repair. Try to make your juices 80% veg/20% fruit (so that it's enjoyable, but not loaded with sugar from the fruit)
I have gone back and forth on juicing because of straining out the fiber, and possibility of being too hard on blood sugar. But overall I do believe it foundational in a healing program.
BLENDING
Buy a vitamix. Period. You will thank me.
Blending is one of the healthiest forms of EATING. You are taking a Whole Food, breaking it down quickly yet leaving all the nutrients in tact, and consuming all of the fiber, along with vitamins minerals and phytochemicals without losing another, and making it easier for your body to digest and absorb and do less work.
I have considered the potential downfalls of blending which have been said to be changing the chemical make-up of nutrients by the force of the blade. As well as that there is something to be said for chewing as the body makes chemicals in the mouth as part of chewing that aid digestion and absorption in the body that you might be by-passing by blending not chewing. Also, be careful not to consume too much sugar from fruit in smoothies.
In the end, I believe blending to be foundational in a healing program.
RAW VS COOKED
I go back and forth on this all the time. I have been both completely raw and also had cooked foods. I believe cooked foods to be easier to digest and contain most of the health benefits. I also believe that the more raw foods you eat, the more nutrients you will get. Eating a fruit or plant right off the tree or ground leaves every nutrient in tact, killing and changing nothing, and giving straight nutrition to the body. That is why juicing and blending raw foods is a foundation. Some foods need to be cooked for texture and in order to eat them. Don't stress over this. Cook them and eat them, rather than not include them in your diet. My rule of thumb, is if it tastes good raw then eat it. If it is a food that needs to be cooked like squash or potatoes or oats and rice. Cook it and eat.
WATER
Drink LOTS of Fresh clean water.
The best water you can get is spring water. City water is the worst.
I get spring Water and filter it with my Berky Water filter.
If you happen to be on city water, you must filter your water for safety. Your drinking water will most likely be contaminated with high levels of fluoride and chlorine, both very harmful substances. As well as other toxic contaminants, including arsenic, prescription medications, and other poisons. The fluoride in your water isn’t the same as the naturally occurring mineral fluorine, it is an industrial waste byproduct of the phosphate fertilizer industry.
If it’s not financially feasible to buy a whole-house water filtration system (such as Pelican Water Systems), I suggest the Berkey Water Filter (which I use!), as an affordable option, which will eliminate most chemicals.
LIST OF ENVIRONMENTAL/OTHER HARMFUL THINGS TO AVOID BECAUSE OF TOXIC & HARMFUL INGREDIENTS AND WHAT YOU SHOULD USE INSTEAD
(Buy a healthier safer option from your health food store or make yourself - find alternatives and recipes online)
- Conventional Toothpaste/Mouthwash/Dental Floss - Choose Natural Safe Products instead with no toxic ingredients instead.
- Hair, Skin, Lotions, Soaps and Personal Care - Choose Natural Safe Products instead with no toxic ingredients
- Deodorant, Sunscreen, and Hand Sanitizer, and Feminine Products - Choose Natural Safe products instead with no toxic ingredients.
- Cleaning Supplies, Laundry Detergent, Dishwashing Detergent - Choose Natural Safe products instead with no toxic ingredients
- Teflon Cookware - Choose cast iron, Cooper, or Stainless Steel instead.
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