Choosing what to eat now for optimal health can be very confusing. We are in the midst of “The diet wars”. There are various experts recommending conflicting ways of eating including: paleo, keto, vegan, vegetarian, Mediterranean diet, grain free, gluten free and so it goes on. The problem is that there are conflicting recommendations that are all backed by scientific studies and research. With this in mind, I am going to recommend some guidelines that are very well researched and often common sense. Beyond that, we are all different. There are cultural and genetic variations that create differences in our biology. With this in mind, some of your food choices need to be intuitive. That is, tuning in to what feels right for your body. That doesn’t mean following food cravings which are different. It means taking the time to work out what feels good when you are eating it and afterward, right through to elimination.
Recommendations
Eat whole foods – including vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts, free-range organic meats, sustainably sourced fish (beware of those that are high in mercury or that travel through waters near Japan), eggs and butter.
Include fermented foods in your diet – including sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso (made in Australia), other home-made fermented condiments. These add beneficial bacteria to your gut microbiome: the foundation of health and your immune system.
Include good fats in your diet: our bodies need fat. Not in the form of vegetable oils and trans fats but in the form of omega 3, 6 and 9. Omega 3s are anti-inflammatory and must be consumed in greater quantities than omega 6s. Good fats include avocados, nuts and seeds, coconut oil, oily fish, butter, fermented dairy, the fat from organic, free-range meat.
Eat plenty of vegetables: If most of your meal consists of vegetables, your body will thank you for it. Include good quality protein in the form of free-range organic meat or beans/lentils and make the rest vegetables. Be aware that if you are experiencing gut issues, it is best to cook your vegetables until these settle down. It is hard to digest raw vegetables when the gut is out of balance.
Eat organic: as much as possible, consume foods that are organically grown or at the very least, spray-free. Even better, grow something in your back yard. You may find a local farmers market is the best way to shop in order to keep costs down. In this area, visit the Cleveland Market on a Sunday from 7am-1pm. There is very reasonably priced organic and spray free produce sold there. The environmental working group stays abreast of the best and worst of sprayed produce. Check out their dirty dozen and clean 15 lists here: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/
Reduce or avoid refined foods: including white flour, cane sugar, processed and fried foods.
If your gut needs healing, consume organic, grass fed bone broth or collagen (gelatine). These are soothing and healing for the lining of the gut.
When eating meat, choose free-range, organic. In the case of beef, choose grass fed. This increases the omega 3 content of the meat and reduces your exposure to GMOs.
If you are vegetarian/vegan , make sure you consume complementary proteins to ensure you consume all essential amino acids. Following a restricted diet means you need to pay particular attention to what you eat in order to cover all essential nutrients including iron, zinc and B vitamins. Pay particular attention to vitamin B12.
Avoid genetically modified foods. If you are unaware of what GMOs are and how they affect our health, watch this 3 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1HAZ0ESYD0