We need to remember that organically grown foods are reported to have 2-5 times more nutrients than their conventionally grown counterparts and contain no added pesticides...always a plus. Your meals should consist of 55% carbohydrates (only 5-10% of which should be simple carbs, i.e. "white foods"), 25% protein and 20% healthy fats or essential fatty acids that we've talked about in past blogs. These numbers are approximate but show the importance of vegetables, grains and legumes in the diet as opposed to meat-based foods. Remember, you need fats together with vegetables in order for the nutrients to be assimilated more effectively. As much as possible, I recommend you eat a non-gluten diet which also will decrease inflammation in the body. Do not eat any one food more than 5 times a week.
Vegetables:
Eat mostly lower carbohydrate vegetables, those containing only 3-6% carbohydrates. You can find specific lists on the internet or check with me. Steaming vegetables improves the availability of the nutrients in foods. I don't recommend eating a large quantity of raw vegetables, except in salads. Vegetables contain a very tough outer coating on the cell walls that are difficult to digest.
Grains:
Include 1-2 cups of cooked grains per day. I recommend quinoa grains instead of wheat or white grains because quinoa has a much lower glycemic index than traditional grains. Also, I recommend only 1 piece of bread be eaten per day...non-gluten, if possible. Wheat bread has a very high glycemic index and diabetics, those with hypertension or high cholesterol should beware. Amaranth, barley, millet, oatmeal and basmati are all superior grains.
Legumes:
Soak your legumes overnight and cook them slowly the next day. Split peas, lentils, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans and garbanzo beans are a few of the beans on the "suggested" list.
Seafood:
Deep sea-ocean fish are an excellent source of essential fatty acids and should be eaten 3-4 times a week. Avoid lobster, shrimp and crab because of what they eat.
Meat:
Eating protein with every meal helps to maintain a steady blood sugar level and energy level. I suggest you get at least 50% of your protein from non-meat sources.
Spices:
There are no restrictions in this category.
Sweeteners:
No artificial sweeteners of any kind and no table sugar (white sugar). I have white sugar in the house to make my hummingbird nectar, only.
Butter and Oils:
Use butter sparingly and not more than 1-2 Tbsp. in a week. Butter is better than the artificial substitutes, but still organic oils are your best source of essential fatty acids.
Dairy:
I recommend no dairy in the diet as it produces mucous in the gut, is a major source of allergic and adverse reactions. Hard cheeses such as parmasean from Italy or goat's parm. as well as goat's feta and cheddar are fine. No soft cheeses from cow's milk, at all.
Nuts and Seeds:
There is a shorter list for "nuts to avoid," so I'll include those: no peanuts or peanut butter.
Drinks:
No coffee, soda, juice, caffeinated teas or alcohol. Sorry, alcohol is extremely inflammatory, but one 2-3 ounce drink of wine a day is acceptable, if you have no chronic illnesses.
Misc:
Organic eggs are fine. I suggest no more than 5 a week. No corn products, hydrogenated oils, processed foods or fried foods.
I hope this list is helpful. Let me know if you have any specific questions about this.
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