What To Eat
Living in the twenty first century in America, and many other places in the world, means we live an extremely convenient life when it comes to food. We have refrigerators, freezers, gas and electric stoves, and a variety of kitchen gadgets that make cooking from home a breeze. And yet, we seem to get stuck in a “I don’t know what to eat” limbo. Not surprising…we are blasted with non stop information at all hours of the day pertaining to diets, supplements, quick and fast meals, and my favorite, “the miracle weight loss pill”! With all that information being thrown into our faces, one can’t help but get overwhelmed, throw up their hands, and just order Uber Eats more often than they use all those amazing kitchen gadgets they have falling out of their cupboards! It’s not that we are lazy or can’t cook; we just have no idea what is a safe choice, or what is a damaging choice, due to all of the mixed messages we get everyday! Well, let me put you at ease. Eating healthy and making safe choices is way easier than you think. I get asked hundreds of questions about Nutrition; “will I have a heart attack if I eat this?”; “will this make me gain weight?”; “does this actually cause cancer?”; “Why are these in our food if it’s so bad for us?” So many questions, and many I never thought I would hear! I can talk about Nutrition for hundreds of pages, but I will spare you the hours, and break it down into multiple blogs, with very simple tips for you to take away. So, today let’s just begin with the basics! (Keep in mind, this is the foundation of the basics. Elimination and reintroduction is an entirely different blog.)
WHAT TO INCLUDE
Fats: Cold Pressed Oils (Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, Nut Oils, Olive Oil), Avocado, Olives, Nuts, Seeds, Fatty Fish, certain Dairy
Protein: Vegetables, Fruit, Eggs, Grass Fed Animal Protein, Wild Caught Seafood, Tofu, Tempeh, Beans, Lentils, Certain Grains
Carbohydrates: Vegetables, Fruit, Grains, Dairy, Legumes, Nuts
Water
**For some, there may be sensitivities, digestive issues, or terrible reactions to some of these foods. My biggest suggestion, is to keep a notebook in your kitchen, and write down what you ate the day before, up until the present moment when you feel bloated, tired, or have brain fog (or any symptom that feels “not normal”). Those symptoms could be a reaction to specific foods. If that does occur, remove the food that you think is the culprit (many times it is dairy, gluten, grains, or fruit) for two weeks. Try to reintroduce the food and see if it is a food sensitivity (or even allergen). Don’t be afraid to reintroduce, unless your reaction is extremely painful. If it is painful, find a naturopath that can assist you in finding the root cause.
Look at the list above. You will notice that I put Fats first. Fat, especially for Moms, is extremely important! So many of us shy away from anything relating to the word, “Fat”. There is even fad dieting surrounding “non-fat” foods! Ugh. Why is Fat so important for your health? Well, the right kind of Fat provides our bodies, and especially our brains, with amazing nutrients and vitamins so our cells can move and function properly. (Trying to not get too sciency!) Depriving our bodies and brains of Fat, can cause nutrient deficiencies that can lead to a downward spiral of health complications. So don’t be afraid to cook with olive oil, mash an avocado on your eggs, and eat nut butter out of the jar! You need Fat!!
Protein is extremely important for our overall health, and sadly it is many times the one food group we eat the least amount of, or we eat terrible quality protein. Protein is the life source of our muscles and bones. The proteins we eat, break down into “amino acids”, which are then sent throughout our bodies to the trillions of cells (each cell needs proteins) to repair and build muscles, bones, hormones, enzymes, and even give us energy. Having a lack of Protein in our nutrition means we are slowly shutting our bodies down. No one wants that! Be sure to eat the correct amount of protein for your body. Use this handy Calculator. Also, make sure when consuming Protein, consume the best quality Protein. EWG posts the dirty dozen and clean fifteen every year (because it does change), as well as inform us of certain practices that can be harmful when consuming animal sourced protein, so take some time to scan the website. Always choose grass fed and pasture raised, as well as wild caught, when selecting animal sourced Protein. I purchase mine through a subscription box MOINK. I know there are many subscription boxes out there as well, but if you are lucky enough to have access to local farms that provide the best grade animal Proteins, always go for that option. It may seem pricey to switch over to these forms of Protein, but you will be saving money by not purchasing the items on the “Do Not Include” list…and you may even have money left over! Bonus!
The most controversial food group has got to be Carbohydrates. For good reason! While there are vegetable and fruit based Carbs (some can be extremely high in Carbs), the bulk of the controversy of Carbs come from grains and legumes. Not just the basics of how many of us have a hard time digesting these food items, but also how the growing and treatment processes can be toxic to us. The worst thing about the controversy, is that Carbs tend to be the majority food group of many individuals daily nutrition. (Bread could be it’s own food group in America with how much is consumed here.) All controversy aside, Carbs should be a much smaller amount of food on our plates everyday, not the main dish! Think pastas, sandwiches, rice bowls, grain bowls…all of these are mostly Carbs. While Carbs have great qualities they provide for the body (healthy carbs that is-not the processed ones), like boost your mood, promote heart health, and keep your memory sharp (to name a few), when consumed in abundance, they send a shock wave of sugar overload to the body, which then leads to insulin resistance, which can then lead to pre-diabetes, which can then lead to diabetes, which….ok, I’ll stop there. You get the picture? Living every day, with highly processed Carbs being the star of every meal, causes our body to resist the functions it is supposed to be doing easily and naturally. Reach for the veggies and quality grains (preferably gluten free) or fruit instead of the bread and pasta if you need Carbs. Also, cut back on the amount of Carbs for every meal. (Remember, veggies contain Carbs as well in your Protein portions, so your Carb input will still be plenty.)
If you were to take a plate, and divide it into your food groups, this is what it should look like: Picture 4 equal portions on your plate. Fill two and a half of the portions with Proteins; a variety of different vegetables! Or add in a good quality choice of animal sourced protein with the vegetables. One of the four portions will be Carbs. This should be a choice of quality grains, legumes, fruit, or starchy vegetables. That last half quarter portion is for your fat. Use Olive Oil as a dressing or sauté sauce base, or perhaps slice up half of an avocado. This is truly just for visual purposes, but now you can understand the portions laid out. Keep in mind, this is for an 8 inch plate…not the 12-18 inch plate we have become accustomed to. And Absolutely drink at least half your body weight in water!
WHAT TO NOT INCLUDE
Notice above how I never mentioned any processed food in what we should be eating? Well, that is where we are about go! No human is designed to digest the amount of processed food (if any) that we consume on a daily basis. The production of processed foods and continuous use of damaging chemicals in our foods have been causing a heartbreaking increase of illnesses, diseases, and deaths in America. These stats are even creeping into other places around the world. There are many ingredients used in packed and processed foods that are banned from most other countries, that we still use in America. These are ingredients that have been proven (in many studies) to cause behavioral issues, illnesses, diseases, cancers, and even death. My opinion: These foods should have little to no place in our daily nutrition. Women who have had babies are extremely vulnerable to these ingredients due to the chemical changes, hormone irregularities, and nutrient depletion that our bodies have gone through, and are still going through. The lack of quality in a Moms daily nutrition, gives me no surprise when I read the reports and studies that are being published. The findings: The curve of postpartum illnesses and diseases are on the rise, with no sign of coming down. Moms need to be on a whole foods based diet the moment they come home from the hospital with their babies…and for the rest of their lives. Something we are never educated about, not even suggested! (Have you ever experienced what they give you in hospitals? Not a whole foods based diet!) Considering how many “changes” and “shifts” our bodies go through within our lifetimes, it’s no wonder, that with our nutrition habits, our health span has a much smaller window of time than our disease span as Moms. And that needs to change!
These foods should need no explanation as to why they should not be part of our daily nutrition, but if you ever have questions, definitely reach out…I’d be happy to explain. (I’m a health nerd!)
Any and All Processed Food - boxed, bagged, or wrapped (This includes processed oils-any and all vegetable oils and hydrogenated oils)
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Gluten
Animal sourced Milk & Dairy(some yogurt and cheeses contain good bacteria for those that can tolerate it)
Sugary Drinks - soda, energy drinks, sweet teas, etc.
Any food containing the following: Food Dyes, “natural flavoring”, ingredients ending in “-ose”, ingredient lists that exceed 7 ingredients
Binge drinking alcohol - 1 to 3 glasses of wine a week should be your max
Within 2 weeks of removing these “trigger” foods, you should begin to feel a whole lot better. Just by removing certain foods! This may seem like a hard task to achieve, but I can affirm (and I know many others will), that once you start eating the right foods, you will feel so good, you won’t want to go back to your old eating habits! I have worked with individuals that have lost impactful weight, regained energy levels, decreased seasonal allergy symptoms, and slowly, but surely, decreased gut health issues. Most individuals experience positive changes they didn’t even expect (like better sleep). Some individuals require a deeper analysis into their nutrition, but by committing to removing just these above foods from your daily life, you will already be improving your health and well being to an extreme level.
PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE
Tip 1: Remove food and ingredients from your kitchen that are “not included” for optimal nutrition. However you need to get rid of it…do it! Give yourself a time line of no more than 1 week to toss out the junk!
Tip 2: Replenish your kitchen with mostly whole foods and a few “better choice” snack items (check out my recipes for some ideas!)
Before you head to the market or store, research 1-2 new recipes that sound delicious and at your level of cooking skills.
Use recipes that have similar ingredients, so you don’t end up spending a fortune at the store on ingredients that will only get minor use. Double those recipes for the first week. Batch cooking always make transitions in the kitchen easier. Don’t go overboard on loading up on every kind of whole food in the store. Stick to your list.
Have around 4-6 different veggies on your list. Maybe 3 different types of fruit (Berries are always a great option!) Get fresh and frozen! If you want to get more, awesome! Just make sure they will get eaten.
When buying Animal Sourced Protein, always opt for the bulk purchase. These tend to be cheaper, and you can always portion at home and freeze for later use. When they are on sale, even better! Frozen Protein can last up to 6 months! But again don’t go overboard. You are eating 4 -6 oz per meal (if you choose), not a quarter pounder! For the Dairy options: always grab the bigger container with no added flavor (yes, the plain one!). These are always cheaper, and healthier! You can add your own sweetener (honey/agave/etc.), and mix ins (berries/coconut flakes/nut butter/etc.) at home.
Tip 3: Practice healthy eating portions. You don’t need to go buy new plates if you don’t have 8 inch plates. Just visualize the smaller plate when portioning out your food. Make a visual border around your plate. Each portion of Protein and Carb (when dividing the plate into 4 quarters) should not exceed 1 cup. The Fat should not exceed 2 TBSP if liquid, and 4 TBSP if solid.
Keep it simple to begin with! It is amazing how going back to the very basics can be exactly what we need, and yet we tend to fight the simplicity of it! Stop doing that! (At least that’s what I have to tell myself many times!) We all need to step back, remove the clutter (in this case it’s all the crap food that serves no purpose!), and get back to the simplicity of basic necessities. That is, giving our body the food it needs to function properly. We shouldn’t be giving our body foods that decay it slowly over time!
I will be diving much deeper into nutrition as my blogs go on. Keep on learning! We all deserve to understand the why and how of our bodies optimal health.
If you have any questions, or need any assistance in finding great resources or referrals to the optimal specialist for your specific needs, don’t hesitate to reach out!
