The first rule of thumb for food selection is purchasing and eating real foods in their natural form. Of course, if you have food sensitivities or allergies, you’ll need to avoid the associated foods, no matter how real, healthy and wholesome!
Use real butter. Choose whole-fat, unprocessed dairy products.
Choose the least processed sweeteners available in nature and use them sparingly. Raw, unfiltered honey and pure maple syrup are good choices.
It goes without saying that you should choose whole eggs, not the packaged egg white products.
Buy whole lemons and squeeze the juice, rather than buying those silly plastic lemon shapes filled with juice squeezed no matter how long ago and filled with preservatives!
Eat a variety of fresh, seasonal vegetables. Eat some raw, some cooked, and some fermented.
Avoid fake foods and imitations of food
What are fake foods and imitations of foods? There are many of them. Margarine is an artificial imitation of butter. Likewise, artificial sweeteners . In other words, avoid processed foods or anything made from processed foods whenever possible.
Purchase real sausage and meats, not vegetarian versions! If you’re a committed vegetarian, eat real vegetarian foods rather than processed, fake meats.
And don’t get me started on the virtues of whipping your own heavy cream as opposed to spraying the fake version from the can.
Avoid genetically modified foods. They may look just like the real thing, but they are substantially different in terms of their nutrient content.
Food selection tips
Organic, pasture-raised, wild-caught when possible
- Make sure you eat your fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, meats, eggs and dairy products organic.
- Your meat, chicken, eggs and dairy products should be both organic and pasture-raised – meaning that the animals eat grass, not soy and cottonseed meal.
- Eat your fish and any product made from fish wild caught, not farmed.
- Your olive oil should be cold-pressed, unfiltered, organic and extra-virgin.
Don’t fear fats
Your food selection should include high-quality fats. Often people who eat too little fat crave junk foods and have problems concentrating. It is common to suffer from dry skin, hormonal imbalances and infertility when fat consumption is too low. Eating the right amount of healthy fats can be a great way to be more energetic and focused.
Unrefined sea salt
It’s important to include some Celtic sea salt, Redmond’s Real Salt (from the Utah desert) or Himalayan sea salt in your diet (and no commercial table salt!); these healthy salts are grey or pink in color and contain a rich profile of trace minerals; they are also free of aluminum and synthetic (toxic) iodine. Real salt nourishes the adrenal glands, helps the sodium/potassium balance that helps nutrients move in and out of the cell wall as necessary, supports mineral balance, and contains electrolytes that support hydration.
A rich and varied diet
Vary your foods as much as practically possible. In other words, make broth from beef, lamb, turkey, chicken, duck and more. Eat chicken, duck and quail eggs. Enjoy different types of nuts rather than sticking to your usual favorites. Include as many types of foods as your taste buds and imagination allow. Then, move beyond that!
Include as many types of nuts and seeds as your taste buds and imagination allow. If you consume dairy, try cow, sheep and goat products. Consume different kinds of healthy fats and different kinds of wild-caught seafood. Eat a rainbow of colored veggies.
Try new foods from your local health food store or farmers market. If you can, grow a garden. If you live near nature, learn how to wildcraft herbs. Stinging nettles, dandelions, chickory, wild thyme, mallow and yellow dock are among the more common edible herbs you can incorporate into your cooking.