Chances are you are feeling overwhelmed with how complicated it is to eat healthy these days. I’m dubbing it “Nutrition Fatigue Disorder.” Paleo, vegan, pescatarian, low-carb, organic, ketogenic, intermittent fasting and the endless list of other types of diets can make it seem like it’s not even worth trying. Not to mention the incessant see-sawing between everyday foods either being the superfood answer to all your health problems or instant death on your plate… wine, coffee, butter, whole grains, etc. Who knows anymore, right?
That is why I am putting together this list of core foundational principles of a healing diet and some basic steps that everyone (even the strictest paleo-veggie-keto-faster) will agree with…
Don’t eat the following foods. Use the suggestions provided to substitute them, though, for a quick and easy way to instantly boost the health in your lifestyle.
Table Salt
Commercial white salt is devoid of all nutrition and should be classified as a chemical, not a food. Naturally-occurring salts from the earth are loaded with trace minerals – each of which are important to your bodies’ physiology. Most commercial table salts are highly processed and contain additives like aluminum, fluoride and even sugar!
Salt Alternative: Celtic Sea Salt, Himalayan Salt, Kelp Salt
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oils are some of the most dangerous “health foods” on the market today. They are high in omega-6 fats (which cause inflammation to the brain–and every individual cell in the body). They also disrupt glandular function, throwing off your adrenals, thyroid, pituitary and your reproductive glands as well. The reason these oils are such a threat is because they are EVERYWHERE, and in every form: corn, soybean, safflower, cottonseed, canola, peanut or even outright labeled as vegetable oil.
Vegetable Oil Alternative: Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil, Grapeseed Oil
Soy (protein, isolates, etc)
Soy is yet another “health food” you want to remove from your diet and here’s a short list of reasons why:
- High amounts of Phytic Acid / Lectin which prevent mineral absorption and can physically damage the lining of your intestines
- GMO/Glyphosate – 90+% of all soy is genetically modified in the US and sprayed heavily with glyphosate, which can also damage your intestinal lining, prevent mineral and vitamin absorption and do a host of “other things” we have yet to even learn about
- Hormone Disruption: soy has an estrogenic effect – i.e. mimics estrogen. Note: some hormone replacement drugs are derived from soy (thus the genetic modification). This causes everything from men growing breasts to women becoming aggressive to infertility in both sexes and a whole lot of very strange and unpleasant problems.
Soy Alternative: Fermented Soy. Miso, Natto & Tempeh. The fermentation process deactivates almost all of the physic acid but nothing–not even organic fermented soy–counteracts the estrogen-mimicking properties of soy.
Commercial Proteins (Corn Fed Beef, Vegetarian Fed Chicken, Farmed Fish)
Do you buy your proteins simply by what is on sale? Or whichever has the best price? Couple of sad truths about meats:
- Meats on sale are quickly approaching their expiration date. Grocery stores purchase hundreds of pounds of meat each week and some sell fasters than others. Usually the sale item are what have been sitting around the longest, and they are trying to get rid of it to make room for the next shipment.
- Corn fed and vegetarian fed may sound healthy, but grains were never meant to be eaten by the animals you eat. Cows eat grass. Chickens eat snails, spiders, etc. Fish eat algae and other fish. Its that simple. Feed an animal something other than what it was meant to eat and sickness follows (same goes for you!)
Commercial Protein Alternative: Grass Fed, Free Range/Cage Free, Wild Caught
Non Organic Produce
Glyphosate is a word you need to become familiar with, aka RoundUp. As with all pesticides, the idea is to avoid as many as you can. Glyphosate is Monsanto’s #1 seller and it’s being used at a staggering volume on almost any and all plants you consume. Glyphosate has the ability to leach minerals from your body, damage your gut wall and prevent energy exchange between the cells of your body.
Produce Alternative: Organic Produce/Clean 15 & Dirty Dozen. This is one where the only alternative is an all-in 100% switch to organic produce or, at the minimum, only buying conventional produce from the Clean 15 List.
Sugar & Alternative Sweeteners
Sugar is a known disease-causing agent when eaten in excess. Excess is defined as 60 grams per day or more. The average American consumes 94 grams per day.
Artificial sweeteners are toxic bombs and include aspartame, acufultame potassium, monosodium glutamate, Sucralose, Saccharin, Splenda and many others. Most chemical alternative sweeteners are linked to mood disorders, nerve damage and even brain cancers.
Alternative: Natural Sweeteners (Stevia, Monk Fruit). Notice I didn’t say Maple Syrup, Honey and/or Agave. That’s because they are still sugar – mostly fructose, and despite being “natural,” sugar is sugar no matter what you call it. Stevia and Monk Fruit are unique because they taste sweet but have zero impact on your blood sugar. Even organic raw palm sugar still has negative impacts on your blood sugar, although certainly less than an equal amount of white sugar.
I certainly hope that simplifies some things for you. And if you follow the suggestions, you’re already healthier than 90% of Americans. Cheers!
