Healthy Diet Basics

1.   Increase the amount of whole, unprocessed foods in your diet (fresh fruit, vegetables,    whole grains, beans, raw nuts and seeds) relative to the amount of processed foods you consume (pasta, bread, packaged foods).
2.   Diversify our diet by including new and different foods in your diet each week.    Rotate the foods you eat so that you don’t consume a given food every day.

3.   A fat free diet is not healthy.  Fat should constitute 20-30% of our total diet.  Limit saturated fats (fats found in animal products) to less than 10% of your total diet.  Avoid fried foods, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils and cottonseed oil.  Healthy oils to consume:  Unsaturated essential omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids found in flaxseed oil, olive oil, canola oil, salmon, cod, tuna, mackerel, currants, raw nuts and seeds, avocado and oats:  Store oils and nuts/seeds in the refrigerator

4. Eat a high fiber diet by consuming a lot of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds and minimizing your intake of eats and refined foods.

5.  Ensure you eat sufficient protein each day (about 15-20% of your diet).  Good protein sources include lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, soy products, and beans, low-fat dairy products, nuts and food-combining of grains/beans/vegetables.

6.  Decrease or eliminate refined and processed sugars from your diet.  As a substitute, use natural, unprocessed sugars high in vitamins and minerals needed to help digest them, including 100% pure maple syrup, fruit-only jams, fresh fruit, honey, molasses, barley malt, brown rice syrup and carob.

7.  Drink plenty of water each day (body weight divided by 2, multiplied by 0.8 is the number of ounces your body needs, more if you are exercising).  Avoid caffeinated and carbonated beverages which are diuretics causing your bod to lose fluid.  Herbal teas, fresh vegetable and fruit juices are healthy to consume.  Diluted bottled juices and naturally decaffeinated beverages are OK in moderation.

8.  Eat several small meals throughout the day instead of two or three large meals.  This helps to balance your blood sugar and energy levels throughout the day.

9.  Chew your food thoroughly.

10.  Don’t drink fluids with our meal.

11.  Don’t eat when you are stressed or “on-the-run”.

12.  Supplement a healthy diet with a good quality multi-vitamin/mineral complex and other nutrients indicated for our individual health needs.