November 1, 2023 –
I am often asked “what do YOU eat”? I eat REAL food, not processed. Am I 100% of the time eating that? NO, but I eat real food 90% or more of the time. We go out to restaurants to eat for birthdays, for our anniversary and once in a blue moon in between. Even then, we look for farm to table restaurants. However, there is still a good chance that they use Canola oil in the cooking, which I avoid.
So, what are my healthy eating tips?!
Drink Enough Water Each Day (I drink half my body weight in ounces and add trace mineral drops)
You need water to:
Keep your cells hydrated and protected
Eliminate waste
Ensure the health of your mucus membranes.
Make sure your water source is a high quality clean one, that may involve filters in your home. Also, don’t drink your water that has been stored in plastic!
Eat Properly Sourced Meat
When buying animal foods, it’s ideal to purchase meat sourced from 100% grass-fed, grass-finished animals or pasture-raised poultry and eggs. For seafood, wild-caught is preferable to farm-raised varieties.
Animals fed exclusively grass live healthier lives and produce healthier food. 100% grass-fed beef, for example, has a much more favorable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats than those raised on corn, grains, etc.
Eat a Wide Variety of Vegetables (I use the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen lists for purchasing organic and non-organic)
It’s important to eat an ample quantity and wide variety of vegetables to obtain the diverse micronutrients our bodies need. Focus on low-glycemic vegetables like leafy greens and as many colors as possible. When possible, eat organic, local, in- season vegetables. Why are veggies so important?
Vegetables are very high in fiber, vitamin C, folate, and minerals.
Eating adequate fiber can help normalize cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
The fiber in vegetables nourishes beneficial gut bacteria, which in turn nourishes the lining of the GI tract, produces vitamins, and inhibits the overgrowth of yeast and other undesirable organisms.
Vegetables help ensure healthy bowel transit times, which reduces bowel toxicity and prevents irritation of the GI lining.
Vegetables contain folate, which increases energy, helps reduce the chances of a heart attack, and allows the body to produce serotonin (critical in preventing depression and overeating).
The minerals in vegetables help prevent osteoporosis and act as important enzyme cofactors.
A NOTE ON CORN: Corn is technically a grain, is often genetically modified and is a common cross-reactant for individuals sensitive or allergic to gluten
A NOTE ON WHITE POTATOES: White potatoes can be problematic for some individuals but are a great source of antioxidants for those who tolerate them.
Avoid Canola Oil and Seed Oils
Canola oil is a seed oil that has no flavor, so butter and or olive oil can be added in a small amount to create the flavor of them. Even though Canola is classified as a monounsaturated fat, it is also naturally high in omega-3 fatty acids. It is extracted from hybridized rapeseed, which is a genetically modified crop, canola is a HIGHLY PROCESSED oil. The omega-3 fatty acids in canola are delicate and turn rancid quickly during processing.
Therefore, given the fact that canola oil must move through damaging extraction processes to be harvested and deodorized, it is safe to say that canola oil is unfit for consumption, much less cooking! It is an oil of industry and DOES NOT belong in the human digestive tract. Canola is the current oil of choice for prepared foods at Whole Foods Markets across the country. Canola is also known as rapeseed oil. Don’t be fooled by the term organic on canola oil, it is still highly processed to get oils out of that tiny seed!
I use:
Butter (although I am mostly dairy free, butter is one that I can eat with no issues).
Ghee
Cold pressed olive oil
Cold pressed avocado oil
Organic virgin coconut oil
Lard (bacon fat)
Beef tallow
Avoid Hydrogenated Oils & Trans Fats
Contrary to popular belief, most fats are actually our friends. There are, however, a few fat foes to look out for:
Hydrogenated fats and oils
Partially hydrogenated fats and oils
Trans fats
As time passes, we keep finding out more and more bad things about these “Franken-Fats.” Hydrogenation is the food industry’s way of turning liquid oil into solid fat. This gives packaged foods a longer shelf life and allows food companies to mimic the look and texture of natural saturated fats like butter and coconut oil that have been wrongly maligned. There are many problems with hydrogenation from a health perspective, but the biggest risk is that the hydrogenation process produces trans fats, which have been linked to a number of health problems:
Cancer: Women with higher levels of trans fats in their cells are much more likely to develop breast cancer than women with low levels of trans fats.
Heart disease: High levels of trans fats create platelet aggregation, which is the beginning of the plaque associated with coronary heart disease.
Pain and inflammation become much worse for clients who consume hydrogenated oils. They chemically prevent the formation of natural an/- inflammatory substances that are normally produced by the body. If you suffer from chronic pain or have recently been injured, strictly avoid hydrogenated oil.
Trans fats are incorporated into the cells and make them less resistant to bacteria and viruses. They are a source of immune system problems.
There may be a link between trans fats and ADD, depression, and fatigue. Brain and nerve tissue have a high content of fat. Some researchers believe that when trans fats are incorporated into the nerve cells, they affect function creating problems like ADD and depression.
Muscle fatigue and skin problems are also linked to hydrogenated oils. So, what foods tend to contain partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats?
Margarine
Most mayonnaise
Most salad dressings
Most chips and fried snacks
Many packaged and processed foods (examples: crackers, cereals, and even bread).
Avoid Refined Sugar
Refined sugar is added to everything processed! The yearly consumption of over 174,000 metric tons of processed sugar worldwide and the average of 160 pounds per person per year in the American population is drastically affecting our health! It is added to bread products, canned soups, cereals, crackers, protein bars, salad dressings, ketchup, mustard and other various condiments you may be using.
Refined sugar names you will find on labels:
barley malt
beet sugar
brown sugar
buttered syrup
cane juice crystals
cane juice solids
cane juice
caramel syrup
carob syrup
concentrated fruit juice
corn syrup
corn syrup solids
date sugar
dehydrated cane juice
dehydrated fruit juice
dextran
dextrin
dextrose
diatase
diatastic malt
disaccharides
ethyl maltol
fructose
fruit juice crystals
fruit puree
galactose
glucose
glucose-fructose
glucose solids
golden syrup
high-fructose corn syrup
honey
invert sugar
lactose
malt
malt extract
malt syrup
maltodextrin
maltose
maple syrup
molasses
polysaccharides
refiner’s syrup
rice extract
rice syrup
sorghum syrup
sucanat
sucrose
sugar
tapioca syrup
turbinado
yellow sugar
So, what’s the problem with this rapid increase in consumption of refined sugars? Refined sugar increases insulin and adrenal hormone production and can cause numerous health problems:
Increased production of adrenal hormones causes the body to excrete essential minerals.
Sugar consumption increases the body’s need for vitamins B and C.
Eating a lot of sugar aggravates many of the problems we associate with emotional stress. Sugar stresses the adrenal glands.
Sugar feeds yeast and other one-celled organisms found in the bowel, causing them to multiply. These organisms produce toxins, irritate the lining of the GI tract, and take the place of normal, more beneficial flora—removing the benefits of helpful bacteria.
Eating sugar causes blood-sugar swings. Blood-sugar increases immediately after consuming sugar, prompting the body to produce insulin. Excess insulin creates more sugar cravings. More sugar is eaten, more insulin produced, etc. This stresses the pancreas and sets the stage for adult-onset diabetes.
Sugar consumption can make pain and inflammation worse.
Sugar can cause or aggravate allergies, sinusitis, asthma, irritable bowel, Candidiasis, migraine headaches, fatigue, depression, and even heart disease.
What I use:
By making my food from scratch, I am not adding sugar. However, if I do need to add something sweet for a recipe, I use local honey or maple syrup. This does NOT include baking for Christmas cookies, birthdays etc. In those cases, I use organic palm sugar if the honey or maple syrup will not work. (Honey and maple syrup contain the minerals to process the sugars in your system, therefore not pulling the minerals from your bones and teeth to process it)
A brand I have in my refrigerator and/or pantry is Primal Kitchen, no added sugars and good fats/oils! The No Soy Teriyaki sauce does have organic coconut syrup in the coconut aminos. Again, the flavor of teriyaki has a sweet flavor, so a better option than refined sugar and soy filled ones on the market.
Avoid Refined Carbohydrates
The average individual today gets 50% of calories from “refined carbohydrates” (examples: white bread, breakfast cereals, and pasta). Not only are refined carbs typically packed with sugar and high-glycemic starch, but they also lack the most nutritious parts of the original foods (examples: fiber, minerals, vitamins, etc.). In other words, the nutrients have been removed and you are left with just the starch.
Consuming such foods stresses your digestive and endocrine systems and uses up precious vitamins and minerals. Many people load up on carbohydrates in a misguided attempt to avoid fat, but the truth is that fat is crucial for health, increases safety, and builds sex hormones and healthy cell membranes. Refined carbs, on the other hand, can exacerbate many of the same issues as refined sugar.
Avoid Chemical Additives
The average individual consumes 10 pounds of chemical additives every year. This has had a devastating effect on our health. The U.S. FDA tests single additives, but no one has any idea what combinations of additives do to us. Here are some chemicals that you may find in your packaged food:
Mono and diglycerides: Used to maintain softness in baked goods. These are on the FDA list of food additives to be studied for possible mutagenic, teratogenic, subacute and reproductive effects. This is “Medicalese” for birth defects, cancer, and reproductive problems.
Brominated vegetable oil (BVO): Used as an emulsifier. The FDA has it on the suspect list. Bromates are highly toxic. They can cause death through kidney failure or nervous system problems. Bromates can inhibit the body’s defenses. Between two and four ounces of a 2% solution can poison a child. When they are in oil, they are stored in fat (and nerve tissue).
Red #40: Suspected carcinogen. Whenever you see a color followed by a number, avoid that food.
Added Sodium Nitrites: Makes meat bright red and kills Clostridium Botulinum spores (botulism). Found in luncheon meats. Nitrites combine with natural stomach acids and chemicals in the food to form nitrosamines, which are powerful carcinogens. While some nitrites are naturally occurring in foods such as celery, beets, and cabbage, we want to beware of added, chemically produced nitrites.
Aspartame: Sold as Equal® and NutraSweet®. Possible link to brain cancer. May cause headaches, depression and anxiety attacks, or memory loss. Some individuals react strongly and may have heart palpitations, nausea, seizures or blurred vision. It also raises the pH of urine and may be linked to kidney and bladder infections.
THBQ (TerEarybutylhydroquinone): Food manufacturers had a hard time getting this approved. Death has occurred from ingestion of five grams (about ⅕ of an ounce). Eating one gram can cause nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation and collapse. It gives foods a long shelf-life.
You get the idea. The list of harmful additives is much too long to present here; these are just a few examples. Stay away from packaged foods with chemical additives and you will be much healthier.
Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly
Ideally, chew your food until it is liquid. You will be satisfied with less food and you will have better digestion. Your saliva has enzymes that facilitate digestion. Also, it is easier to digest small particles than large ones. Most people eat too fast. Not chewing well stresses your digestive system and can lead to poor absorption of nutrients, digestive problems like gas and bloating and promote the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract.
Limit Caffeine & Alcohol
In excess, alcohol stresses the liver and nervous system and can harm every organ in the body. If you drink alcohol, limit consumption to a few glasses a week, preferably dry red wine which tends to have lower sugar content.
NOTE: Alcohol can be especially problematic for those with GERD.
Caffeine stresses the nervous system, and coffee and tea are often heavily sprayed with fungicides. Black tea in moderation may be beneficial to the cardiovascular system, and green tea has been shown in studies to help immune function. If you must have coffee or tea, buy organic. Many people experience severe withdrawal from caffeine when they quit consuming it, so it is often best to taper off slowly.
Sources:
Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc., Fatty Acids Module – NTP Curriculum
Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc., Blood Sugar Regulation Module – NTP Curriculum
Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc., Basics of Nutrition Module – NTP Curriculum
Herbed Citrus Butter is this months recipe! Similar to Chimichurri, a fat, an acid and an herb! (Chimichurri was in the October 2023 newsletter/blog). You can make this with many different ingredients for the fat, the acid or the herb!
Serves 2
1 Tbsp of butter, room temperature
1 small lime, juiced and the rind zest
½ a cup cilantro
Directions:
Chop the cilantro fine.
Wash and then cut the lemon and squeeze out the juice into a bowl
Using a grater, zest the rind of the lemon into the juice
Mix the cilantro into the juice, then add the butter mixing until well blended.
Normally I would spread the herbed butter over the steak and then slice it, but for the purpose of the pictures and seeing it, I spread it onto my sliced steak.
We had peas with butter and rice pilaf with it.
Some of you may know, I am gluten free, and had to go dairy free a couple of years ago. After I healed and sealed my gut lining (AGAIN!), I started trying to add it back in. As far as cow dairy goes, the only thing I can have is butter. I am able to have sheep milk products (Manchego cheese is a favorite of mine) as well as goat milk products.
It sure would make grocery shopping easier! Are you reading labels? Do you even know what to look for?
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You DESERVE to live a life you love with endless energy!
I help those with thyroid disease to repair damage to gut, blood sugar balance, adrenals and hormones, so that they too, can have endless energy and truly love and live life again.
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