What Can I Eat?!
There is no doubt that the quality of food in the U.S. commercial markets has declined dramatically in the last ten years. I am referring to the articles I wrote regarding hybrids and being able to eat just about everything normal in foreign countries. Patients still return from Europe, Mexico, and Asia, remarking that the food was incredible and caused no ill effects! But once back in the States, it is a challenge to know what to eat! So many of the “foods” here cause inflammatory reactions. Of all the questions I field during the day, “What to eat” is the most common.
I have been refining the answer to this question for decades, and it mainly applies to what is available in the U.S. The following suggestions are the latest summation for eating healthy in America. It is a constant challenge requiring persistent awareness, which this article will ease the dietary tension.
General Guidlines
Understand Genetics: If your parents didn’t eat it, you can’t eat it!! This is critical. Ancestral genetics determines the immune foundation for what is best for us to eat. These days, this can be very difficult since so many foods are newly hybridized. To add to this dilemma, there are also numerous new foods available. The only question you need to ask yourself is: “Did my parents eat coconut, quinoa, kombucha, monk fruit, pea protein concentrate, artificial sweeteners, stevia,” etc.? If they didn’t, then your immune system will have to establish with various degrees of allergy response what you can tolerate. It can take up to three generations before a ‘new’ food can be considered acceptable to the body. Therefore, it’s best to leave the new foods alone. There are already too many immune challenges in today’s world.
Avoid Allergens: avoid certain foods that can cause intolerance (even if parents did eat them). Generally, a food intolerance will cause a reaction within 20 minutes. Examples: sneezing after eating cheese, stomach ache after eating peas, hives after eating nuts, throat swelling after peanuts, or irritability after fried food. The list is long, so you will need to use the “trial and error” method. Foods that produce a noticeable reaction, such as malaise, stomach upset, lightheadedness, or headaches shortly after being consumed, should be eliminated from your diet. Back in the ’60s, a physician named Cook developed the “Cook Test for Food Intolerance.” Essentially, you check your pulse rate before eating and then 10 to 15 minutes after. If the pulse rate goes up by more than ten beats/minute, you are intolerant to the food eaten.
Shop Non-GMO: buy only certified GMO-free foods that say non-GMO. These days, this can be very difficult since a food that is organic and also GMO does not require GMO identification. Just because something is organic does not mean it is non-GMO. The main foods today that are GMO are soy, corn, rice, canola, potatoes, zucchini, sweet potatoes, some beans, cowpeas, eggplant, flax, maize, melons, cane sugar, sugar beets, papaya, plums, some apples, alfalfa, and feed grasses. In addition, since most livestock are fed corn, alfalfa, and feed grass, it is important to avoid feedlot chicken, eggs, beef, buffalo, and goats if they are being fed GMO.
Stay Local: buy local from farmers who can guarantee their product is organic and GMO-free. CSA and/or Farmer’s markets are generally always good. There are also meat suppliers that deliver. Crowd Cow, Pasture Bird, Stemple Creek, and Wild Idea Buffalo are companies that practice regenerative farming with pastured/grass-fed and grass-finished poultry and meats.
Read Labels: when shopping for packaged foods, look for simple ingredient lists. Stay away from sunflower oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, palm fruit oil, and mono & diglycerides. Avocado, coconut, and olive oil are OK. If you’re not sure what an ingredient is or how to pronounce it, it’s best to stay away.
Never Dry Bake: one of the worst foods at Costco and pretty much any grocery store are those roasted rotisserie chickens! Yes, they’re delicious and make meal prep easy, but they are chock-full of oil, sodium, and hardened fats. Roasting meat for longer than 30 minutes causes the fats in the meat to harden, making it more difficult for the stomach to digest and empty efficiently. Sautéing, quick frying in a little avocado oil, and BBQ are the best ways to cook meat. Even when making soups or stews, it is best to add already-cooked meat after the other ingredients are done cooking.
What to Eat
Fruits: all fruits are acceptable raw and cooked. Dried fruits should be eaten in small amounts. They are high glycemic, and my dentist told me they are a leading cause of tooth decay since they get caught under the gums, where they create acidity. Juices should be limited to four ounces in a serving to avoid excess carbohydrate consumption and sugars.
Vegetables: all organic vegetables are acceptable, especially if they are heirlooms. The only way to guarantee this is to grow your garden or purchase them from an aware farmer. The older the variety, the better. Stay away from new vegetable strains. Avoid raw spinach, raw chard (high oxalic acids), and raw kale (high sulfur). These might even be a problem if you feel as though you might be getting sick (colds, flu, stomach upset, ulcers) or if you have persistent joint or muscle aches. Also, cook all the cruciferous vegetables: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, garlic, and brussels sprouts. These are all high in sulfur. Sulfurs acidify the liver and body, and oxalic acid acidifies the body and kidneys.
Juicing: the primary rule to follow when juicing is to only juice the amount that you can eat in one sitting. Include beets, carrots, celery, cucumbers, parsley, whole fruits, lettuce, and snap peas with ½ lemon as a preservative. Ginger is also a good addition in small amounts. Can use ¼ cup aloe juice and ½ tsp chlorophyll water. Small amounts of protein powder include egg white and micronized whey (if tolerated). Pea proteins and green drink protein powders require pancreatin for digestion and probably should be avoided. Nutritional yeast is good if yeast tolerant. Organic non-GMO yogurt is acceptable with organic fruits.
Protein: protein is essential to a healthy life. Veganism is a SCAM! We need complex proteins for a multitude of organ functions and longevity, and those functions are best served by a nutrient-dense, high-protein diet that includes meat. Vegetarians will need to be particularly mindful of getting enough complex proteins for optimal health. The most biologically effective proteins are animal-based. These include eggs, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork in small amounts, fish, beef, deer, and buffalo. Vegetable proteins from beans, lentils, and heirloom corn are acceptable in combination with rice but need to be consumed in larger amounts. Black beans, pinto beans, mung beans, and adzuki are the least industrialized and the safest to eat. Other beans are questionable. Keep in mind the more an individual is stressed with daily life, traumas, and healing, the more protein turnover and demand exist.
Seafood: It is no longer advisable to consume large fish or fish that have a long life span since they have accumulated the most toxic metals (mercury) and chemicals. This includes scallops, tuna, halibut, shark, marlin, bottom fish, catfish, tilapia, Atlantic cod, eel, farmed salmon, imported swai and shrimp, mackerel, sturgeon, orange roughy or any fish that is more than 12 inches long!!! Healthy fish include trout, sardines in water, small white fish, wild-caught salmon, Atlantic mackerel, small halibut, rock cod, calamari, and most fish that are less than 12 inches in length.
Grains: grains are important, but sadly, in America, they are losing their digestive compatibility from over-processing hybridization and genetic modification. The primary grains that are safe to eat are Irish (Flahavan) and Scottish Porridge oats (from Amazon.com), quinoa if tolerated, heirloom white rice, wild rice, rye, and millet. Heirloom rice or Koda Kokuho Rose white rice can be found at the Asiana market in Cotati, CA, and in various stores. Thai and Asian stores carry Jasmine and Basmati rice, which is usually a heirloom. Brown rice, since the ’70s, has been hybridized enough that the protein structure is intolerant. In addition, numerous rice fields in America have been cultivated on retired cotton fields. This makes the rice high in arsenic since it was a primary pesticide for cotton. Anna Nepolitana Tipo flour is from heirloom wheat produced in Italy and is low-gluten. It is available on Amazon.com and safe to bake with unless there is diagnosed Celiac disease. Finally, let’s talk cereals. Granola is a great food if cooked properly. It is best to make your own and do not add oil.
Oils: fat is an important addition to any diet. The most beneficial oils include avocado, grapeseed, olive oil, and sesame oil for flavoring. It is best to cook with avocado oil, grapeseed, or coconut oil (if tolerated) since they can handle over 400 degrees without cracking, making them indigestible and toxic. If you want to add olive oil to a cooked preparation, it is best to add it after the item is cooked.
Drinks: wine that contains sulfites and tannins, black tea, coffee, caffeine, colas, kombucha, carbonated beverages, and fruit juices, except grape, peach, and non-GMO papaya, should be avoided. Organic, bio-dynamic wines are acceptable. White wines have fewer tannins and are better tolerated.
What to Avoid
Concentrated Proteins: proteins need to be understood according to the length of their molecules. The longer a protein molecule is, the more difficult it is to digest it. As a result, it is a good idea to restrict them as a primary source of protein. They must be consumed in small amounts and not daily. The most concentrated proteins include all nuts, nut milk, nut butter, seeds, soy protein, cheese, and wheat. The gluten found in wheat is probably the most offensive of all proteins and should be eliminated. In addition, some grains are also becoming a problem because of hybridization. Brown rice and oats are now included in this category. Nuts should be limited to no more than 6 to 8 a serving. A serving of large seeds like pumpkin and sunflower is one tablespoon, and a serving of small seeds is 1/2 tsp. This category should be kept in the extreme moderation section of your diet.
Acidic Foods: Whenever possible, avoid acidic foods or foods that create an acidic response when consumed, especially during an illness. The mucous membranes are our first line of defense against infection and become weakened in the presence of acidity. Acid foods should also be eliminated from the diet if arthritis, joint problems, or skin disorders are present. Most acid foods will aggravate the inflammatory process, making any illness or degenerative condition worse. If you are healthy with strong immune resistance, then all of the following foods are OK if consumed in moderation, but discontinue the moment you feel a scratchy or sore throat. This includes black pepper, vinegar, salsa, popcorn, chips, tomatoes, ketchup, strawberries, eggplant, herbal stimulants, artificial sweeteners, sugar, honey, all citrus, dried fruit, pineapple, peppers, spinach, chard, and potatoes.
A healthy diet is the foundation of health. It is a real bummer that in America, we are forced to be extremely diligent in finding healthy food. Fortunately, there are enough concerned farmers producing excellent, life-supporting crops and livestock. All we have to do is support them. Although it is easier to maintain health in foreign countries, with the help of these farmers, we can also make it happen in America. Food is your best medicine.