Diet and Nutrition

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You are what you eat, almost literally. Our bodies are constantly changing, growing/repairing, and the foods you eat are the building blocks for those processes on a cellular level. A healthy diet is more important than any exercise regimen, provided one is not totally sedentary. What you eat and drink affects so many things… your weight, blood sugar, energy level, immune system, how you look and feel, and certainly your longer term health.

For many people, poor eating habits can be very difficult to change. But even if one has the willingness, prior to making changes it is helpful to learn a few things about nutrition and digestive health. I encourage you to take the time to explore this page and the “Digestion/IBS” and the “Keto Diet and Fasting” pages as well. I’ve included a few links on the latter page which are not super long to watch and will give people some good information and ideas, about what to eat (and when), as well as what to avoid. I’ve been interested in health and nutrition for a long time, and some of the content on those pages is somewhat new to me as well.

I am by no means a weight loss or nutrition expert. But I do think there is a lot of relevant information on the 3 pages of this site that can be helpful toward a healthier diet which would naturally help with weight loss if it is a goal for you. I think with all the information about nutrition that is available on the internet, improving diet is something most people can do for and by themselves if they take the time and have the willingness to learn, and change what they eat. What you eat will affect your health and energy over your entire life. Taking the time to learn about nutrition is time well spent.

Food and Enjoyment

A healthy diet should by no means be unpleasantly restrictive. People are way less likely to eat healthy if they don’t enjoy what they eat, or are super hungry often. Food is a part of life that we all enjoy. But many people sacrifice healthy eating for the sake of convenience, or because they enjoy foods too much that are not particularly healthy.  Changing your diet is not easy, some food habits are addictive in nature. It can be a mistake to change your diet too drastically, or with a perfectionist ideal. But diet all comes down to habit and choice, and improvement comes simply from eating more food that is healthy and less that isn’t. A great step toward better nutrition is recognition and commitment toward reducing or eliminating what should for the most part be avoided, and replacing them with healthier alternatives. You don’t have to make your diet perfect, nor do you have to avoid every unhealthy food or drink that you enjoy forever. Nobody should impose a tyrannical constraint upon themselves. Enjoying your life is the whole point. Just start eating stuff that is less healthy less often. The goal should be a healthy diet, not a perfect diet.

What to AVOID!!

Our country is certainly in a health crisis, with incidences of cancer and other ailments that are indications of serious fundamental problems. There are certainly many environmental factors that contribute to cancer, but all the toxic crap in our food is definitely significant. As is the depletion of the nutrients in our soil, a reason that fruits and vegetables today have way less nutrients than decades ago. The foundation of a healthy diet is getting the right nutrients, and avoiding putting things that are toxic and terrible in our bodies. Toward that end, organic is highly preferable to non organic, and meat should always be w/o hormones or antibiotics, and grass fed/finished if possible. Some things to seriously and diligently avoid:

VEGETABLE/SEED OILS (which means most kinds of chips)***. The negatives of vegetable seed oils is something I only found out about a few years ago. If there is any section of this website I hope people pay close attention to, it is this one. It made a big difference for me when I started eliminating them from my diet. I don’t think this issue is widely known or emphasized enough. I’ve seen plenty of chips and other products made with all organic ingredients by small businesses that are undoubtedly intended to be as healthy as possible, yet contain vegetable seed oils. It is not easy to avoid them, b/c they are in SO many things, from restaurants to all kinds of stuff at the grocery store. Even something as simple as a can of organic refried beans can contain seed oils.

Below is a video by Dr Eric Berg, citing the negative effects of seed oils – especially when used in cooking and in things like corn or potato chips. According to a study he references, only heavy smoking and obesity are worse than seed oils. Seed oils are much more dangerous then even high levels of sugar, according to the same study. He specifically lists corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower, canola, peanut, and cotton seed oils as those to avoid, as well as generic so called “vegetable oil”. He says that they all are highly inflammatory, and that it is a huge mistake to think that unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated. McD’s fries are cooked in canola oil, making them one of the unhealthiest foods out there, much as I know many people love them. Not all oils are bad, however. Healthy alternatives include olive, coconut, or avocado oil, as well as butter, ghee, lard, or tallow. I have followed him for some time and he seems very sharp, and always lists research links below his videos. His opinion on seed oils is echoed by many, so I trust his advice, and have done all that I can to avoid them. Eliminating these oils made a big difference not only in my stomach health, but interestingly, my sinuses. Unfortunately, just about all kinds of chips are often cooked in these “bad” oils: potato, sweet potato, pretzels, or corn/tortilla. Which makes all of them a poor snack choice to say the least – unless they are cooked in “good” oils. In addition I have heard doctors warn against eating fat free potato chips due to the fat-free synthetic substitute for the oil being very unhealthy as well. However, there are alternatives emerging for snacks cooked in much healthier oils. The only brand of chips I now eat is called Siete, they are made out of cassava flour and cooked in avocado oil. But even chips cooked in good oils tend to be high in carbs, and not particularly healthy, and should be eaten in moderation. A link to some chips that are cooked in avocado or coconut oil:

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/healthiest-potato-chips-you-can-buy

When people talk about “processed foods” being bad, seed oils can be a big part of that. Seed oils are found in ingredient lists in many cereals, breads, or english muffins, or even in things like granola, protein bars, trail mixes, or soups. If you intend to avoid some of these unhealthy oils, you really need to be very diligent about reading food labels on whatever you are used to eating. This is something to be aware of when eating out as well. Something as simple as chicken and vegetables over rice can be healthy or unhealthy depending on the kind of oil it is cooked in. It is unfortunately not easy to find restaurants where seed oils are not used, especially in chain restaurants. You pretty much have to ask around what they cook stuff in. EVEN SALADS can have seed oils b/c of the salad dressing used. Most sushi places are ok if you avoid things like shrimp tempura which might be cooked in oils. A lot of Greek restaurants cook stuff in olive oil, and tend to be pretty healthy.

I should mention: I don’t want to create anxiety or obsession about seed oils. They are not so toxic that having a meal where you are unaware or even know that you are eating seed oils will automatically give you an upset stomach or make you sick (although it can). As long as people avoid them to a very high degree, they will likely avoid chronic inflammation and the problems they cause. It is probably not possible for the most diligent person to avoid them 100 percent of the time, esp while traveling, being invited to a party, etc. So like anything else, just do your best to avoid them without making too much of it when you can’t.

When it comes to what to cook with, it is worth mentioning that while olive or avocado oils are among those that should be healthy, there can be problems b/c of how oils pull micro toxins out of plastics they come in contact with. I recently had bloodwork done that revealed elevated levels of microplastics. I could not fathom what the cause would be since I am meticulous about everything I eat or drink, but concluded that it might be olive oil since I use it a lot. The following video is very informative on this. Since seeing this, I have since switched to grass fed beef tallow, or coconut oil. An alternative would be to use the olive or avocado oil brands he says are lowest in phthalates. I will probably get blood tested again in a year to see if my levels go down.

SODA. I don’t want to bum anybody out who drinks a lot of it, but it is safe to say that the overall quality of health in this country would MASSIVELY improve if people avoided or greatly reduced drinking soda.  Soda has zero nutritional value.  It is very unhealthy on many levels from blood sugar to our teeth.  People who drink a lot of soda typically wind up with weight problems and higher risk of diabetes.  Soda is surely one of the main contributors to both of those widespread health problems.  It has also been linked to heart disease, and cancer.  Someone I respect was quoted as saying that Coca Cola will one day be looked upon like the tobacco industry, it is that unhealthy.  Anyone who is serious about wanting to improve their health can have little room for this in their diet.  If you can’t eliminate it, at least minimize it.  If it is used as an energy boost during the day, it is a poor choice.  Too much caffeine is not a good thing either but in moderation coffee or tea are certainly better for most people than soda.  If you suffer from low energy, sugar or caffeine are not good solutions unless used in moderation. For many people low energy comes from eating too many carbs/blood sugar spikes (“food coma”).  Most people do not drink enough water, a great choice to drink compared to soda, needless to say.

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (HFCS). I have read many things about it being best to avoid high fructose corn syrup.  This can include cereal, soda, cereal bars, yogurt, ketchup, and fruit preserves, among other things. Not all versions of those things contain HFCS, but it is best to avoid those that do. All of our cells have receptors for glucose, but only our liver has receptors to break down fructose. So things like HFCS or table sugar (sucrose), which have a lot of fructose, can overload the liver and lead to insulin resistance, a fatty liver (and gut), and eventual cirrhosis of the liver. HFCS and sugar are very unhealthy for the liver and for blood sugar. For that reason it is sensible to minimize candy and desserts, even if we all enjoy them once in a while.

LOW QUALITY FAST FOODS. As far as low quality fast foods, I will take a jab at the poster child, McDonald’s. How unhealthy is the food at McDonald’s? Someone made a documentary called “Supersize me”, where he related what happened to his health when he went on an all-MCD’s diet. In like a month he had all kinds of red flags… weight gain, blood sugar and blood pressure spikes, fatigue… the guy looked like crap and was a mess in a short amount of time. Needless to say, he proved his point, most of the menu is horrible for human health. They have salads now which of course is not what this guy was eating or trying to highlight as terribly unhealthy. It’s the burgers and fries, mostly. Esp the fries, since they are cooked in canola oil as previously noted. Now while most people don’t eat there every day, it is still obvious that the food there is unhealthy enough that it should be eaten rarely at most by anyone who values their health. Commercials promoting fun family experiences there seem utterly criminal.

BREAKFAST CEREALS. A common staple for many people is breakfast cereal. It is largely awful, containing too much sugar, high fructose corn syrup, unhealthy dyes, and vegetable seed oils. People would certainly be better off seeking healthier breakfast alternatives to most of the cereal on grocery store shelves, apart from something like organic oatmeal or quinoa flakes.

WHAT I EAT: Healthy, convenient, affordable food choices, plus supplements

I like eating at restaurants as much as anybody, but finding healthy meals (free of things like gluten and seed oils) when you eat out is not easy. It is also very hard to find a healthy meal at a restaurant for 10 bucks nowadays. Four healthy meals that I often eat which cost less than 10 bucks are omelettes, canned soups, baked fish (w/ beans, vegetables, and/or rice), and stuff cooked in a crock pot. None are complicated to prepare and take very little cleanup, with only the crock pot taking a bit more time to clean. There are countless youtube videos on how to cook literally anything. Nobody should claim that they “don’t know how to cook” when it comes to things that are that basic.

Omelettes

The most expensive organic, pasture raised eggs you can find even at Whole Foods cost less than a dollar per egg. A 3 egg omelette with some chopped veggies or greens like spinach or arugula only costs like 3 or 4 bucks, and is a great meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I cook with avocado, olive, or coconut oil. I usually cook the veggies or greens for a couple minutes first and then add the beaten eggs. One tip I will offer, I usually flip my omelette after letting it cook 3 to 4 minutes on medium/low heat. In order to avoid a cumulative mess on my stove, I take the skillet off the stove and flip the omelette with a spatula over my sink. This makes a HUGE difference in how messy your stove will get over time. In any case, omelettes are a super healthy meal. It takes less than 10 minutes to crack some eggs and make an omelette. Unless somebody has an egg allergy, I think most people would be well served to make themselves at least a couple omelettes per week. One of the best things you can eat.

Healthy Canned Soups

One category of cheap and convenient foods worth considering is canned soups. Of course it is healthier to make your own, and a LOT of canned soups are NOT healthy, but if you look a bit you can find soups with healthy organic ingredients that are not contaminated with seed oils, or gluten. If you buy off Amazon you can cut the price at the store substantially. Nobody should have to pay more than 3 or 4 dollars for a can of soup. Soups with beans, lentils, or chickpeas have good protein content and seem the best and most filling choices to me. To add some protein, you can always add some chicken bone broth, which is great for healing the gut as is mentioned on the digestion/IBS page on this site. The soup plus bone broth makes a very filling meal that isn’t super high calorie. Some specific ones that I like that are seed oil free with clean ingredients (I starred the ones that are higher calorie/heartier and have chickpeas, lentils, or beans):

Pacific Foods Organic Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Amy’s Organic Quinoa, Kale, and Red Lentil**
Amy’s Organic Split Pea
Amy’s Organic Rustic Italian Vegetable**
Amy’s Organic Golden Lentil**
Amy’s Organic French Country Vegetable**

Baked Fish

There are of course many different kinds of fish to bake, but two of my favorites are cod and salmon. Both take like 12-15 minutes to bake at 400, depending on thickness. I use parchment paper as opposed to aluminum foil. I always try to buy wild caught as opposed to farm raised when possible. There are differing opinions on wild caught vs farm raised, but the three points that seem to be the most valid on why wild caught is better are that the fish have better diets, fewer contaminants, and taste better. Buying frozen definitely saves on cost, and I don’t notice a drop off in quality. In addition to the fish, you can add things like rice or quinoa (adding butter or coconut oil as healthy fats), baked vegetables that you can cook along with the fish, and refried beans. Seasoning like ground ginger, garlic, or other spices can add a lot of flavor. A tip for making rice – use slightly more than the recommended amount of water. This will help avoid rice sticking to your pot, rice especially. You can always just stir and cook off the extra water for a minute or two, which is less unpleasant than having to deal with rice that is stuck to your pot.

Salads

Admittedly I don’t make or eat as many salads as I should. But a good suggestion for salads is to use things like arugula or spinach rather than iceberg lettuce, simply b/c they provide many more nutrients (and taste better as well). It is easy to take for granted that a salad with a lot of healthy stuff makes a healthy meal, but all of it can again be tainted by the salad dressing if it has seed oils or HFCS in it. So just be careful to keep that in mind, as it is very easy to forget, and most restaurants I’ve checked do indeed use seed oil based dressings. A lot of store bought dressings contain them also.

Crock Pot

I know people are time and energy constrained when it comes to cooking. Well cooking does not get any easier than a crock pot. I’ve cooked plenty of healthy meals that take as little as 5+ minutes (and zero skill) to prepare. Simply throw some turkey, chicken sausage, or any high quality meat in a crock pot with some carrots, celery, or other vegetables. Add a jar of marinara/spaghetti sauce on top if you like. Add 1/2 a cup of water. Turn the thing on, and 6-8 hours later your kitchen will smell like someone with skills has been cooking! You will have enough food for several meals, with just a moderate bit of cleanup. Not having time to cook is really not a valid excuse if you buy a crock pot.

Snacks

Healthy snacks that are free of seed oils are hard to find. The main ones that I eat are nuts (pistachios or pecans mostly), granola, or chips with guacamole. Pairing nuts with a little bit of fruit makes for a healthy and great tasting snack. Be sure to check that the nuts are seed oil free if you buy something like roasted/salted pistachios.

A great granola that I found recently is the best tasting I’ve had, and it is made with coconut oil. It is a bit expensive but they sometimes have offers that give a nice discount esp if you order enough to qualify for free shipping.

https://rawcology.com/products/blueberry-with-acai-raw-crunch-granola

Supplements

The primary supplements I take are:

Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Zinc
Fish oil
Ubiquinol (CoQ10)
Nattokinase
Magnesium/melatonin for sleep
Fermented black garlic

All of our cells need Vitamin D. I am fair skinned and don’t get a lot of sun, so that is one reason I take Vitamin D. The brand I take per a doctor is Metagenics. There was a huge correlation among Covid deaths to low vitamin D levels (and conversely very few deaths among those with healthy vitamin D levels), which underscores the importance of Vitamin D. I take vitamin C, zinc, and garlic as well for immune system health. Given that those things boost immune response as well as that the placebo effect is a thing, I firmly believe that people’s attitude should be to want an immune system that can kick ass when it needs to. When I got Covid I was over it in a day or two, which I attribute to regular immune supplements, as well as taking Ivermectin at the onset of symptoms. For more about Ivermectin, you can click here.

Antioxidants can be found in fruits and vegetables, and are extremely helpful in minimizing free radical damage to our cells.  According to the book Power up Your Brain by David Perlmutter and Alberto Villoldo, taking fish oil is helpful in stimulating the body’s own production of antioxidants, in even greater quantities than can be ingested through large portions of fruits and vegetables.  Which is one reason I take it.  Fruits and vegetables have many vitamins as well, so it is not advisable to take fish oil as a substitute for vegetables and fruit.

Nattokinase is an enzyme found in fermented japanese soybeans (Natto). Japan has one of the healthiest populations in the world, and some speculate that this may be one reason why. This enzyme has been found to have a very positive effect in reducing carotid plaque and cholesterol:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.964977/full
It has also been suggested as being beneficial for people who have had negative side effects from the Covid vaccines, reportedly helping to neutralize the spike protein, or with associated clotting issues.

Commercial vs Regenerative farming

One of the reasons that people need to take some supplements is that we can no longer get the nutrients from food that we once did. The main reasons for this have to do with how depleted our soil is from nutrients, due to mass commercialized farming. An excellent video that I wish more people including those in our government agencies knew about (and took action on rather than sabotaged), it explains a lot about how malnourished we are as a population, b/c our grown foods aren’t what they used to be:

Healthy fats

The word “fat” in foods may have a negative connotation for some people, but the truth is that healthy fats are actually a better energy source than carbs and help to minimize blood sugar spikes (and “food coma”) after eating too many carbs. For a lot of people with weight issues, one of their primary diet flaws is eating too many carbs. Many doctors and experts in nutrition agree that a low fat, high carb diet is not advisable, and that most people would be far better off with a diet higher in fat and much lower in carbs.  By higher in fat, they mean healthy fats, not rich desserts or greasy burgers. There are many healthy fats, in high quality meat or fish, eggs, nuts, oils (like olive, avocado, or coconut oil, for salads, or cooking), or things like avocados/guacamole, olives, and coconut.  And it needs to be said, rich desserts are absolutely ok once in a while. But they are obviously not helpful if your goal is to lose weight, and should be enjoyed in moderation.

Fat does not cause insulin spikes, and Dr Eric Berg notes that the leaner the protein, the higher the insulin response. So he recommends proteins that are high in fat, as opposed to very lean. His mantra for what makes healthy eating is low carb, high fat, high fiber.

Commitment

The most important aspect of diet is mental. I don’t think the idea of “going on a diet” is the right attitude. So many people do, with only temporary improvements. They undertake radical changes that aren’t pleasant to them, wind up hungry or eating foods they do not enjoy, and even if they stick with it for a while and become pleased with some weight loss, they revert to old habits at some point. When the weight they’ve lost comes back, this can result in resentment toward themselves, or even negative associations of healthy eating with failure or having an external will imposed upon them… not good.

To change eating habits does require COMMITMENT. Discipline and consistency are great qualities to cultivate when it comes to what we eat. But the goal of improving your eating habits should include sustainability. That means finding healthy foods that you actually ENJOY. If you find healthy foods that you enjoy, it is going to be a heck of a lot easier to maintain better eating habits. A healthy diet does NOT have to mean sacrificing enjoyment of food at all. Explore different restaurants, use a crock pot, take a cooking class or watch youtube videos, learn to use spices… there are plenty of ways to find or make good tasting and healthy food.

Like it or not, unhealthy eating habits will eventually lead to poor health. You don’t have to be a perfectionist or a control freak. But strive for consistency, and eating well more often than not. See your past eating habits as a learning experience, and something you want to improve because it’s REALLY not that hard, and the results will speak for themselves. Your motivation for upgrading your eating habits should be to feel, look, and live better, and have more energy, and better long term health, not just to lose weight, or earn the approval of others.

Digestion issues and weight gain

Exercise and what people eat are not the only factors related to maintaining a healthy weight. Issues in the gut/digestive system can have a significant impact on metabolism and how their body processes food as it relates to maintaining a healthy weight. Problems with the ratio of good bacteria to bad in the gut can contribute to both digestive and weight issues. Things like seed oils can create inflammation and cause gut issues. Genetics and other issues such as stress can also play a significant role. The Keto/Fasting page touches on fasting and intermittent fasting briefly. It isn’t only what we eat that affects our digestion and metabolism, but when. Anybody interested in weight loss should definitely learn about intermittent fasting, or other types of fasting. Fasting is not essential for weight loss, but it can definitely help.