Eating Healthy, a Beginners Guide
Eating Healthy, a Beginners Guide
Eating Healthy, a Beginners Guide
This will be my formal guide to eating healthy. The advice pinpointed here applies to the average, healthy, non-diabetic person. If you are overweight, diabetic, or suffer from any other medical condition, then some of this may not apply to you. If you are an elite athlete, then this will probably not apply to you either.
I believe optimal nutrition varies between people, by activity level, current health status, body type and perhaps even by ethnicity.
If I happen to learn something new, or change my opinion about something, then I will update this guide. There's nothing more dangerous in the health industry than people who think they know it all and that applies to doctors, nurses, nutritionists, etc. If you disagree with me then I encourage you to say so in the comments, or send me an e-mail.
I don't want to put a specific stamp on my dietary advice. I believe in making informed decisions based on real studies and human experiences. My current dietary advice, though, based on research that I have read, along with countless blog posts by doctors, professors and other experts, and by my personal experience, most closely resembles the paleolithic diet.
What not to eat
1. Sugar. This includes such things as candy, cookies, pastries and ice-cream.
Sugar contains empty calories and produces an unhealthy rise in blood sugar and insulin. Sugar is one of the key players in producing the epidemic of western lifestyle diseases such as obesity. Fruit juices and some dried fruit also fall into this category and also everything that contains high-fructose corn syrup. If you follow only this one rule, then you've already come a long way towards eating healthy.
2. Grains, wheat in particular.
Grains are very nutritionally poor compared to animal products and most other plants. They are, along with sugar, the main component of excessive carbohydrate in the western diet. Some grains are not all bad, such as white rice, but they are nutritionally poor so they should not be a major part of your diet. If you don't need to lose weight and are not diabetic then they are okay to eat in moderation. If you really need to have grains in your life, just make sure you absolutely eliminate wheat, both processed and whole wheat.
3. Processed vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats.
Processed vegetable oils contain a very high amount of Omega-6 fatty acids, which need to be minimized in order to have a favourable Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio. If this ratio is too high, it contributes to inflammation within the body. They require extensive processing methods and are void of all nutrients. Hydrogenated fats are unsaturated fatty acids which have been chemically altered to resemble saturated fats. Both processed vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats greatly increase the chance of heart disease and should be avoided.
4. Processed food.
I don't feel that you need to go out of your way to eat organic food, especially if it costs more than is comfortable for you, but I do recommend trying to eat food that is as close as possible to it's natural state. Processed food contains a lot of added chemicals such as preservatives and colourants and is generally less nutritious than it's less-processed counterpart.
What to eat
1. Animal food. Meat, fish and eggs.
This is where the main part of your calories should come from. Animal food contains high-quality protein and has a very healthy fat composition, including plenty of saturated fat which despite what a lot of people would say, is healthy for you. Animal food keeps you satiated for a long time and is high in vitamins and minerals. Do not worry about the cholesterol content of meat and eggs, dietary cholesterol does not raise the level of bad cholesterol in your blood. It is better to buy meat that is grass-fed, fish that is caught wild and eggs that are omega-3 enriched, but if this is too expensive for you then you should go for the cheaper grain-fed option.
Fats and oils.
Supplement your diet with various fats and oils. Saturated fats such as butter, lard or coconut oil are best for cooking since saturated fats are less prone to oxidation under high heat. Oils such as Olive oil, preferably extra-virgin, are great for adding to your salad or just to add more fat to your meal. Consider supplementing with fish oil, about a tablespoon per day, especially if you don't eat a lot of grass-fed meat, fatty fish or omega-3 enriched eggs.
Vegetables.
You should eat some amount of vegetables. They are rich, calorie for calorie, in some nutrients and they add variety to the diet. Do not think that you need to consume more of these than you have an appetite for, some people have actually been able to stay healthy without eating any vegetables or plants at all. You may want to limit starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, if you are overweight in order to accelerate weight loss, but for healthy and active people they are perfectly fine to eat.
Fruit.
It is okay to eat fruit if you particularly enjoy eating them, but they are definitely not necessary and should be considered as more of a treat. Again, if you need to lose weight, you are probably best off limiting the fruit. I don't recommend eating more than 1-2 pieces of fruit per day for anyone though because excessive fructose can be bad. Berries, such as blueberries, are probably the best choice.
Nuts and seeds.
Nuts, such as almonds or walnuts, contain a lot of antioxidants and minerals. They can be quite high in calories though, so if you are trying to lose weight then you might be better off eating them in moderation. Some nuts contain a lot of omega-6 fatty acids, but I don't think that should cause you harm because inside the nut they are in their natural state and protected by the high vitamin E they contain, which prevents them from becoming oxidized.
High-fat dairy, herbs, condiments and salt.
If you are not lactose-intolerant, then it is probably okay for you to eat dairy. I would, however, recommend that you stick to the high-fat varieties, such as cream and cheese. Low-fat dairy tends to be highly processed and contains a lot of sugar. Use a variety of herbs and condiments to improve the flavour of your food. If you don't have high blood pressure then salt is fine to eat in moderation, as food can actually taste quite bland without it. If you're not eating any processed food then the amount of salt in your diet will be naturally low anyways.
The take home message is this:
Try to focus on real food that resembles what it probably looked like in the wild, in it's natural state (with a few exceptions). Cut out the sugar, grains, vegetable oils and processed food and focus on eating meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, nuts and I can almost guarantee that you will see your health taking a massive turn to the better.
For more articles like this one, visit my blog: Kris Health Blog
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