Guidelines for a Healthy Diet

While there is no diet that is right for every person, following are some guidelines for healthy eating.

Think Ahead, Plan, Shop, Prepare & Cook Meals at least 4x/week. Eat your leftovers for lunch. This is a must for consistently good diet.

Attempt to drink a minimum of 8 ounces of pure water, either distilled or spring, five (5) to six (6) times per day.  No more than 8 oz. with a meal as more may dilute digestive juices. 

Consume two (2) to three (3) cups of fresh or frozen vegetables daily.  Consume a medium to large sized raw salad (no iceberg lettuce) daily or at least every other day.  Eat ½ to 1 cup of raw food each day such as red peppers, carrots, celery, cucumber, snow peas, kale leaves (not the stem), arugula, watercress.

EAT CABBAGE FAMILY FOODS – Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green or red cabbage, arugula, bok choy, Swiss chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnips, turnip greens and watercress.  Have 1-2 cups of any of these 3-4 x a week.  Use a variety; avoid eating the same ones all the time.  It is best to roast, steam OR sauté and not boil.

Consume one (1) to two (2) pieces of fresh, whole fruit per day.  Limit fruit juice to 8oz/day at most.

Make every effort to consume 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked whole grains (brown rice, barley, oats, cornmeal etc) 2-4x/week.  Additionally, consume whole grain or whole grain sprouted bread, 1-2 slices 3-4 times per week.  Pasta should be limited to one (1) small serving per week and complimented with two servings of vegetables and a salad to ensure adequate intake of fiber.

Consume 1-2 cups of cooked beans (red beans, white beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, etc.) 3 times per week.  It is OK to use canned beans, just rinse before use to remove the salt.

Consume 1-2 small handfuls of raw unroasted, unsalted nuts 5-7 x’s per week.  Walnuts, almonds, filberts, pecans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.  Little or no peanuts. 

Limit consumption of flesh foods (beef, pork, chicken, fish, lamb) to no more than a 4oz serving three (3) to four (4) times per week OR a 4-6 oz serving once daily.  Limit eggs to two (2) to six (6) per week.

Learn to eat a wide variety of all types of foods.  Avoid eating the same few foods over and over.

Oils:  Use olive, coconut or sesame oils in cooking as needed.  Olive oil is much preferred, use it liberally.  Avoid the consumption of canola, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, corn or peanut oil, or unspecified vegetable oil. 

Dairy Products:  Butter, Cheese, Cheese Substitutes, Milk, Milk Substitutes, use all of these in very small quantity.  Yogurt (full fat plain greek yogurt is preferred) may be used more liberally.  1 cup per day is OK.

Foods to avoid:  Caffeine, Soda, ALL Fried Food, Hydrogenated Oils, Trans Fats, Genetically Modified Foods, Preservatives, Colors & Additives, Processed lunch meats, Dried Sulphured Fruits, Roasted or Salted Nuts , White Rice and/or White Flour Products, “Accent”, or MSG. Avoid artificial sweeteners: Nutrasweet/aspartame, saccharin, Splenda/surralose, acesulfame K.  Best to avoid alcohol or use in small amounts. READ LABELS.

Foods to eat very sparingly:  Coffee, Sugar treats of any sort, eat 1-2 small sugar treats/week at most. 

Other Suggestions:  Eat slowly and chew each mouthful 15-20 times.  Eat only when hungry.  Eat to 80-90% full, avoid overeating, under eat at each meal/snack.  LEARN TO LIVE WITH and embrace SOME LEVEL OF HUNGER IN BETWEEN MEALS.  Avoid eating when upset, bored, angry, stressed, etc.  No food 2-3 hours before bedtime.  Handoutsabbreviated Nutr.doc