Occasionally, I get asked about my diet so I thought I would post it here for your perusal. I don't always follow it to the letter (read: wine) but such is life.
What Not to Eat:
No Sugar - This includes but is not limited to corn syrup, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, soda (seriously, why am I still listing things). If it is sweet and not whole fruit, it probably shouldn't be eaten.
No Grains, Legumes or Grain Products - Brief list of grains (wheat, flour, corn, oats, rye, brown rice, barley). Grains and legumes can be eaten if they are properly processed (soaked and fermented), but I am too lazy to do this so I abstain. Also, a peanut is a legume, not a nut, so those are out too.
No Soy - No soybean oil (it is in everything, mayonnaise, salad dressing, any sort of prepared food, literally everything), no soy beans, no tofu, etc.
No Alcohol - Alcohol likely is not good for optimal health. Sad but true.
No Grains, Legumes or Grain Products - Brief list of grains (wheat, flour, corn, oats, rye, brown rice, barley). Grains and legumes can be eaten if they are properly processed (soaked and fermented), but I am too lazy to do this so I abstain. Also, a peanut is a legume, not a nut, so those are out too.
No Soy - No soybean oil (it is in everything, mayonnaise, salad dressing, any sort of prepared food, literally everything), no soy beans, no tofu, etc.
No Alcohol - Alcohol likely is not good for optimal health. Sad but true.
No Industrial Seed Oils - This includes soybean oil (see above), corn oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil and the mysteriously named vegetable oil. (what vegetable is this from? Can you think of a vegetable that is oily enough to be made into an oil? Just imagine the amount of heat, pressure, and catalysts needed to get a bottle of vegetable oil from corn.) Canola oil is the best of the worst bad oils. Processed food is rife with these oils. Most salad dressings and mayonnaise are full of these oils.
No Trans Fats - If the ingredient list includes hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated, it is a trans fat. These are the worst of the fats and antithetical to health. Avoid these and the processed foods they come in at all costs. Seriously, I can't say enough about how bad these are. Humans were not meant to eat these.
What to Eat:
Meat - Fish (wild caught is preferable), shell fish, crustaceans, beef (preferably pastured), chicken/duck/turkey/other fowl (again preferably pastured), lamb (preferably pastured), goat (preferably pastured), pork (preferably pastured). Meat can be eaten in any amount desired. Pasturing livestock allows the animals to eat what they would naturally. Cows eat grass. Chickens eat bugs. You get the idea. This is preferable because pastured animals have a higher proportion of fat soluble vitamins, better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio and are generally better for you. What you eat eats is important.
Eggs - Again pastured eggs are preferable though omega-3 eggs are a good second option. The brighter and more orange the yolk, the better the egg is for you. Color is a strong indicator of the density of fat soluble vitamins. Eggs can be eaten in any amount desired. I don’t think twice about sitting down and eating a six egg omelet for dinner.
Fruit - Whole fruit. Not fruit in syrup out of a can, not fruit juice (has most of the good stuff taken out), only, “I just picked an apple off that tree” whole fruit. Also, coconuts. They can be eaten as coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut water and/or dried unsweetened coconut. Zero to three servings of fruit per day is an appropriate amount of fruit for most people. Coconuts can be eaten in any quantity your body tolerates. Some people do better with these than others.
Vegetables - Everything not excluded above can be eaten in any amount desired. Think things young kids traditionally hate to eat - spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc.
Tubers - Yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cassava, and anything else that grows underground that I can't think of. These can mostly be eaten without restriction though some people will need to limit these to assist in weight loss or insulin sensitivity (pre-diabetics and diabetics).
Nuts - Almonds, macadamia and walnuts are preferred because of the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Also, it is best if the nuts are roasted prior to eating. I don't recommend an amount to eat but a handful or two a day works for me and it can be easy to sit down and accidentally eat 500 calories of nuts. Having said that, 500 calories of nuts is much preferable to 500 calories of ice cream.
Oils – Eat and cook with only butter (preferably pastured), extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, lard, and palm oil. Olive oil should be extra virgin and can be used for low heat cooking but isn't recommended for high heat (frying). I almost exclusively use pastured butter though occasionally I’ll break out some coconut oil.
Rice - White rice seems to be a wash nutritionally and has little benefit or harm. It is a cheap source of calories though it adds nothing to the diet.
Dairy – Tolerance for dairy varies from person to person, likely based on genetic adaptation. Whole fat, fermented dairy (yogurt & cheese) from pastured cows is the healthiest and best tolerated by most poeple. Cream is also good. Less good is whole milk. Skim should be avoided as removing the fat removes the fat soluble vitamins and makes the milk less nutritious.
Eggs - Again pastured eggs are preferable though omega-3 eggs are a good second option. The brighter and more orange the yolk, the better the egg is for you. Color is a strong indicator of the density of fat soluble vitamins. Eggs can be eaten in any amount desired. I don’t think twice about sitting down and eating a six egg omelet for dinner.
Fruit - Whole fruit. Not fruit in syrup out of a can, not fruit juice (has most of the good stuff taken out), only, “I just picked an apple off that tree” whole fruit. Also, coconuts. They can be eaten as coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut water and/or dried unsweetened coconut. Zero to three servings of fruit per day is an appropriate amount of fruit for most people. Coconuts can be eaten in any quantity your body tolerates. Some people do better with these than others.
Vegetables - Everything not excluded above can be eaten in any amount desired. Think things young kids traditionally hate to eat - spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc.
Tubers - Yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, cassava, and anything else that grows underground that I can't think of. These can mostly be eaten without restriction though some people will need to limit these to assist in weight loss or insulin sensitivity (pre-diabetics and diabetics).
Nuts - Almonds, macadamia and walnuts are preferred because of the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Also, it is best if the nuts are roasted prior to eating. I don't recommend an amount to eat but a handful or two a day works for me and it can be easy to sit down and accidentally eat 500 calories of nuts. Having said that, 500 calories of nuts is much preferable to 500 calories of ice cream.
Oils – Eat and cook with only butter (preferably pastured), extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, lard, and palm oil. Olive oil should be extra virgin and can be used for low heat cooking but isn't recommended for high heat (frying). I almost exclusively use pastured butter though occasionally I’ll break out some coconut oil.
Rice - White rice seems to be a wash nutritionally and has little benefit or harm. It is a cheap source of calories though it adds nothing to the diet.
Dairy – Tolerance for dairy varies from person to person, likely based on genetic adaptation. Whole fat, fermented dairy (yogurt & cheese) from pastured cows is the healthiest and best tolerated by most poeple. Cream is also good. Less good is whole milk. Skim should be avoided as removing the fat removes the fat soluble vitamins and makes the milk less nutritious.
If you want to test your tolerance for dairy or anything else (wheat is another good one to test), try removing it from your diet for a month and looking for any positive adaptations (i.e. - did you lose additional weight, did you feel like you had more energy, did you get sick less, did you have less mucus, etc).
I intended this to be a summary but, obviously, it went longer than I planned. If, for some reason, this isn’t enough information, give me a call or shoot me an email me. God knows I love to talk about nutrition. Hopefully this helps explain why I refer to butter as vitamin sticks and eat my burgers protein style.
Additional reading:
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/ - An excellent and very detailed discussion of the science behind the above dietary recommendations. I find this to be the most compelling and well researched blog around.
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/ - An excellent and very detailed discussion of the science behind the above dietary recommendations. I find this to be the most compelling and well researched blog around.
http://robbwolf.com/ - I really enjoy his podcasts which are a good mix of super nerdy science and practical advice.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ - A classic in the paleo circle.
http://www.garytaubes.com/blog/ - Taubes introduced me to nutrition with his Good Calories, Bad Calories book.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM - Hour and a half lecture by UCSF physician Dr. Lustig on sugar's impact on health.
*Disclaimer: As you know, I am not a doctor. This post is not medical advice. Your health is in your own hands.
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