I know it seems like everyday we are hearing about some new diet or foods we need to avoid and as we get older, our doctors are telling us that we need to stop eating what we regularly eat. It’s now to the point with some of us where we just don’t know what to do! It has become so frustrating and confusing! Well, let’s try to take the confusion out of it and keep it simple.

All humans need 7 to 10 servings (The amount of food that will fit in the palm of your hand = one serving.) of vegetables and fruits. Your rule of thumb should be: “If it grows in the ground or on a tree, then you should be eating it.”

Vegetables 

Vegetables that are raw, steamed or baked are best. 

Green vegetables– fresh spinach, beets, collards, mustard, turnip, bok choy and kale. If you choose to steam these greens, avoid salt and fat when preparing. You can cook with lean, smoked meat, then remove when cooked.

Broccoli– steamed, raw, grilled or baked. Look for new recipes to change flavors.

Bell Pepper-raw, baked, sauteed, grilled

Cauliflower– grilled or baked. Use instead of potatoes or rice. Find new recipes.

Cabbage– steam, bake, grill or roast. Don’t overcook.

Carrot- raw

Celery– raw, sauteed

Cucumber-raw, boiled

Okra-young pods baked and lightly seasoned are tasty

Olive/Coconut Oil– use instead of corn, sunflower, vegetable oils for sauteing and flavoring foods. All oils should be used in moderation.

Fresh Yams– not the same as sweet potato

Fresh Beets-roasted, steamed 

Zucchini Squash can be substituted for okra in recipes

Mushrooms are the only plant based source for vitamin D

Greens– see green vegetables

Collards-steamed

Kale– raw or steamed

Kelp-steamed, boiled or sauteed

Turnips-steamed

Mustards– steamed

Spinach– raw or steamed

Squash– all varieties are delicious baked.

Hummus-good snack instead of bean dip

Black beans-slow cook

Sweet Potatoes-baked, boiled

Whole chicken eggs-one boiled egg a day 

Turnip roots– baked can be used as substitute for french fries

Tomatoes-raw, boiled,baked

Snow Peas-raw, sauteed, stir-fry

Avocado- sliced on a salad or with your eggs for breakfast.

Quinoa- substitute for rice. Excellent source of protein.. Cooks like rice and can be used as a substitute for rice. 

MEATS

This is a food that is not really needed everyday and large quantities are not required to be healthy. Only eat portions the size of a deck of playing cards.

Fish– Atlantic Mackerel, Coho Salmon, Alaskan Salmon and Pacific Halibut are great heart healthy choices that can be eaten at least twice a week. Look for new grilled or baked recipes.

Shrimp-Baked, grilled, boiled

Chicken-Lean grilled or baked chicken breast once a week.

.Seasonings

The best part of the food is the seasoning that you use.Make salt the last season that you use.

Seasoning can make or break the taste of a dish or food. There are lots of choices.

Ginger -fresh or ground, will add flavor to all the meats that you cook. You will not have to use salt when you use ginger.

Garlic– adds flavor to meats and vegetables.

 Basil– season your vegetables and meats with the aromatic flavor of basil.

Cinnamon-antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, immunity-boosting and potential cancer and heart disease-protecting abilities.

Cumin– Season your potatoes and meats. Be careful, it lowers blood sugars!

Coriander-Use as a rub on meats or add to seafood.

Cilantro– season your meats and vegetables with cilantro. Cilantro and coriander come from the same plant but their flavors are very different and cannot be substituted for each other.

Rosemary– good for seasoning meats. Very sweet, flowery smell.

Sage-adds great flavor to your meats, sauces, and soups. Use it to replace sugar in your recipes.

Thyme– good for seafood of all types.

Turmeric– try using to season your greens or your quinoa

These are just a few of the herbs that can lead to a healthy way of life.

Things to Avoid

There are a few things to avoid to stay healthy. It will require you to read food labels and cook wisely.

What is the safest cookware to use?. Copper can be leached into your body if you cook food daily with copper pots and pans.The non-stick coatings can leach toxic chemicals into your body through the food being cooked. The aluminum stops the calcium from being absorbed by the bones of the body and prevents the magnesium from being absorbed by the brain. This can lead to osteoporosis, brittle bones, and Alzheimer’s. If you must cook it in a foil, quickly remove it from the pan or the foil and store it in another type of container.

Dark sodas and diet sodas. Sodas have artificial ingredients to make your body crave them. It doesn’t matter whether they are diet sodas or not. They also cause calcium loss in your body. 

Eat fruit! You will get a lot more from it! Most juices you buy from the store have little to no fruit juice in them and very little pulp. You miss the fiber and the vitamins when you drink these and you get lots of sugar, artificial colors, high fructose syrup, and flavorings added. Fruit juices are not healthy unless you squeeze them from the fruit yourself.

Not all water is the same. Most municipal supplied water has fluoride and other chemicals used to clean it. 

Bottled water can be expensive for its additives. Bottled water can also be expensive for just being plain simple. Don’t pay for additives if you don’t have to. Carbonated water breaks down the calcium in your bones. Purified drinking water is the same water that comes from the municipal water supply-you just get to pay for it twice. Alkaline water is supposed to have magnesium and calcium in it for your health. Alkaline water has no federal regulation on how much magnesium or calcium is allowed to be in the water to be called alkaline water. So don’t waste your time or money on that. Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. If the label says it is spring water, it must be TOTALLY spring water. There cannot be any fluoride or chlorine added to spring water. It is not expensive. Just don’t buy the name brand spring water.

White sugar, artificial sweeteners, white flour and  high fructose corn syrup , cause chaos inside of your body. Your body does not recognize these as food and cannot digest it, so it stores it in your liver, in the fat of your waist/gut, buttocks and thighs. They can cause your body to crave them and eventually lead to diseases and chronic conditions such as cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. 

If you have to sweeten it, use small amounts of natural sweeteners, such as honey, stevia, guava or raw sugar and all natural fruit juice.

It is important to read the food labels, avoid “white” foods, processed and artificial foods, snack foods and take walks for exercise.

I know there are a lot of temptations out there, but you just stay with natural foods as much as you can and remember, you are not alone out there. Read your labels.

What should I eat?

I know it seems like everyday we are hearing about some new diet or foods we need to avoid and as we get older, our doctors are telling us that we need to stop eating what we regularly eat. It’s now to the point with some of us where we just don’t know what to do! It has become so frustrating and confusing! Well, let’s try to take the confusion out of it and keep it simple.

All humans need 7 to 10 servings (The amount of food that will fit in the palm of your hand = one serving.) of vegetables and fruits. Your rule of thumb should be: “If it grows in the ground or on a tree, then you should be eating it.”

Vegetables 

Vegetables that are raw, steamed or baked are best. 

Green vegetables– fresh spinach, beets, collards, mustard, turnip, bok choy and kale. If you choose to steam these greens, avoid salt and fat when preparing. You can cook with lean, smoked meat, then remove when cooked.

Broccoli– steamed, raw, grilled or baked. Look for new recipes to change flavors.

Bell Pepper-raw, baked, sauteed, grilled

Cauliflower– grilled or baked. Use instead of potatoes or rice. Find new recipes.

Cabbage– steam, bake, grill or roast. Don’t overcook.

Carrot- raw

Celery– raw, sauteed

Cucumber-raw, boiled

Okra-young pods baked and lightly seasoned are tasty

Olive/Coconut Oil– use instead of corn, sunflower, vegetable oils for sauteing and flavoring foods. All oils should be used in moderation.

Fresh Yams– not the same as sweet potato

Fresh Beets-roasted, steamed 

Zucchini Squash can be substituted for okra in recipes

Mushrooms are the only plant based source for vitamin D

Greens– see green vegetables

Collards-steamed

Kale– raw or steamed

Kelp-steamed, boiled or sauteed

Turnips-steamed

Mustards– steamed

Spinach– raw or steamed

Squash– all varieties are delicious baked.

Hummus-good snack instead of bean dip

Black beans-slow cook

Sweet Potatoes-baked, boiled

Whole chicken eggs-one boiled egg a day 

Turnip roots– baked can be used as substitute for french fries

Tomatoes-raw, boiled,baked

Snow Peas-raw, sauteed, stir-fry

Avocado- sliced on a salad or with your eggs for breakfast.

Quinoa- substitute for rice. Excellent source of protein.. Cooks like rice and can be used as a substitute for rice. 

MEATS

This is a food that is not really needed everyday and large quantities are not required to be healthy. Only eat portions the size of a deck of playing cards.

Fish– Atlantic Mackerel, Coho Salmon, Alaskan Salmon and Pacific Halibut are great heart healthy choices that can be eaten at least twice a week. Look for new grilled or baked recipes.

Shrimp-Baked, grilled, boiled

Chicken-Lean grilled or baked chicken breast once a week.

.Seasonings

The best part of the food is the seasoning that you use.Make salt the last season that you use.

Seasoning can make or break the taste of a dish or food. There are lots of choices.

Ginger -fresh or ground, will add flavor to all the meats that you cook. You will not have to use salt when you use ginger.

Garlic– adds flavor to meats and vegetables.

 Basil– season your vegetables and meats with the aromatic flavor of basil.

Cinnamon-antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, immunity-boosting and potential cancer and heart disease-protecting abilities.

Cumin– Season your potatoes and meats. Be careful, it lowers blood sugars!

Coriander-Use as a rub on meats or add to seafood.

Cilantro– season your meats and vegetables with cilantro. Cilantro and coriander come from the same plant but their flavors are very different and cannot be substituted for each other.

Rosemary– good for seasoning meats. Very sweet, flowery smell.

Sage-adds great flavor to your meats, sauces, and soups. Use it to replace sugar in your recipes.

Thyme– good for seafood of all types.

Turmeric– try using to season your greens or your quinoa

These are just a few of the herbs that can lead to a healthy way of life.

Things to Avoid

There are a few things to avoid to stay healthy. It will require you to read food labels and cook wisely.

What is the safest cookware to use?. Copper can be leached into your body if you cook food daily with copper pots and pans.The non-stick coatings can leach toxic chemicals into your body through the food being cooked. The aluminum stops the calcium from being absorbed by the bones of the body and prevents the magnesium from being absorbed by the brain. This can lead to osteoporosis, brittle bones, and Alzheimer’s. If you must cook it in a foil, quickly remove it from the pan or the foil and store it in another type of container.

Dark sodas and diet sodas. Sodas have artificial ingredients to make your body crave them. It doesn’t matter whether they are diet sodas or not. They also cause calcium loss in your body. 

Eat fruit! You will get a lot more from it! Most juices you buy from the store have little to no fruit juice in them and very little pulp. You miss the fiber and the vitamins when you drink these and you get lots of sugar, artificial colors, high fructose syrup, and flavorings added. Fruit juices are not healthy unless you squeeze them from the fruit yourself.

Not all water is the same. Most municipal supplied water has fluoride and other chemicals used to clean it. 

Bottled water can be expensive for its additives. Bottled water can also be expensive for just being plain simple. Don’t pay for additives if you don’t have to. Carbonated water breaks down the calcium in your bones. Purified drinking water is the same water that comes from the municipal water supply-you just get to pay for it twice. Alkaline water is supposed to have magnesium and calcium in it for your health. Alkaline water has no federal regulation on how much magnesium or calcium is allowed to be in the water to be called alkaline water. So don’t waste your time or money on that. Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. If the label says it is spring water, it must be TOTALLY spring water. There cannot be any fluoride or chlorine added to spring water. It is not expensive. Just don’t buy the name brand spring water.

White sugar, artificial sweeteners, white flour and  high fructose corn syrup , cause chaos inside of your body. Your body does not recognize these as food and cannot digest it, so it stores it in your liver, in the fat of your waist/gut, buttocks and thighs. They can cause your body to crave them and eventually lead to diseases and chronic conditions such as cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. 

If you have to sweeten it, use small amounts of natural sweeteners, such as honey, stevia, guava or raw sugar and all natural fruit juice.

It is important to read the food labels, avoid “white” foods, processed and artificial foods, snack foods and take walks for exercise.

I know there are a lot of temptations out there, but you just stay with natural foods as much as you can and remember, you are not alone out there. Read your labels.

I know it seems like everyday we are hearing about some new diet or foods we need to avoid and as we get older, our doctors are telling us that we need to stop eating what we regularly eat. It’s now to the point with some of us where we just don’t know what to do! It has become so frustrating and confusing! Well, let’s try to take the confusion out of it and keep it simple.

All humans need 7 to 10 servings (The amount of food that will fit in the palm of your hand = one serving.) of vegetables and fruits. Your rule of thumb should be: “If it grows in the ground or on a tree, then you should be eating it.”

Vegetables 

Vegetables that are raw, steamed or baked are best. 

Green vegetables– fresh spinach, beets, collards, mustard, turnip, bok choy and kale. If you choose to steam these greens, avoid salt and fat when preparing. You can cook with lean, smoked meat, then remove when cooked.

Broccoli– steamed, raw, grilled or baked. Look for new recipes to change flavors.

Bell Pepper-raw, baked, sauteed, grilled

Cauliflower– grilled or baked. Use instead of potatoes or rice. Find new recipes.

Cabbage– steam, bake, grill or roast. Don’t overcook.

Carrot- raw

Celery– raw, sauteed

Cucumber-raw, boiled

Okra-young pods baked and lightly seasoned are tasty

Olive/Coconut Oil– use instead of corn, sunflower, vegetable oils for sauteing and flavoring foods. All oils should be used in moderation.

Fresh Yams– not the same as sweet potato

Fresh Beets-roasted, steamed 

Zucchini Squash can be substituted for okra in recipes

Mushrooms are the only plant based source for vitamin D

Greens– see green vegetables

Collards-steamed

Kale– raw or steamed

Kelp-steamed, boiled or sauteed

Turnips-steamed

Mustards– steamed

Spinach– raw or steamed

Squash– all varieties are delicious baked.

Hummus-good snack instead of bean dip

Black beans-slow cook

Sweet Potatoes-baked, boiled

Whole chicken eggs-one boiled egg a day 

Turnip roots– baked can be used as substitute for french fries

Tomatoes-raw, boiled,baked

Snow Peas-raw, sauteed, stir-fry

Avocado- sliced on a salad or with your eggs for breakfast.

Quinoa- substitute for rice. Excellent source of protein.. Cooks like rice and can be used as a substitute for rice. 

MEATS

This is a food that is not really needed everyday and large quantities are not required to be healthy. Only eat portions the size of a deck of playing cards.

Fish– Atlantic Mackerel, Coho Salmon, Alaskan Salmon and Pacific Halibut are great heart healthy choices that can be eaten at least twice a week. Look for new grilled or baked recipes.

Shrimp-Baked, grilled, boiled

Chicken-Lean grilled or baked chicken breast once a week.

.Seasonings

The best part of the food is the seasoning that you use.Make salt the last season that you use.

Seasoning can make or break the taste of a dish or food. There are lots of choices.

Ginger -fresh or ground, will add flavor to all the meats that you cook. You will not have to use salt when you use ginger.

Garlic– adds flavor to meats and vegetables.

 Basil– season your vegetables and meats with the aromatic flavor of basil.

Cinnamon-antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, immunity-boosting and potential cancer and heart disease-protecting abilities.

Cumin– Season your potatoes and meats. Be careful, it lowers blood sugars!

Coriander-Use as a rub on meats or add to seafood.

Cilantro– season your meats and vegetables with cilantro. Cilantro and coriander come from the same plant but their flavors are very different and cannot be substituted for each other.

Rosemary– good for seasoning meats. Very sweet, flowery smell.

Sage-adds great flavor to your meats, sauces, and soups. Use it to replace sugar in your recipes.

Thyme– good for seafood of all types.

Turmeric– try using to season your greens or your quinoa

These are just a few of the herbs that can lead to a healthy way of life.

Things to Avoid

There are a few things to avoid to stay healthy. It will require you to read food labels and cook wisely.

What is the safest cookware to use?. Copper can be leached into your body if you cook food daily with copper pots and pans.The non-stick coatings can leach toxic chemicals into your body through the food being cooked. The aluminum stops the calcium from being absorbed by the bones of the body and prevents the magnesium from being absorbed by the brain. This can lead to osteoporosis, brittle bones, and Alzheimer’s. If you must cook it in a foil, quickly remove it from the pan or the foil and store it in another type of container.

Dark sodas and diet sodas. Sodas have artificial ingredients to make your body crave them. It doesn’t matter whether they are diet sodas or not. They also cause calcium loss in your body. 

Eat fruit! You will get a lot more from it! Most juices you buy from the store have little to no fruit juice in them and very little pulp. You miss the fiber and the vitamins when you drink these and you get lots of sugar, artificial colors, high fructose syrup, and flavorings added. Fruit juices are not healthy unless you squeeze them from the fruit yourself.

Not all water is the same. Most municipal supplied water has fluoride and other chemicals used to clean it. 

Bottled water can be expensive for its additives. Bottled water can also be expensive for just being plain simple. Don’t pay for additives if you don’t have to. Carbonated water breaks down the calcium in your bones. Purified drinking water is the same water that comes from the municipal water supply-you just get to pay for it twice. Alkaline water is supposed to have magnesium and calcium in it for your health. Alkaline water has no federal regulation on how much magnesium or calcium is allowed to be in the water to be called alkaline water. So don’t waste your time or money on that. Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. If the label says it is spring water, it must be TOTALLY spring water. There cannot be any fluoride or chlorine added to spring water. It is not expensive. Just don’t buy the name brand spring water.

White sugar, artificial sweeteners, white flour and  high fructose corn syrup , cause chaos inside of your body. Your body does not recognize these as food and cannot digest it, so it stores it in your liver, in the fat of your waist/gut, buttocks and thighs. They can cause your body to crave them and eventually lead to diseases and chronic conditions such as cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. 

If you have to sweeten it, use small amounts of natural sweeteners, such as honey, stevia, guava or raw sugar and all natural fruit juice.

It is important to read the food labels, avoid “white” foods, processed and artificial foods, snack foods and take walks for exercise.

I know there are a lot of temptations out there, but you just stay with natural foods as much as you can and remember, you are not alone out there. Read your labels.