Healthy eating habits

I have been experimenting with nutritional and dietary aspects of health since 1990 and keep journals about my observations. Over time, I tried several different diets - ranging from the politically correct ones to the highly controversial, along with diets of my own design. Although diets vary in their effectiveness - some can be very harmful - my general observation is that a healthy diet plays an essential role in the overall scheme of well being. Furthermore, there is no one diet that will work for everybody.

Benefits of healthy eating

Good health can lead to a better and more fulfilling life.

Good health is the most important thing in life - because it gives freedom. Freedom to pursue dreams and do all the things that poor health won't permit. Any significant health problem, chronic or acute, will bring your life balance out of order. Not just your own bodily balance but everything and anybody you normally interact with will be affected. Many relationships and activities will suffer in some way. You may not be able to fully support yourself and may have to rely on others. Illness strains relationships by making life of those around you more difficult. Basically a myriad of different problems will arise from poor health. Ultimately poor health limits what one can do in life - it imprisons you.

I think anybody who seriously tried living healthier through healthy eating, proper physical activity, adequate rest, and by addressing mental and spiritual factors have experienced a vast range of natural health benefits. Common benefits are overall better health and a sense of well being, better sleep, improved physical endurance and strength, sharper mental abilities and lower sleep requirements. Furthermore, no or little time, and money, and energy is spend on doctors, hospitals and health insurance bills.

What is a healthy diet?

Hunter-gatherers living on their traditional diets are virtually free of heart, cancer and other degenerative diseases common in the western world.

In order to determine the minimal basic requirements of a healthy diet, I concluded that it is safe to start with the following two objectives:

1. examine human diet over time - the foods humans consumed since the arrival of our species.
2. examine diets of ethnic groups known for their good health.

The traditional living Okinawans and people from the other Ryukyu Islands have the highest longevity in the world. This is partly attributed to diet, but also to other factors such as lifestyle, genetics, and mental well being.

Looking at the type of diets humans lived on through out pre-history, provides good insights into the kind of foods human body is well adapted at utilizing and dealing with. Further, the diets of certain ethnic groups that are well known for good health - the people of Okinawa (Japan); traditional cultures in the Mediterranean region; and many hunter-gatherer societies - suggest certain healthy eating habits that promote good health.

Upon closer examination of the above mentioned objectives, two main denominators emerged:

A) diets are based on natural, whole or minimally processed foods in accordance to heritage.
B) diets are lower in calories compared to a typical western diet.

In the context of present time, one can therefore make two general assumptions in regard to the question of what constitutes a healthy diet: 1) generally, the less a food is processed the better. 2) eat less - eat what is adequate, do not over eat.

Generally, the less a food is processed the better

Dried peaches are good for anemia, fatigue and constipation.

Often, the more recent the food is, the more likely it is to be less beneficial or even directly harmful - possibly due to lack of full adaptation to such foods. For example, food cooking started about 500 000 - 250 000 years ago (depending on the source, the range may vary). During this time frame, it is likely that human species have at least adapted in some way to simply cooked animal and plant foods. On the other hand, the beginnings of grain consumption are much more recent. Evidence of earliest known, systematical collecting of grains for food goes back to about 23 000 years ago - giving less time for adaptation to grain based foods.

Now, let's consider all the new, highly processed energy dense foods so popular today: fast foods, pizza, sweets, chips, convenience foods, canned foods, energy drinks, soft drinks, etc. Regular consumption of such foods, often coupled with excessive intake of popular stimulants like caffeine and nicotine, gave rise to hyper-active, fast-forward cultural norms of today that increase stress levels and worsen health problems. The dramatic rise in heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke, cancers, diabetes, liver and kidney problems is a byproduct of our modern lifestyle. Fortunately, healthy eating habits can help relieve or even eliminate completely many chronic health issues.

Considering the declining health of most western nations as opposed to good health of the ethnic groups described above, it seems reasonable that the most recent food inventions are directly harmful to human health. Further, it has been repeatedly observed that as ethnic groups around the world adopt the modern western diet, their health dramatically declines and they develop the same diseases that are so common to westerners. Not to mention the fact that the above diseases were far less common among westerners themselves barely 100 years ago.

Raw vegetables are generally higher in nutrients than cooked ones.

The more food is processed - through excessive cooking, pasteurization, homogenization, high heat, mechanical processing, etc, - the less natural and nutritious it becomes to a point of becoming a harmful burden to the body, rather than a useful and health promoting food. Some industrial processing practices deprive food of their nutrients to such high degree that the food has to be "enriched" by artificially adding some nutrients back into the food. This is especially true of flours where some vitamins are added after the processing is done.

A good diet is based on natural, whole or minimally processed foods. A considerable portion of it should consist of foods that can be eaten raw, such as fruits and especially vegetables. Healthy eating habits can also include fermented or cultured, unpasteurized foods such as kefir, yogurt, cheeses, miso, sauerkraut and pickles. These probiotic foods are considered highly beneficial in many cultures. Cooking should be minimal and only applied to foods that must be cooked in order to be edible. Ancestral heritage also plays an important role as certain foods may need to be excluded or emphasized.

Eat less - eat what is adequate, do not over eat

Natural diet is essential to good health of any animal. Cows that freely graze on fresh plants out in the open, rather than being fed grains or corn, are healthy and result in healthy foods.

In the past, as in the traditional way of living among the ethnic groups mentioned earlier, food consumption has been lower. Food quality, on the other hand, has been higher, with few energy dense foods that are so common today.

Finally, as an interesting note, it has been repeatedly confirmed through laboratory experiments on animals, including monkeys, that cutting down calories considerably lowers their susceptibility to diseases and prolongs their life up to 50%. Some scientists believe that life long caloric restriction can have similar effects on humans. However, such diets are not for everybody, since for most people healthy eating needs to be satisfying in terms of satiety.

Health promoting eating habits

Damaged or oxidized fats and high heat cooking. Avoid all refined or overly heated fats: margarine, any oil that is not cold pressed, leftover fat from cooking, all foods that contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and trans fatty acids. Read the labels. Such fats are considered to be among the most health damaging foods due to their damaged (oxidized) state (or the ease at which oxidation happens in them).

Other foods to avoid include: polyunsaturated oils (except cold pressed in small quantities), any meat or fat that has been exposed to high heat like frying or grilling, powdered eggs and dairy (often found in baked goods), homogenized dairy products (except butter and cream, which are not homogenized), aged meats and cheeses and baked goods that contain dairy.

Do not cook meat or fat at very high temperatures while exposed to air. Such practice will avoid fat and cholesterol oxidation - believed to be responsible for build up of arterial plaque and injury to arterial cells. Grilling and frying is especially harmful. Avoid eating the outer layer of meat and fat cooked in hot air, like in the oven. Steaming, or cooking in water through gentle simmering, are probably the healthiest ways of cooking meats and vegetables.

Polluted foods. Avoid or minimize consumption of foods polluted with unnatural, toxic or other unhealthy substances. Avoid consumption of fish and water animals unless certain they came from unpolluted waters. Especially predatory fish should be avoided as toxins accumulate in them in greater quantities. Minimize intake of all plant and plant based foods sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals commonly used to cultivate them. Avoid meats from animals treated with hormones and antibiotics. The best way to avoid all these harmful ingredients is to buy organic foods whenever possible. Later in this article I describe which foods are especially high in pollutants.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids. Keep the intake of foods high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) low - mainly nuts and seeds and any products made from them (mostly oils) and containing them (especially commercially baked goods like breads and cookies and butter substitutes). One particular family of PUFAs, called omega 6, is especially dangerous when consumed in excess. Virtually all oils, except olive, flax, palm and coconut oils are high in omega 6 PUFAs, and some of them are widely used in commercial food production due to their low cost.

PUFAs are unstable, they oxidize readily resulting in health damaging free radicals. High omega 6 PUFA intake have been repeatedly linked with cancer, heart and inflammatory diseases. If you are suffering from any of these diseases, reduce intake of all food sources high in omega 6 PUFAs from your diet - nuts, seeds, oils made from them and foods containing them. A small handful or two per week of fresh nuts/seeds is healthy, especially if you eliminate all sources of processed foods high in omega 6 PUFA. Walnuts are especially good.

NOTE: Omega 6 along with another family of PUFAs called omega 3 are essential for health. It is when one gets too much or too little of any one of them that problems arise. Which unfortunately is very common in the west. Many people are deficient in omega 3 and consume excessive amounts of omega 6 (which leads to the above described health problems). It is essential to keep the intake of these fatty acids within recommended range. Although nobody knows what the ideal range is, most experts seem to agree that the ratio between omega 3 to omega 6 should be between 1:2 to 1:6. I can only recommend to experiment with different rations to find out what works best for you.

Mary G. Enig, PhD, a well known authority on fatty acids, writes in her "Know your fats" book that the minimum intake of essential fatty acids should be 1 - 1.5% of energy (kcal) from omega 3, and 2 - 3% of energy (kcal) from omega 6. So on a 2000 kcal diet one needs at least 2.2 - 3.3 grams omega 3 and 4.4 - 6.7 grams omega 6. Rich sources of omega 3 are flax seeds/oil, fish oil and fatty sea fish. All plant oils except olive, palm, flax and coconut are relatively high in omega 6, as are most seeds and nuts. Sunflower and sesame seeds are an especially rich whole food source.

Fungi and mycotoxins. Minimize or eliminate consumption of unfresh foods that are especially prone to fungi and mycotoxin contamination: alcoholic beverages, spices, wheat, rye, barley, corn, peanuts, dried fruits and (even slightly) damaged fresh fruits. Mycotoxins are poisonous substances produced by certain molds and fungi which can cause a wide range of health problems including cancer, asthma, multiple sclerosis and diabetes. To minimize the health risk of these foods, make sure to buy only organic brands that come from reputable manufacturers and buy them as fresh as possible. The longer a food has been stored the greater its chance of becoming contaminated with molds and fungi. A couple of days is often enough for bread in the kitchen to get contaminated with invisible (at first) patches of molds. Always wash grains clean, and then cook them thoroughly by boiling them for at least few minutes before further cooking. This will lower the content of possible fungi in the grain. Mycotoxins are very heat resistant, even frying or roasting does not eliminate them.

I know from experience that any food that is not too fresh but tastes normal, often causes me aura migraine headache. This is especially true for breads that are high in rye or wheat. Same goes for dried fruits, some spices, and many peanuts varieties. I suspect this could be due to the effect mycotoxins or fungi have on the liver (vision and liver function are closely related) as these foods are the only ones that cause me the aura migraine.

Pears are a good source of the soluble fiber pectin which helps with proper bowel function and lowers cholesterol.

Essential nutrients are nutrients that are required for healthy body function and can not be manufactured by the human body. They can only be obtained from a dietary source (or as supplements), and currently include: essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitmains and minerals. See the full list of essential for health nutrients and currently recommended levels of intake.

Balanced intake of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fats is fundamental for proper body function. Long term unbalanced intake, whether too low or too high, of just a single nutrient will eventually lead to health problems - and can including severe diseases like cancer, diabetes and many others.

Eating a limited diet day in and day out will eventually lead to a deficiency of the nutrients the diet lacks, and excess body levels of the nutrients the diet is high in. Even a healthy diet that includes regular consumption of a single food that is particularly rich in some nutrients, like chocolate, can eventually lead to excessive body levels of the nutrients that chocolate is high in. Dark chocolate is especially high in copper, iron, and oxalic acid. Milk chocolate is high in sugar, which depletes chromium and other nutrients necessary for sugar metabolism.

When the intake of essential amino acids is insufficient, protein synthesis (building cells and repairing tissue) comes to a halt. Immunity is also lowered as amino acids are needed to form antibodies to combat the ongoing invasion of pathogens like bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. Many health problems can be caused by insufficient protein intake. On the other hand, excess protein consumption will put extra stress on the liver and kidneys. It may result in loss of calcium, which eventually leads to osteoporosis or kidney stones, and other problems.

Overconsumption of copper rich foods (tea, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, nuts, seeds, drinking water that runs through copper pipes, and others) can lead to a host of serious health problems like anemia, nausea, vomiting, moodiness, depression, heart disease, joint/spinal degeneration, increased susceptibility for infections, higher risk for some cancers, and other. Insufficient copper intake can lead to insomnia, depression, low immunity, vascular degeneration, premature graying of hair, and others.

Taking supplements of nutrients that the body is not lacking or is already high in can lead to various health problems associated with excess intake of those nutrients. So if you are not deficient in magnesium and your diet is stable and provides adequate magnesium, and you start taking a magnesium supplement, you can then gradually develop health problems caused by magnesium excess. Other nutrients in the body will most likely be affected by high magnesium intake. For example, magnesium can lower potassium, or increase chromium depending on the ratios between minerals.

It takes time and effort to bring the body into a relatively balanced state. The first step should consist of establishing the nutritional status of the body in order to treat nutritional deficiencies and excesses. Ideally, cellular analysis should be performed. Hair mineral analysis can be used as an alternative. Blood tests should not be relied on for establishing nutritional status of the body.

The easiest way to ensure that you are getting a relatively balanced amount of vitamins and minerals is to acquire a computer program that automatically calculates the daily intake of nutrients based on the consumed foods (see Resources). That way one can also determine if there is a need to supplement any nutrients that may be low or lacking in the diet, and lower the intake of nutrients the diet is high in. This seems like a lot of work, and it is in the beginning, but with experience it takes considerably less effort, and eventually the need for using software becomes much less frequent.

The needed amount and type of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is probably best determined through blood type. This is why I recommend the Eat Right 4 Your Type diet developed by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. Following this diet, with some minor modifications, has given me the best results of all the diets I tried.

Getting the right nutrition to maintain good health is a highly individualized matter. Nutritional needs vary (greatly) among people and depend on many factors like genetics, age, diet, state of health, climate, the amount of daily physical, mental and emotional activities, etc. Even moderate exposure to mental or physical stress may dramatically increase the amount of certain nutrients needed - far exceeding the Recommended Daily Intake. Overall, it is a good thing to supplement with low dosage, high quality (from reputable brands) vitamins, and a mineral and trace mineral complex if the daily nutritional intake from food is insufficient.

Since I believe that balanced nutritional intake is the most important healthy eating habit, let me stress that nutritional needs vary among people. Therefore one should not rely completely on the recommended daily intake of nutrients, as your needs for some vitamins or minerals may be much higher or lower than is commonly recommended. Which is why an ongoing personal experimentation is necessary. Although this eating habit is the hardest to get right and requires long term commitment, it is well worth pursuing. Once achieved, it will have a profound effect on overall state of health, mental clarity and well being.

The more natural and less processed the food, the better its health promoting value. Some nutrient loss always occurs during food processing, thus emphasize whole and minimally processed fresh foods. Such foods are rich in a variety of high quality nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, bioflavonoids, fats, carbohydrates, proteins and others - including the ones not yet discovered. Replace white rice with brown rice; white bread with whole grain bread; sugar with small amounts of raw honey or dry fruit (if tolerated); canned foods with fresh. Always choose fresh over frozen, or if not available frozen over canned. Fresh foods taste better, have more nutrients in them, have no added salt, sugar or unhealthy additives.

Less processed foods are also lower in potentially harmful chemicals that may have been introduced during the production process. For example, fruits or vegetables may contain trace amounts of the detergent used to wash it prior processing. All processing machines need to be maintained by cleaning and repairing, which again may introduce small amounts of harmful chemicals into the food. The longer the food processing chain the more potentially harmful chemicals may end in the food. Some may argue that the amounts are too small to matter, but the truth is that such artificial chemicals have never been part of human diet until very recently.

Eat when hungry and do not overeat regardless of food. This healthy eating habit helps create a balance in the body that leads to a healthier state of being by letting the body more naturally regulate its needs. Hunger is a signal. It indicates that the body needs and is ready for food. Fullness is another signal indicating adequate food intake. Conscious practice is needed to get a good sense for when to eat and how much. What works well for me is to eat within 30 minutes from the time I feel the very slightest hunger. Do not wait too long unless fasting or cleansing is desired. If hunger is never present (usually due to over-eating or eating unhealthy foods, or too much fat in the diet, or lack of physical activity), one should adapt healthy eating habits, correct nutritional imbalances, get adequate and proper amounts of daily exercise, rest, and address mental health issues.

NOTE: This habit should not be followed if you have a chronic illness, are recovering from an illness or feel stressed in daily life. Under such conditions you should eat as soon as hunger is felt or even at regular intervals regardless of hunger. It is absolutely essential to provide the body with adequate and high quality nutritious foods to help cope with the demands of such situations.

Variety and moderation in diet is important. By consuming a variety of healthy foods in moderation you get a more balanced intake of a wide spectrum of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, flavonoids, fats, etc) and lower the risk of getting too much, or too little, of any food or nutrient. Moderation and variety helps prevent allergies, malnutrition, overdose (of any nutrient), and lowers exposure to natural and man-made toxins found in many foods. Although moderation is an important healthy eating habit, it does not ensure a balanced nutritional intake. (Read the first item)

Buy organic foods whenever possible. Until about the early 1900s all food was organic. It was the norm since the beginning of life on this planet. Modern agriculture industry practices have changed that. As a result, mineral-deficient soils are commonly used for plant cultivation. This created many problems.

Humans and the animals we eat get food from plants, and plants get nutrients from the soil. Mineral-deficient soil results in mineral-deficient plants and the animals that consume them - including humans. Thus the regular, non-organic, foods are of poor nutritional quality - often far lower then the natural or organic equivalent.

Some scientists believe that human malnutrition caused by consumption of mineral-deficient foods is the root cause of many diseases. Taking supplements is helpful but may not be sufficient. New nutrients are being discovered frequently. Thus there may be hundreds or thousands of health promoting undiscovered nutrients. They may all be important and some may be essential to human health - but sufficient amounts may only be found in organic foods. Further, organic foods do not contain harmful pesticides, hormones or antibiotics frequently found in conventional foods. If getting organic foods is not possible where you live, it may be necessary to supplement with high quality (from reputable brands) vitamins, and a mineral and trace mineral complex in order to minimize possible malnutrition.

Consume raw foods every day. Most of these raw foods should be vegetables, and little fruit. Fruits that are high in fructose should only be eaten in small quantities, ideally as snacks between meals. During summer time, one naturally craves more raw foods so up to half of the diet (by volume) can consist of raw foods, especially salads and vegetables. During winter, one naturally craves more cooked foods so raw food intake should be lowered. Foods that are edible in a raw state (fruits, many vegetables, sprouts, nuts and seeds) should be consumed on a daily basis either with meals or as snacks. Raw foods are great for improving digestion. Juicy fruits and vegetables are best eaten as a snack between meals.

Ensure adequate fiber intake. Dietary fiber is the mostly non-digestible carbohydrate found in plant foods. There are several types of fiber and they all have different properties that are essential for good digestion and health. Adequate fiber intake help prevent cardiovascular diseases (heart and stroke), type 2 diabetes, cancer and gastrointestinal disorders. Fiber is also effective at eliminating toxins, parasites, and is the best remedy for constipation. The usual sources are vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds. The first signs of inadequate fiber intake are constipation and long transit times. Healthy transit should take no longer than one day. Raw fruits and vegetables are great for helping with transit times, especially when eaten as snacks between meals. It has been estimated that about 35g of fiber a day is needed. Most people consuming the typical western diet get less then half of that. High fiber foods are: grains (bulgur and oatmeal are convenient sources), whole grain breads, legumes and beans (especially pinto and kidney beans), dried fruits (especially figs, apricots, dates, prunes, bananas) and nuts and seeds.

Reduce levels of phytic acid and other anti-nutrients. Grains, legums, nuts and seeds are high in phytic acid and anti-nutrients like lectins and digestive enzyme inhibitors. Phytic acid combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in the intestinal tract and thus interferes with the absorption of these minerals. Long term, excessive intake of foods high in phytic acid can lead to severe health problems caused by mineral deficiencies. Enzyme inhibitors can interfere with digestion.

Soaking, fermenting, sprouting and cooking will largely neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients. Fermenting also helps break down gluten, a hard to digest protein. The Weston A. Price Foundation has a very useful article on how to minimize phytic acid in food. And here is a simple method of soaking brown rice.

This healthy eating habit is especially important to follow if you eat a lot of whole grains or make your own whole grain based foods like breads.

Blueberries are exceptionally high in health promoting antioxidants. They also have antibacterial properties and are good for varicose veins and urinary infections.

Prolong the nightly fast. Unless very hungry, do not eat for 2-3 hours before bedtime. That way the nightly fast can be prolonged considerably. This gives the body more/adequate time and energy to perform the countless nightly tasks that are so essential to good health - rather than digesting the just eaten meal. This simple healthy eating habit should reduce your night sleep requirements by one hour or more, and make you feel more fresh and better rested in the morning. Periodically, for detoxification, do not eat for 2/3rd of the day. That is, eat only during an 8 hour period and leave the remaining 16 hours for elimination and assimilation.

Always properly wash fruits and vegetables before consumption. This lowers the exposure to agricultural chemicals used to cultivate plants, and harmful microorganisms. A frequently recommended way of washing fruits and vegetables is to first submerge them in water for 5-10 minutes - in order to loosen/soften any dried particles - then to gently rub the food item under clean running water. A more thorough procedure includes, after the initial washing, soaking the food in water mixed with some kind of suitable cleaning liquid for 15-30 minutes. There are many different recommendations as for what to use, but none seem to be completely effective at eliminating all harmful microorganisms. I usually use 50ml of vinegar for each liter of water and soak it for up to 30 minutes. Washing salad leafs is especially important as you can't peel its skin. Peel the skin if washing is not sufficient, especially if the surface is covered with a thin layer of wax.

Steam vegetables that need to be cooked. Steaming preserves more nutrients. Do not overcook. Cooked vegetables should be crunchy when you eat them, not soft. Vitamin loss, especially vitamin C, increases when exposed to higher temperatures. Less heat and shorter exposure (5 minutes or less) lowers the vitamin loss.

Chew food well and eat at a comfortable pace. A very simple healthy eating habit, yet a highly effective and safe way of improving digestion. Digestion starts in the mouth as saliva gets mixed with the food during chewing. Saliva has many important properties. It contains an enzyme which initiates the breakdown of carbohydrates; it has anti-bacterial properties; helps nourish and repair the gut; it helps keep the mouth and teeth clean. By simply chewing food longer, or more thoroughly, you can significantly enhance digestion in a matter of days.

Enzyme rich foods. Regularly consume enzyme rich foods: sprouts, raw honey, grapes, figs, avocados, bananas, papayas, pineapple, kiwi, mango and fermented/cultured foods (see above). Enzymes play a role in virtually all body activities. They are essential for maintaining proper function of the body, digesting food, and help repair tissue. Enzymes found in food are very heat sensitive. Even low heat (above 48C or 118F) will destroy enzymes in food. Thus obtaining food enzymes is only possible through raw food consumption, as cooked foods are depleted of all enzymes.

Cultured and fermented foods. Regularly consume unpasteurized fermented/cultured foods like sauerkraut, miso, pickles, kefir, yogurt, etc. These are pre-digested foods that are high in probiotics (friendly bacteria) and enzymes which provide numerous health benefits. They help prevent intestinal infections from viruses and bacteria; help keep the intestinal lining healthy; can prevent diarrhea and can lower cholesterol levels. The Lactobacilli and Bifido bacteria, have been found to display anti-cancer activity.

Ancestral diet. Consider the diet (and lifestyle) your ancestors had for thousands of years. You will most likely do very well on such a diet (with modifications based on modern nutrition) due to the long period of adaptation. For example, the traditional Chinese diet is high in carbohydrates and low in fat and protein; Europeans, on the other hand, have been eating less carbs and more protein and fat; North American Indians did not consume grains, etc.

I suspect that in the future, taking into account ancestral diet, may prove to be among the most important healthy eating habits.

Enjoy simple meals. Generally, the simpler the food preparation the more nutrients are preserved and the easier it is to digest. Simple meals are easy and quick to prepare and use fewer resources like electricity and water - thus are more environmentally friendly and cost less.

Eat juicy fruit by itself. Juicy or watery fruits are usually best eaten alone as a snack between meals - unless you can find a combination of foods that works well. For best digestion only eat one type of fruit at a time.

Good sources of protein

Organic, raw or minimally processed cultured milk and milk products are highly nutritious, easy to digest foods, rich in essential proteins, friendly bacteria, enzymes and Calcium. Eggs are an exceptionally good source of protein and are high in vitamins A, D, E and B12.

• eggs, soft-boiled or runny egg yolk is best
• any meat that comes from organic, free range animals that are fed their natural diet (hard to find)
• when not organic: lean poultry meat (high fat cuts are high in PUFA which oxidize readily during cooking and in the body; toxins accumulate in the fat)
• raw fermented milk products: sour milk, kefir, cheeses, etc (hard to find but sour milk and kefir is easy to make at home from regular (pasteurized) milk)
• kidney beans
• wild game (except predators)

Good sources of carbohydrates

Rice is a gluten free grain. Brown rice is far richer in nutrients than white. Useful for diarrhea.

• vegetables
• fruits (in small quantities)
• whole or minimally processed fresh and mold free grains or foods made from: rice, oat, amaranth, millet, barley, wheat, etc.
• beans
• potatoes

Good sources of fats

Coconuts and coconut oils have antiviral, antibacterial and antiprotozoal properties. Coconut oil is the best oil to cook with.

• avocados
• butter, especially if raw and from pasture fed cattle
• fresh, soaked or sprouted nuts and seeds (no more than a few small handfuls a week, due to high PUFA content)
• cold pressed oils that are low in PUFAs (coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil)
• full fat raw milk products (cheese, milk, cream, etc) from pasture fed cattle
• olives or first cold pressed (extra virgin) olive oil

Food shopping

I plan meals loosely, 1-2 days ahead. The meal preparation is very simple: meat and eggs are simmered in water, vegetables that need cooking are steamed. Since certain food vitamins become more bioavailable once exposed to low heat cooking, it is a good idea to alternate between cooked and raw vegetables. For example, Beta-carotene found in carrots becomes more absorbable after light steaming. I adjust the quantity of food according to how physically active I am during the day.

I also take vitamin and mineral supplements. I use spices in small quantities along with high quality unprocessed mountain salt. Kefir or sour milk are made at home from organic full-fat, unhomogenised pasteurized milk. Sprouts are home grown as well for maximum freshness. Both are easy to make and require only few minutes of daily attention.

Final thoughts

Sprouted or soaked sunflower seeds are very nutritious, high in minerals, and are one of the best sources of vitamin E.

There are no quick-fix solutions. No single food or pill - no matter how healthy it may seem - will bring good health that lasts. Good health is based on balanced approach to life on all levels of existence. But, life is change. The demands of life change. We change. Thus good health is a moving target, and the balance needs to be continually maintained by making adjustments. It's a life long process that should be practiced every day.

Many chronic health problems are to a large extent caused by poor eating habits. In such case the natural way to improve one's health is through self education about nutrition and healthy diet, ongoing personal experimentation, and close observation of the cause and effect the dietary changes have on the body and mind. If you continually notice experiencing ache or pain (or simply not feeling quite right) after eating certain foods, then that is a clear sign that these foods should be avoided - at least for the time being until nutritional imbalances have been corrected (which may be the root cause of the problem). Similarly, a craving for certain food can indicate that the body is lacking certain nutrient(s) found in that food. With practice, through increased awareness of the effect food has on the body, it will become easier to get a sense for which foods are beneficial and which are not, and when to eat what. Healthy eating along with nutritional balancing is the key to better health.

Paying attention to the signals from the body is essential in order to gain and maintain good health through healthy eating. As one gets better at listening to the body, it becomes natural to self diagnose a lot of minor problems (which can become major if not paid attention to) and remedy them by simply adjusting the diet or other aspects of life. Finally, we are all different - what works for one person may not work for another - thus it's essential to learn about and experiment with nutrition to find out what works and what doesn't.

RESOURCES

Cellular Nutrition - the most useful site about nutritional balancing, and the interaction between nutrients and the effect this has on health and disease. A real gold mine.

Dr. Lawrence Wilson - great site about nutritional balancing and health in general, including spiritual health and development. Simple, very readable site design. Highly recommended.

westonaprice.org - by building upon the work of Weston A. Price, this site provides a rich source of information about health and nutrition. Their recommendations are based on time proven traditional approach to diet and health along with scientific studies, rather than hype or political-correctness.

mercola.com - a lot of useful, practical and down to earth health information.

beyondveg.com - a superb site dealing with: " Reports from veterans of vegetarian and raw-food diets, veganism, fruitarianism, and instinctive eating, plus new science from paleolithic diet research and clinical nutrition." Fascinating reading for anybody who has been into health and diets for some time.

Sprouting basics - an excellent introduction to sprouting nuts, grains, seeds and beans by Tom Billings.

Dom's kefir - a comprehensive guide to kefir making at home.

wildfermentation.com - fermenting foods information.

Nutrition Software - a directory of nutrition software that can help you track the daily intake of vitmains, minerals, proteins, carbs and fats. Some of these programs do not calculate correctly, so make sure to do a thorough test before using one for good.

Food Composition Databases

Find out the nutritional content of many foods. Some of these databases contain data on nutrients which others don't.

USDA National Nutrient Database - USA nutritional database, data files are freely available along with free software.

NUTTAB - Australia and New Zealand database from Food Standards.

Fineli - Finnish database from National Institute for Health and Welfare.

Foodcomp - Danish database from National Food Institute.

Anses - French database from French agency for food, environmental and occupational health safety.

Nutrition data - useful online tools based on the USDA National Nutrient Database.

Recommended books

Over time, I've read well over a hundred of carefully selected books on the topics of health and nutrition, and these are the ones I found to be especially useful and effective.

Essential reading:

The following books are easy and quick to read, and contain fundamental information on how to improve personal health through healthy eating. If you can only afford one book, I would recommend getting "Eat Right for your type" by Peter J. D'Adamo.

Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight by Peter J.D'Adamo

Live Right 4 Your Type by Peter J.D'Adamo

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon, Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.

The Doctor's Complete Guide to Vitamins and Minerals by Mary Dan Eades, M.D.

Natural Health, Natural Medicine: The Complete Guide to Wellness and Self-Care for Optimum Health by Andrew Weil, M.D.

Chinese Secrets of Health and Longevity [Audio Cassette] by Bob Flaws

The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods: Proven Natural Remedies to Treat and Prevent More Than 80 Common Health Concerns by James A. Duke, PhD


Further reading:

Most of the the following books are more in-depth and deviate from the norm. Although some of these books vary greatly in their concepts, and I may not agree with everything (or most) of what they say, they all contain nutritional gems every experienced health seeker will find invaluable.

Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini by Gabriel Cousens, M.D.

Chemistry of Man by Bernard Jensen, Ph.D.

Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis by Lawrence D. Wilson, M.D.

Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol by Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.

Mucusless Diet Healing System by Arnold Ehret

Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price

Survival in the 21st Century by Viktoras Kulvinskas

Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition) by Paul Pitchford