Prioritizing Your Eating

Getting Started: Foods to ADD

When you prioritize eating more of the foods I cover, you’ll give yourself more nutrients, feel fuller longer, and naturally crowd out some of the unhealthy options that may be taking up too much room on your plate now.

• Healthy Fats
• Organic Vegetables
• Grass Fed Beef
• Free Range Chicken
• Organic, Pastured, Free Range Eggs

Healthy Fats Daily 

Did you know your brain is 60% fat? So it should be no surprise that the healthy fats you eat strongly influence your level of brain function. This fact alone shows why following a low fat diet is NOT a wise choice for most people. 

While not all fats are created equal, many types of fats- namely saturated fats, which are found in animal products such as butter, cheese, whole milk, cream, fatty meats and some tropical plants and vegetable oils like coconut, palm, palm kernel – have been given a bad rap.

When you eat healthy fats regularly as part of your diet instead of sugars and grains, they help your body burn fat more efficiently. Once you make the shift to fat burning from burning primarily carbs, you can go longer without feeling hungry or deprived. 

To Help Navigate the Grocery Store Aisles, Here Are the Best Sources of Healthy Fats:

• Avocados, which are actually classified as a fruit, are rich in mono-unsaturated fat. Also, high in potassium and will help balance your vitally important potassium to sodium ratio.
• Nuts & Seeds are a good source of protein for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, as long as they aren’t eaten in excess. The reason for moderation is that, except for walnuts, almost all nuts are heavy in omega-6 fats and can upset the omega-6/omega-3 ratio. The average American has an omega 6:3 ratio of 15:1. It should be 1:1.
• Coconut Oil, a gem. One reason for its broad health applications is because it is rich in lauric acid, which converts in your body to monolaurin – a compound also found in breast milk that strengthens a baby’s immunity. You always want to be certain you’re using organic, virgin, unprocessed coconut oil and avoid refined kind, as the processing eliminates many of the healthful fatty acids.
• Organic Butter. If you only eat one organic food, butter would be a wise choice. Why? Because it’s a highly concentrated form of milk. It’s not uncommon for non-organic butter to have up to 20 times the level of pesticides non-organic fruits ad vegetables. I also recommend finding a source of raw butter from a trusted local organic farmer, as this is the best type of butter to have. 

Organic Vegetables

I recommend that all your vegetables be organic and preferably locally grown. Organic vegetable varieties will decrease your exposure to dangerous pesticides and increase your nutrient intake, as they have been scientifically proven to contain as much as two to five times more nutrients than non-organic vegetables. Most people agree they taste better. 

How to get more vegetables in daily & what varieties not to miss:

• Fresh Juice. Nearly every health authority, even conventional doctors recommend six to eight servings of vegetables and fruits per day. Juicing is a simple and easy way to virtually guarantee that you will reach your daily target for vegetables.
• Sprouts are one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can add to your diet. They are an authentic ‘super’ food that many overlook. Sunflower seeds and pea sprouts top the list of the types of seeds you can sprout, and are typically each about 30 times more nutritious than organic vegetables. Sprouts have many health benefits. 
• Fermented Vegetables are the most potent source of beneficial bacteria that can help restore your gut health. They are also capable of drawing out a wide range of toxins and heavy metals from your body. Cultured vegetables are teeming with essential enzymes and beneficial bacteria needed for optimal digestion.

GRASS-Fed Beef

Free-range cattle and game are good sources of omega-3 fats. Sadly wild game is not readily available for most of us. Grass-fed beef or poultry are reasonable alternatives. 

In a side-by-side comparison with grain fed beef, grass fed beef:

• Higher in beta-carotene
• Higher in Vitamin E
• Higher in B Vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
• Higher in minerals calcium, magnesium and potassium
• Higher in total omega-3s
• Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
• Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
• A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 v4.84)

The omega-3 level in grass fed beef is seven percent of the total fat content, compared to just one percent in grain only fed beef.

Free Range Chicken 

Chicken can be one of the healthiest forms of animal protein you consume. Your ideal chicken is pasture-raised and exposed to loads of fresh grasses and insects, and gets plenty of fresh air and sun exposure. Of course, they don’t get any antibiotics or growth-accelerating hormones. 

A favorite way to prepare chicken is to cook is to cook it whole for three to four hours simmering in hot water, the pot covered with a lid. The longer you cook it the longer the bones and their minerals will dissolve into the broth. Typically cooking the chicken long enough so the entire bird is broken down and most of the collagen and glycosaminoglycans that are so beneficial for cartilage health will be readily available.  

Organic, Pastured, Free-Range Eggs

Compared to official US Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture contain:

• ⅔ more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta-carotene
• Higher total omega-3s

These dramatically differing nutrient levels are most likely the rest of the differences in diet between free-range, pastured hens and commercially farmed hens. Organic eggs do not have to be certified by law, so if you are fortunate enough to know someone who raises chickens and controls the feed and conditions, those eggs are typically better than organic store-bought eggs.

How to Find High Quality Eggs

A hen that is let outside into a barren lot for a few minutes a day but is fed a diet of corn, soy and cottonseed meal, plus synthetic additives, is NOT organic, free-range hen, and will not produce the same quality eggs as its foraging counterpart. Likewise, a hen that is fed an organic diet but never gets to go outside is also NOT a free-range hen, although it may currently slide through as an ‘organic’ one. 

You can usually gauge the quality of the egg by the color of the yoke. Organic, pastured eggs have deep yellow or orange yolks, whereas commercial farmed eggs tend to have a very light-yellow yolks.

If you absolutely must  purchase your eggs from a commercial grocery store, look for  ones that are marked free-range and organic. They’re still going to originate from a mass-production facility (so you’ll want to be careful about eating them raw), but it’s about as good as it gets if you can’t find a local source. 

The food you choose to eat makes all the difference in your health. All eggs are not the same. All food is not the same. Take the next step in your health and receive the guidance, from a Functional Nutrition perspective, with Denise Temple. She will lead you to the health answers you are needing to be successful and create optimal health.