Just the basics: a little about healthy eating

I am often asked what I consider the Basic Guidelines for healthy eating.

Let’s keep this simple. Start by eating LOTS of vegetables. Cover at least half of the plate with them. And eat them, don’t just put them on the plate.

Eat a variety of vegetables, not the same ones all the time. If you eat the vegetables when they are in season, it will be pretty easy.

Should vegetables be organic?

Organic eating is about avoiding pesticides, not just taste better. There is no benefit to eating pesticides. Organic foods have also been shown to have higher levels of antioxidants. They’re healthy.

To find products grown with the lowest levels of pesticides, just search Clean 15 Produce 2020. You’ll find mostly vegetables on the list, with some fruits. So you don’t need organic versions of those foods.

On the other hand, foods grown with the most pesticides can be found by searching Dirty Dozen Produce 2020. This year, that list is mostly fruits with a few veggies. You don’t have to avoid those foods, but buy organic whenever you can.

However, the most important thing is to eat a lot of vegetables, organic or not. Just do it.

What about the fruits? How important are they?

Fruits and vegetables are generally grouped together, but they are not the same.

I push for vegetables. Eat at least 5 to 9 half-cup servings of vegetables every day.

Eat a maximum of 2 servings of fruit a day. A serving is 1/2 cup or 1 medium-size fruit. That’s because fruits contain fructose, a harmful sugar.

Fructose increases triglycerides and that is an independent risk factor for heart disease.

Fructose can induce insulin resistance. Metabolic conditions have insulin resistance in common: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, heart disease, and certain cancers. More than 70% of deaths in the US are due to one or more of these conditions.

Fructose can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in susceptible people.

Fructose is addictive for some people.

Fructose can cause tooth decay.

Not least, fructose is absolutely the wrong fuel after a workout. Instead, we need a combination of starch and protein in a 3 to 1 ratio (based on grams or calories).

What else should we eat for good health?

Protein is very important and should cover about 1/4 of the plate.

Protein:
It can help boost the immune system. We cannot function without an immune system and the immune system cannot function without protein.

Provides L-glutamine. That is the fuel on which the immune system works. It is found in fish, chicken, beef, eggs, shrimp, crab, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt. VEGANS: Plant sources of glutamine include chickpeas, lentils, beans, asparagus, walnuts, red cabbage, parsley, spinach, cabbages, kale, coriander, and radish leaves.

You can help increase muscle mass if you strength train. Because muscle is a highly metabolic tissue, it offers weight management assistance.

It can help with appetite control due to the hormones it influences. One is CCK, which promotes satiety and reduces carbohydrate cravings. Protein lowers ghrelin, which tends to increase appetite and slow down metabolism.

It is key in brain chemistry. Proteins are made of amino acids. Those are the precursors to many “feel-good” brain chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin.

Don’t eat “fake protein”

Nuts are mostly fat, with only a little protein. Quinoa is primarily carbohydrates, with a little protein. Beans and rice are high in carbohydrates, with a little protein.

Instead, vegans would do better to use plant-based protein powders: peas, hemp, brown rice, vegetables.

A final point

Limit sugar and white flour. Both are addictive and trigger a high insulin response. High insulin can lead to inflammation, the main cause of most illnesses and virtually all chronic illnesses. Food is key to controlling inflammation.

A lot of other things can be said about food, but let’s keep this simple.