What are healthy foods?

If you have been following the news for even a few days, it seems everything you eat is bad for you. Some studies show that even food that is universally accepted as “bad” may in fact have some benefit, although what some consider “good” is questionable. The biggest question I am asked after a person gets an awareness of how toxic their diet may be is : “So…what do I eat?”

Many of the foods we have held sacred and close to our hearts we now know are leading to our demise. The milk we were forced to drink back in the school cafeteria helped lead to the osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease that is now epidemic in our society. The hydrogenated oil-based cookie and cake filling we would suck out of the middle of our snacks is now found to be loaded with free radicals. These free radicals are draining the vital alkaline nutrients from our bodies making our bodies more acidic and thus a welcome environment for many diseases to prosper. With all this gloom and doom, what’s a person to do?

There is nothing but good news for those of us concerned about what we put in our bodies. There are 120,000 edible plants on this planet. Multiply that by the almost countless combinations we can create with these foods and it is difficult to say “there is nothing to eat”.

Healthy Foods – Let’s start with breakfast.

If you are eaten up with candida, which is a yeast infection in your entire body; the following may not be good advice. You folks can do vegetables for breakfast, just stay away from the high sugar veggies such as carrots and potatoes. Everyone else, eat nothing but fruit (3-5 pieces max) and water from the time you wake up until 12:00 noon. Now at first this might seem boring, however there are lots of choices when it comes to fruit. There is plain, raw fruit such as apples, peaches, pears, pineapple, kiwi, star fruit… you get the idea. Then there is dried fruit. Be sure the dried fruit does not contain sulfites. Many folks have very obvious reactions to sulfites including difficulty breathing, headaches and seizures. If you do not have an immediate reaction, you may be having sub-clinical reactions. This means it is doing damage, you are just not immediately aware of it happening. In my book, I have several recipes for fruit puddings, pies, shakes and other delicious fruit treats. If you find fruit alone does not fill you up, eat more fruit. If this is still not enough, add some raw, organic almonds to your meal. They are the only alkaline nut and if eaten raw, will retain their nutritional value. Whenever you cook a food above 120 degrees F. the nutrients begin to break down and the more you cook it, the less nutritious it will become. I recommend you eat at least 60% of your daily food intake in the raw state. Now this may seem difficult, but if you eat a raw breakfast, you are already at 33% raw. Add a salad or other raw fruit or vegetable at the other two meals and/or snack on raw food throughout the day and you are well over 60%.

Healthy Foods – Now comes lunch.

If you are the typical person, you have about 2½ minutes for lunch. You may even be forced to eat at, dare I say, at a fast food restaurant. What foods can you eat at a fast food restaurant that won’t lead to you having your blood vessels cleaned out by Roto-Rooter? Mexican food is a good choice if you choose bean tacos, bean burritos, chalupas, guacamole, or salsa. Baked potatoes, salad bars, or even “burgers” with no meat, just the bun and toppings, are other options. There are tons of choices if you decide to go Chinese, Thai or Indian. Look under the section of the menu labeled vegetables. If something on the menu that has animal products looks good to you, ask if they will make it with tofu. Always be sure to make sure you specify no MSG or chicken broth. One other option is to make your own lunch. A bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich without the bacon is a good idea. (hint-put raw sesame seeds in a dry fry pan and keep tossing them until they are golden brown and spray on a little tamari. It tastes just like bacon.) Peanut butter and jelly is an old stand by. Be sure the peanut butter, or any nut butter does not contain hydrogenated oil or sugar. The jelly should be all fruit and no added sweetener. Should you feel embarrassed about making a special request at a restaurant, remember you have money and they have food. They want to make a trade. If worse comes to worse, you can skip a meal. It is a good way to detoxify and will save you a few dollars in the process. Think before you order, what is the least toxic choice on the menu. It may not be the ideal food, but a well thought out choice will be a better choice than the standard burger and fries.

Healthy Foods and Better Choices

Dinner is the same as lunch, make better choices. Think about what would be the healthiest choice on the menu. It is usually the least expensive item on the menu that is the most nutritious. In any town there are usually establishments that cater to the health conscience consumer. Patronize these places and it will be very likely that more such places will pop up.

There are lots of books on the market to help you make the transition to better eating and to keep you there once you arrive. My book, “Eating Right for the Health of It” is a perfect example of such a book.

Happy Healthy Eating!

If you’re interested in scheduling a nutrition consultation with Dr. Joe, give our office a call at 770-427-7387 or If you have questions about organic food and products, send us a message in the live chat.