What is the Best Diet?

Part 1

No you don’t have to eat raw eggs or raw meat or only carbs.  You also don’t have to eat only meat or no meat although a meatless diet can be very beneficial for certain cancers and during short periods of time since our bodies are not built to break down the chemically processed nutrient deficient meats available in most supermarkets. However grass-fed and pastured meats are actually beneficial to our gut and overall health.

My ideal diet is one that I stay on forever.  It’s a decision I have made just like the decision of where to live and what clothes to buy: it’s something that I feel strongly about.  Something that moves me from deep down inside to only want the best for my health and the heath of my family.  I am baffled at how much time and money is spent yearly in America on shoes, clothes and the latest gadgets yet we can’t afford wholesome organic food for our families.  Really if you’re feeding yourself junk because you don’t have the money to eat better than I hope you have an antenna and not Direct TV.  I mean there has to come a point in people’s lives where the quality of what you eat becomes more important than the quantity of things and extras you have lying around your house.

When I think of my diet I think about the freedom to choose nutritious foods that I can have fun preparing and eating.  It also makes me think about some of my friends and people I know who are sick and dying of cancer.  So many diseases and sicknesses are caused by what we put into our bodies and everyday people are dying because they lack the knowledge and understanding of what foods to eat and which ones to steer clear from.  It makes me cry at times.  I feel like a needle in a hay stack and my heart breaks for such people.

The best diet is not the diet that makes you starve to lose weight.  You also should not have to binge and purge constantly or limit sugars naturally found in fruits and vegetables unless required because of serious health conditions. People suffering with IBS, diverticulitis, allergies, CFS, asthma and other inflammatory diseases will benefit however from a diet in which complex carbs and sugars are eliminated. The GAPS and Specific Carb Diet are great examples and I have witnessed stellar results in those who have chosen to follow these dietary protocols religiously.

In our home we are constantly trying new foods and adapting our diet daily to include more foods in their natural state, such as raw vegetables, nuts and lots of homemade broths with healthy fats.  Since we have small children it’s a little more labor intensive to work with them and teach them that everything that is processed, stripped and bleached is bad, especially when most of their friends at school eat such things on a daily basis.  Nevertheless it is a task worth doing as you are guaranteed to get a return on your investment with little or no risk.

So what should you eat?  Well aside from necessary dietary restrictions due to medical conditions I believe that the majority of your food intake should be raw, unprocessed, unadulterated, pure, naturally occurring food.  From the farm to your plate not from the microwave to your plate!
You should strive to eat Organic foods that are nutrient dense and high in enzyme and mineral content.

We make it a point to always have more raw items at the table than cooked.  The kids know that in addition to their organic fruit and veggie juices they must eat raw fruits, veggies, nuts and fermented foods each day.

If you have not at all thought about how to do this then you can slowly incorporate these beginner suggestions into your daily routine until you build up to a diet mainly composed of wholesome raw foods and nutrient dense foods.  The issue here is doing something about the way you are eating not going overboard and overwhelmed over night. Get it? Got it? Good!
Remember that a journey begins with a single step!

Here are some ideas:

1. For breakfast or a snack make a fruit and nut smoothie with organic almond, coconut or raw milk yogurt.  We add in a scoop or two of organic coconut oil, a quarter cup of raw cashews or chia seeds or , a quarter cup of organic hulled hemp seeds, a few teaspoons of un-toasted unsalted sunflower seeds, a few teaspoons of organic ground coco (cacao), strawberries, blueberries, bananas and some organic vanilla extract.  To make it an immunity boosting shake we open up a few capsules of colostrum and probiotics.  When the kids aren’t watching I add in a few spinach or dandelion leaves, they can’t tell.
2. Another breakfast idea that my kids love are nutty coconut pancakes.  We use organic carob chips instead of chocolate chips and organic coconut and almond flour instead of regular pancake mix.  I also use sprouted quinoa flour but sparingly.  I mash a few small bananas then add in some sunflower seeds.  I add organic fermented applesauce made at home and lots of ghee or raw butter, water, raw organic honey, a pinch of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  If you eat eggs you can add in pastured eggs.  The batter is supposed to be thick but not pasty.  We turn on our griddle no higher than 150 degrees and spoon add the batter.  We let it cook on each side for about 2 minutes and eat with homemade strawberry preserves, raw butter or homemade yogurt.  We make these pancakes for an anytime snack as well as for breakfast.
3. A great lunch idea is a salad with leafy greens like dandelion, romaine lettuce, kale and spinach.  We use all 4 and mix with nuts, seeds, toasted coconut and oven baked onions.  If you like adding sweet things to your salads then you can also add in a few cranberries and some shredded carrots.  If you must have some meat you can add tuna, organic cooked chicken or homemade meatballs.  Don’t forget to add in some fresh garlic slices or as a paste if you have a mortar and pestle.  Toss with your favorite dressing and enjoy!
4. Zucchini pasta with marinara sauce is my favorite fabulous raw dish.  It can be cooked a bit if you prefer as well.  Once you wash your zucchini use a potato peeler to peel long pasta looking slices.  You can also accomplish this with a mandolin for quicker results.  Once you have the desired amount you can place it in a pan with some coconut oil, garlic, pepper and pesto sauce.  If this is truly a raw dish you would not heat it past 118 degrees.  But if you are just trying this for the first time and you can slightly sauté it then place in a dish.  Top the zucchini pasta with homemade marinara that is not cooked or you can buy store-bought organic marinara (watch the sugar) and heat until warm if desired.  I like to use organic rice cheese shreds for the kids or raw colby cheese.   Top with sun-dried tomatoes and some pine nuts and enjoy.  You can make garlic bread in the oven using a bread I adore called Ezekiel bread.

Stay tuned for part two….