Last night, as my wife and I were celebrating our 3rd anniversary at a wonderful local Italian restaurant, she reminded me how truly different our food choices are compared to the average family, even with the latest change to the food pyramid. Now we are some of the healthiest people I know (that is not to sound conceited in any way), but it took years of personal research and studying to adapt a nutritional regimen that would meet our needs and every family's needs, provided they have a little discipline.
The new governmental nutritional recommendations can be found here and I strongly encourage you to browse through the website as I explain my two cents throughout the remainder of this post.
Veggies: Finally, someone had some decency to increase the amount of vegetable servings we get in a day. Personally, I still think it is too low. Our diet should be closer to 50% vegetable consumption. I always try to alternate the way I prepare my vegies as well. Eat them fresh, steam them, grill them, or bake them, but just don't avoid them. Veggies are some of the greatest sources of vitamins and trace minerals that are essential for proper body function. They also have a ton of fiber, which is great for cleansing the digestive track and letting your brain know that your stomach is "full" and it is time to stop eating. Surprise! If you eat more vegies, you will lose that weight you have been trying to lose for years.
Fruits: I am so glad the USDA decided to separate fruit from vegetables. I love fruit, but in the old pyramid recommendations, it was lumped together with veggies and most people avoided the vegetables and turned to the fruit. Fruit is loaded with natural sugar, which is much better than refined sugar, but can still cause weight struggles if you eat too much. I try to limit my fruit intake to 1-2 servings per day and I focus on fruits that have a lower glycemic index (i.e. red apples) or are higher in antioxidants (i.e. berries). Always remember to eat your fruits with a protein, because it will help to prevent your blood sugar from spiking too high, which is how Type II diabetes is developed.
Protein: Oh my favorite food group! There is nothing better then a properly seasoned chicken thigh that is grilled to perfection. Sorry to those vegetarians and vegans, but the fact of the matter is that we are genetically designed to eat meat. This is how we obtain the majority of our B-vitamins, which are essential for nerve and blood cell function, and cholesterol, which is essential for the formation of many hormones throughout the body. I have seen many patients who do not consume adequate amounts of meat in their diet and suffer from chronic fatigue, dizziness, arrhythmias, or heart palpitations. I strongly encourage all vegans and vegetarians to supplement B-vitamins. A serving of meat is 3-4 oz, which is the size of a standard kitchen sponge. Nuts are also a great way to fulfill the requirements of this group. Almonds are the gold standard in my book. I try to avoid peanuts and peanut butter like the plague, due to all the allergens.
Grains: Something else to avoid like the plague is ALL refined grains, including white bread, white flour, and white rice. These products are stripped of all nutrients to prolong shelf life. Think of it this way, if it prolongs shelf life outside your body, it will inside your gut. Processed grains are very difficult to digest and can cause a lot of undue stress on the stomach and intestines, which leads to excessive bloating, gas, and even allergies. If you have any sort or allergies or auto immune disorder, try eliminating wheat products from your diet for 30 days and see what happens. I personally try not to eat more than a couple wheat products in an entire week. I used to have horrible digestive distress until I stopped eating wheat products. There are some amazing grains other than wheat that can fulfil this category. Quinoa is one of my favorites. This is known as a "super grain" due to its high protein content. It has a very low glycemic index and will provide you energy for hours after you eat it, without all the digestive distress like wheat can cause.
Dairy: This is probably one of the most controversial categories. The bottom line is, we are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after we are weaned from our mother's breast milk.The problem with milk and all dairy products is that the pasteurization process kills all the necessary enzymes that we need to digest lactose and can lead to the same digestive distress and allergies that wheat products can cause. If you insist on drinking milk, the best way to do it would be to purchase a goat or cow, milk it, and drink it that same day. Personally, I quit drinking milk along time ago and it has done wonders on my overall health. How do I get my calcium you ask? Almonds (I do recommend almond milk) and green leafy vegies (i.e. spinach and kale). I do enjoy a sprinkle of cheese now and again, especially on my omelets or salads, but it is less than a serving.
I know this post was much longer than normal, but I hope it gives you some good insight into the differences of the nationally recommended food categories and my own food choices. I try to eat as close to our genetic design as possible, and that is a hunter/gatherer diet of nuts, vegies, fruits, and lean meats. I believe that if today the world stopped eating processed grains, refined sugar, and pasteurized dairy products, in less than one years time we would see chronic illness nearly disappear. The bottom line is "you are what you eat!" Eat healthy and your family will be healthy. Now it is time for lunch =)
Abundant blessings,
Dr. Dan
Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Find more information at his website. Follow him on facebook and twitter.
The new governmental nutritional recommendations can be found here and I strongly encourage you to browse through the website as I explain my two cents throughout the remainder of this post.
Veggies: Finally, someone had some decency to increase the amount of vegetable servings we get in a day. Personally, I still think it is too low. Our diet should be closer to 50% vegetable consumption. I always try to alternate the way I prepare my vegies as well. Eat them fresh, steam them, grill them, or bake them, but just don't avoid them. Veggies are some of the greatest sources of vitamins and trace minerals that are essential for proper body function. They also have a ton of fiber, which is great for cleansing the digestive track and letting your brain know that your stomach is "full" and it is time to stop eating. Surprise! If you eat more vegies, you will lose that weight you have been trying to lose for years.
Fruits: I am so glad the USDA decided to separate fruit from vegetables. I love fruit, but in the old pyramid recommendations, it was lumped together with veggies and most people avoided the vegetables and turned to the fruit. Fruit is loaded with natural sugar, which is much better than refined sugar, but can still cause weight struggles if you eat too much. I try to limit my fruit intake to 1-2 servings per day and I focus on fruits that have a lower glycemic index (i.e. red apples) or are higher in antioxidants (i.e. berries). Always remember to eat your fruits with a protein, because it will help to prevent your blood sugar from spiking too high, which is how Type II diabetes is developed.
Protein: Oh my favorite food group! There is nothing better then a properly seasoned chicken thigh that is grilled to perfection. Sorry to those vegetarians and vegans, but the fact of the matter is that we are genetically designed to eat meat. This is how we obtain the majority of our B-vitamins, which are essential for nerve and blood cell function, and cholesterol, which is essential for the formation of many hormones throughout the body. I have seen many patients who do not consume adequate amounts of meat in their diet and suffer from chronic fatigue, dizziness, arrhythmias, or heart palpitations. I strongly encourage all vegans and vegetarians to supplement B-vitamins. A serving of meat is 3-4 oz, which is the size of a standard kitchen sponge. Nuts are also a great way to fulfill the requirements of this group. Almonds are the gold standard in my book. I try to avoid peanuts and peanut butter like the plague, due to all the allergens.
Grains: Something else to avoid like the plague is ALL refined grains, including white bread, white flour, and white rice. These products are stripped of all nutrients to prolong shelf life. Think of it this way, if it prolongs shelf life outside your body, it will inside your gut. Processed grains are very difficult to digest and can cause a lot of undue stress on the stomach and intestines, which leads to excessive bloating, gas, and even allergies. If you have any sort or allergies or auto immune disorder, try eliminating wheat products from your diet for 30 days and see what happens. I personally try not to eat more than a couple wheat products in an entire week. I used to have horrible digestive distress until I stopped eating wheat products. There are some amazing grains other than wheat that can fulfil this category. Quinoa is one of my favorites. This is known as a "super grain" due to its high protein content. It has a very low glycemic index and will provide you energy for hours after you eat it, without all the digestive distress like wheat can cause.
Dairy: This is probably one of the most controversial categories. The bottom line is, we are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after we are weaned from our mother's breast milk.The problem with milk and all dairy products is that the pasteurization process kills all the necessary enzymes that we need to digest lactose and can lead to the same digestive distress and allergies that wheat products can cause. If you insist on drinking milk, the best way to do it would be to purchase a goat or cow, milk it, and drink it that same day. Personally, I quit drinking milk along time ago and it has done wonders on my overall health. How do I get my calcium you ask? Almonds (I do recommend almond milk) and green leafy vegies (i.e. spinach and kale). I do enjoy a sprinkle of cheese now and again, especially on my omelets or salads, but it is less than a serving.
I know this post was much longer than normal, but I hope it gives you some good insight into the differences of the nationally recommended food categories and my own food choices. I try to eat as close to our genetic design as possible, and that is a hunter/gatherer diet of nuts, vegies, fruits, and lean meats. I believe that if today the world stopped eating processed grains, refined sugar, and pasteurized dairy products, in less than one years time we would see chronic illness nearly disappear. The bottom line is "you are what you eat!" Eat healthy and your family will be healthy. Now it is time for lunch =)
Abundant blessings,
Dr. Dan
Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Find more information at his website. Follow him on facebook and twitter.
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