My Foundational Healthy Eating Guide

As a health coach, I’ve come across countless diets that claim to offer the keys to optimal health and wellness. I’ve experimented with lots of these diets myself - Paleo, Keto, Mediterranean, Ayurvedic, etc. - just to name a few of the better-known trends. What I’ve found through my personal experience and research is that there are several common threads that run through the most popular healthy diets, many of them backed up by research on diet and nutrition (e.g. eat your veggies, go for smaller servings of high-quality protein, consume healthy fats, limit sugar, etc.). That being said, everyone is unique and the same foods that work great for me may not work so well for the next person. For this reason, it’s important to get in touch with how food is affecting your body by paying attention to how you feel in the hours and days after you eat it. This is a great first step in defining what healthy means for you and is a practice you can easily build into your day.

My foundational healthy eating guide is anchored on one important idea: a health-promoting diet should focus primarily on fresh, whole, organic foods. (Learn more here about the importance of going organic to minimize our exposure to harmful pesticides and chemicals.) My approach is to help clients focus on what they can eat more than what they can’t eat. When we do this, it becomes clear that they world of “healthy” food is exciting and abundant, not strict and limiting. With this in mind, here are my top recommendations for clients who are looking to clean up their diet and improve their health through food:

Vegetables
Add a wide variety of colorful, organic vegetables into your diet to provide your body with diverse nutrients, antioxidants, and important fiber. Make vegetables the main focus of your meals and aim to fill 1/2 to 3/4 of your plate with them.

High-Quality Protein Sources
The quality of animal and vegan protein can vary a lot based on the source and how it’s raised or grown. Go for organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised, and wild animal protein and seafood whenever possible. Go for 1-2 servings of animal protein about the size of your palm each day, depending on physical activity and fitness goals.

Healthy Fats
Add some healthy fat to each meal to keep you feeling full throughout the day and help keep your blood sugar stable. Go for heat-stable cooking fats like grass-fed butter or ghee and cold-pressed avocado and coconut oils, and use extra virgin olive oil for dressings. A tablespoon of olive oil over vegetables or some almond butter in a smoothie can go a long way in keeping you full between meals.

Fruit
Consume organic fruit in moderation to minimize overall sugar intake, stick to lower-sugar fruits when possible like berries and green apples, and eat fruit in its whole form (including the skin) to get the beneficial fiber it provides.

Nuts & Seeds
Nuts and seeds are a great source of healthy fats, plant protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds over a salad, add 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed in a smoothie, or snack on a handful of cashews to get these benefits and stay full longer in between your meals.

Herbs & Spices
Herbs and spices are a great addition to liven up any meal, and each of them offers their own unique health benefits. Exploring herbs and spices in your cooking can be a fun way to enhance flavor and health benefits at the same time!

Fermented Foods
Fermented foods contain bacteria known as probiotics that are beneficial to our gut microbiome and can aid in digestion. If you tolerate dairy well, go for organic, unflavored kefir or yogurt with berries and a drizzle of honey, or add some kimchi, olives, or pickles to your meals for some added probiotics and lots of flavor.

Legumes
Legumes can be a great and easy source of plant protein and provide lots of gut-friendly fiber and health-promoting nutrients. If you tolerate legumes well, some great options can be organic garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas, which are also the key ingredient in hummus), sprouted lentils, navy or great northern beans.

Whole Grains
Whole grains can add lots of beneficial fiber and nutrients to your diet. Small servings of organic, gluten free grains can be a great addition to a health-promoting diet, including rice, quinoa, and oats. These grains can also be prepped in large batches for easy meals throughout the week.

Focusing on the foods listed here will also help you crowd out less healthy foods like sweets and processed snacks. If you do feel that sweet tooth coming on, reach for foods made with natural sweeteners like maple syrup or coconut sugar, dark chocolate with minimal ingredients, or fresh, organic juices. There are also some great, minimally-processed snack foods out there - look for brands with only a few ingredients on the label and ones you can recognize and pronounce.

Lastly, avoid foods made with refined sugar (white sugar, candy, soft drinks), artificial sweeteners, and all high-processed or fast foods (think mystery meats and anything with a long list of confusing ingredients or a freakishly long shelf-life).

Focusing your diet on fresh, whole, organic foods and getting in touch with how food impacts your body are important first steps in taking control of your health. Book a free Health Discovery Session with me to learn more about my coaching approach and how I can support you take these steps and many more toward achieving your health goals!

Be well,
Lindsay