Rather than dieting, use the Crowd Out Method. (I have coined this phrase after reading how Harvard health supports crowding out unhealthy foods, and I agree.) (1)
So here, instead of a list of foods to avoid is a list of foods for you to eat… Eat from this list daily, and your challenge, should you choose to accept it is to create as many of your meals with these foods in them as you can.
Here are my top 20 healthiest foods to add to your day:
- Berries especially blueberries and blackberries. (2) High in antioxidants and despite being a fruit they aren’t going to spike your blood sugar terribly.
- Lemon: squeeze it into water, over meat, over salads, over avocado
- Coconut: eat the flesh, drink the water, use the oil (cold pressed)
- Sardines (in a can): high in omega 3, without the mercury, and because they contain the bones they are also high in calcium.
- Oysters, high in iron, protein and all sorts of sea minerals.
- Goats cheese or goat’s yoghurt (if you fancy cheese, goat is the way to go)… more closely resembles human milk than cows milk, therefore easier to digest. High in calcium and vitamin D and protein.
- Fresh herbs like basil, mint, coriander, rosemary and thyme they don’t just add flavour to meals, they have great health qualities too.
- Sugar snap peas… yummy crunchy, green and full of B vitamins, fiber, protein and yumminess.
- Broccoli and cauliflower, soo much goodness in cruciferous veg! Wonderful cancer fighters.
- Tahini (sesame seed paste) high in calcium… and yummy in dips or dressings
- Apples (organic and washed!)
- Chilli or Harissa
- Cinnamon (this is a spice, not a food, I know… but it can actually help you manage your blood sugar levels so eat it with food like pumpkin, oats, apple)
- Olives
- Pistachios (one of the best nuts to eat for a number of reasons!)
- Sauerkraut or Kimchi (fermented foods are great for gut health)
- Ancient grains: quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat (all wheat free and naturally gluten free, so these grains are not going to irritate your gut like other gliadin grains tend to, they are also high in essential amino acids.
- Leafy greens especially watercress, chinese cabbage, beet greens, dandelion greens (which are great “liver cleansers”) and spinach.
- Ginger and Tumeric (cook with them, add them to stir fries, rice, casseroles… soo good.)
- Sprouted legumes or beans
- Great quality cocoa – I have to sneak that in there… full of antioxidants!
Some other tips: garlic is amazing, any veg especially endives, artichoke hearts, asparagus, spaghetti squash, tomatoes. If you are going to eat potatoes opt for purple or red skin new (small) potatoes or sweet potatoes.
If you are going to eat meat, go for organic where possible and always grass fed, same applies for chicken. Game meats and bone broth are great and full of goodness too…
Soya has got a bad wrap, but actually organic soya beans or tofu, have amazing health benefits and have actually been found to be protective against cancer.
As fish go, salmon and mackeral are great, but unfortunately farmed are not always and now there is the issue of a polluted sea and mercury levels etc… wild caught ocean cod may be an option too.
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