5 Healthy Eating Habits
1) Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup
2) Avoid Industrial Seed Oils
3) Be Mindful while eating
4) Chew your food at least 25x
5) Colors of the Rainbow
Avoid high fructose corn syrup. At all costs, remove this devastating sugar additive from your diet and you will see weight reduction and metabolic improvements. Fructose is a molecular signal for our bodies to store fat, especially around the waist. Fructose helps us to survive times of starvation which means that it is processed by the body in a completely different manner than glucose, aka blood sugar. The best strategy for eliminating high fructose corn syrup is to stop purchasing packaged foods and ultra-processed foods. That means, when going to the supermarket for groceries, shop along the perimeter of the store and stay away from the isles as much as possible. This leads me to number two on my Healthy Eating list which is avoiding Industrial Seed Oils.
Industrial seed oils are found in almost all products these days, even the supposedly healthy options found in stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. They are also known as vegetable oils, but this can be confusing for the general public as it conveys something that may be good for you. The polyunsaturated fats are easily oxidized and contribute to chronic inflammation and destruction of your vascular system, especially when used to cook with. Luckily, most products that contain high fructose corn syrup will also contain some form of industrial seed oil. These oils include canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, sunflower, and safflower. Better alternatives include extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, ghee, butter, and animal fats, with the caveat that moderation and quality are essential. You will have to eliminate all premade salad dressings as they contain one of the industrial seed oils so see below for my Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette.
Next is to be mindful while you eat. Take the time to settle down, take a few deep, calming breaths, and try to legitimately taste your food. So, this entails not eating in front of the television, YouTube, or Fortnite. This helps us to recognize what and how much we are eating, as well as connect us to our food on a whole different level. An alternative would be to sit at the dinner table with family or friends and socialize while eating your meals which is how we would have consumed food throughout most of our evolution.
Being present while eating leads to the next tip and that is to chew your food at least 25 times before swallowing, but ideally aim for around 40 chomps. There are several benefits from doing this technique. First, it slows you down and allows the digestive system time to prepare all the necessary components so that you absorb the maximum amount of nutrients from the food bolus. This includes producing enough stomach acid and digestive enzymes, which actually begin the process of breaking down food in the mouth through salivary amylase. This also allows the gall bladder time to concentrate and release bile at the appropriate time, digesting fats and helping the gut bacteria remain in the colon. Salivary amylase is released in the mouth which means that carbohydrate digestion begins in the oral cavity, making it imperative to allow enough time for adequate saliva production prior to swallowing.
My last healthy eating habit deals with incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables by eating the colors of the rainbow. By diversifying the foods that you eat, especially whole, natural foods, it subsequently helps build a nice diversity of bacteria within the gut microbiome. With a healthy array of beneficial bacteria, important anti-inflammatory substances are created in the colon called short-chain fatty acids. Different colors on your plate also provide the gamut of vitamins and minerals. When people eat the same short list of foods on a daily basis, they often lack adequate levels of certain micronutrients and suffer from deficiency symptoms. Just remember that our digestive systems are extremely short compared to that of herbivores. We either need to recruit the assistance from microbes through fermentation or prepare our plant foods properly through sprouting if we plan to consume a large quantity of plant foods.
Here are 2 simple recipes for the Seed & Soil Tribe!!
Recipe 1 Sweets & Beets
Since many individuals will have trouble with a sweet tooth, this is a great meal to satisfy a craving while incorporating both orange and dark red into their dietary repertoire.
Prep Time: 15 – 20 min
Cook Time: 25 min at 350 degrees
Ingredients:
2 Sweet potatoes
2 Large beets (or 4 small)
2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary (2 tbsp dried rosemary)
2 tbsp of quality oil or animal fat of choice
Celtic Sea Salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Dice up the sweet potato and beets & place on a baking sheet with parchment paper
Drizzle Avocado, Coconut Oil, or Lard on the sweets and beets and stir
Top with sea salt, rosemary, and cayenne
Place on middle rack of oven for 25 min (longer if preferred)
(Optional) Add some grass-fed butter before serving
Recipe 2 Lemon Dill & Garlic Salmon
This is a go-to recipe for myself. It is very cheap, easy and extremely healthy while fitting into most diets except Vegan or Low FODMAP.
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Ingredients:
Wild Caught salmon filet with skin
1 tbsp grass-fed butter
2 cloves garlic
½ lemon
2 sprigs of fresh dill
Celtic Sea Salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Butter a glass baking dish
Over medium heat, sauté salmon skin down to crisp up skin somewhat, approx. 5 min
Finely chop garlic and dill
Place salmon in baking dish and top with garlic, dill, sea salt, and butter for 10-15 min
Top with lemon juice and serve