Today is a topic that I needed to bring up and should have done so a long time ago.
After all, my goal is to help reduce the confusion and give you more clarity about health, fitness
and longevity.
While making things easier, more convenient and FUN at the same time.
And today’s topic is from a viewer question:
“Doc, I’m going in sane.
I have no idea what I should or shouldn’t eat.
What diet to follow or avoid.
High or low this... or eliminate that … so on and so forth.
It’s all so confusing and at the end of the day, I feel like I can’t eat anything.
Can you please give me some foods that my family and I can eat, that’s just safe and
healthy for all of us, regardless of our goals?”
This is a great question and one that I’ve asked myself and researched for years.
It seems the older I get, the simpler I want my life to be.
And today, I’m going to give you the best foods to eat regardless of your health, age
or sex.
I’m not going to tell you how much to eat or any of that stuff.
I’m just going to quickly list them for each of the main macronutrients.
And I’ll also list what I eat most of the time as well.
Carbohydrates
Everyone’s favorite food is probably carbohydrates.
And this is one of the most controversial macronutrients.
Some say you should never eat them and be zero or low carbs - like the keto or meat
eaters.
Then we have the vegans and plant-based diets who have very high carbohydrates diets and
are also very healthy.
First, I do NOT believe you should eliminate any macronutrients - carbohydrates, proteins
or fats.
You should have to make good decisions based on the TYPE and QUANTITY.
Vegetables The best source of carbohydrates are from
plants and vegetables.
Eat them as much as you want.
The best would be Broccoli
Brussels sprouts Asparagus
Bok choy Celery
Cucumber
The last two you can eat raw and the first ones should be lightly steamed.
ME: I eat mainly broccoli, Brussels sprouts, celery and cucumbers, along with mixed greens
in a salad.
Starches Of course, most of us can’t live only on
vegetables.
And if you’re an athlete or exercise a lot, you’ll need higher carbohydrates.
The best would be Yams
Sweet Potatoes White rice
Butternut squash Lentils (soaked/washed for 24 hours or pressure
cooked)
ME: My main source of carbs are from yams and white rice.
I do have some lentils, but no matter how I cook them, I just don’t digest legumes
very well and many people are the same.
Fruit I know people scare you into NOT eating fruit
because of the fructose, but that’s just silly.
YES, high fructose corn syrup and fruit juice must be avoided.
Dried fruits should be limited.
But fruit is mainly water and fiber.
It’s fine, eat it.
However, the best fruits are: Berries: Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries,
Strawberries Lemons & Limes
Pomegranate (NOT the juice and eat the seeds) Avocados (yes, this is technically a fruit,
even though I categorize it as a “fat”) Grapefruit
Pineapples Kiwifruit
Other fruits are pretty good as well, but these are the best and have the least issues.
ME: I mainly just eat lemons daily, blueberries year round and pineapples occasionally.
Protein Of course, everyone loves protein and eats
as much as they can.
Personally, I believe most people are eating too much protein and most definitely the WRONG
kinds.
I think out of all the proteins, low mercury fish is the best; and wild caught, sockeye
Salmon, anchovies and sardines are ideal.
The next best is grass fed bison.
It’s much better than cow.
Both of these protein sources are expensive, but the quality is far more important than
quantity.
If you need more protein in your diet, add in vegetable protein sources such as organic
rice or hemp protein.
ME: I primarily eat: Grass fed bison
Wild caught salmon Rice and hemp
Some pastured raised whole eggs
I have small amounts of grass fed, cold filtration, whey isolate during my workouts.
No pork, chicken and shellfish.
Fats And the final category are fats.
This one people really screw up.
They have the wrong fats all the time, this includes all the ketogenic people.
The best and safest are Avocado's - it’s mainly fat, even though
it’s technically a “fruit” Raw Nuts: walnuts are the best.
Macadamia, almond and pistachios are second in line.
OILS: Extra virgin olive oil (you better pick a good brand because most are fake), Macadamia
nut, Udo’s Blend, fish, hemp
Ideally you should NOT heat your fats.
Eat them raw.
I did not list animal fats, seed or vegetable oils.
These aren’t good for you and can be very bad, especially when fried in.
ME: I mainly have fish oil, extra virgin olive and Udo’s oil the majority of the time.
Are there other good foods that I didn’t list, yes.
However, I listed the ones I feel are the best and can be utilized by almost everyone,
at any age.
And these are the foods I eat.
Yes, I know it’s limited and boring.
However, if you eat these foods 80-90% of the time, you can also enjoy other foods without
worry of any negative issues.