Dietary Recommendations for Healthy Living by Helen Luczak A healthy diet means different things to different people. It isn t easy describing the best foods to eat because there are so many variables to consider for optimal wellness. It often begins with assessing who is eating the food. Is it someone who has limited digestive enzymes? A spastic ileocecal valve which prevents the digestion of a lot of raw food? Some people may have to rely on salads, the softer raw foods, for a time, and completely avoid hard crunchy vegetables so as not to create an irritation. Are there perhaps other food intolerances? Are there budgetary limitations so that organic dairy and meat are not attainable? It s always best to get the advice of a natural health practitioner who can identify your nutritional strengths and weaknesses. Once you ve been given a program, whether it s blood type diet; or avoiding inflammatory foods; or anti-candida diet, etc. it s really important that you give the dietary plan a fair chance and carefully evaluate your results. Not only if you feel better, but how are you coping with following its basic tenets. I enjoy helping people with making dietary improvements. It begins with the right attitude; knowing where to shop for specialty items; and getting organized. Before you are ready to draw up your first Menu Plan, read on to find out the basic do s and don t of holistic nutrition.. Eat a diet rich in whole foods, as close to their natural state, and organically grown if possible. 7-10 servings of vegetables (raw, steamed or blended as a whole-food smoothie) and fruits per day. A serving would be one apple or half cup of peas or handful of beans.. Examples are: broccoli, watercress, winter and summer squash, parsley, onions, garlic, collard greens (steamed), dark green leafy lettuces, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes (purple skin from Honduras), parsnips, yams, asparagus, celery, artichokes, green beans, radishes
(especially Daikon), young Dandelion leaf, red, yellow and orange sweet peppers*, green peas, artichokes, kale (raw or cooked in soups or steamed), kohlrabi, turnip (pink and white with white flesh, can be eaten raw) and rutabaga (yellow flesh, can be eaten raw). *avoid night shade rule applies with peppers if you have inflammation*. Raw fruits such as apples, apricots, cherries, berries, plums, peaches, figs, red grapes and juice. Fruits containing the super-antioxidant lycopenes include guava, watermelon and red grapefruit. Ask for our Mixed Fruit Smoothie recipe which includes ground almonds, sprouted flaxseed, lecithin granules, salba and protein powder and specialty ingredients like Seabuckthorn berries (see separate handout).. Have a colourful salad every day (especially in the summer), using dark green leafy lettuces such as romaine, red and green leaf lettuce, arugula, mesclun mix, carrots, onion, broccoli, asparagus, fresh peas or beans, baby tomatoes*, cucumber, peppers*, etc. Use homemade salad dressings made with olive oil and lemon juice, grated fresh garlic and herbs such as oregano, thyme, parsley, sweetened with a few drops of Stevia herbal sweetener (available in health food stores). *avoid night shade rule applies with these foods if you have inflammation*. Incorporate meals containing beans and lentils based on blood type. Other secondary protein sources include nuts and seeds with some of these types leading the list: walnuts, almonds, pecans, chestnuts, hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds because they are full of minerals like zinc. Of course they must be unsalted and natural and from a reliable market as well since rancidity is a problem in the nut world.. Smoothies and whole-food blended raw drinks (not juices, rather whole vegetables that contain lots of fiber) are extremely nourishing. These drinks require high quality fresh raw produce that is blended with a high speed commercial blender which releases the nutrients in the skin, pulp and even seed. Added ingredients such as maca, gogi and lucuma are super-antioxidants which boost the already highly nutritious drinks. Read the separate handout on sprouted barley grass juice, the
ultimate additive. Helen demonstrates making green smoothies ask for info.. Eliminate red meat from commercial sources, focusing on organically raised grass-fed beef for Type O & B and there is plenty to choose from in the sea world provided you are not choosing farm-raised food. Type A & AB can shop for Prime turkey; organically raised free-range chicken; and richly oiled wild caught fish with a few exceptions such as halibut and sole. Avoid pork entirely try turkey bacon instead.. Avoid hydrogenated fats found in potato chips, fast food, deep fried food, processed meats and commercially prepared foods such as pizza, lasagna, packaged side dishes, commercial baked goods, mayonnaise, commercial salad dressings. Menu Planning begins with making your own muffins & cookies and salad dressings & dips.. Avoid foods preserved with nitrites such as luncheon meats, bacon, salted, pickled, smoked and barbequed foods. Food colourings and all forms of saccharine and aspartame are deadly including nutrasweet and splenda. Alternatives in the sugar world are sucanat; agave; maple syrup; pure honey; and stevia (good for diabetics).. Don t shy away from fats by choosing fat-reduced products because they contain more sugar and empty calories which get stored as fat. Cook at high-temperatures with grape seed oil or coconut oil and use extra-virgin olive oil for moderate, light stir-frying or cooking eggs. In salad dressings and dips, the best quality olive oil, eg. Ralo*, will be used 75% of the time; however, incorporate walnut and flaxseed oil into the diet as primary second choice and then occasionally pumpkinseed oil and hemp oil. *(Check out www.myolivetrees.com). Eliminate the most harmful fats by not buying Crisco, Pam or margarine, and avoiding fast-food restaurants which serve food containing hydrogenated vegetable oils. Healthy fats are really beneficial. Increase the good fats found in cold water fish such as
salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, tuna, trout (2 3 servings per week), either flax oil (2 tbsp. daily) or sprouted flax seed (2-4 tbsp daily) and 1-2 tbsp. of the highest quality fish oils. See separate notes on sprouted flaxseed with DHA-EPA and Omega 3 Fatty Acids.. Whole grains are an important source of fiber in the diet; however, the type of grain you purchase and how much you eat, when you eat it, etc. are very important factors that should be discussed with your nutritionist. Generally speaking, everyone should avoid wheat and corn since they are pro-inflammatory grains. (*Ask for the entire list of pro- and anti-inflammatory foods for your blood type via email). There is a wide variety of alternative noodles, breads and cereal grains (mainly available in a health food store) which can be used. Organic sprouted grains are best.. Use pureed vegetables to thicken sauces and soups. Arrowroot powder instead of corn starch for gravies. Use aluminum-free baking powder in baked goods. Healthy soups can be made using an organic vegetable broth as a quick base when time doesn t allow for making one from scratch.. Similar to the category of breads and grains, dairy products have to be closely evaluated for their nutritional benefits and particularly to prevent a pro-inflammatory response whether you are aware of symptoms or not. The majority of people are sensitive because they are pasteurized milk products that are not easily digested raw milk products are best. Organic products usually reflect healthy cattle which are hormone-free and grass-fed. Whole-fat dairy products as described above are better than low-fat because we need healthy fats to produce hormones. Organic yogurt is alkalinic whereas non-organic yogurt is acid-ash forming. Having a slightly alkalinic ph in the blood promotes homeostasis whereas acidic environment supports toxicity.. Milk substitutes can fill the gap when shopping options are limited. Read your labels to ensure organic ingredients and fewer additives on
your rice milk, almond milk, hemp milk, oat milk and soy milk labels. Soy milk may be problematic for some people but generally the other milk substitutes are well tolerated.. Include edible mushrooms in the diet or take the supplement form. Enoki stimulates immunity and helps fight viruses and tumors. Oyster mushroom is effective against cancer and Maitake and Reishi are immune boosting mushrooms. New Chapter s Maitake mushroom supplement is excellent and reishi is the secret healthy ingredient in the Ganog Healthy Coffee.. The only safe alcoholic beverage is red wine (preferably without sulfites) consumed in moderation. Alcohol depletes zinc and B6. The fermentation in beer and wine is to be avoided in candida-fighting programs. Coffee is not well tolerated by most people; when you are well-nourished, a cup of organic coffee poured through a coffee filter is fine. Try Ganog s healthy coffee. There is a wide range of very healthy herbal teas especially white tea (better than green tea).. In the spice world, certain spices are best eliminated or conversely included in the diet based on one s blood type profile. For example, hotter spices like curry and cayenne are great for Type Os whereas inflammation occurs with cayenne in Type As. Ginger is great for all blood types and often used in anti-inflammatory supplements too.. Of course there is so much more that can be explained about approaches to healthy eating and healthy living. We hope that this article will open the door to your awareness that education is truly key to one s success in building nutritional strengths and resolving nutritional weaknesses.