Food Rules – 7 Simple Steps to the Perfect Diet (seriously)

Which one is best – the Paleo Diet, The Zone Diet, a Raw Food Diet or a Vegetarian Diet?

There is so much conflicting info out there about how to eat.

Well, after 18 years of practice, 1000’s of hours attending and teaching nutrition seminars and reading my way through diet books from  Atkins to Zone,  I have distilled down what works to these 7 Simple Steps for a Diet you can feel great about!

 

Any diet that requires hours of planning each day and prevents you from eating socially with others is not sustainable – whether it’s a raw-food diet, being vegan or going Paleo. Rigid adherence to any of them seems more like an eating disorder than a healthy diet.

 

I’m using the word “Diet” to refer to a long-term eating style, not a short-term weight loss strategy.

These Rules should replace the old way of thinking (i.e. calorie counting) and help you shift your focus to – eating real food.

 

7 Simple Rules to the Perfect Diet

1. Eat Food. If your grandmother would not recognize the food, or if a 4th grader can’t pronounce the ingredients… it’s probably NOT A FOOD. This includes all sugar substitutes (which research has shown actually stimulate apppetite.)
2. Fill your kitchen with food that spoils – then eat it before it does.  All good food spoils within a short time. If nothing else would eat it why would you? Remember the Twinkie experiment.
3. Avoid refined. Sugars, fruit juices and flour products are not nutrient-dense. Yes fruit juice – it’s only marginally better than soda. (unless you juice it yourself and drink it within 10 minutes).
4. Choose healthy protein – If eating meat, choose an animal that wasn’t grown on antibiotics and hormones.  And don’t overcook it. Be sure the animal was eating their natural diet before it ended up on your plate. e.g. Cattle should eat grass not corn or grains. 
5. Eat mostly plants, especially greens. Aim for at least 6 cups of veggies (and fruit) each day – some raw and some cooked.  They are filled with tons of nutrients that your body REQUIRES in your diet because you can’t make them.
6. Buy LOCAL and ORGANIC – foods are fresher and more nutrient-dense. Buy from LOCAL FARMS or FARMERS MARKETS first, then health food stores.
7. Do not eat ANY food with guilt, ie. enjoy a shared dessert – ONCE in a while. Food is primarily a way for us to get nutrients (not just calories) that our bodies can’t manufacture. But food is also social and emotional. Guilt suppresses your digestion. Eat real food and enjoy it!

Inspired by:

Food Rules (and every other book written by)  Micheal Pollan

If you find this information valuable please share with friends and family.