Basic Tenets of a Healthy Diet


  1. Use fresh unprocessed or minimally processed plant based food whenever possible. Ex. Cooked brown rice is more nutritious than brown rice cakes. Salad made with fresh greens is more nutritious than canned or frozen greens, cooked oatmeal is better than packaged breakfast cereals. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and whole grains are more nutritious than animal products, including dairy products. If beans give you gas, use “Beano” digestive enzymes. For best result, chew 1-2 tabs just before eating beans.
  2. Buy organic. It’s more nutritious than natural or conventional and tastes much better. It also helps reduce pesticide and insecticide poisoning of our environment and methane (greenhouse gases) released from massive food animal factory farms. These methane gases from food animal factory farms are contributing more to global warming than ALL the greenhouse gases released from ALL the auto exhaust from vehicles in America combined!
  3. When reading food package labels, never believe anything on the front. Always turn it over and look at the “ingredients” list on the back. Ingredients listed first will be the majority of what makes up the product. Ex. If it doesn’t say “whole wheat” as an ingredient at the beginning then it’s made with white flour which is much less nutritious than whole wheat.
  4. Beware of high salt items. The rule of thumb is to have no more salt per serving than calories per serving.
  5. Have something fresh and raw at every meal. Ex. Carrots, jicima, fresh fruit, avocado, green salad, etc.
  6. Serve whole grain products whenever possible. Ex. Whole wheat or multi grain breads, brown rice, oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, corn, etc. White rice, white bread, pasta, etc., are practically devoid of nutrients.
  7. Avoid soda pop- beverages made with phosphoric acid (i.e. Pepsi, Sprite, etc.). Phosphoric acid demineralizes bones. Soda pop also contains large amounts of sugar, caffeine, and toxic chemicals. Good quality bottled water is best. Sparkling water is made with carbonic acid which is healthy.
  8. Does a 200 pound person need the same amount of fluids per day as a 120 pound person? It may surprise you to find that there’s a specific way to accurately calculate how much fluid you need per day. See my blog Stay Hydrated for more information on how to accurately calculate the amount right for you.