The question about what foods you should eat every day is one of the most common that I receive. There are really two parts to the answer.
The first part is ancient history. Before “civilization,” humans consisted on a basic hunter-gatherer diet. Most of the foods consumed were “gatherer” foods since the “hunter” aspect was a hit or miss proposition.
I’ve been talking about this for years but it’s finally going mainstream as the Paleo diet.
The Basics of the Paleo Diet
This most recent fad is really not a fad at all. In fact, when one considers “diets,” this one has been around for many thousands of years.
“Gatherer” foods are plant-based foods that could be picked up walking through the forest, along water sources, in fields, and so forth that are 100% natural and organic.
Top 5 Gatherer Foods
- Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds
- Fruit that includes berries, bananas, apples, and oranges
- Tuber vegetables such potatoes, sweet potatoes, and turnips
- Other vegetables such as broccoli, kale, peppers, onions, carrots, and tomatoes
- Healthy fat sources like avocado, coconut oil, and olive oil
“Hunter” foods are animal-based foods that required hunting, fishing, or trapping for sustenance. This was both riskier and less assured for our ancestors.
Top 5 Hunter Foods
- Grass-fed beef and pork
- Organic chicken, turkey, and other fowl
- Wild game such as rabbit or deer
- Wild fish such as salmon, trout, and shrimp
- Free-range eggs
That was man’s natural diet for thousands of years. It wasn’t until we introduced the “farmer foods” that our diet began to deteriorate. The farmer foods seem harmless and most of us eat them but they are usually the basis of food allergies and body-wide inflammation.
Farmer Foods to Avoid
- Commercially produced crops and grains
- Dairy products
- Cattle products
- Refined sugar, flour, and rice
- Mass production of coffee and tea
Naturally, the junk food, the fast food, the pre-prepared food, and any food that has more ingredients you can’t pronounce than the ones you can…those are to be avoided at all costs!
The second part of my answer for what foods you should eat every day is trickier because every single person on the planet is unique.
That means a diet that works well for some (or even most) will not work for everyone and could actually worsen your personal health. The number one way to get healthy and stay healthy for decades to come is to reduce your inflammatory load.
Foods that are “stressors” are difficult for your body to handle. They increase inflammation and lead to an awful assortment of health conditions that are preventable! What’s bad is that most people have no clue what their personal diet stressors are so they don’t avoid them!
Diet: It’s Time to Get Personal
My book “Diet Wise” is a self-help manual that shows you how to figure out the diet that is exactly right for you. Not your family, your co-workers, or your best friend… the diet that is right for your individual body.
I’ve never met anyone who didn’t have an allergy, intolerance, or sensitivity to at least one food or food group. You’ve probably said or heard, “I like this food but it doesn’t like me” or “that food doesn’t really agree with me” or “I’m not allergic but it bothers my stomach.”
Just because a doctor hasn’t given you a full panel allergy test and proclaimed, “You are allergic to bananas” doesn’t mean that your body simply may not like bananas and has a hard time processing them. Therefore, in the case of the foods you should eat every day, bananas would be excluded.
You need to figure out your good foods and bad foods with an allergy exclusion plan. Once you pinpoint (one by one) the foods your body loves and the foods that your body would rather do without, the better you’re going to look and feel. You’re going to live longer, live better, and feel younger from your cells up.
Regular exercise, not smoking, limiting alcohol, and not visiting your nearest fast food restaurant are all excellent ways to have a healthy lifestyle.
However, if you’re eating the foods that everyone (including me) knows to be healthy but they are inducing digestive distress, irritability, or even making you truly sick – then that particular healthy food is not for you!
“Diet Wise” shows you how to figure out what to eat for maximum benefit, what to avoid for maximum health, and your body is going to love it! By letting your own body choose the food that’s right for you, you guarantee your success.
Remember! Every diet will work for some, only YOUR diet will work for you.