Real Foods

I go to my local farmers' market every Saturday, and I encourage you to do the same.  There's something to be said for eating locally-grown produce that's in season.  For one thing, you know where the food comes from and how it's grown (e.g., no pesticides).  Also, eating food that is in season will ensure that you never get tired of always eating the same food.  Most vendors at the farmers' market can recommend ways to cook the produce if you've never cooked it before.

Always, always, always use pastured eggs.  These eggs can be found at your local farmers' market. Or if you're in a grocery store, you want the package to say free range.

Always, always, always use grass-fed beef.  Again, this meat can be found at your local farmers' market, and in my experience the grass-fed beef found there is cheaper than that found at the grocery store.  If you shop at a grocery store, though, make sure the package says grass-fed.

When possible, drink raw milk from a local farm.  If you can't get raw milk, look for non-homogenized whole milk that uses minimum heat for pasteurization (the container might say "lightly pasteurized"). You can find milk like this at Whole Foods or other natural food stores. After raw milk and non-homogenized milk, organic is the next best thing.  Avoid any milk that says "ultra-pasteurized," though, even if it's organic. This milk has been processed at such a high heat it is devoid of all nutrients.  I also recommend whole milk as opposed to 2% or skim.  The process used to skim off the milk fat also takes out nutrients such as vitamins A and D.  Furthermore, in an effort to restore the flavor, synthetic ingredients are added to the 2% or skim milk.

It is recommended that you eat fish two to three times per week.  I eat it at least once a week.  Wild-caught or frozen at sea is the best choice for seafood (as opposed to farm-raised).

I avoid sugar, and I certainly don't eat refined sugar.  Honey is my all-natural sweetener of choice, and even that I consume in moderation.  There are many natural sweeteners to choose from such as maple syrup and stevia.  The jury is still out on agave nectar, so in the interest of erring on the side of safety, I avoid it.  If you must use sugar, opt for raw sugar.

I cook with coconut oil or grapeseed oil.  Both of these oils have a higher smoke point than olive oil, which I use for drizzling or for salad dressing.  A higher smoke point means these oils can get hotter before breaking down and becoming rancid, so you can cook at a slightly hotter heat with these oils.

Contact me if you have questions about any of the above or if you want further explanation.