Healthy Eating
From OSR
I AM NOT A REGISTERED DIETITIAN. If you need advice on eating healthy you should speak to a registered dietitian[1](see the bottom of the page, until I fix the footnote). This is strictly my opinion, and I am providing this only because I have family members who have asked for my opinion. My opinion is shaped from reading articles by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, commentary by registered dietitians such as Monica Reinegal, and occasionally the scientific literature directly, coupled with what I believe (IMHO) is a finely tuned bogosity detector.
Personal annectdotal evidence suggests that what is an appropriate diet for me may not be an appropriate diet for you, as we all seem to react differently to various diets based on both our genetic makeup and our level of exercise. You need to decided on your own (or in consultation with an RD) what "Moderation" and "Avoid" mean for you in particular. Perhaps you can have "Avoid" foods once a month, perhaps only on your birthday. Perhaps you can have "Moderation" foods twice a week, perhaps only once a month. That is for you to discover on your own.
Contents |
Portion sizes
1/2 cup is a serving of cooked vegetables. 1 cup is a serving of uncooked vegetables. A serving of meat is the size of 1 deck of cards, and you should not have more than 2 servings in one day. When judging the proportion of carbohydrates to protein in your diet, refer to the food guide pyramid.
Carbohydrates
Unrestricted:
- Unground whole grains. This includes:
- brown rice
- "pot" barley
- steel cut oats or whole groats
- wheat berries and rye berries
- quinoa
- whole teff
In moderation:
- Foods made from ground whole grains:
- whole wheat bread
- whole wheat pasta
- whole wheat/rye/whatever crackers
Avoid:
- Foods with added sugar
- Foods made with white flour:
- regular pasta
- white bread
- pastries
Fruit and Vegetables
Unrestricted (just be careful of what you cook them in, see oils):
- All whole fruits and vegetables. But at least 3 servings of each.
Cooked vegetables provide more calories than uncooked vegetables, so adjust your proportion of cooked to uncooked to meet your calorie needs.
- Beans
Avoid:
- Fruit juices
Oils
Canola and olive oil are the healthiest oils. I've heard that lard also has a decent fat profile, I assume depending on what the pig ate, but I haven't looked into it.
Meat
Unrestricted:
- Fish and shellfish
- Small fish and fish with short lifespans (sardines and salmon) have low mercury levels. Avoid large fish like swordfish and tuna.
- Saltwater fish from cold waters tend to be the best, with freshwater fish like tilapia, catfish and flounder providing little benefit.
- Fried fish goes in the "Avoid" category.
Moderation:
- Poultry
Avoid:
- Meat from mammals (beef, pork, lamb, sheep, venison, rabbit, bison, etc.) There is some evidence that many people have an immune response to a protein in mammal meat, causing systemic inflammation and all of its associate health risks. I think this is fascinating and I am eager to see whether or not further studies confirm this, but in the meantime mammal meat might not be a good idea.
- Meats cured with nitrates because they are carcinogenic (sausages, hot dogs, cold cuts, bacon, etc., unless they say "no nitrates added") Yes, vegetables contain plenty of nitrates, but it is when the nitrates are combined with protein, as in cured meats, that they become carcinogenic.
References
- ↑ See an RD, not a "Nutritionist". The word "nutritionist" has no licensing or training requirement associated with it. Just as anyone can call themselves a "health care provider", but only a registered nurse is licensed and has the training to work in a clinical setting, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, but only a registered dietitian is registered by the government and allow to work with patients in a hospital or clinical setting. If you spend a lot of time in gyms or specialty grocery stores you will likely meet people who call themselves nutritionists. The proper title for these folks is "salesperson".