A Step by Step Guide to Eating Healthy

Last Updated on November 21, 2023 by Cathy

Everyone knows how to eat healthily. Right? – Eat more vegetables, cut down on sugar, and include lots of grains, and dairy. 

Wrong!

The FDA wants you to believe the guide to eating healthy includes grains and dairy. But, people don’t eat raw grains or drink raw milk. Instead, they consume grains and dairy in products that are highly processed.

Common highly processed foods:

• Grains and grain-based products
• Dairy products
• Meat products
• Boxed, canned, and frozen meals
• Beverages (soda, bottled tea, energy drinks, etc.)
• Snacks
• Most store-bought condiments

Yes, highly processed foods are affordable and quick to make. But they are usually made from low-quality ingredients that have no nutritional value.

Plus they come with artificial ingredients, additives, antibiotics, growth hormones, pesticides, and preservatives. I could go on but the list is long. Plus, many highly processed foods come with hidden sugars. Sugar is highly addictive and it is in many products.

You don’t have to avoid every processed food. Buying cut-up organic carrots are also considered processed. This is why you need to be sensible and read every label. If it has 5 or more ingredients you should probably avoid it. If it has something you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce avoid it entirely.

“Don’t eat anything that is incapable of rotting.” – Michael Pollan

The U.S. is a powerful country but not when it comes to people’s health. Our country is sick from heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. 

““Big food”—agribusiness, manufacturers, restaurants, and marketers—is making America sick.” – PubMed

If people stopped eating highly processed foods their health would greatly improve.

Anti-inflammatory Diet

It may sound like there’s not much left to eat, but plenty of food will leave you satisfied. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet promotes overall health and stops the progression of MS.

The guide to eating healthy is to stop feeding diseases and start fighting them. Avoid eating processed foods, gluten/grains, dairy, legumes, and refined carbohydrates/sugar. 

• Gluten-free grains have proteins that can cause problems in people with gut issues. Having MS means you most likely have a “leaky gut” and not enough good bacteria in your gut.

To learn more about gut health read: Gut Health And Multiple Sclerosis

• Legumes contain a sticky protein called lectin. Plants use it to defend themselves from insects. Most people don’t have a problem eating legumes. But for people with autoimmune diseases, lectins are difficult to digest. This can lead to imbalanced gut flora and leaky gut. 

Avoid all gluten and non-gluten grains such as:

• Amaranth
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Sorghum
• Wild rice

Arrowroot and cassava are root vegetables. Tapioca is a starch extracted from the cassava root. They are often used in place of flour as a thickener or a binder for pastries. They are also high in carbs so use them sparingly to keep your blood sugar level.

Foods to avoid:

• Alcohol
• Coffee
• Grains (all)
• Dairy
• Legumes
• Processed foods
• Shellfish and tuna (high in mercury)
• Soy and soy products (except fermented soy like miso)
• Sugars and sweeteners
• Tea (except green and herbal teas)

Healthy Foods to Eat

Aim to eat as many vegetables as possible in one day. Vegetables are high in nutrients that are vital to healing. They also include fiber which helps with constipation, a common side effect of MS. 

Dr. Terry Wahls, the author of The Wahls Protocol, recommends eating 9 cups per day. Dr. Wahls recommends 3 cups of each:

• Leafy greens
• Colorful including one cup of fruit
• Sulfur (asparagus, broccoli, onions, etc.)

Choose lean meats and cut off any visible fat, pesticides concentrate in fat. Buy organic fruits and vegetables to avoid pesticides. If you can’t always afford organic buy organic if it shows up on the Dirty Dozen list.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) comes out with this list each year. It shows the top 12 fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residues. They also have a list called the Clean 15 which is fruit and vegetables with the lowest amounts of pesticides.

Foods to Eat:

• Vegetables 
• Fruit
• Herbs
• Healthy fats 
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Dairy alternatives (coconut or nut milk)
• Wild-caught fish
• Pasture-raised poultry
• Grass-fed and finished meats

Watch out for foods you may have a sensitivity to such as histamines, or nightshades. You may need to do an elimination diet to find hidden food sensitivities.

Make sure you are eating enough protein, protein is essential for body tissue and energy. Protein also helps keep your immune system working properly. Make sure you’re eating good protein at every meal. Proteins include fish, lean meat, nuts, and poultry. Eat healthy fats and oils, they reduce inflammation, stabilize blood sugar levels, and minimize sugar cravings.

Healthy fats and oils include:

• Almonds
• Avocado
• Chia seeds
• Coconut milk and oil
• Flaxseeds
• Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, trout, etc.)
• Grass-fed and raised organic beef
• MCT oil
• Olive oil

It is best to avoid eggs while you are trying to heal. In the book The Wahls Protocol, Dr. Terry Wahls recommends people avoid eggs.

Guide to Eating Healthy: One Week Menu Plan

Since everyone is different you need to adjust this menu to fit your needs.

Day 1

Breakfast: Wild blueberry green smoothie
Snack: Cantaloupe
Lunch: Big vegetable salad with herbs and fresh squeezed orange juice mixed with raw honey for the dressing
Snack: Carrot sticks 
Dinner: A big salad, Acorn Squash Fries, and Turkey burger with onions and avocado wrapped in lettuce

Day 2

Breakfast: Sweet potato hash with red bell peppers, onions, and anything else you’d like to add
Snack: Pumpkin seeds
Lunch: Big salad with papaya, and freshly squeezed lemon juice for the dressing
Snack: Frozen Grapes
Dinner: A big salad, Lemon Roasted Asparagus, and salmon with dill drizzled with lemon juice

Day 3

Breakfast: Kiwi Berry Smoothie
Snack: Cucumber slices
Lunch: Garden salad with diced apples and strawberries
Snack: Small handful of pecans
Dinner: A big garden salad, lemon and pepper chicken, Lemon Garlic Roasted Broccoli 

Day 4

Breakfast: Strep Detox Smoothie
Snack: Cantaloupe
Lunch: Salad with mango, avocado, and sprouts and fresh squeezed orange juice mixed with raw honey for the dressing
Snack: Sunflower seeds
Dinner: A big salad, cod, and Cinnamon Delicata Squash

Day 5

Breakfast: Power Green Smoothie 
Snack: Blackberries with raw honey drizzled on top
Lunch: Big garden salad with fruit
Snack: Kiwi
Dinner: Chicken Zoodle Soup

Day 6

Breakfast: Green smoothie
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Leftover Chicken Zoodle Soup
Snack: Granola mix (see recipe below)
Dinner: A big garden salad, salmon, Garden Slaw

Day 7

Breakfast: Fruit salad with strawberries, blackberries, wild blueberries, grapes, raspberries, and mint drizzled in lime juice and raw honey
Snack: Pumpkin seeds
Lunch: Sweet Potato Salad and sliced peaches
Snack: Celery with nut butter
Dinner: Strawberry Spinach Salad with chicken slices

For a big salad include:

• Dark leafy greens like arugula, kale, Swiss chard, and watercress
• Veggies such as broccoli, broccoli sprouts, cauliflower, red cabbage, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions
• Add fruit such as mangoes, strawberries, and wild blueberries
• Add nuts and seeds
• Include herbs such as garlic powder, oregano, turmeric, etc.
• Drizzle freshly squeezed lemon juice or orange juice mixed with raw honey

Granola Mix Recipe:

• 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts
• 1/4 cup chopped raw pecans
• 1/8 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/8 cup sesame seeds
• 6 tablespoons coconut, dried flakes (unsweetened)

Mix and enjoy!

Guide to Eating Healthy

Use non-toxic pans, pots, and skillets to avoid toxic compounds released during cooking. Plus, drink and cook with filtered water, consider using a water filter. The purpose of eating an anti-inflammatory diet is to reduce toxins in your body. Also helps your body detox and to improve gut health.

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Want to remember this health tip? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5020160/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32742646/

Photos courtesy of: pexels.com and pixabay.com.

A Step by Step Guide to Eating Healthy