#1 Eat Nutritious Calories and Healthy Fat

Here’s the first topic of our article series, Food as Medicine. Learn more about what you eat and turn your body into your strongest ally!

VEGETABLES, VEGETABLES AND MORE VEGETABLES!

In order to respond to everyday demands, your body needs fuel, but above all, it needs to be well maintained, just like your car. So just say no to empty calories and focus on nutritious calories instead. Let me explain: when you have a soda, hamburger and fries at a fast food restaurant, you already know that your meal is high in calories (and perhaps really tasty, for some people). But these foods contain little to no micronutrients: you only consume calories, so to speak. Conversely, vegetables, whole grain products or legumes, for example, give you calories, but also and above all, micronutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and trace elements. But in order to turn energy from a food into cellular energy (ATP), thousands of enzymatic reactions occur in your body, each needing vitamins and trace elements to function. Micronutrient deficiencies will also put you in a state of chronic fatigue, no matter how many calories you consume. On the contrary, eating too many calories tires your body more than it needs to be. So instead of getting a boost from coffee, get a boost from your diet instead!

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

• Start eating vegetables at every meal, including something raw (as an appetizer, for example).
• Eat one to two fruits a day.
• Eat legumes (lentils, beans, dry beans, split peas, chickpeas, etc.), quinoa, millet or soy-based foods at least twice a week.
• Buy organic or local fruits and vegetables. Just make sure they’re fresh (or otherwise frozen).
• A gentle cooking method using steam is best, for example.
• Favor whole grain products (for rice, pasta, etc.)
• Conversely, reduce the number of refined grain products you eat (everything “white” such as pasta, rice, bread, semolina, etc.), premade meals, sugary foods, pastries, candy, pizza, etc.

EAT MORE HEALTHY FAT!

Likewise, in order to do their job and communicate effectively, cells need a flexible membrane that’s made up of compounds derived straight from dietary fats, called fatty acids. So-called saturated fat stabilizes the membrane while so-called unsaturated fat (omega-3) give it the flexibility it needs. As a society, we eat too many omega-6 fatty acids, and too few omega-3 fatty acids. The ratio your body needs in order to stay healthy is actually 1 g of omega-3 for 3 to 5 g of omega-6, similar to what the first early modern humans ate. The ratio of our diet today is about 1 g of omega-3 for 10 to 15 g of omega 6! In other words, we’re putting ourselves at risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation, degenerative diseases and mood disorders.

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Have 2 tablespoons a day of rapeseed oil or 1 tablespoon of extra virgin walnut or flaxseed (aka linseed) oil (to be kept in the fridge), used in a vinaigrette as a dressing or to give more flavor to your food. Use extra virgin olive for cooking (at least 1 tablespoon a day).

• 2 to 3 times a week, eat fresh or canned fish, preferably smaller fish, like sardines, mackerel and anchovies, which contain fewer heavy metals than salmon or tuna.
• Eat a few walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds on a regular basis for breakfast or as a snack (30 g of walnuts and almonds, for example, makes the perfect snack!), ground flax seeds, seaweed and purslane.

Conversely, limit your servings of the following foods (but don’t eliminate them from your diet completely):

• Fatty meats (fatty pieces of beef, pork, mutton or cured meats) to two or three times a week maximum.
• Fat from dairy products: cheese (once a day maximum, preferably at breakfast or lunch), excess butter (preferably at breakfast).
• Processed premade meals, cake and cookies (it’s better to eat homemade baked goods made with “healthier” ingredients), pastries, margarine, chips (aka crisps) and salty snack foods, pizza, quiches and savory tarts.

After getting an energy boost, check back soon for our next topic: “Your Intestines, the Foundation of Your Immune System”. Stay tuned!