Diet Pyramid in moderation

Diet Pyramid in Moderation

Diet Pyramid in Moderation is the second of a 3 part guide of foods to eat in moderation.

Part 1: Foundations of diet

Part 3: Healthy Diet Pyramid’s Peak. 

Animal Protein

Animal protein is a very efficient type of protein meaning the body can utilise it well. Protein breaks down to amino acids. Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein in our body. Animal protein is very dense in minerals and vitamins hence it deserves to be included in the diet pyramid in moderation section. We often make the mistake of thinking specifically of muscle meats such as a steak or chicken breast. Of course traditional eating of animals is utilising the whole animal.

Best parts of the Animal

Truth is offal, or organ meats are the most dense in our nutrition requirements. Don’t worry right now if your stomach is about to flip. In truth, most of us have that same reaction and you can be healthy without including this section. I mention it in the diet pyramid in moderation section because it is valuable to add into your diet if you can tolerate it. The brain is very high in omega 3’s. True brain food. The liver is known also to be extremely dense in essential nutrition. When we speak of nutrition it is no longer just about what we eat. It is in addition where we source our food. In the case of animals, grass fed meats are best. Any wild caught animal will be amazing as far as nutrition goes. Wild caught fish specifically is becoming more difficult to source yet is important as the minerals including zinc are so important for our healing and immune system.

Eggs

Eggs I believe deserve a heading of their own, and they deserve to be in this diet pyramid in moderation section. They are a such a whole food packed with nutrition and is truly one of my favourite foods. There is a big HOWEVER here. Be sure they are from a good source. Of course if the eggs are from cage hens then they are best avoided both on a moral and nutritional level. From a nutritional point of view, grass fed and free range eggs are by far superior. Nutrition from the food they consume directly benefits us too. The benefits of the sunshine they receive and exercise they have. Being free range (grass fed) is for this reason our first choice in buying eggs.

Vegetables

No matter what ‘diet’ I hear people are following, the most common ingredients that are on the ‘can have’ side of the list is vegetables. Whether it be a candida diet, high fibre diet, 5:2 diet or weight loss diet. Vegetables always get the tick of  approval so add them into your diet daily.

The key here is planning. I’ve experienced this myself. If I plan (to the point of having vegetables chopped and ready to go in my refrigerator) they are much, much more likely to be eaten. The thought of pulling many vegetables out of the refrigerator, cutting off the portion I require, then preparing them is a real turn off. So simply be prepared. Have them ready is a container all chopped up to add an inviting appeal.

Don’t forget the oodles of benefits of fermented foods here too.

Oils/Fats

When I first became interested in nutrition, oils and fats were a real no,no. We were told these foods resulted in high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, overweight, obesity and the list goes on and on. What wasn’t mentioned during these times were the benefits of fats.

Healthy Fats v Unhealthy Fats

Healthy fats include avocado, coconut, ghee and animal fat. Yes you heard right. Animal fats are included. It was once thought saturated fats only resulted in harm in our body. Did you know the body actually makes cholesterol? That the brain is made up of saturated fats. That a growing child needs saturated fats to form a healthy nervous system.

Unhealthy fats are our trans fats. Fats from fast food chains, junk foods, ice cream, heated oils turn into trans fats. These are all fats we should avoid.

Heating Fats

It is worth noting here that heating can result in a good fat such as olive oil quickly turning into trans fat. Olive oil as our example is healthy to use when unheated. So using it on salads with some vinegar is a great way to utilise this amazing food. Once heated though, it is no longer serving us well as it becomes a dangerous trans fat, so best to avoid this altogether.

I’m here for you

If your interested in getting to the root cause of whatever health concerns you have feel free to make contact and have a chat. I’m able to help you in whatever area you need and have the tools to eliminate guess work and hone straight to you feeling better sooner.