When we hear the word diet we tend to associate it with calories restriction. Having to cut out and ban ourselves from certain foods we love. However health isn’t just about cutting out the ‘bad’ but equally as important is loading up on all the ‘good’. And here is a shocker…Healthy, nutritious food can be DELICIOUS. Yup, no lies.
This is not a post to tell you what not to eat. I am not here to say 'Cut out meat! No more dessert for you!". No... I am here to teach you about the good foods we should be loading up on every day.
Below is a list of foods named ‘The Daily Dozen’. This list was compiled by Dr Michael Greger, MD. He is a physician, author and internationally recognized speaker on health and nutrition. He runs the popular website www.nutritionfacts.org. These foods are incredibly nutritious and contain many essential nutrients we need to function AT OUR BEST. The well rounded list contains suggestions on what food groups to incorporate into your daily meal plan as well as the servings required. This may seem like a lot of food and quite overwhelming, but I am not suggesting that you ditch your current diet and jump straight into only eating the daily dozen. What I do encourage is for you to take a chance and make a small change. Pick one. Just one food group on the list that you will incorporate into your daily meals. Do this for a week. The following week, add another to your diet. Maybe pick on core veggie and plan your lunch or dinner around what you can make with it. Every week build on what you did the week before and pay attention to your body. Do you notice a difference in energy levels, mood, etc. Maybe over time you notice your taste starting to change. You are craving sweet, juicy berries or yummy roasted veggies. Maybe it becomes habit that you sprinkle some added flax and chia seeds over your breakfast or salads without even thinking about it.
If you already incorporate many of these foods into your diet that is wonderful and keep up the good work. Maybe start to play with adding in a variety of different spices to your meals to increase the antioxidant content and overall nutrition density of your food. Play with some new recipes of how you can incorporate more beans into your diet or experiment with different grains. If you are used to eating white/brown rice, mix it up with some wild rice instead or a bit of quinoa.
If you would like a more comprehensive list of the best foods to eat that fall under each category or a simplified shopping list you can take with you on your next trip to the grocery store, please feel free to reach out to me. If you are toying with the idea of venturing out of your comfort zone and experimenting with new foods but don’t quite know where to start, I’m here to help. Contact me and together we can work on making small changes that lead to unleashing an UNLIMITED YOU.
Recommended reading: How Not To Die by Dr Michael Greger and Gene Stone
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Vitamin G Wellness Blog - A division of Unlimited You