Lesson 1: Up the ante to organic butter and eggs.
Ideally you should be consuming as many USDA organic food products as possible, however, if you only get one organic food it should be butter. This is because it is a highly concentrated form of milk. It is not uncommon for non organic butter to have up to 20 times the level of pesticides of non organic fruits and vegetables.
Remember eggs?
Now that you've reached the intermediate level, it's time to move up to organic free-range eggs. Compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture contain:
- 1/3 less cholesterol
- 1/4 less saturated fat
- 2/3 more vitamin A
- 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
- 3 times more vitamin E
- 7 times more beta carotene
These dramatically differing nutrient levels are most likely the result of the differences in diet between free-range pastured hens, vs. commercially farmed hens.
Organic eggs don't have to be certified by law, so if you are fortunate enough to know someone who grows chickens and controls the feed and conditions, those eggs are typically better than organic store-bought eggs.
An interesting fact about eggs: You can increase your egg intake up to two dozen a week, as your cholesterol level won't increase.
Eggs are one of the richest sources of dietary cholesterol, so the way you cook them will influence the level of oxidized cholesterol in your blood. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to hardening of your arteries which increases your risk of heart disease.
High heat will promote this oxidation. Since there is iron in the egg white, when it combines with the egg yolk that will also oxidize the cholesterol. Scrambled eggs or omelets are one of the least healthy to prepare eggs.
Surprisingly, the best way to prepare eggs is to not cook them at all, but to eat them raw. This is an advanced technique, so no need to rush on this one unless you feel especially motivated.
If you are a woman, I realize this will not be very appealing. It seems most women have strong objections to the texture of eggs, but that can be easily modified by whipping them into a meringue or blending them in a protein smoothie.
If you’re worried about contracting salmonella from raw eggs, please understand that this is a concern that is mainly directed at conventionally-raised eggs. A 2008 survey revealed that organic laying hen farms have a significantly lower level of Salmonella; just 4.4 percent in organic flocks and 6.5 percent in free-range flocks, compared to more than 23 percent of farms with caged hens. So your chances of contracting salmonella when using organic eggs are fairly slim.
Lesson 2: Eliminate all fish from your diet, unless you know they have been tested and are mercury free.
Fish, whether farm-raised or caught from the ocean or freshwater sources, should now be avoided, as almost all fish are contaminated with mercury, PCBs and DDT. The only exceptions to this rule are fish like sardines and anchovies, as they are small enough to have minimal contamination;
Other fish that are less likely to be contaminated with high levels of mercury are
- Summer Flounder
- Wild Pacific Salmon
- Croaker
- Sardines
- Haddock
- Tilapia
Instead of consuming fish, it is now best to obtain the important omega-3 fats with DHA and EPA fatty acids from fish oil or cod liver oil. Reputable fish oil/cod liver oil, like the Carlson brand I offer and highly recommend, is purified of mercury and all other contaminants and tested and certified by independent agents for that high purity.
An even better option, which I would strongly encourage you to use in lieu of fish, is a high quality krill oil. In addition to being very high in omega-3, krill also contains almost 50 times more antioxidants than fish oil, which prevents the highly perishable omega-3 fats from oxidizing before you are able to integrate them into your cellular tissue.
Additionally, the omega-3 in krill is attached to phospholipids that increase its absorption. This means you need less of it, and it will not cause belching or burping like many fish oil products.
Lesson 3: Get valuable omega-3 fats from your meat.
Another way you can receive the necessary omega-3 fats is to eat from free-range cattle and game. Most wild game fit this description, but are not readily available for most us. Grass-fed beef or poultry are reasonable alternatives. Range-fed poultry is available from most health food stores or local organic chicken farmers.
You still need to be careful when purchasing grass-fed beef at most stores. As of November 15, 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) “grass-fed” label can only be used if the animals ate nothing but grass and stored grasses after weaning, and have access to pasture during the growing season, which is defined as from last frost to first frost. However, according to the American Grassfed Association, which represents many raisers of grass-fed animals, the definition of "growing season" means that animals could be confined for long periods, and kept off of pasture even when there is grass growing.
The least expensive way to obtain authentic grass-fed beef is to find a local rancher you can trust, and buy directly from him. This way you save the shipping, and can also receive a reduced rate on the meat. Alternatively, you can now purchase grass-fed beef from organic ranchers online, if you don’t have access to a local source. For more tips on locating a good source, please see this link.
An inexpensive yet effective way to determine if the meat is really from a grass fed animal is to purchase the ground beef. Slowly cook the beef until done, drain and then collect all the fat. Grass-fed beef fat will be relatively thin compared to conventionally-raised ground beef. It will also be a liquid at room temperature as it has very few saturated fats.
However, most of us live in large urban areas and do not have the time for this process. Just as it would be ideal to have an organic garden and grow your own vegetables, most of us elect not to do that due to time or space limitations.
Lesson 4: Avoid soy.
- Soy being a "health food" has become one of the largest, and perhaps one of the most dangerous, myths within the health food industry. Truth is, unfermented soy is not a healthy option, and I recommend avoiding all soy products unless they're fermented or sprouted. Although fermented soy has many beneficial properties, non-fermented soy products contain: Phytoestrogens (isoflavones) genistein and daidzein, which mimic and sometimes block the hormone estrogen
- Isoflavones which can impair thyroid function
- Phytates, which block your body's uptake of minerals
- Enzyme Inhibitors, which hinder protein digestion
- Haemaggluttin, which causes red blood cells to clump together and inhibits oxygen take-up and growth
- High amounts of omega-6 fat, which is pro-inflammatory
You should therefore avoid tofu, soy protein products and soy milk. If you use protein powders, it's important to avoid soy protein.
Soy baby formula should NEVER be used for infants as soy formula contains the hormonal equivalent of about five birth control pills a day.
Numerous studies have found that non-fermented soy products can:
Fermented soy (tempeh, natto and miso) and soybean sprouts don't have these problems and can be safely consumed. Just make sure they're not pasteurized, as that is an indication of insufficient fermentation. Please visit my soy information page for more details on why this food should be avoided unless fermented.
Lesson 5: Limit your nut and seed intake.
Except for walnuts, almost all nuts have high levels of omega-6 fats, and if eaten in excess they can unbalance the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in your body. Unless you are already very healthy, it is important for you to limit your use of most seeds and nuts. Sprouting them would help somewhat, but unbalancing the omega 6:3 ratio can have profound negative health consequences for your body. Most all of us already have an excess of omega-6 fats in our diet.
Lesson 6: Avoid pasteurized dairy.
It is clear that most people benefit from avoiding commercial milk that is loaded with hormones, pesticides and antibiotics. However, even if you are able to obtain organic milk that is free of these contaminants, you are still left with a food that is pasteurized and homogenized.
For further information on this topic you can read the article I wrote on why you should avoid drinking pasteurized milk.
Pasteurization is done to protect you from potentially dangerous infections like TB and brucellosis, but it unfortunately changes the structure of the milk proteins, particularly casein, to a far more allergenic food and is a major reason why milk allergies are the number one form of food allergy.
In this level, you need to eliminate milk if you haven't already done so. You can have cheeses, particularly raw milk cheeses, if your body tolerates them well.
