With metabolic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart disease, and liver disease so widespread, I worry about the role of our food supply—especially its shortage of animal fats and proteins. Healthcare alone cannot solve the problem. To me, the answer starts with eating real food.
I do not trust the incentives of the food and pharmaceutical industries. Selling more food and medicine makes them money, whether or not it helps people eat well.
https://twitter.com/KetoAurelius/status/1152361231040352256
Many people, including me, struggle to judge which foods belong in a healthy diet. So I am compiling a food hierarchy. It is a work in progress, based mainly on the work of fitness coach Menno Henselmans and the book Deep Nutrition by Catherine Shanahan.
My rule of thumb is to choose foods that are as close as possible to their original form. I try not to let labels such as “healthy,” “organic,” “vegan,” or “light” make the decision for me.
When a product is highly refined or has a long list of ingredients, I usually leave it on the shelf. That is true even if it contains ingredients that appear on my list below.
Two ingredients I especially try to limit are:
- Vegetable or seed oils. Although they are marketed as healthy, I worry that they contribute to inflammation and interfere with normal enzyme processes. They contain omega-6 fatty acids, which can affect the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Heating them can also cause oxidation; the sources I read argue that this may harm arteries.
- Added sugar, which can appear on labels under names such as dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, and sucrose, as well as 59 other names. I try to limit it because it damages teeth and can affect blood sugar, hormone signaling, insulin, and triglyceride production. The sources I have read also link high sugar intake to fat storage and the loss of nutrients from bones and tissues.
Both added sugar and refined oils turn up in many packaged foods, so I read labels. The hierarchy below reflects that preference.
In short, I favor old-fashioned, minimally processed foods. I choose meat on the bone from animals that were not grain-fed, and I keep the fat. I also eat eggs, olive oil, butter, nuts, animal fats, palm and coconut oils, organ meats, bone broth, fermented and sprouted foods, and plenty of vegetables. I go easier on fruit and try to avoid added sugar and heavily processed vegetable oils.
The hierarchy
This is my personal hierarchy of foods, based on how I think they affect health and body composition.
I have divided the list into three groups:
- Diet staples: foods I would eat regularly
- Okay in moderation: foods I would eat occasionally
- Foods I would usually avoid
These are examples, and the list is not final. If you have a suggestion, please comment on this tweet.
1. Diet staples: foods I would eat regularly
- Unprocessed organ meats: liver, brain, heart, kidney
- Fish: salmon, tuna, oysters, sardines, mackerel, cod, herring
- Vegetables: broccoli, spinach, brussels sprouts, peas, artichokes, carrots, kale, asparagus, beetroot, onions, celery, pumpkins, tomatoes, garlic, green beans, eggplants, bell peppers, chicories, cauliflowers, courgettes
- Berries: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries
- Dairy: kefir, plain yogurt, quark, whole milk, butter, full-fat cream
- Cheeses: mozzarella, blue cheese, feta, cottage, ricotta, parmesan, Swiss cheese, cheddar, goat cheese
- Avocado
- Olives
- Oils: extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, avocado oil, ghee, lard
- Unprocessed red meat: grass-fed beef, lamb, pork
- Fresh herbs and spices: thyme, parsley, rosemary, coriander, laurel, lavender, dill, basilicum, ginger, pepper, basil, celery,
- Drinks: drinking water, decaf coffee, decaf tea, herbal tea
- Vinegar
- Poultry: chicken, turkey, goose, duck
- Eggs
- Traditional whole grains: sourdough bread, ezekiel bread, fermented oatmeal, soaked rice
- Sprouted legumes: chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, soybeans, peanuts
- Soaked nuts: almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, pecans, macadamias, brazil nuts, hazelnuts
- Soaked seeds: chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
- Potatoes
- Fermented soy products: nattō, tempeh
- Chocolate: 80+% pure chocolate
- Broth: unprocessed stock, gelatin
- Pure coconut products: coconut butter, coconut milk
2. Okay in moderation: foods I would eat occasionally
- Non-wheat processed whole grains: sorghum, quinoa, millet, oats, buckwheat, corn
- Whole fruits: bananas, kiwi fruit, kiwifruits, pineapples, grapefruits, mangoes, lemons, watermelons, oranges, grapes, guavas, papayas, cherries
- Alcohol-free wine
- Dairy: skimmed milk
- Rice: white rice, brown rice
- Non-wheat flour: almond flour, buckweat flourbuckwheat flour sorghum flour
- Chocolate: milk chocolate, white chocolate
- Artificial sweeteners: aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, stevia
- Drinks: diet sodas, coffee, tea
3. Foods I would usually avoid
- Heat processed vegetable oils: canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, linseed oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, margarine
- Wheat products that are not sourdough: pasta, non-fermented oatmeal, conventionally made bread, cereals, crackers
- Non-fermented soy products: tofu, soy milk, veggie burgers
- Processed red meats: hot dogs, hams, bacon, sausages, salami
- Fast food: hamburgers, french friesFrench fries chicken nuggets, pizza, döner kebab
- Alcohol: beer, wine, liquor
- Tobacco: cigarettes, cigars
- Snacks: candy bars, pastries, potato chips, cakes, pies, ice cream, cookies
- Meal replacement products: meal shakes, protein bars, energy bars
- Drinks: soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, smoothies
- Condiments: table sugar, salad dressings, processed sauces