What is a "Healthy Diet"? Can I have Fries with that?

Probably not, but worth asking and actually that all depends...are they home made? Which oil did you use to make them? Are they air fried? Did you use organic potatoes? Do you have an aversion to potatoes? How many are you having? Complicated, right?

And well, what is a healthy diet anyway?

For one person it may be avoiding sugary foods. For another it might be eating more #plantbased foods and less meat. For others it may be to avoid all dairy and gluten. For the keto follower it may be to avoid grains and starches and reach for more cheese and coconut oil. Others may say to eat the rainbow and make sure it is all #organic!

Eat less fat, eat more fats, eat no meat, increase your protein, don't eat eggs, eggs are great...it can all be so confusing! There are so many different approaches all marketed to us as the best way to eat.

But what is the right answer? YES, and NO and SOMETIMES? It all depends (and you are going to hear me say this a lot!) on you and your individual needs; your lifestyle, your individual requirements, your own unique biochemistry. Are you and athlete? What is your age? Do you have allergies or sensitivities? There are so many factors that will determine what is the best diet for you but there are some basics that everyone should follow and that is what we will talk about here.

Key Dietary Recommendations For A Healthy Diet

1. Eat the Rainbow in fruits and vegetables - optimally you want to eat 8-10 servings of fruits and veggies per day. If you find that overwhelming start with 5 or 6; add spinach to smoothies, eat more salads and make big pots of soup loaded with veggies. You will get to 8 in no time!

2. Eat a diet rich in plant-based foods like whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and fruits and veggies

3.Eat to regulate your blood sugar - Stay away from refined and simple sugars and white flour - these foods are quickly absorbed into your blood stream and cause your blood sugar to rise and your body responds by boosting insulin secretions. It is important to be aware of the glycemic load of the foods you eat.

4. Eat the right type of fats - this means decrease your intake of saturated fats (from animal derived foods), trans fats (from processed and deep fried foods) and fats from vegetable oil like soy, sunflower, safflower and corn oils and increase your intake of Omega 3 fatty acids (from wild, cold water fish and flaxseed oil) and monounsaturated fatty acids (from nuts, seeds and olive oil)

5. Keep the salt low and the potassium high - for optimal health these electrolytes need to be consumed in the proper ratios (at least 5:1 potassium to sodium). But with our typical high sodium, low fruit and veggie diets, our balance is way off!

6. Reduce your exposure to pesticides and herbicides - in a nut shell, eat organic foods as much as you can. Especially foods with animal fats like meat, eggs, cheese, and other dairy products as well as fruits and vegetables that are heavily sprayed. Check out the Environmental Group's Dirty Dozen list to find out which produce is most important to buy organic.

7. Drink lots of water - 8-12 glasses of pure, filtered water per day or more specifically, half your body weight (lbs) in fluid ounces. I can't stress the importance of this enough! Water is essential for life and even mild dehydration is an issue.

One of the best characteristics of a good, healthy diet is one that can be sustained, long-term, because if it can't...why bother.

So, why bother at all?

It is well documented that that our daily dietary habits can either cause or prevent many diseases including degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancers and diseases associated with aging.

But more immediately, a great diet which includes all the things listed above can give you more energy, increase your mood, alleviate many symptoms and complaints you may have. It will help your body balance its systems and work optimally. Once you know what good health feels like you won't go back to fueling your body with crap!

With a health promoting diet, a healthy lifestyle and good supplementation plan you too can restore your vitality and feel your best.