As we move through different stages of wellness, our bodies need proper nutrition to stay healthy, fight illness, and heal from all sorts of scenarios. We want to make sure to give the body as much of these nutrients as the tools it needs to do these jobs. We also want to make sure we aren’t contributing to inflammation or fostering illness either. While it is very common to eliminate certain foods as we navigate through life, when providing the optimum environment for healing, it is more important to focus on providing plenty of high-quality nourishing foods to give our bodies enough of the tools (i.e. nutrients) so that it has the power to stay strong. Eliminating certain foods can be a powerful tool done very short-term in partnership with highly qualified nutrition specialists. Done too long or inappropriately, eliminating foods can be more harmful than helpful in the long run. So, what to do?
The biggest piece of advice I can give anyone wanting to boost their immune system, balance hormones, get more energy, or simply maintain health is to Count Colors (never calories). For a society that is steeped in “diet culture”, counting calories was supposed to be a means towards maintaining health. Unfortunately, this method rarely helps and often harms the body.
Why is calorie counting bad? There are 3 nutrients that have calories: fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. The only other item containing calories is alcohol, which is not a nutrient the body needs. That’s it. Just these 3 nutrients contain calories. Also known as the “Macronutrients”, we need all 3 of these daily. All “calorie” means is: “burnable energy” for the cells. Without the support of nutrients like vitamins and minerals, it doesn’t matter how many or how few of these macronutrients the body has, it will never be able to stay healthy because these calorie-containing nutrients need a full work force in order to do their job. More importantly, the number of calories a food has says absolutely nothing about the Quality of the nutrients the food has. The fight to reduce total calorie count can often have the side effect of reducing quality of nutrition in the body. What the body needs is Quality calories that can only be found in nutrient-dense foods. The definition of Nutrient Dense is high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber while also being low in added (refined) sugar and saturated fats. That’s it. Sadly, much of our modern food is not nutrient dense.
Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber have zero calories. Without these nutrients (called “Micronutrients”) the body can’t do any of its main jobs including efficiently burning calories for energy, creating strong immune systems, building healthy tissues, or fighting off viruses and other illnesses. While supplements do exist, they aren’t a great method for replacing nutrients necessary for the body. There must always be a balance or healthy ratio of nutrients for the body to work best. Supplementing with pills and powders alone can throw off this balance. The great news is that eating a wide variety of unrefined foods gives us this balance without even having to think about what we’re eating. The best way to know that you’re getting all the micronutrients is to eat colorful foods. As a result: Counting Colors is a great way to start helping the body be at its best.
What does this mean? Eat a variety of natural colors as often as possible. Some days only one food might sound good to you and that is OKAY. But for the most part of your week, if you eat each color of food, you’ll do great. Taking a look at your local farmer’s markets, walking through a CSA (community supported agriculture) area, or going to a new grocery store that has a variety of fresh produce can inspire trying more foods. It’s okay if you don’t like them all, there will be some that you do like!
Here is a list of some amazing, healthy foods as ideas to get you started.
What to do with these foods? Make a smoothie! Stir fry with your favorite sauces. Add a few extra pieces of veg to your sandwich or wrap. Ask at the farmers market if they have a great recipe for something new. Be creative but mostly, don’t stress about being perfect. Every color every day doesn’t guarantee superpowers and a few colors a day is far better than none. Try something new this week!
Reds: Bell peppers, strawberries, beets, cherries, tomatoes, pomegranates, radishes, chilis, cranberries, apples, red beans (like adzuki), radicchio lettuce, prickly pear, and raspberries to get you started.
Oranges: Red lentils (why do we call them red when they’re clearly orange), Oranges (of course), Wild salmon (farmed salmon is grey so it doesn’t count because the orange color is a dye), carrots, yams, persimmons, apricots, acorn squash, kabocha squash, pumpkin, turmeric, mangos
Yellows: Ginger, butternut squash, pineapples, lemons, yellow potatoes, Asian pears, yellow squash, jackfruit, millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff, polenta, golden beets, yellow beans.
Greens: (Green plants actually contain similar nutrients as reds, oranges, and yellows. The green of chlorophyl just covers it up so it’s like getting 3 colors in one)! Pumpkin seeds, cabbages, bok choy, spinach, kale, collards, parsley, cilantro, basil, oregano, romaine lettuce, soybeans, asparagus, dandelion greens, wheatgrass, broccoli, we could go on, but you’ve got the idea.
Blues: blueberries of course, blue corn, blue potatoes, borage, rosemary flowers, butterfly blue peas
Purples: Red onions and red cabbages (we call them red but they’re really purple!), grapes, raisins, plums, purple potatoes, kidney beans, figs, eggplant, mangosteen, purple barley, forbidden rice
Browns: Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts (nuts and seeds of almost every variety), most mushrooms, Potatoes (scrub the skins and keep them on for optimum nutrition), many beans like pinto, black-eyed peas, almost every grain, whole wheat, dates, lentils, peanuts, and spices like cinnamon, cumin, coriander seeds, star anise, anise, allspice, and so many more
Whites: Mushrooms, hemp seeds, jicama, daikon radish, cannellini beans, tofu, bananas (the outside might be yellow, but the inside isn’t), cauliflower, turnips, parsnips, onion, garlic, white kidney beans, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce
Eat well,
Ami Karnosh, MSc Nutrition (TheNutritionAdvocate.com)