Watch the video above and find out why we need to ditch the current Canadian Food Guide and US Food Pyramid, and learn what are truly healthful Food Groups that everyone should have in their daily diet. Eat within these 40-Girl Food Groups and prepare to thrive:
1) Vegetables & Fruit aka the Vitamin and Mineral Group. Most your fuel should come from this gang of goodies. This is the vitamin, mineral and fiber group and includes daily servings from the following sub-groups: leafy greens; cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, basic veggies like celery, cucumbers, peppers; onions galore and garlic; and fruit fresh or cooked. Then minimum 3 times/week, eat servings from sea vegetable category: dulse, nori, wakame, kombu, arame -- excellent in soups and salads!
2) Carbohydrate Group – and I always mean complex, also a fibre, vitamin and mineral group – sweet potatoes, yams, squashes, whole grains (soaked please) like brown rice, oats, millet, buckwheat, rye, amaranth, etc. Just say no to simple carbs like bagels and pastries, donuts and white flour wraps, actually white flour anything. Also, gluten free starchy bread is devoid of nutrients. Look for sprouted whole grain types, they exist.
3) Protein Group – think plant protein, daily servings from plant-based protein sources like avocados, peas, lentils, chickpeas, various beans, etc. Then 3 to 5 times per week, depending on YOUR body’s needs from animal protein sources like wild fish, fowl, eggs, meat - always grass-fed, organic, free-range, pastured, etc. Includes bone broth! Use leftover bones and boil for three hours with an acid (lemon will do), save the fat/lard to cook with, eat the broth as is, add miso and/or seaweed or make a full-on soup.
4) Healthy Fat Group – I forgot to mention this in my VLOG -- oops!! Try cold pressed extra virgin olive oil (organic only! If it's cheap, it's probably fake and may have soy oil in it, seriously), then flax oil (store in fridge), high quality walnut oil, Udo's oil, fish oil -- all fragile oils that require usage within a month or so, and should be stored in fridge away from light, heat, air. Saturated fats like coconut oil, high quality red palm oil, grass-fed lard and butter are all good to cook/bake with and for bulletproof coffee (I use coconut butter, oodles)!
4) Ferments aka the Lactobacilli/Cultures Group -- these are most important because they are most missed -- yet chock-o-block full of enzymes and friendly bacteria to support that ever-key gut biome of yours. They're now calling it your second brain, and it requires the same care. Think home-made sauerkraut that's fermented naturally (no malt vinegars), miso soup or paste (I buy fermented chick-peas--fabulous for sauces, soups, dressings), grass-fed milk or coconut kefir (almost as many probiotics as the pills, cheaper too, just drink it in a shot glass or put it in a smoothie), yogurt (buy grass-fed, non-homogenized, or get your hands on raw via a local herdshare), kombucha (make your own, it's way cheaper and so easy), etc. once a day minimum and before any meal!
5) Party Food – a girl’s got to have her fun. Save this for weekends, parties and special occasions – wine, treats, cheese, fried foods, cake, party on. This falls into the 80/20 rule, which some should make 90/10 (better). If you're trying to heal from surgery or sickness, make it your zero group 100/0!
Once I get my graphics team to draw up the 40-Girl’s Food Guide Geode I will make posters available for all (ha!). Until then, commit it to memory (or print it off) and do your best. Check old habits at the door and never blindly follow establishment when you’re unsure what vested interests are at stake that could be sending you down a less than healthful direction (i.e. yes that means you Monsanto and Mr. Grocery Manufacturer's Association). Keep your food clean and remember please like and share.
xx Shannon