Dairy

Commercial dairy products have all of the same issues as commercial meats. Look for organic dairy as well, form grass fed sources if you can find it (grass fed organic yogurts and cheeses taste much better). Organic yogurts are a great source of nutrition and delicious to boot. We recommend buying plain yogurt to avoid added sugar, and flavoring with fruit, raw honey, cinnamon, and/or stevia (stevia is an herbal sweetener – KAL makes the best tasting brand).

Healthy cheeses are also wonderfully nourishing. In general, it’s best to buy raw milk cheese. Pasteurization destroys a lot of the nutrients, enzymes, and healthy bacteria in milk. Raw milk cheeses preserve these. We actually recommend choosing raw milk cheese over organic, since most raw milk cheeses are from naturally raised cows and goats. Of course, if you can find raw milk organic cheese, that’s your best bet.

Generally speaking yogurt and cheese are better for you than actual milk. They have more protein, are more filling, and the bacteria in yogurt and raw cheese help you digest difficult to break down milk proteins that give many people gas, bloating, and other symptoms of indigestion. If you do have trouble digesting diary, try eating a bit of raw goat’s milk cheese. The proteins in goat’s milk are different from those in cow’s milk, and most people can digest them more easily.

Always choose reduced fat or full fat dairy, and never fat free. Milk is meant to contain fat. A lot of the nutrients end up in the fat, and milk products don’t digest properly without some fat content. Fat, in the right amounts, is healthy. See Simple Enjoyable Healthy Eating for more.

Fruit and Veggies

Almost all fruits and veggies are good for you. Look to mix up what fruits and veggies you eat, trying to choose different colors (different colors means different nutrients) for each meal/snack. Berries, apples, and pears are the healthiest fruits for most people because they’re not too sugary. Lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bell peppers, tomatoes, and most of the other veggies on the shelves should all be a part of your diet. Watch your consumption of starchy veggies like carrots, potatoes, yams, leeks, and parsnips. They all contain a lot of fast digesting carbs, and can destabilize blood sugar, leading to energy highs and lows and food cravings. Always eat these veggies with other non starchy veggies, and some fat and protein, preferably from meat. This will slow down their digestion, and keep your blood sugar stable.

In general, try to eat veggies raw or lightly steamed to preserve the many nutrients that are destroyed by high heat. Cooking up light stir fries (cook meats, spices, and onions, which stand up to heat well, first, and add other veggies towards the end and just warm them up) is also a good way to work more vegetables into your diet.

Organic fruits and veggies are always a healthier choice than commercial, but, as with grains and beans, it doesn’t matter quite as much to buy organic with produce as it does with meat and dairy. If you do buy commercial, wash everything especially carefully to remove pesticides and other chemicals. If you don’t want to commit to buying all organic produce, you might think about buying organic bell peppers, berries, broccoli, lettuce, and cauliflower, as these fruits and veggies tend to have the most pesticide residue when grown commercially.