Enjoy a wide range of whole, unrefined plants. You can eat when you’re hungry and eat until you’re full. Strive for diversity in your meals, and include fiber-rich foods that capture all the colors of the nutrition rainbow. Some items on the list may be inaccessible where you live due to climate or cultural relevance.
- Whole Grains & Ancient Grains – amaranth, barley, brown rice, bulgur, farro, millet, quinoa, sorghum, steel cut and rolled oats, teff, wheat berries, whole wheat, wild rice
- Legumes (dried or canned with minimal salt) – adzuki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, fava beans, green beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mung beans, peas, pinto beans, soybeans
- Greens (fresh or frozen) – arugula, bok choy, chards, cilantro, collards, kale, lettuces, parsley, spinach
- Roots – beets, carrots, daikon, garlic, ginger, leeks, onions, potatoes (all colors), radishes, turnips
- Other veggies – asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, peppers, sea vegetables, squash, tomatoes, zucchini
- Fruit (fresh or frozen) – apples, apricots, bananas, berries, cherries, grapes, kiwi, mangoes, melons, papayas, pineapple, plums
- Omega 3 Rich Seeds – chia seeds, flaxseed
- Spices (all spices)
- Water (filtered)
- Minimally Processed Whole Soy Products (eat in moderation) – edamame, miso, tempeh, tofu. Recommendation is 2-3 servings per day.
- Beverages (drink in moderation) – decaffeinated coffee, green tea, herbal teas, unsweetened plant-based milk substitutes
Occasionally. Eat these sparingly.
Many of these foods are healthy. For example, nuts, seeds, and avocados have many valuable, health-promoting nutrients. But these foods are also very calorie-dense because of their naturally high-fat content. It is also easy to eat these foods excessively without realizing it. Enjoy them in moderation.
- Nuts – almonds, cashews, nut butters, pistachios, walnuts
- Coconut – low-fat coconut milk, raw coconut, unsweetened shreds or chips
- Avocado
- Seeds (except omega 3 sources) – pumpkin, sesame, sunflower
- Dried Fruit – organic and without added sugars or oils
- Added Sweeteners – maple syrup, date syrup, molasses
- Beverages – caffeinated coffee and high-caffeine tea (without added sugar)
Avoid these foods.
The standard American diet (SAD), or the Western diet, is heavy on meat, dairy, and refined and ultra-processed foods. It is very high in added sugar, sodium, and cholesterol and deficient in health-promoting nutrients, fiber, and phytonutrients. Consequently, we face epidemics of obesity, heart disease, cancers, diabetes, and other lifestyle-related diseases; staggering health care costs; and lower quality of life.
- Meat – fish, lamb, pork, poultry, processed meat, red meat, seafood
- Dairy – butter, buttermilk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream, half and half, ice cream, milk, yogurt
- Eggs – chicken, duck, ostrich, quail
- Processed Plant Fragments – (these oftentimes include vegan replacement foods)
- Added Fats – margarine, oils (including olive and coconut). Even the finest olive oils are 100% fat, meaning calorically-dense and nutrient-poor. Oil injures the endothelium, the innermost lining of the artery, and that injury is the gateway to vascular disease. Especially for those with known heart disease, adding even a little oil can negatively impact heart health.
- Refined Sugar – barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, cane juice crystals, confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), corn syrup, fructose, white sugar
- Refined Grains – white flour (including in pastas, bread, snack foods), white rice
- Protein Isolates – isolated soy protein or soy protein isolate, pea protein isolate
- Ultra-Processed Foods (Foods with additives, artificial colors, stabilizers) – These are often packaged and drastically modified from their original state (think Twinkies, Oreos, potato chips, and other “junk foods”).
- Beverages – soda, fruit juice (even 100% pure fruit juice), sports drinks, energy drinks, alcohol
By Center for Nutrition Studies