Top Ten List to Upgrade Your Pantry - Julesguide
Many of my clients ask me, "Jules, what do you eat and where do you shop?"
I started learning about health one step at a time. This simple list is a starting point and culmination of many lessons learned on my health journey.
Fats & Oils. Check your pantry for any processed vegetable oils such as canola, corn, safflower and toss. These oils are highly processed and often rancid on the shelf. Assume canola and corn oil are Genetically Modified. If someone says, it’s not canola oil, it’s rapeseed oil. Laugh loudly…they are the same thing. Replace with avocado oil, grass fed ghee, coconut oil, lard, bacon fat, butter, olive oil. Note that olive oil does not have a high smoke point and should mainly be used for salad dressings and not cooking or baking.
Sugar. Check your labels from ketchup to kombucha. 100 grams per day of sugar is known to reduce your immune system by 50%. Note that sugar comes in many different forms most notably as corn derivatives such as corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose used to preserve your food as well as to sweeten. Notice your intake of fruits, breads, pastas, rice and yes most gluten free products. Your body breaks all these down into sugar. Try swapping out your milk chocolate for 80-85% dark chocolate. Up your intake of fats daily to reduce your sugar cravings. Stock up on avocados and grass fed butter.
Know your farmer or Buy Organic fruits and vegetables. Experiment shopping at your local farmers market for a month. Ask the farmers questions about how they grow their food and raise their animals. This is especially true for apples and berries that are full of pesticides. If you’re eating the skin, definitely choose organic. Better soil = more minerals and nutrients in our food. The sooner you eat it after it was picked, the more nutrients remain. Click here to find your local farmer's market or grow your own with non-gmo seeds.
Be picky with your proteins. The animals you eat pass everything they eat onto you. In short, you eat what they ate. Most grocery store proteins are full of antibiotics and pesticides. Check with your farmer at the farmer’s market, eat less meat, or find local clean sources including your frequented restaurants.
Eat more wild caught fish. Farm raised fish dominate many grocery store counters. Some fish farms feed their fish grains and antibiotics. Eat deep water fish like swordfish and tuna less frequently as their heavy metal counts are higher. Omega 3’s from fish are major brain protectors and most Americans don't get nearly enough in their diets.
Got allergies, autoimmune conditions, eczema or digestive distress? Try going grain free, gluten free or lectin free. Dairy especially from cows that produce the A1 casein can be problematic. You may find relief by switching to jersey cows or A2 milk/cheese, goat, or sheep’s milk cheeses. The increase in gluten non-celiac gluten sensitivity has increased dramatically in the last 15 years. What has changed? Glyphosate or Round up is now used as a desiccant to dry out the wheat so it can be harvested faster. Go organic, forgo the gluten, or move to Europe where for now, you're safe from glyphosate.
Alcohol yes or no? Do you have a health problem? If so, try eliminating alcohol until you can return your body to homeostasis. Here's an article all about alcohol and wellness. You decide.
Limit Processed Food. Eat real food, not fake food. Why? Your body won't have to detox all the fillers, chemicals, and colors that fill the inside aisles of our grocery stores. This goes for gluten free products as well.
Traditional preparation of grains and legumes. Did you know our ancestors soaked their grains and legumes? Yep, they knew something about how to digest lectins and reducing phytic acid. Here's some info about soaking your grains...especially important for quinoa.
Mycotoxins.If you really want to take this to the next level, Some foods naturally hold onto more mycotoxins than others such as peanuts, onions. Swap leeks for onions and almonds for peanuts. Check out the Bulletproof roadmap for a list of foods that are less likely to contain mold toxins.