Top 5 Food Rules (to feel your best!)

"So what should I eat?" As you might have guessed, I get that question a lot.

With so much variety and with such ease of home delivery, what you choose to eat can be a minefield. This short list, inspired by one of my heroes, Michael Pollan, will give you some simple guidelines as to how to make good decisions.

1) Plate up your veggies first. Current guidelines suggest to fill up half your plate with non-starchy veggies like spinach, broccoli, kale (green leafy veggies are best), asparagus, bell peppers and eggplant. This food group provides your body with needed fibre, several types of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and water. They fill you up fast while providing healing benefits every body needs.

2) Chose unprocessed snacks. Fruits and nuts is a great example. Avoid high fatty and salty snacks, and especially those containing sugar. I like full fat greek yogurt with berries and walnuts as a mid day bite.

3) "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't." Mr Pollan states that so perfectly. So basically, the closer to the earth, the better- less human and machine handling. That doest mean not to eat meat or fish or chicken. It just means leave out the highly precessed ones (ham, sausage, frozen chicken fingers) and pick high quality (or the highest quality you can afford) raw ingredients. Cook them yourself. This leads me to my next tip...

4) Eat animals that have eaten well. The better the animal's diet, the better their meat will be. The healthier the animal, the healthier their meat will be. For example, grass fed cows produce meat that's higher in omega-3 fatty acids (an anti-inflammatory) as opposed to corn fed cows that produce higher omega-6 fatty acids (inflammatory). Wild salmon feeding on smaller fish tend to provide a better fatty acid panel as well. Chickens who are truley free range and antibiotic free will be a better choice than traditionally, industrial raised chickens. All in all, eat wild food when you can.

5) Cook more often.

If you buy your own ingredients and prepare your own meals, your awareness of exactly what you're consuming will increase. This learning process will begin to provide you with behaviour change steps for better health. Then, when you start dining out again, you will be more knowledgeable on how to order without sabotaging your health goals. There are so many hidden fats, sugars and fillers in many average restaurants which can prevent you from meeting your wellness targets. If you need/want a more personalised plan or somebody to encourage and monitor you, I'm available!!

These are 5 excellent food rules but I have several personal polices that will help you navigate this rugged terrain. It doesn't have to be so complicated- food is not only about health and vitality but also about communion and pleasure. Of course eating and feeding your family is a personal thing and involves many variables. These are just a few general guidelines that when applied the majority of the time, will have you feeling good and staying healthy.