I think variety is important--you know, "Eat the rainbow!" Because of permaculture, I'm growing over 50 different fruits and tons of vegetables here. I've started canning, fermenting, freezing and drying the extra. I also am keenly aware of building up my soil. I mulch up leaves from my property and my neighbors', I add biochar and do the "chop and drop". I add in manure and other minerals, figuring that it can only make the food I grow that much better. Of course, I grow organically.
Lately, I came across Dr. Li's videos, who wrote Eat to Beat Disease, which I bought. I was intrigued because he comes from a research/science/data/results perspective. He looks at different systems in the body and what foods help and hinder these systems such as DNA repair, angiogenesis (blood vessel growth), regeneration, microbiome and immunity. He is a doctor and researcher and looks at the makeup of various foods that are beneficial toward these ends. His big thing is to not necessarily taking things out of your diet, but to think about what you should add in and why; he does discourage things like ultra-processed foods like deli meats and soda, but other than that, he promotes fresh, whole foods. (Shopping the perimeter of the store.) He does talk about finding some very decent things within the aisles, though: canned tomatoes and the like. He talks about the chemical/enzymatic makeup within various foods and what that does for our bodies. He is not at all judgmental or condescending, but has wonderful analogies to make a point. Because of him, I've got some broccoli sprouts started on the counter to add in to salads (Studies found that they increased Natural Killer T cells twenty-fold--Immunity systems.) I've been re-invigorated to eat more grains and beans and ferments again. I now make yogurt by the gallon in my dehydrator--microbiome. He encourages more of a plant based diet, but does eat fish and meat protein, too, but more in side dish rather than main dish sort of way. He talks a lot about following the science; yes, coffee and chocolate...and even a beer from time to time is good for us!
I had been on a keto-leaning diet, but that was slipping...it's hard to stay under 20 carbs a day, and unless I do, the rest is worthless...I remember the day I discovered an onion had 14 carbs. Geez! I still do avoid white foods like flour, sugar, potatoes, and white rice, although, with the holidays, I will confess that I've indulged. I've had my fun...which wasn't really fun at all; it always makes me feel terrible and it's instant weight gain for me. It's time to get back to good, nutrient-dense food.
I also stumbled on to a website that breaks down what you eat into so much more than calories. It's called Chronometer. It tells you where you are as to vitamins and minerals, proteins, etc. I am always intrigued by the fact that I get plenty of fiber, but struggle to get enough protein. I get plenty Vitamin C, but it takes a bit more to get A, B, D and E, just to name a few. It's free and you can sign up to play around and see what it does. You can enter recipes and it will store them and break them down nutritionally. I no longer enter all my food daily, but once a week, and it reminds me to eat more orang foods like sweet potatoes or carrots for that vitamin A! There are pop ups that inform you of what each nutrient does for the body, and if you hover over a food, it will tell you its nutritional makeup. You can also hover over on the right side of the nutrients to see what the leading foods you ate contributed to gaining that particular item. The more I play around with it, the more I discover it can do. A very worthwhile and educational site that I highly encourage.
