In continuence with last weeks blog of “Food is Medicine,” I would like to introduce to you foods that are better than supplements. Have you ever asked yourself why people take a muti-vitamin when they could simply eat food? I do, that is why I composed, (with the help of Mark’s Daily Apple), a list that I keep on my fridge and try to eat at least once a week. Most of the foods I had never tried until stumbling upon their infinite health benefits. Write it down, copy and paste, print it out and stick it on your fridge and try to incorporate one thing from the list every week. You might find by the end of the month that you are eating most of these foods weekly and adding exponential benefits to your health. You might even start asking other people,…”hey, have you tried…?”
*Buyer beware, there are NON- Paleo foods on this list that I personally do not partake in, however, in most cases there are other sources of food which are equally beneficial and are Paleo.
*Egg Yolks: (Well that was an easy start).
*Liver: (Okay getting harder, but you only have to eat less than ½ pound per week).
*Seaweed: (Super cheap at the Asian food stores around town. Can find in sprinkle form to put on salads, use Nori wraps to wrap meat in or simply eat a small seaweed salad when out for sushi).
*Turmeric: (This one you should recognize from last week. Sprinkle on your eggs every morning and you will never notice…anti-cancer here I come).
*Bone Broth: (A little time consuming, and you should ALWAYS clean your pots and pans immediately after boiling, but EXTREMELY worth the effort. Just ask Jen Grenell).
*Bone Marrow: (Not time consuming but takes a little more effort than making pot roast.You may have to splurge for a baguette to spread the marrow on…YUM.
*Shellfish: (Oysters and mussels in particular. C’mon, you know that you secretly want to go to Pescara and order raw oysters with your significant other..wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
*Aged Cheese: (Gouda and Pecorino Romano in particular. Find ones that are made with raw sheep milk. Sheep eat grass. Enough said.
*Natto: (You are on your own on this one. I Googled it and I am a lil’ scared to be quite honest. If you can find me Non-GMO soybean sourced Natto, let me know. Maybe we can dine together one night).
*Tiny whole fish with heads and guts: (I can honestly say I have not tried this one either. Going to work on sardines, the headless tiny fish and work my way up. Any suggestions on how to eat and prepare, please share).
*Red Palm Oil: (Not that hard to find, just look at the labels and make sure it’s pure).
*Brazil Nuts: (Back to the easy ones. I eat around three a day. Suggested to eat on the days you are not eating shellfish).
*Purple foods: (Purple potatoes?? Don’t take the easy way out… berries, currants, red lettuce, radicchio, purple cabbage, kale…).
*Fermented foods: (This one I had to be creative and patient with. I am not a fan of yogurt, especially the kinds that have the least amount of good and most amount of bad. So, I went the next one that I was comfortable with, sauerkraut, which well, quite frankly is hard to eat without brats in my mind. Kim chi is great when I am in the mood for spicy and/or out for sushi. Sooooo, I tried my first Kombucha. (That’s okay, I really didn’t know what is was at first either). I am telling you though, I found my replacement for wine for the entire Whole Life Challenge (WLC) and beyond. Go and find it at your local Co-op and/or in the “Health” food section of your grocery store. I will let you be the judge.
I know, another list of more things to do with more things to try. But honestly, let your curiosity take over and try out some of these fasinating and wonderfully tasty supplemental foods without worrying about their actual benefits, just ENJOY.
Coach Juli