Dirt Doctor Recommendations for Nutrition and Health <\/strong> Updated 10\/12<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n <\/span><\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/span>\u2022 Foods to eat \u2013 Eat food that was grown or raised naturally and prepared with little or no processing or toxic chemicals. Eating food that is still in its natural form is ideal. Fruits, nuts, fresh fish and shrimp, fresh vegetables, grass-fed beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat, etc. taste good and are good for you. Eat un-pasteurized organic milk and cheese (if you can find it), natural whole foods, foods sweetened with honey and molasses, whole grain rice, whole wheat and other whole grain breads and organic soy. Eating a wide variety of foods is also important. Drink organic teas, coffee and juices. <\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n \u2022 Foods to avoid \u2013 Avoid or at least limit eating and drinking artificial foods like colas and sodas, unfiltered water, pasteurized (regular) cow\u2019s milk and cheese, processed foods, high-sugar foods, white bread, white sugar, white rice, candy and regular soy and tofu products. Also avoid foods that have been treated in ways (overcooking, microwaving and irradiation) that destroy vitamins and enzymes. Avoid processed fast foods such as chips, candy bars, instant foods and artificial drinks \u2013 especially the diet drinks. They actually cause weight gain while contaminating your body. Read the labels. Try to avoid all products that contain corn syrup. That\u2019s not easy. <\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n \u2022 Good fats\/bad fats \u2013 Low fat diets aren\u2019t necessarily good for you. Quality fats and oils are healthy and add taste. Fats that hurt your health and should be avoided include margarine, highly processed (hydrogenated) vegetable oils and other artificially processed oils. Fats that not only taste good but are also good for your skin and <\/font><\/span>general health include organic butter, lard, other grass-fed animal fats and extra virgin olive oil. Most food restaurants do not use the good fats but that may be changing. Quality restaurants tend to use the healthy fats and oils. <\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n <\/font><\/span>\u2022 Labels \u2013 Read the labels. Avoid foods that lists artificial flavors, natural flavor (can be MSG), preservative, BHA, BHT, or MSG. Try hard to avoid hot dogs, bologna, luncheon meats, instant foods, etc. These products are loaded with toxic chemicals and the bad fats. <\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n <\/font><\/span>\u2022 Stop Smoking \u2013 Ireland, Scotland and England have done it (which is amazing). Stopping smoking is the single most important change you can make for your health. Hopefully Fort Worth will join Dallas, and the other cities that have banned it. <\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n <\/font><\/span>\u2022 Don\u2019t do drugs – and don\u2019t overtake medicines. There are too many hypochondriacs.<\/font><\/span> <\/font><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n \u2022 Drink alcohol in moderation only. Beer and wine are better than the distilled products \u2013 although I do love good tequila.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\u2022 Give blood regularly – it\u2019s good for the people who need it and good to cause your body to manufacture new blood.<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n *Exercise regularly – Movement is the key. Stay active. Don\u2019t be sedentary. Walk or do more vigorous exercise on a regular basis. Walk the dog, whether you have a dog or not. Park further from the store entrance. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Work out with a partner or join a yoga, fitness or martial arts class. Start to wwim, jump rope, do your own gardening, etc. By the way, I\u2019m not that big of a fan of running. I like walking better. Running is okay, but done to excess on hard surfaces can cause foot, ankle, knee and hip problems. Just use common sense. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Don\u2019t use aluminum cookware. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Don\u2019t use Teflon or any other coated cookware. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Don\u2019t store food in plastic bags or containers. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Don\u2019t heat food in plastic containers. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Don\u2019t use microwave ovens. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Avoid perfumes, chemical air fresheners and aluminum deodorants. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Avoid styrofoam containers. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Avoid all chemically treated wood. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Avoid chlorine and other pool chemicals. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Don\u2019t use products containing fluoride. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n NOTE: <\/span>Most food charts or pyramids show bread, cereal, rice and pasta making up the largest percentage of the recommended diet. Unfortunately that\u2019s what most people eat and why so many folks are overweight. Avoiding corn products (chips, etc.) is one of the easiest ways to improve the diet. I realize that it\u2019s virtually impossible to completely stop eating all the bad foods. Try to make it the rare exception rather than the rule. Use the following Quick Reference Chart as a basic guideline for what to avoid and include in your diet. <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n QUICK CHECK REFERENCE CHART <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n NO<\/span> <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n Anything with corn syrup<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Bagels (unless whole grain)<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Boxed cereals<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Canned anything<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Chemically preserved foods<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Cinnamon rolls (sorry)<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Colas and sodas<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Cool Whip type toppings<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Donuts<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Food in soft plastic containers <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Grain-fed meats<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Miracle Whip<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Most vegetable oils<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Normal sandwich meats <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Normal soy products<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Overcooked foods<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Refined sugar foods<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Salt (sodium chloride)<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Sugar free & most \u201clite\u201d foods<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n White bread<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n White pasta<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n White rice<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n White sugar<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n THE WORST<\/span> <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n All foods containing artificial sweeteners<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Chemically preserved food<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Diet soft drinks and foods<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Instant anything<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Production chicken <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n LIMITED<\/span> <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n Beer and wine<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Cookies, cakes, etc. made with natural sweeteners<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Night shades if you are arthritic<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Non-grass fed meats<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Non-organic fruits and veggies<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Non-organic milk, cheese and egg products<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Organic soy products <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n YES <\/span><\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n Eggs from free range chickens<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Extra virgin olive oil<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Mustard<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Organic fruits<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Organic herbs<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Organic herb teas and coffee<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n Organic meats<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n
\u2022 Water – Drink, shower and bathe in clear water. If you don\u2019t know the source of the water, assume it is contaminated. Drink filtered water when possible. Distilled water is no good \u2013 has no trace minerals. Drink water from glass or stainless steel rather than water from plastic bottles. Plastic, especially the soft plastic bottles, outgases contaminants that accumulate in the body and negatively affect your health. <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n
KITCHEN TIPS <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n