What should I eat?

The short answer is, “Real food, mostly plants, not too much.” -Michael Pollan

Those who have met with me in clinic know that I’m all about natural, real food.

This simple philosophy makes it really easy to decide what to eat, but it does require you to read labels. If there are ingredients that sound science-y, or are unpronounceable, it’s not real food. When you’re shopping in the grocery store, think about whether the food was ever in a factory. If the answer is yes, it isn’t real food. This knocks out most of the cellophane-packaged products in the grocery store.

An easy way to be sure you’re buying real food is to avoid the center of the grocery store altogether. The authentic foods like vegetables and meat are always on the perimeter. Shopping this way also means there are no labels to read. The exception to this rule is the canned vegetable and (some) of the frozen vegetable aisle. Those items are packaged at the height of freshness and if not a mixture of vegetables and cheese and chemicals, are good bets.

Your body’s cells die and are re-created every 1-12 weeks, so what you eat determines what you are composed of. It makes intuitive sense that you want to be made of natural, not lab-created, bits and pieces. Scientists have known for decades that food dyes induce tumors in mice, and are linked to ADHD in children. Some countries have banned food dyes, including a partial ban of yellow food dye in the US in 1990. A recent study suggested that consumption of just one food containing an artificial flavor, color or preservative per week increases your risk of colon polyps. This may be part of the reason we’re seeing polyps and colon cancer in younger and younger people.

A good rule of thumb, and an easy one to follow, is to eat as many natural colors as you can in one day, aiming for at least five. Brightly colored egg yolks, cherry tomatoes, kale or spinach, strawberries, blueberries and even dark chocolate make the cut. Brown and white are not colors (I’m looking at my daughter as I write that). When you eat natural colors, you’re getting fruits and vegetables by definition, and along with them, the fiber that keeps you satiated (and helps you poop!), the antioxidants that the colors are composed of, and all the co-factors that nature has designed to aid in their absorption.

Having said that, I don’t believe that any real food is evil. Meat, gluten, fat and even sugar are all fine, in moderation.