Meal examples for better health.
What to eat? How to make nutrient recommendations into something for dinner? It does require knowing what a food contains nutritionally, and how it was prepared - fried?
Better health means more energy for work, play, leisure, or patience for caregiving. Stress and sleeplessness are inflammatory and that uses up our antioxidants, B vitamins, and magnesium. Modern life has normalized overweight, but it is an inflammatory state and likely involves subclinical hypothyroidism due to low iodine and excess bromide and fluoride in the food, water, and medication supply. Better health can mean better quality of life for any activity and may also mean less risk of low-level degeneration occurring that will eventually be noticeable, and harder to treat later on.
What to do?
Step one - repair the hyperinflammation issues causing chronic low-level discomfort, edema, and low energy levels. Lifestyle changes and individual food sensitivities may need to be identified and changed. See Substack post: Hyperinflammation - a positive feedback loop. Also helpful: Protocol Collation & Therapy Goals - work in progress, has an encyclopedia style Appendix.
Step two - Order or prepare food that contains adequate protein, fiber, resistant starch and choose a range of foods to gain a greater variety of trace minerals and B and other vitamins.
What to order? Maybe a tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat or rye bread - omega 3 fatty acids, protein, iodine, zinc, methyl B12, and other B vitamins and trace nutrients and some phospholipids and fiber.
or a green salad with cucumber slices, pumpkin or sesame seeds, - phospholipids, zinc, fiber, potassium, magnesium.
or tapioca pudding - resistant starch, butyrate, and a healthy microbiome.
or green tea or coffee - EGCG/catechins, or other polyphenols.
or orange juice with pulp - vitamin C, methyl folate, other polyphenols and phospholipids.
or cottage cheese and peaches - calcium, protein, vit D and A, polyphenols.
or a burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, no sauce, and maybe leave half the whole wheat bun uneaten - protein, trace minerals - iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, fiber, B vitamins, vitamin C, carotenoids (vit A) and polyphenols including quercetin.
or an egg salad sandwich on whole grain bread (or no bread, larger salad) and raw veggies - choline, cholesterol (we need some), protein, fiber, B vitamins, polyphenols and other phytonutrients.
or 2 Brazil nuts she had in her purse - selenium.
or Nori rolls wrapped in seaweed with eel, ginger and horseradish, carrot, cucumber - iodine, phospholipids, protein, trace minerals, many potent polyphenols, carotenoids, fiber.
I am making myself hungry. So, what did I make myself for breakfast?
Amaranth porridge, about a half cup (it is dense), with a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of Pure Maple Syrup, and a sprinkle of cardamom and salt - fiber, resistant starch, protein (amaranth is a complete source for vegans), a vegan cholesterol precursor (in the coconut), manganese, magnesium, potassium in the pure maple syrup, phospholipids/cannabinoids in the cardamom spice, and sodium in the salt - we do need some and it has to be added when preparing whole foods.
The better health diet themes:
Moderately low carb, but high fiber and resistant starch. To make up the calorie difference, I recommend and use olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, for healthier fats plus additional nutrients. Some people go with more protein, but that can become hard on the kidneys eventually.
Omega 3 fatty acids - EPA/DHA and not too much seed oils (any standardly used/fried foods).
Methyl folate and B12 and other B vitamins - daily.
Iodine and selenium.
Magnesium and potassium and adequate but not excessive sodium to balance with the potassium. Calcium is needed but too much can be a problem with modern meal planning and high milligram calcium supplements in common use.
Other trace minerals - zinc and copper in balance, manganese, molybdenum, boron, others.
Mitochondrial support can be a need - CoQ10, alpha lipoic acid, NAC or whey protein for cysteine, glycine, methionine.
Other lifestyle needs to reduce inflammation and allow for repair during sleep:
Good sleep habits for circadian cycle health - black out curtains or eye cover, and full spectrum light in the morning or day.
Exercise with a full range of movement to help with lymphatic and energy flow, and some weight bearing to promote muscle retention and strong bones.
Water!
We don’t flow well when dehydrated or think well if more severely dehydrated, and low sodium can also be a cause in sweaty weather. Rehydrate with water and sodium/potassium/magnesium - a salty tortilla chip and salsa snack, or salty peanuts or pumpkin seeds and juice, or potato chips and lemonade (made with some real lemon juice for potassium), or popcorn and an apple, veggie sticks and a chunk of cheese. Higher fat snacks like cheese might be more unsettling to the stomach if very dehydrated.
These snack and water tips are also important if drinking much alcohol - prevent a hangover by replenishing the minerals and water that are lost in the increased urination. Or, better, don’t drink too much alcohol. One to two servings is considered within the moderate range, a petite person needs less for beneficial effects and may reach negative effects sooner than a tall, large person.
Clean, fresh air - a negative ionizer to help remove volatile chemicals and positively charged infectious material is more important than people realize.
Reduce EMF exposure, especially while sleeping. Don’t use WiFi or turn off the router, or use a Faraday cage, and turn off your phone at night, or keep it in an EMF reducing pouch.
Reduce stress and practice stress coping techniques or enjoyable hobbies.
And what did I have for lunch? - romaine lettuce, a large radish, a green onion, celery, oregano, black beans, sunflower seeds, apple cider vinegar, sea salt.
Cooking and baking do take time. Quick food today, because I need to make more bean soup and vegan muffins. Autoimmune disease left me with restrictions - which if I follow, my symptoms stay away.
Life and your meals may need to be rearranged to make time and room for new ways of doing things.
The post: Solutions - How did I get better?, has a lengthy narrative about my own experiences with overweight, being inflamed and in pain, and how I got better. Losing my mojo, was a side effect experience when I was prescribed Prozac many years ago and then when I was having hypothyroid symptoms but normal labs (likely an autoimmune antibody test would have shown a problem). When your mojo is gone, it is just not there. Trying to make something happen just doesn’t happen. Health is needed for sexuality and sexual health can help maintain better health - when common sense is used. Social connection can reduce stress and inflammation and touch and sexual intimacy can lead to an increase in immune function - Mother Nature wants healthy babies - and bonding hormones and pain killing endorphins are released.
Related nutrition guidance for better sexual health - which is basically also better cardiovascular health. Males and females benefit from similar recommendations for the most part. Males may benefit from additional cholesterol from egg yolk or other sources as testosterone is formed from cholesterol (and vitamin D).
Five foods your gut wants to eat for better sex - and three to avoid. (healthline.com)
“Overall, research has shown that those who prefer a diet composed of nuts, fish with high omega-3 fatty acids, fruit, and leafy greens are more likely to feel more active, want to be erotically stimulated, and experience sexual pleasure. Enjoying a healthy sexual appetite involves many factors — especially being mindful about how you nurture yourself in and out of the kitchen.” (healthline.com)
Medically reviewed by Natalie Olsen, R.D., L.D., ACSM EP-C — Written by Janet Brito, Ph.D., LCSW, CST — Updated on August 21, 2018
The three: high sugar, salt, or fatty foods, alcohol, cheese/dairy rich diet - sexual health is cardiovascular health - tip. The five: ground flax seeds, oysters (super zinc source), pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, and avocado. (healthline.com) That is a good list. Bon Appetit’.
Pomegranate benefits, history, and prep tips: G13. Pomegranate (effectivecare.info).
Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.
Good to read! many thanks :)
Perimenopausal 46 year old here with high inflammation and hashimoto thyroiditis. I’m often overwhelmed with all the nutritional advice out there. This was incredibly helpful. Thank you!