What should be on your grocery list1? That’d depends on a few factors. What life do you want to lead? How do you want to feel, both intrinsically in your mentality and extrinsically in your body? Food has a powerful affect and effect on the individual2.
There are several different diets that correlate to each other as alternatives to the Standard American Diet (SAD). Some of the diets are: primal diet3, paleo diet4, selective carbohydrate diet5, gut and psychology syndrome diet6. The basic premise for all of these diets is to remove certain carbohydrates, basically grains, beans, legumes, and certain sugars, ie: white sugar, maple syrup, high sugary fruits, and some types of ‘vegetables’, or what we call culinary vegetables (rather than botanical), such as potatoes, turnips, and others. Of course, all the diets recommend the removal of processed foods, most condiments that are not made from scratch, and improper dairy. As always, there will be more information provided on statements made in the paragraph above, but for the time being, I will focus on your grocery list in a moment.
First, I will mention, clean out your cupboards and fridge7. If you have an aversion to throwing away food, feel free to give closed, unopened products to friends or family (and if you’re really close, an open bag of rice may get accepted. But remember, many types of processed foods and condiments are food like products8. The chemical processing and filler are more prominent than the nutritional value. It may be a worth while exercise to dispose of those items to psychologically inform yourself of the detriment they will have on your wellness. Taking control of your behaviour is optimal for proper decision making9.
It is imperative that you make a grocery list before hand and stick to it. Of course, if you forgotten a food item, you are certainly welcome to still purchase it, but by sticking to the grocery list, it really means: no impulse buys. Impulse buys can especially be found on the shelves at the cash register. Really they are anything that will not be contributing to your wellness. Of course, one may point out that sweets make them happy, but that is a temporary flush of sugar. Removing the need for that experience will make you better off in the long run.
What is on that grocery list? Chicken (whole breast, thigh), Beef (roast, steak, stew, ground steak), lamb, fish/ shellfish/ seafood (be careful fo source- more details in another post), other types of properly raised animal meats, hard cheese/ blue cheese/ occasionally soft cheese, eggs, pickled vegetables, butter, ghee, olive oil, avocado oil, yogurt, kefir, coffee, tea, frozen blueberries, spinach, mushrooms, squash, beets, swiss chard, carrots, celery, zucchini, aubergine, capsicum, herbs, bananas, tomatoes, limes, lemons, melons, nuts and seeds, avocado, olives., coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, fish oil.
There are other items that you can have, such as: honey, dried fruits, coconut water, other stone and tropical fruits, other types of cruciferous vegetables. It depends on your digestion. Some of the items listed just prior are high in sugar, so it may be best to avoid to avoid them or at least only enjoy them during the summer months when in season. As for the cruciferous vegetables they can be difficult to digest.
Notice what is not on the list: grains of any kind, (that includes rice), beans and legumes, potato, processed foods, processed meats, pre packaged meals, sugar, improper dairy, ie unfermented milk and hydrolyzed seed oils. Although the list above is flexible and dependent on exactly what type of diet you are following, sticking to a whole food diet minus grains and sugars, the path to dietary wellness will open up.
Wait a second! What about stager and fibre. Doesn’t the body need those things? Yes, to some extant, but not what we are led to believe. the amount of finer and proper sugar you will get will be from the carbohydrates from the vegetables listed in the grocery list. However, some individuals may benefit from removing even more fibre and sugar from their diet. Read Fibre Menace: The Truth About The Leading Role Of Fibre In Diet Failure, Constipation… by Konstantin Monastyrsky for more information.