You can hardly get through a day without hearing another warning: Something in the food you eat is dangerous. One by one all your favorite foods make it to the taboo list.
The good news is that some of the most maligned foods are actually the most natural and healthiest foods you can eat.
Today I am going to tell about five healthy but “taboo” foods: Eggs, red meat, wild fish, dairy, and nuts.
Let me show you how you can and should eat them without fear or guilt.
The common link between these foods is high-quality protein.
Proteins are the building blocks of life.
Quality protein is your single most important nutritional concern. You can make carbohydrates from protein and fat. You can make fat from protein and carbohydrates.
But protein is composed of 20 amino acids, 8 of which you can’t make and must consume. To be optimally healthy, you must consume all 8 of these essential amino acids every day.
Plants can provide protein, but none provide truly complete protein.
5 Maligned Superfoods
Eggs
Eggs do not cause heart disease. In fact, there was never any evidence they did. They don’t raise your blood cholesterol. Of course eggs contain cholesterol. The developing embryo needs it to produced sex hormones – and so do you.
Egg yolks have all your required fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), iron, and heart healthy omega-3 fat. The whites have all the water-soluble B vitamins and are the source of highest quality protein on the face of the planet.
Eggs are the perfect food. I eat them every day. I get pasture-raised eggs to avoid the problems with the modern poultry industry. So enjoy your omelet.
Red Meat
I consider beef to be among the most nutritious foods that exist. Like eggs, the protein is complete.
Red meat is a good source of creatine. Creatine makes you stronger, faster, and more energetic. Red meat is also the best source of CoQ10. CoQ10 is the cure for much of the heart disease in this country.
It’s also one of the best sources of vitamin E, iron, niacin, and vitamin B6. And animal products are the only good source of vitamin B12.
But doesn’t beef cause heart disease? No.
Polluted, adulterated, diseased animal fat products from modern industry do.
The key to eating healthy red meat is choosing grass-fed beef.
Cattle evolved to eat grass. Today’s meat factories make diseased cows. So they’re pumped full of antibiotics. The antibiotics make them sick, and they’re given more drugs. It’s an endless unnatural cycle.
These animals are also injected with growth hormones so they can be sent to slaughter that much sooner.
Because they are confined to a crowded feedlot, they never get any exercise. The result is an unhealthy ratio of omega-3s to inflammation-causing omega-6s.
And it’s this chronic inflammation from omega-6s that leads to disease.
Fish
You’ve heard fish can be a source of mercury and other toxins. However, you can minimize these risks. You can enjoy the benefit of this rich source of omega-3s.
To minimize the modern toxins, choose Alaskan salmon, mackerel, trout, or sardines. Always choose wild-caught over farm-raised, and pick smaller fish over large. The highest levels of mercury are in swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tuna.
Dairy
Dairy has been criticized as “liquid meat,” but I see that nickname as a positive.
Some people have milk allergies. Others can’t digest the lactose. But for the rest of us, whole milk and cheese are a great source of calcium, protein, and vitamin D. Real raw, organic milk is best. And a few ounces a day of hormone-free natural cheeses is a part of the heart healthy diet I’ve told you about before.
Nuts
Nuts used to get a bad rap because of their high fat content. But nuts are rich in heart healthy fats. Walnuts and almonds among the most nutritious with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, fiber, potassium, and other minerals. Other good choices are pecans, macadamias, cashews, and Brazilian nuts.
Enjoy them as a snack instead of chips or crackers. Keep in mind that peanuts are not nuts but tubers. Peanuts have a less healthy fatty acid profile.