Healthy Food List

Healthy Foods to Eat

Healthy Foods


We created this healthy food list to make it easy for you to identify what foods are healthy foods to eat and which foods you should be avoiding.

Our goal is to cut thru all the confusion created by the so-called healthy food trends that are promoted on the internet and by the various food pyramids. To determine how many servings you should be eating of each of the foods listed below, check out Healthy Diet Pyramid.

Healthy Food List – Protein

Protein is one of our top healthy foods to eat! You should eat 80-100 grams of complete protein per day. Protein provides amino acids which are the building blocks of the body. Protein is particularly important for the development of healthy bones, teeth and muscles. Red meat, in particular, is a rich source of nutrients that protect the heart and nervous system; these include vitamins B12 and B6, zinc, phosphorus, carnitine and coenzyme-Q10.

You should also know that eggs are nature's perfect food, providing excellent protein, the gamut of vitamins and important fatty acids that contribute to the health of the brain and nervous system. Americans had less heart disease when they ate more eggs. Egg substitutes cause rapid death in test animals.

One last important thing you should know, dietary cholesterol from animal protein, contributes to the strength of the intestinal wall and helps babies and children develop a healthy brain and nervous system. Foods that contain cholesterol also provide many other important nutrients. Only oxidized cholesterol, found in most powdered milk and powdered eggs, contributes to heart disease. Powdered milk is added to 1% and 2% milk.

The proteins that make our healthy food list are:

  • Organic free-range chicken meat
  • Organic free-range chicken eggs
  • Organic grass-fed beef
  • Organic grass-fed lamb
  • Organic pork
  • Wild-caught game
  • Wild-caught fish from unpolluted waters
  • Shellfish from unpolluted waters
  • Organic full-fat milk from pasture-fed cows – preferably raw - For information about raw milk
  • Organic, whole-milk yogurt
  • Organic whole-milk kefir
  • Organic whole-milk raw cheeses
  • Wild-caught game
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Healthy Food List – Green Vegetables

Fresh, organic green leafy vegetables are especially healthy foods to eat. They are rich in the vitamins and minerals necessary to help your body use the protein in other foods. The darker the green, the higher the concentration of vitamins and minerals. Green vegetables are essential for getting the folic acid and iron you need. Always eat organic vegetables .

Not only are they more nutritious, but they do not contain pesticide residues which have been linked to a range of health problems including diabetes and Alzheimer's.

The vegetables that make our healthy food list are:

  • Organic spinach
  • Organic chard
  • Organic broccoli
  • Organic salad greens (red leaf, green leaf, romaine, butter lettuce, endive)
  • Organic artichoke
  • Organic brussel sprouts
  • Organic green beans
  • Organic green bell peppers (technically a fruit)
  • Organic Zucchini (technically a squash)
  • Fermented Organic Cabbage (sauerkraut)
  • Organic bok choy
  • Organic celery
  • Organic asparagus
  • Organic Peas
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Healthy Food List – Healthy Fats

Healthy fats and oils are essential for your body to absorb key fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E and K. They also make your skin more stretchable.

Because fat will contain a higher toxin load than proteins and vegetables, it is essential to consume only organic sources of fat as part of your healthy pregnancy diet. Read Know Your Fats for an in-depth explanation about which fats are healthy to eat and why.

In addition to the fat present in the proteins you should be consuming from above, the best fats to cook with are:

  • Organic butter from grass-fed cows
  • Unrefined, organic coconut oil
  • Lard from organic pigs

The best fats to consume cold (in salad dressings) because they break down under high temperatures:

  • Organic, extra virgin, unfiltered olive oil
  • Organic expeller-expressed sesame oil
  • Organic expeller-expressed peanut oil
  • Organic expeller-expressed flax oil
  • Cod liver oil expressed from wild-caught cod
  • Fish oil (expressed from wild-caught fish)


Healthy Food List – Healthy Grains & Nuts

Whole grains are a good source of the B vitamins that are necessary for the growth and functioning of nerve tissue. Be cautious with grains because they need to be prepared properly to ensure proper digestion. Seeds, grains and nuts are soaked, sprouted, fermented or naturally leavened to neutralize naturally occurring anti-nutrients such as enzyme inhibitors, tannins and phytic acid.

Grains and Nuts should be soaked in water overnight at room temperature with either a couple tablespoons of yogurt or lemon juice. For more information about how to soak, sprout or ferment get a copy of Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon.

For more information why careful preparation of grains is necessary read Be Kind to Your Grains...And Your Grains Will Be Kind To You by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD.

The Healthy Grains, Nuts and Legumes that make our healthy food list are:

  • Organic thick-rolled oats
  • Organic steel-cut oats
  • Organic whole wheat
  • Organic rye
  • Organic barley
  • Organic Amaranth
  • Organic quinoa
  • Organic bulgur
  • Organic Spelt
  • Organic walnuts
  • Organic pecans
  • Organic almonds
  • Organic cashews
  • Organic kidney beans
  • Organic pinto beans
  • Organic black beans
  • Organic brown rice
  • Organic wild rice

Healthy Food List – Healthy Fruits

Fruits are a great source of vitamin c, minerals and antioxidants. Yellow and orange colored fruits and vegetables are full of beta carotene which your body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A is known for its role in preventing infection. A word of warning, fruit is also very high in sugar content, so limit your fruit intake to avoid blood sugar level.

The fruits that make our healthy food list are:

  • Organic Berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries)
  • Organic apple
  • Organic apricot
  • Organic banana
  • Organic Citrus (grapefruit, oranges, lemons and limes)Organic kiwifruit
  • Organic papaya
  • Organic red grapes

Recommended Reading

Probably the best book we have found about diet and nutrition for children is The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains and Harming our Children by Carol Simontacchi. Our second favorite book is the enduring classic work on how what we eat shapes us, for better or worse, titled Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price, D.D.S. We encourage you to purchase both.

There are many great articles on the Weston A Price website about diet and nutrition including:

What Would You Like To Do Next?

Read more about the Importance of a Healthy Diet, especially for babies, children and nursing moms.

Did you know that the USDA Dietary Guidelines will make you tired and overweight? Read about our time-tested Healthy Eating Pyramid

Read more about Traditional, Nutrient Dense and Organic Diets as well as the importance of consuming unrefined food.

See some Healthy Crock Pot Recipes that can make meal preparation easy at the same time you provide your family nutritious food.

Read tips for encouraging your kids to eat healthy food (coming soon)

Read about fun activities to do with your kids.

Visit our Natural Parenting Forum to read stories and ask questions of the community.

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