“Eating is not a science, it is a relationship with nature. Healthy eating manifests spontaneously
when your mind, body, and nature are connected, communicating, and co-creating the next
moment.” Nathan Daley, MD, MPH
“Diet and nutrition are the primary building blocks in the foundation of human health and longevity,
and the essential elements of life provided by food cannot be replicated or replaced with any form of
modern technology.” The Tao of Detox by Daniel Reid
General Nutritional Advice
• Return to the simplicity of eating. Eat humanely, with gratitude and respect: try to eat with
the awareness that you are ingesting life to continue life.
• Re-establish a connection with the food that you are eating. Notice what food grab your
attention and then get to know it. Observe it, hold it, feel it, smell it and finally savor it.
• Privilege natural whole food. Avoid all processed, refined, canned and fast foods. Nature has
spent 4.5 billion years revising the ongoing dynamic formulation of these health tonics. Humankind
could never articulate this complexity and nature will keep these secrets. However, nature gives us the
final product of this magic for free! Natural whole foods meet and exceed the recommendations of
nutritional experts.
The industrially refined foods are contaminated with poisonous pesticides and preservatives,
chemically altered with artificial flavors and coloring agents, and further denatured by
irradiation and genetic modification.
• Eat Local, Fresh, and Seasonal Food: Storing and transporting whole foods reduces their
nourishment. Whole food is food you can grow or raise on your own. Chose foods native to your local
habitat and nature will do most of the work for you. Wholeness originates in the local environment, our
local ecology, and wholeness dissolves effort.
• Eat Organic, wild, or raw, wild-like food: Whole food is maximally nourishing when fully
connected to nature. Wild plant source foods tend to have more complex micronutrients like
phytoalexins, which are defenses against plant pathogens. Wild animal source foods eat wild plants,
move about with great activity, and experience the natural dynamics of nature as well. They tend to be
leaner with healthier fatty acid profiles, richer in micronutrients, and happier.
• Maximize diversity: Diversity is a hallmark of healthy ecosystems and eating within a healthy
ecosystem naturally leads to eating a great diversity of foods. In modern times, most of us eat a limited
variety of fresh foods. Go to local farmers’ markets and find all the interesting and unusual vegetables
and fruits and try them. Indigenous populations often identify and consume over 200 different edible
plants in their local habitat.
• Eat More Plant Than Animal: This is the proportion of nature. In most ecosystems and
bioregions, there are more plants than animals. Let your plate be the same.
• Use Somatic Wisdom: How we decide what food to pick out of an assortment of foods heavily
influenced by our habits or emotional voids? By becoming more somatically aware and reducing the
distraction of the disembodied mind. Our physiology and somatic wisdom co-evolved with plants. The
millions of years of interactions between human physiology and plant source foods have produced a
wisdom, which greatly surpasses our scientific knowledge and reflects the needs of the present
moment. This includes the impulse of hunger as well. Hunger and satiety are trusted guides, which
will not fail us when eating nature’s foods. Whole foods are quite satiating and hard to overeat.
• Take the time to eat and do it with pleasure and calm, chewing food well and savoring it.
• Begin each meal with a green-leaf salad to which you may add all kind of sprouts (rich
vegetable source of amino acids and excellent suppliers of enzymes!) Enzymes are catalysts of
chemical reactions, being involved in all vital functions of the organism.
• The average healthy meal should contain 20%-30% protein, 30%-35% carbohydrate (mostly
vegetable and fruit with a small amount of whole grains), and 30%-40% fat, including polyunsaturated
Omega-3 essential fatty acids, monounsaturated Omega-9 fatty acids, saturated fats and a small
amount of Omega-6 essential fatty acids. Contrary to what the “medical establishment” has been
telling us, all fats are good except for Omega-6, which are pro-inflammatory and are bad in the
high quantities that they are eaten in a Western diet hidden in industrially processed bakery and
vegetable oils (hydrogenated) which lead to trans fats, that must be avoided by all means.
• Deep sea fish is a good animal protein option due to their content in the essential
Omega-3 fatty acids, mainly those small fish that start the food chain and for that reason are less
contaminated in heavy metals. The list of such fish includes sardines, herring or salmon, black cod –
sablefish, butterfish or trout. Seafood is best obtained from wild, not farm-raised fish. Vegetable
Omega-3 fatty acids are obtained from avocado, black olives, walnut and flaxseed. Nuts and seeds
(hazelnuts, almonds and sunflower or pumpkin) can be added to breakfast cereal or salads.
Omega-3 fatty acids are of great benefit to the health of brain, neurotransmitters, heart,
arteries, liver, sight -thanks to their action on the retina-, skin, etc. They contribute to emotional
balance, combat depression, aggressiveness and headaches. They also have major anti-inflammatory
properties.
• Meat is best obtained from “Certified humanely treated” or “100% grass-fed/finished
meat and pastured chickens or “cage free” turkeys.
• Reduce consumption of acid foods: orange, green mango, strawberries, kiwi, and other acid
fruits, vinegar, milk chocolate, black tea, coffee, ketchup, mustard, pickles, white wine. Also decrease
foods that cause an overproduction of hydrochloric acid for their digestion (sugar and refined flours,
e.g., industrial bakery, red meat, sausage, soda, excess legumes (beans, lentils, peas, and chickpeas).
Disease thrives in an acidic environment.
• Increase consumption of alkalizing foods: vegetables in general, banana, avocado, pear,
papaya, and almonds. Sweet potato, potato, non-OGM corn.
• Steam cooks and stews to preserve nutrients.
• Use unrefined sea salt for cooking. Unrefined sea salt contains sodium chloride, iodine,
magnesium and almost all trace elements. Beware of fluoride added to refined salt. Himalayan
salt or any other salt in its natural state is also recommended.
• Cook only with olive, grape seed oil or coconut oil: these oils resist high temperatures
without losing their nutritional value and denaturing (moving from cis to trans fats that the body cannot
metabolize). Moreover, olive oil contributes to the evacuation of the bile, improves intestinal transit
and helps lower bad cholesterol.
• Use plenty of aromatic herbs and spices: thyme, rosemary, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom,
cloves, coriander, basil, tarragon, parsley, bay leaf, chives, garlic and onions to condiment and enhance
the flavor of your meals. Many of these herbs have anticarcinogenic properties and also contribute to a
better digestion preventing the putrefaction and fermentation of foods in our intestinal tract, which
enhance the immune system.
• We also recommend the consumption of seafood such us oysters (very high content in zinc),
mussels and mostly algae that is an important source of trace elements and minerals such as calcium.
Japanese food like sushi or sashimi, or some Lebanese dishes like hummus, eggplant caviar or
cucumber and yogurt dishes are also welcome.
• Consume whole grains in limited quantity. (quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, brown rice, rye,
barley, millet, “steel-cut” oats, non-OGM corn). Whole grains retain all their nutrients: their
content of vitamin B is involved in the balance of the nervous system and in a good assimilation of
sugar. Fiber also improves digestion and positively affects the metabolism of fat by preventing it
from accumulating in the form of adipose tissue. Avoid wheat, modern wheat has been
hybridized to such an extent that it has been completely transformed from its
prehistorically genetic configuration becoming a human poison. “Modern wheat contains a
new protein called gliadin that is an opiate. This protein binds into the opiate receptors in our
brain and in most people stimulates appetite, such that we consume 440 more calories per day,
365 days per year.” According to Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist, author and leading expert on
wheat. “Thousands of people dropping wheat are losing 30, 80, 150 pounds of weight. Diabetics
become no longer diabetic; people with arthritis having dramatic relief. People losing leg
swelling, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and on and on.”
• Breakfast cereals should contain more fiber than sugar grams and should be natural without
preservatives. Choose, for example, Uncle Sam’s cereal, Ezekiel’s or other similar brands.
• Incorporate into your diet these incredible foods: Lemon, Turmeric, Ginger, Coconut Oil
and Chia.
a) Lemon (Citrus): Lemon is an acid and alkalizing fruit, with the best medicinal qualities. Purifies
the blood. It is a wide spectrum anti-microbial agent against bacterial and fungal infections; is
effective against internal parasites and worms, regulates high blood pressure and is an
antidepressant; helps combat stress and nervous disorders. It is said that destroys the malignant
cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas.
b) Turmeric (Curcuma Longa): Turmeric contains curcumin, the polyphenol identified as its
primary active component and which exhibits over 150 potentially therapeutic activities, which
include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. It is antiseptic, analgesic, boots
immunity, helps maintain cholesterol levels, promotes digestive health, it is a liver detoxifier.
Regulates metabolism, lowers triglycerides and weight management. Regulates high blood
pressure, memory and brain function, neurological disorders, and various skin conditions.
c) Adding black pepper to turmeric or turmeric-spiced food enhances curcumin’s bioavailability by
1,000 times, due to black pepper’s hot property called piperine. By mixing turmeric and black
pepper together, you increase your body’s absorption of the turmeric by 2000%!
d) Ginger (Zingiber officinale): Ginger is a tonic, antipyretic (reduces fever), diaphoretic,
antiemetic (anti-vomit), antispasmodic, anti-flatulent, antiseptic, expectorant, stimulates the
circulatory system, it is an aphrodisiac, it is anti-inflammatory for the stomach, protects the liver
and it is also a cholagogic (helps bile secretion), relieves cough and cold. Is estrogen-like and it
also has a beneficial effect on fertility, it increases sperm volume and improves sperm motility.
e) Coconut oil (Cocos Nucifera): Coconut oil is a great nutrient for the brain; it has been associated
with improvement of cognitive abilities in Alzheimer’s patients. It is very effective to heal wounds
and has been used for this purpose since ancient times. It has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and
antipyretic properties. Coconut milk is a highly effective anti-ulcer agent. Recent researches have
shown that coconut oil also has anti-fungal properties with great susceptibility to Candida
Albicans. It has been shown that coconut oil also decreases oxidative stress of the bone, which
prevents structural damage in osteoporotic bone. Finally, coconut oil acts as an excellent
sunscreen.
f) Chia (Salvia Hispanica): Chia seed is highly nutritious and balancing; its content in Omega 3
helps reduce bad cholesterol and triglycerides, enhances energy levels and promotes concentration
against ADHD. Helps cleanse the digestive system through the gel, which is created when
soaking. It promotes tissue regeneration by regulating blood clotting. It contains proteins of high
biological value with all the essential amino acids. Strengthens the immune system. And has
anticancer properties and also against diabetes, controlling blood sugar levels.
• Minimize frying and consume cold-pressed raw vegetable oils (olive, walnut, flaxseed,
hazelnut) with your salads and vegetables, keeping them refrigerated, or in a dark place to prevent
oxidation.
• Consume red and purple fruits and vegetables, i.e.: black grapes, cherries, and beets. All of
them contain polyphenols and anthocyanins, as well as vitamin C, powerful antioxidants that
stimulate collagen formation and contribute to the firmness of the skin. It is also said that such
vegetables and fruits are linked to the prevention of DNA mutations associated with age. These
bioflavonols are also found in white or green tea, berries and dark chocolate.
Also consume blueberries, cherries and raspberries, which have the virtue of regulating the level of
glucose in the blood.
• Prefer farm eggs.
• Reduce consumption of dairy products, which cause allergies, phlegm and digestive problems,
affecting the balance of the intestinal flora and the passage of undesirable particles into the
bloodstream. Prefer goat and sheep cheeses and nut milks or non-OGM soya milk. Cows milk has
been linked to many diseases in both children and adults such as chronic fatigue, anemia, diarrhea, iron
deficiency, atherosclerosis, arthritis, cramps, obesity, allergies and heart problems
• Avoid consumption of coffee, black tea and soft drinks for their high caffeine content and
their harmful effects on the nervous system. When choosing juices, look for natural ones without
added sugar (e.g., most cranberry juices are excessively sweetened). Juices can also be mixed with
water to reduce sugar intake while improving your hydration. Beware of the many names of
sweeteners -high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, molasses, honey, cane juice, etc.
• Drink 8 glasses of water as pure as possible per day. Filter your water; it is not advisable to
drink tap water, nor bottled water, which in some cases is worse than tap water containing chlorine and
lots of other chemicals.
Ideas to flavor your water: lemon, thyme, or organic orange or tangerine juice.
Avoid frustration: give yourself a little pleasure every day