Healthy Eating

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In writing this post, my aim is to give myself a mental compass that guides my shopping and my food choices.

My personal trainer taught me a simple principle: every meal should contain four food groups:
  1. A fiber-rich food (fruits or vegetables) 
  2. A starch (e.g., potato, sweet potato, or whole grains)
  3. A protein (legumes, tofu, seitan, or other plant proteins)
  4. A healthy fat (e.g., avocado, olive oil, walnut, flaxseed, or chocolate)
I love this advice because it is simple and practical. Below is a list of some of the healthiest foods in each category, along with their typical seasons when applicable.

What are the healthiest fruits?
  • Goji berries (year-round)
  • Strawberries (spring and early summer)
  • Wild blueberries (summer; frozen year-round)
  • Blackberries (summer)
  • Raspberries (summer to early fall; frozen year-round)
  • Pomegranates (fall)
Frozen berries are excellent alternatives when fresh berries are out of season.

What about the healthiest vegetables?
  • Cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts; year-round)
  • Broccoli sprouts (can be grown indoors year-round)
  • Microgreens (e.g., watercress, mustard greens; can be grown indoors year-round)
  • Sea greens (such as chlorella and blue spirulina; available year-round)
  • Peppers (year-round)
  • Spinach (spring and fall)
  • Garlic (harvested in summer and stored year-round)
  • Beets (I think year-round)
And the healthiest starches?
  • Purple sweet potatoes (fall and winter)
  • Orange sweet potatoes (fall and winter)
  • Red potatoes (late summer through fall, but available year-round)
  • Steel-cut oats (year-round)
  • Whole wheat grains (such as kamut; available year-round)
  • Hulled barley (excellent for cholestrol reduction; better than pearled barley)
Although sweet potatoes are available year-around, seasonality affects their retail price. Produce is cheapest when its in-season. The same is true with most fruit.

Healthiest proteins?
  • Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Black lentils
  • Black soybeans (which can indirectly destroy adipose tissue and therefore suppress fat cell production!)
  • Edamame
  • Chickpeas
  • Tempeh (although I personally dislike it)
  • Seitan
  • Tofu
These foods are generally abundant year-round.

Finally, what are the healthiest healthy fats?
  • Monounsaturated: extra virgin olive oil, avocado
  • Polyunsaturated: walnut, flax, chia seed, hemp seed
  • Saturated: dark chocolate
Most of these foods are available year-round, although avocados are at their peak during spring and summer.

Saturated fats are composed of different types of fatty acids. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are metabolized differently from long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). As a general rule, MCTs are healthier as they're easier on the heart. Since plant saturated fats have more MCTs and less LCTs than animal saturated fats do, plant saturated fats are expected to be better for your heart. Strictly speaking, current nutrition research suggests that the overall health effects of foods depend on the entire food matrix rather than solely on the proportion of MCTs and LCTs.

Compared with many animal-based sources of saturated fat, foods such as cocoa and coconut contain additional compounds that may be beneficial. Dark chocolate, in particular, is rich in polyphenols and has been associated with improvements in vascular health and other markers of well-being when consumed in moderation. Some studies also suggest that cocoa flavanols may support brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), although more research is needed.

Putting the Four Food Groups Together

The goal is simple: combine a fiber-rich food, a starch, a protein, and a healthy fat at every meal.

Breakfast Ideas:

Berry Oatmeal Bowl
Fiber: wild blueberries and strawberries
Starch: steel-cut oats
Protein: nutritional yeast and tofu scramble
Healthy fat: ground flaxseed and dark chocolate

Sweet Potato Breakfast Plate
Fiber: spinach and garlic
Starch: orange sweet potato
Protein: edamame
Healthy fat: avocado

Whole Wheat Porridge
Fiber: blackberries
Starch: kamut or whole wheat berries
Protein: black soybeans
Healthy fat: chia seeds

Lunch Ideas

Mediterranean Bowl
Fiber: spinach and microgreens
Starch: red potatoes
Protein: chickpeas
Healthy fat: extra virgin olive oil

Purple Sweet Potato Power Bowl
Fiber: broccoli sprouts and garlic
Starch: purple sweet potatoes
Protein: tofu
Healthy fat: avocado

Seitan Grain Bowl
Fiber: spinach and microgreens
Starch: whole wheat grains
Protein: seitan
Healthy fat: olive oil

Dinner Ideas

Lentil and Potato Stew
Fiber: spinach and garlic
Starch: red potatoes
Protein: black lentils
Healthy fat: olive oil

Asian-Inspired Bowl
Fiber: broccoli sprouts and sea greens
Starch: orange sweet potatoes
Protein: edamame and tofu
Healthy fat: chia seeds

Chickpea and Seitan Plate
Fiber: microgreens and spinach
Starch: purple sweet potatoes
Protein: chickpeas and seitan
Healthy fat: avocado

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