Nutrition

GUIDELINES FOR HEALTHY NUTRITION

Eat a Health Promoting Diet

Eat a predominantly plant-based, vegetarian diet.
Reduce fat intake to 15-20% of total calories. Choose health-promoting fats (essential fatty acids) and avoid saturated
and hydrogenated (trans-) fats.
Eat adequate protein (0.8 g/kg body weight daily) from lean sources, including wild fish from cold, deep-water, organic
poultry and eggs, legumes, low-fat fermented dairy products, nuts and seeds. Emphasize the plant-based protein
sources and fish.
Eat adequate vegetables, fruits and whole grains. These foods contain invaluable micronutrients, phytochemicals,
antioxidants and fiber. Minimum daily fiber intake should be 30 grams.
Eliminate the intake of refined sugar and refined carbohydrates, processed foods, alcohol and caffeine.
Reduce exposure to pesticides and herbicides. Buy organic whenever possible. Fresh food is always preferable to
frozen food and frozen food is always preferable to canned food.
Eliminate the intake of artificial food additives, colors and preservatives.
Keep salt intake low and potassium intake high.
Drink adequate water—generally 64 ounces daily.
Identify and eliminate food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities.
Modify your dietary choices as needed to meet your personal dietary needs (as they relate to your medical condition,
etc.). Consult your physician/clinician for information and guidance.
Determine caloric needs to achieve or maintain ideal body weight.
Use the healthy exchange system to construct a health-promoting diet. (Refer to reverse side for exchange diet
information.)

Water

Inadequate water intake puts significant stress on the body. Think of water as the solvent that it is—it goes in clean and
comes out dirty, carrying toxins out of the body. Each day our body requires an intake of over two quarts of water, in order to
function optimally. Part of that water comes from our fruit and vegetable intake. The more produce you eat, the less water you’
ll need to consume in addition to diet. Coffee, tea, sodas, fruit juices, etc. actually add to the dehydration problem through their
diuretic effects from caffeine and sugars. Fresh fruit juice should be diluted with water (1:1) before consuming it, in order to
glean its health benefits while offsetting its diuretic effect. As a general rule, consume 64 ounces of water daily, in addition to
diet. Add another 8 ounces of water for each cup of coffee, tea, soda or fruit juice consumed. Add another 8 ounces for each
half hour of exercise daily. (Heavier people need more water daily. The rule-of-thumb for water requirements for heavier
individuals is one-third of the body weight in ounces, plus 8 ounces for each diuretic beverage and half hour of exercise, as
described above.)

Choose filtered water that is free of chlorine, microorganisms, solvents, heavy metals, etc. Mineral water (as compared to
distilled water) may prevent the leaching minerals from the body—it’s debatable.

How Much Is A Serving?

Vegetables: Raw-1 cup, Cooked/Steamed-1/2 cup, Juice-3/4 cup
Fruits: Raw-1 medium fruit or 1 cup, Cooked-1/2 cup, Juice-1/2 cup
Fermented Dairy Products: Yogurt, kefir-1 cup, Cheese-1 oz.
Whole Grains, Starch: Cooked-1/2 cup, Bread-1 slice, Bagel-1/2,

Pasta (cooked)-1/2 cup (includes corn, potatoes, winter squash)

Fish/Poultry/Eggs: Fish, poultry-3 oz., Eggs-1 whole or 2 whites or ¼ cup egg substitute
Legumes: Beans (cooked)-1/2 cup
Oils/Fats: Oil-1 teaspoon, Nut butter/nuts/seeds-2 Tablespoons or 1 oz.

Visual Portion Control
Here are some visual clues to help you keep servings to the proper size:

3 oz. of fish, poultry = deck of playing cards or a computer mouse
1 cup yogurt or raw fruits or vegetables = a hand holding a tennis ball or a large ice cream scoop
½ cup cooked grain or vegetables or fruit juice = small fist
1 oz. cheese = thumb
1 oz. nuts = a golf ball
1 medium fruit = baseball
1 Tablespoon nut butter, nuts = a silver dollar, a walnut
1 teaspoon oil = a quarter

OMNIVORE EXCHANGE DIET (Murray and Pizzorno)

1,500-Calorie Omnivore Diet                      2,000-Calorie Omnivore Diet
Vegetables - 5 servings                                Vegetables - 5 servings
Fruits - 2.5 servings                                       Fruits        2.5 servings
Whole grains, starch - 6 servings               Whole grains, starch - 13 servings
Legumes - 1 serving                                     Legumes - 2 servings
Oils/Fats/Nuts - 5 servings                          Oils/Fats/Nuts - 7 servings
Fermented Dairy - 1 serving                        Fermented Dairy -1 serving
Fish/Poultry/Eggs - 2 servings                    Fish/Poultry/Eggs - 2 servings

*(Total carbohydrate calories: 66-67%, Total fat calories: 18-19%, Total protein calories: 15%;
Protein content: 61 g in 1,500-calorie diet and 78 g in 2,000-calorie diet, Fiber: 20-88%)

2,500-Calorie Omnivore Diet                       3,000-Calorie Omnivore Diet
Vegetables - 8 servings                                Vegetables - 10 servings
Fruits - 3.5 servings                                       Fruits - 3 servings
Whole grains, starch - 17 servings             Whole grains, starch - 20 servings
Legumes - 2 servings                                   Legumes - 2 servings
Oils/Fats/Nuts - 8 servings                           Oils/Fats/Nuts - 10 servings
Fermented Dairy - 1 serving                         Fermented Dairy - 1 serving
Fish/Poultry/Eggs - 3 servings                      Fish/Poultry/Eggs - 3 servings
*(Total carbohydrate calories: 66-67%, Total fat calories: 18%, Total protein calories: 15-16%;
Protein content: 102 grams in 2,500-calorie diet and 116 g in 3,000-calorie diet, Fiber: 40-133 g)

Resources
Murray, Michael and Pizzorno, Joseph. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised 2nd edition. 1998. Prima Health. Pages 44-70.