WARNING!
This is an older article that may not reflect Dr. Mercola’s current view on this topic. Use our search engine to find Dr. Mercola’s latest position on any health topic.
Nowadays, when you make a determination to eat healthier to maintain or regain your health, or to lose weight and prevent obesity, there are more options at your local supermarket than there were not too many years ago — food that offers essential nutrients rather than adding a toxic burden to your system.
Rather than the plethora of margarine brands that once overloaded every dairy case, it’s easier to find pastured, organic raw butter and even ghee, a clarified butter with fewer dairy proteins than commercial butter. And, eggs from organic, pasture-raised hens are more available and a far healthier alternative compared to the tasteless, anemic-looking eggs sold commercially.
Instead of the pasteurized, homogenized, skim, no-fat or low-fat milk and yogurt that once comprised the average consumer’s shopping options, you’re now much more likely to find organic milk from pastured cows, containing significantly more omega-3 fatty acids and other health benefits. You’ll even find commercially sold kefir, a fermented milk beverage, which up to a few years ago was practically an unknown commodity.
As for meat, you don’t have to settle for chicken or beef fed a processed diet containing grains and growth-promoting drugs, or raised in a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO). In many areas and with little difficulty, you can find fresh, organic, grass fed chicken and beef, often produced locally, to ensure what you’re buying is of the highest quality to feed your family.
Nutritious foods and healthy dietary approaches
One of the most rewarding aspects of providing the resources you find at Mercola.com is that you have at your fingertips the most up-to-date natural health information to help you live your healthiest life possible. We’re also working toward protecting your health rights and exposing the onslaught of hype from profit-driven government and corporate entities, as well as the media.
For people who want to steer away from the “standard American diet” — foods loaded with sugar, processed grains and too many carbs and protein — you’ll find the information you need to help bring your body into a state of nutritional ketosis so that your body uses fat instead of sugar as its primary fuel.
To do that, it’s necessary to implement a ketogenic diet, an approach to food geared toward eating more healthy fats, moderate amounts of protein and a minimum of carbs.
Recipes to help you on your journey are another resource you’ll find here. Far from the ho-hum basics, you’ll find keto-friendly recipe options as varied as Appealing Almond Butter Balls, Coconut-Infused Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Crunchy Zucchini Fritters With Avocado Dill Dip.
The times you eat (and don’t eat) are important, too, especially if you want to lose weight. For that, there’s intermittent fasting, which, rather than being painful or complicated, is fairly simple and very effective: You can start by skipping breakfast, then eating lunch and dinner within an eight-hour timeframe, then stop eating three hours before you go to sleep.
The advantages of adopting intermittent fasting as a tool to shed pounds can’t be overstated, because the benefits are far reaching, including helping to reduce your risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease. The clinically proven premise is that your body can’t run optimally when there's a continuous supply of calories coming in — which unfortunately is the essence of the typical American diet.
The availability of fresh, healthy, organic produce certainly makes preparing meals at home easier. It’s also good to know the source when you purchase lettuce, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe or peaches at the grocery store or farmers market, as they’re far less likely to have been sprayed with toxic chemicals.
As an option, when you grow your own organic strawberries and spinach, you’re better able to safeguard against eating foods that are devoid of optimal nutrients due to questionable cultivation methods.
They’re also less likely to be genetically engineered, contaminated by products like glyphosate or atrazine, or otherwise harmful substances. Plus, you can now check the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list1 which, along with the Clean Fifteen, informs you of the most and least pesticide-laden produce.
Food Facts and Healthy Recipes
That said, Mercola.com is a place where you not only can find answers for questions about natural health, but a broad list of common (and uncommon) foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices and more via our Food Facts library.
This is where you’ll learn what types of vitamins, minerals and immune-boosting antioxidants are in the fresh foods you eat, from avocados to zucchini. Additionally, you’ll find the healthiest alternatives to sugar, such as honey and stevia, as well as the best cooking oils, which types of seafood are healthy to eat and which to avoid, and how to grow — as well as how to prepare — your favorite foods.
We go several steps further by providing an extensive selection of recipes, chock-full of guidelines based on my optimized Nutrition Plan for preparing dishes that deliciously prove you don’t have to give up flavor to eat healthy, nutritious meals.
Below are a few selections of my favorite Healthy Recipes from among the most-viewed recipes of 2019. No matter what you’re in the mood for when you’re thinking about your next meal, you’ll find something that tastes yummy and will be good for you, too. The following assortment gives you just a “taste” of what’s in store.
Basic recipes, satisfying cravings and doing it in style
If you want to start with a basic food that can be incorporated with an array of different meals, you can access the instructions for how to cook rice, one of the most common — and fragrant if you choose the right one — dishes in the world. A staple in India, South America, Africa and all over Asia, the preparation is the same or similar, whether you use long-, medium- or short-grain rice. The potential benefits vary somewhat if you choose white, red or black rice.
Bone broth is the quintessential meal for cheering someone up, or offering your family the heavenly scent — and taste, if you can wait the hours it takes to make it properly — of a soul-satisfying dish that will become fundamental in your cooking arsenal.
A few of the healing characteristics of this nutrition-packed recipe include reduced pain and inflammation from amino acids and glucosamine, and such minerals as calcium to help protect your bones and magnesium for healthy muscle and nerve function.
Hoping for something with a little more panache? Look no further than the tender, mouth-watering Boyfriend Brisket, the perfect main dish for impressing your friends, family and even the boss. As with any dish that’s slightly more complicated, following the recipe will turn out a dish that may become a holiday essential.
Of course, you’ll need a side dish, so why not learn the best way to cook Brussels sprouts, which may surprise those who say they’re not a fan? Besides a pinch of salt and a savory flavor, the trick is the tender-crisp texture, achieved by being vigilant to ensure they don’t become mushy.
Pan-Fried Fish With Fiery Pico de Gallo Salsa is a great option for vegetarians in particular, featuring a delightful blend of Caribbean appeal with spicy overtones, especially if you’re short on time. The fish is cooked hot and fast, and the salsa can be made ahead of time.
Maybe you’re craving something sweet. In warmer weather, there’s a No-Bake, Keto, Nut-Free Strawberry Cream Pie recipe. Make sure you use organic strawberries and enjoy a treat that’s both sugar free (without using harmful synthetic sweeteners) and guilt free. When autumn approaches, your tastes might turn toward Pumpkin Cider Cake, which highlights fall’s most popular garden veggie in a delicious dessert.
A hearty, grain-free bread that’s wonderful as a snack or the outside layer for sandwiches, you can make a tasty, easy to assemble recipe, Nutty Almond Butter Bread. It has the added benefits of healthy protein, as it calls for almonds instead of the usual carbs from conventional wheat flour, and bakes for just 30 minutes.
While herbs and spices may serve to add zing to your table, sauces can do it, too, and it’s always helpful to have a basic recipe that you can tweak to take it in different directions. Remoulade fits that bill beautifully. You can make a basic, homemade mayonnaise, then fancy it up using finely chopped capers, a sprig of fresh tarragon, which is widely available in stores, and a tiny sour French pickle known as a cornichon.
So there you have it — if it’s a recipe you’re looking for, you can access a truly stellar array of choices that will fulfill every request, whether it’s for tried-and-true basics or something completely different. And when you want to look for the latest information regarding natural health, research Mercola.org first.