Core Principles

1. Eat food (real food, whole food, homemade food).

2. Not too much.

3. Mostly plants.

4. Eat a fruit or vegetable or both at EVERY meal.  Also for snacks!

5. Watch out for SUGAR.  Americans now eat 156 pounds of sugar a year, and it lurks in almost all packaged and processed foods. Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Read labels and aim for 3 grams of sugar or less per serving.  If there is more than that, read the ingredients: is it added sugar or natural, like in fruit or milk?  Natural is okay, in moderation.

6.  Live by the 5 ingredient rule as much as possible. 

7.  Have dessert or a treat sometimes...but make it homemade, and eat your healthy food first!

8. Avoid low-fat, no-fat and "lite"foods.

9. Avoid foods pretending to be something they are not.

10. Eat WHOLE grains.  Read the label: wheat is not whole wheat unless it says WHOLE wheat.

11.  Drink water.  Do not drink soda.  Do NOT drink soda.  DO NOT DRINK SODA. Don't drink diet soda either.

12. Eat slowly.

13.  Eat real food 80% of the time at least.

14.  Cook for yourself.

15.  Plan for leftovers (always make an extra salad).

16.  Have a "fallback" meal (scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese, for example).

17.  Take the meat out of the middle of your plate--have a vegetarian meal!

18.  Make a salad that includes every food group!

19.  Make your own salad dressing.

20.  If you don't like a food cooked, try it raw.  If you don't like it raw, try it cooked.  If you don't like it now (while you are young), try it later (when you are older).  Your tastebuds will change.