Nourish your body: What to Eat: Good, Better, Best List

Apr 7, 2011

Here's a simple list of good, better and best (and what to avoid) in your quest for eating more healthy.

Best: Wild game or local grass-finished meat and pasture-raised pork purchased from a rancher you know.
Better: Non-local grass-finished meat and pasture-raised pork purchased through a good-quality company (see sources)
Good: Organic or free-range beef and organic or natural pork.
AVOID: Conventional meat from confinement operations.
Tip: If purchasing the best quality meat stretches your budget too thin, don’t give up and purchase CAFO meats; instead, consider purchasing less expensive cuts and supplementing with highly nutrient-dense, but inexpensive organ meats.

Best: Wild birds, local pasture-raised poultry and eggs from local, pasture-raised hens purchased directly from the farmer.
Better: Pasture-raised poultry and eggs from an indirect source like a local market.
Good: Organic, omega-3 eggs and meat from “free range” chickens.
AVOID: Conventionally raised meat and eggs from battery cage industrial chicken farms.
Tip: There probably is someone locally raising chickens and selling eggs, don’t be afraid to ask around or take a trip to the country.

Best: Frequent and heavy use of fish and roe from wild-caught, ocean-going fish from cold waters.
Better: Periodic use of fish and roe from wild-caught ocean-going fish.
Good: A spoon full of cod liver oil or fish oil.
AVOID: Fish from fish farming operations.

Best: Fresh locally, organically or biodynamically grown fresh fruits and vegetables.
Better: Fresh and frozen organically grown fruits and vegetables.
Good: Purchasing as much organically grown fruits and vegetables as possible while supplementing with conventionally grown fruits and vegetables with low-pesticide residue.
AVOID: Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables with high-pesticide residue. Most canned fruits and vegetables.
Tip: Check out the Environmental Working Groups guide to the pesticide levels in produce.

Best: Raw whole milk, butter and cream from grass-fed cows producing milk containing A2 beta casein (see sources).
Better: Raw whole milk, butter and cream from grass-fed cows containing A1 beta casein.
Good: Vat-pasteurized, non-homogenized dairy from grass-fed cows.
AVOID: Non-organic dairy products from cows of unknown origin. Ultra high temperature pasteurized organic milk.
Tip: Check out the Environmental Working Groups guide to the pesticide levels in produce.

Best: Traditional fats including raw butter from grass-fed cows, suet & tallow from grass-fed cows, organic unrefined coconut oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, poultry fat from pastured chickens, lard from pastured pork (see sources).
Better: Butter from grass-fed cows, unrefined coconut oil, poultry fat from “free-range” chickens, extra virgin olive oil.
Good: Organic butter, refined coconut oil, olive oil.
AVOID: Canola oil, margarine, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, vegetable oils (excluding coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter, olive oil and flaxseed oil), shortening.

*from nourishedkitchen.com