What to Eat: Good, Better, Best List

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

Red Meat & Pork

• 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.

Poultry & Eggs

• 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.

Fish

• 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.

Fruits & Vegetables

• 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.

Dairy Products

• 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.

Fats & Oils

• 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