My Take On MyPlate

Whole fruits and vegetables are almost always better than the juiced variety, but there are exceptions. Juice can be a good supplement for people who can’t tolerate a high fiber diet. And if it’s a green juice, it’s a good source of chlorophyll that helps the body eliminate environmental toxins, so it can be an effective component of a detoxification program.

If you’re going to drink juice, limit your consumption to 4 ounces per day and never juice more produce than you would eat in the whole food form. (If you wouldn’t eat 5 oranges at once, you shouldn’t drink 5 oranges at once either.) Juice should be 50 percent vegetables, including at least one green vegetable. Good choices include organic spinach, kale, celery, skin-on cucumber, beets and bell peppers. Juice made from fruits and starchy vegetables like carrots and beets should be diluted with an equal amount of water.

Whole foods are always better than processed foods, including milk. Other good dairy choices are full fat products cultured from organic whole milk like yogurt, keffir, and cheese. But avoid them if they are not organic and grass-fed or pasture-raised. When cows are fed grains grown with pesticides and treated with antibiotics, hormones and other medications, these chemicals can end up in their milk and meat. When animals are fed their natural diet (which for cows is greens, not grains) and raised on a pasture, their milk and meat contain healthy fats and there is no reason to avoid them, as long as you tolerate them well.

I would not recommend any of the oils on the USDA’s list: canola oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, margarine or vegetable oil. Because these oils are primarily unsaturated (one or more of their carbon atoms is missing a hydrogen atom) they are unstable and likely to oxidize, especially when they are exposed to heat. Oxidized fats damage cells and create inflammation in the body that can initiate cardiovascular disease and promote the growth of cancer cells. Because they are not cold-pressed, all of these oils are extracted with chemicals and/or heat, so they are likely to be oxidized. Also, most contain too few anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats and too many pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats.

Alternatively, cold-pressed oils like extra virgin olive oil (not the same as olive oil), sesame oil (not toasted), and coconut oil contain healthy fats that have not been oxidized. Extra virgin olive oil and sesame are primarily unsaturated, so they should not be heated to high temperatures. Use them in salads and as garnishes, and cook with them over low or medium heat. Coconut oil is primarily saturated fat, so it is suitable for high-temperature cooking.

I agree that everyone should avoid margarine, shortening, and hydrogenated oils, which are laden with trans-fats, but some solid fats are not bad choices. When they come from animals raised on pasture, cultured butter, ghee and rendered animal fat are good candidates for high-temperature cooking because their saturated fats are stable and unlikely to oxidize.

The USDA also recommends two meals of seafood each week. However, many species contain toxic contaminants like heavy metals, PCBs, and other dangerous chemicals. Always choose fish and seafood that live low on the food chain and are sustainably harvested. Avoid large predatory fish like tuna and swordfish because they contain the highest concentrations of environmental toxins. Use the Monterey May Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guide to make the best choices (www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx).