Creating a Personalized Holistic Diet Plan

I have been studying and experimenting with various dietary plans since 1995 when I was 15 and have directly coached over 700 clients. The key insight I have realized through this process is that we are all physically and mentally unique and require personalized plans that are suited to our genetics, local bioregion where we live, financial state, flavors we enjoy or don’t enjoy, and health goals. There is no one diet that works best for everyone.

Instead, this article is going to present you with options so you can create your own optimal plan that is rich in macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and mycochemicals) and full of delicious flavors that you enjoy.

It is also important to place your diet into its proper context as part of your overall health plan. Foods and herbs are very effective in supporting health but they should be complimented with other health practices such as optimizing hydration, functional fitness routines, sensible sunlight exposure, heat therapy, and mindfulness practices.

Choosing from the Five Categories of Foods

Now that you have a framework for understanding a holistic diet plan, let’s look at the five main categories of foods that you can choose from which are plants, animals, mushrooms, bacteria (probiotics), and seaweeds. I personally recommend eating a wide variety of foods from each category. Doing so will ensure you consume an abundant and diverse supply of macronutrients and micronutrients.

Plant foods can be broken down into the categories of leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, grains, legumes, and herbs. All of these plants offer important nutrients but they also contain various levels of anti-nutrients (oxalates, phytates, tannins, and lectins) that bind to macro and micronutrients and prevent them from being absorbed. Therefore each type of plant should be prepared properly to optimize nutrient levels.

Leafy greens: My favorite commonly available nutrient dense leafy greens are arugula, watercress, mustard greens, nettles, and bok choy. They are rich in simple and complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Simmering leafy greens in water for 5 minutes is the most effective way to reduce and neutralize anti-nutrients.

Vegetables: My favorite nutrient dense options are leeks, beets, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, brussels sprouts, heirloom carrots, and burdock root. They are rich in simple and complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Steaming vegetables for 5 minutes is the most effective way to reduce and neutralize anti-nutrients.

Fruits: My favorite nutrient dense options are berries (all types but particularly wild blueberries), avocado, red bell pepper (it is recommended to avoid unripe green bell peppers due to their harmful solanine content), lemons, limes, apples, bananas, plums, and mangoes. They are rich in simple carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Fruits do contain some anti-nutrients but in general they tend to be lower than other plant foods so fruits can be consumed raw. Most important is to avoid, when possible, the seeds of fruits which are very high in anti-nutrients.

Nuts and Seeds: My favorite nutrient dense options are hemp seed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, sesame seed, mustard seed, cacao, coconut, cashew, pecan, and walnut. They are rich in fats, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Soaking nuts and seeds in water for 6+ hours is the most effective way to reduce and neutralize anti-nutrients.

Grains: My favorite nutrient dense options are wild rice, heirloom corn, and sourdough wheat. They are rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. To reduce and neutralize anti-nutrients, wild rice should be soaked for 6+ hours, corn should be nixtamalized (soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution such as lime water), and wheat should be fermented.

Legumes: My favorite nutrient dense options are mung beans, lentils, black beans, garbanzo, and soy. They are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Soaking legumes for 6+ hours and then cooking them in an alkaline solution (such as with lime or apple cider vinegar) is the most effective way to reduce and neutralize anti-nutrients.

Herbs: There are so many options in this category and because of their specific medicinal properties it is best to choose the ones that are most suited for your health goals. Herbs have both fat soluble phytochemicals (extracted by cooking in oil or making a tincture) and water soluble phytochemicals (extracted by simmering in hot water).

Animal foods have two main categories. One is the actual body of the animal and the other is the products that the animal produces, such as milk and eggs. Further designations for animal foods are factory farmed, pasture-raised, and wild. They tend to contain little to no anti-nutrients but should always be cooked (but not overcooked, i.e. burned) to neutralize microbes.

My strong recommendation is to completely avoid, when possible, factory farmed animals. They are fed an unnatural diet of grains that makes their meat and dairy/eggs less nutritious (higher in Omega-6 fatty acids and lower in Omega-3 fatty acids) and live in horrible conditions. Pasture-raised animals are a better option because they get to roam outside, eat their natural diet of grass and bugs, and are healthier foods and happier animals. And best of all is to consume wild animal foods. These animals got to live their natural life, eat their biologically appropriate diet, die quickly rather than in a slaughterhouse, and are the most nutrient dense animal food option.

My favorite nutrient dense options are wild seafood (fish and shellfish), wild bison meat, wild deer meat, wild boar meat, pasture-raised beef, pasture-raised eggs, and pasture-raised dairy (milk, ghee, and cheese). They are rich in protein, fat, calories, fat soluble vitamins (A, D2, E, K2), and minerals.

Fungi (mushrooms) have two main categories: medicinal and culinary. All mushrooms contain chitin as part of their cell wall. Chitin is a tough fiber that cannot be broken down by the human digestive tract. The only way to break through chitin and release the valuable nutrients inside mushrooms is to cook them. Do not consume mushrooms raw.

My favorite medicinal mushroom options are reishi, chaga, lion’s mane, turkey tail, maitake, and cordyceps. They contain powerful mycochemicals such as beta-glucans and polysaccharides that modulate the immune system.

My favorite culinary mushroom options are portobello, chanterelles, button, and oyster. They are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Bacteria have two main categories: probiotics (beneficial bacteria) and prebiotics (fibers that feed probiotics to encourage their growth). Probiotics fight off the proliferation of bad bacteria in our GI tract, directly produce valuable nutrients for absorption, and are part of the process to break down nutrients from foods for easier assimilation through the small intestine.

My favorite probiotic and prebiotic rich options are sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, yogurt, and fermented beverages like kefir and kombucha.

They are one of the best ways to ensure we are supplied with an array of essential and non-essential minerals, especially iodine which is required for optimal thyroid function and is often deficient in the Standard American Diet (SAD, a suitable acronym). Soaking seaweed for a few hours is the most effective way to reduce and neutralize anti-nutrients. They can be consumed raw (such as added to salads) or cooked (such as to make a stock base for soups).

Some of my favorite nutrient dense options are kelp, sea lettuce, nori, wakame, hijiki, dule, and kombu.

Focusing on Local Seasonal Foods

Eating local seasonal foods through foraging, hunting, and gardening has been the predominant mode of eating for humans throughout time. By centering our holistic diet on local seasonal foods we can eat in harmony with our evolution, deepen our connection to our local bioregion and food producers, and consume fresher, more nutrient dense, more flavorful, and more sustainable foods.

Local seasonal foods even help us adapt to the temperatures of the seasons better! For instance, in the winter there is often an abundance of different root foods like yams and potatoes. These root foods often have a warming effect that balances the coolness of winter. During summertime we can access various delicious, water-rich fruits and berries. These foods often have a cooling effect on the body so they can balance the heat of this season.

Some ways to begin consuming more local seasonal foods from your area are:

~ Go to farmer’s markets

~ Visit pasture-raised meat and dairy producers and buy direct which saves you money

~ Learn how to safely forage for wild foods from qualified local nutritionists, herbalists, mycologists, fishers, or hunters

~ Create an organic home garden outside and/or in your kitchen (such as potted culinary herbs)

Final Thoughts

Creating your own personalized holistic diet plan is a process. Take your time and become your own scientist as you experiment to find what works best for you. Take notes on how your body feels as you introduce new foods and remove others.

Lastly, don’t stress! It’s okay to occasionally eat unhealthy foods while you are out at restaurants, traveling, or at friends’ homes. Do your best to make the bulk of your diet healthy nutrient dense foods but then also allow yourself to enjoy other foods when they present themselves. Stress is the most potent driver of health challenges so remember to have fun with it all! Enjoying food is one of the greatest pleasures we have as humans!

The best in infrared Sauna therapy