4 Creating a Healing Kitchen

It’s quite likely that your kitchen has been held hostage by the food industry. No doubt your cupboards and pantry are filled with ultra-processed fare. Now’s your chance to escape these shackles and transform your kitchen into a place of wellness. If you make your kitchen a safe zone, with only foods that nourish rather than harm, then you will automatically make the right choices when it comes time to eat.

Ideally, you’re starting the transformation at least two days before you begin your detox. This will give you enough time to clean out your cupboards and fridge, and restock with healing fare.

Start by setting aside at least an hour to scour and purge your pantry, fridge, and freezer. This is your time to do some detective work, read food labels, and dump anything that got you to this food-addicted, toxic state to begin with.

Ideally, your kitchen will mostly showcase foods without labels. Fresh avocados, blueberries, tomatoes, and kiwis don’t come in packages and are label-free. But other foods, including nuts, nut butters, almond milk, canned fish, and frozen veggies—foods that I encourage you to eat—do come in packages. Further, once you enter the transition phase, you will be choosing gluten-free grains and other foods that are also minimally processed. It’s clear that not all packages are bad—and that is why it is so important to get the hang of reading a nutrition facts panel and ingredients list. There is a short learning curve, but once you get the hang of it you will easily spot trouble. Follow these rules when you purchase packaged foods (i.e., anything with a nutrition label):

Beware of foods with health claims on the packaging—such as “reduced sugar” or “no trans fat.” These claims usually signal a marketing ploy to make you think the foods are good for you when they’re really just pretenders. Things such as sports beverages, energy bars, and even multigrain breads (which often contain high-fructose corn syrup) fall into this category.
Focus on the ingredients list. Remember that the most abundant ingredient is always listed first; the others follow in descending order by weight.
Choose foods with fewer than five ingredients listed, and all things you recognize and know are real food—for example: “tomatoes, water, salt.”
Buy only packaged foods with ingredients you can pronounce or recognize. Need to buy something with more than five ingredients? The exception is if they are all whole-food, real ingredients such as spices. The main distinction is that the recipes don’t call for things such as “maltodextrin” or “autolyzed yeast extract” or “high-fructose corn syrup.” I don’t stock these items in my kitchen, and neither should you. Bottom line: You should not eat packaged foods that contain ingredients you wouldn’t have in your own kitchen.
Be aware that food manufacturers don’t have to list ingredients that appear in trace amounts. These trace ingredients could trip you up in your detox and lifelong quest for eating simple, healthy food. So always be vigilant when selecting multi-ingredient packaged foods. Stick with organic brands, or simple products, or those that declare themselves as gluten-or dairy-free.
Avoid these ingredients at all costs during the 10-Day Detox Diet:

Sugar. You have to watch for all forms of sugar, not just the word “sugar.” There are 257 forms of sugar, most made from corn, with names that you wouldn’t recognize, such as maltodextrin and xanthan gum. There are many aliases to watch out for—including organic cane juice, honey, agave, maple syrup, cane syrup, or molasses. And, look carefully at condiments such as salad dressing, barbecue sauce, or ketchup: There may be up to 33 teaspoons of sugar—often in the form of high-fructose corn syrup—in the average bottle of ketchup (about 1 teaspoon of sugar for every tablespoon of ketchup!). When transitioning off the detox, consider adding sugar back into your diet only as a special treat—to be enjoyed occasionally in small amounts.

Other sweeteners (aspartame, NutraSweet, Splenda, sucralose, and sugar alcohols—any word that ends with “ol,” such as xylitol or sorbitol). Stevia may be better than aspartame but only in the form of a whole-plant extract, not Pure Via or Truvia, which are made by Pepsi and Coke and are chemical extracts of stevia. Use it sparingly. A new noncaloric sweetener that comes from monk fruit (also called luo han guo) is rich in antioxidants and can also be used in small amounts. But remember, any sweetener can make you hungry, lower your metabolism, create gas, store belly fat, and even change your gut bacteria from those that make you thin to those that make you fat. So it’s best to stay away from sweeteners altogether.

Bad fats. Scour labels for the words “hydrogenated fat,” just another name for trans fat. As you probably know, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally declared trans fats not suitable for human consumption. Yet the government has given food companies years to “reformulate” their products, so most processed or packaged foods still contain trans fats… and when there are trace amounts, they are not required to list them. So stay away from industrial, manufactured foodlike substances and science projects.

Preservatives, additives, colorings, natural flavorings. Watch for ingredients you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce, or that are in Latin. Most of you know that MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a popular taste enhancer, but did you know that it is a brain toxin that causes compulsive overeating and spikes insulin? Knowing this sure makes it easier to avoid this ingredient, doesn’t it?

Dairy. Because milk is one of the eight most common food allergens, manufacturers are required to clearly identify it on a food label. But casein, the offending protein in dairy, can be found in mayonnaise, chocolate, and “natural” flavors. So be sure to watch for it on the ingredients list.

Gluten. Gluten is one of the most common triggers of inflammation in the body and increases cravings and weight gain. It can be lurking in soba noodles, tamari, miso, seasonings, and stock, so look for “gluten-free” listings for these ingredients. But remember, gluten-free cookies are still cookies, and probably contain sugar and other things your body doesn’t need.

Alcohol and caffeine.

Beware the “Nutrition Facts” section of the label. Here’s why:

Not the whole story. A typical nutrition facts label will give you quick stats on cholesterol, fat, carbohydrate, protein, and other nutrients. But, for example, it doesn’t differentiate between healthy omega-3 fats and inflammatory omega-6 fats. You can’t tell if the quickly absorbed carbs are the bad kind that spike blood sugar or slow-burning, “smart” carbohydrates.
The “chemical soup” is not on the label. The “nutrition facts” can’t tell you if your food is laced with chemical preservatives, fillers, additives, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, fertilizers, gluten, dairy, artificial sweeteners, synthetic vitamins, food dyes, and other toxic junk typically present in processed foods. That’s why we emphasize paying more attention to the ingredients list and not spending too much time on the nutrition facts label.
Focus on fiber, sugar, and protein per serving. These three facts will help you discern whether the food can help regulate your blood sugars or send them skyrocketing.

• Keep total sugars less than 8 grams per meal.

• Aim to include at least 5 to 10 grams of fiber with every meal.

• Aim for a minimum of 10 grams of protein with every meal, but up to 30 or 40 grams is fine. Include protein with every meal because it keeps your blood sugars stable, prevents cravings, and builds fat-blasting muscle. For more information on what amount of protein and nutrition is appropriate for you, please visit my online nutrition team at www.10daydetox.com/tools.

Serving size. Look at this carefully to determine whether this is your “typical” portion, as labels can be deceiving. For example, a 20-ounce soda says “2.5 servings,” but do you usually share your soda with 1.5 other people? All of the stats on the panel are related to serving size, so once you determine how much you eat, you can figure out how much of each nutrient you’ll be getting.

Fats are broken down by type. On most labels you will find total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. Some labels of foods rich in fat (oil, for example) will also tell you how much monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats you are getting. If your label shows only the former three, you can subtract the saturated and trans fat from the total fat content in order to know how many grams of mono-and polyunsaturated fats you are getting. Monounsaturated and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats should dominate this category. Saturated fats are turning out not to be the bad guys we thought they were. While they do raise LDL, they also increase HDL and good fluffy cholesterol particles. In fact, in a recent review of 72 studies, there was no correlation between fat—even saturated fat—and heart disease. You want to look for zero trans fats. But be careful: If a serving has less than 0.5 gram of trans fat, the nutrition facts label can legally say “zero trans fats.” Cool Whip, for instance, says it contains zero trans fats, but the three main ingredients are water, hydrogenated vegetable oil (another term for trans fats), and high-fructose corn syrup.

Total carbohydrates include the amount of sugar (whether naturally occurring or added during processing) as well as fiber. This gives you a picture of how the food will impact your blood sugar. Think of fiber as the drain stopper of your stomach. Fiber slows the rate at which sugar from your food enters your bloodstream from your intestines. So, the more fiber a food contains, the slower your blood sugar will rise upon eating it. If you don’t currently eat a high-fiber diet, start adding fiber slowly so that you don’t cause any digestive distress. Your ultimate goal should be to consume around 50 grams daily. That may sound like a lot, but if you eat according to the guidelines outlined in this book, you will have no problem achieving that. Remember that foods that are naturally low in sugar (less than 10 grams) and high in fiber (more than 5 grams) are slow-acting carbohydrates, the kind you want.

Fiber is one of the main factors that determine how slowly (or quickly) a carbohydrate enters your bloodstream. Most of the packaged foods you’ll be eating—such as nuts and frozen vegetables—are naturally rich in fiber. Some packaged foods, however, have added fibers. One type of fiber is called resistant starch because it escapes digestion in your small intestine. The fact is, you don’t know what you are getting when you see this, and for all you know it could be sawdust! (Some bread makers actually use sawdust as a resistant starch to lower the net carbs of the bread.) Putting sawdust in food doesn’t make it healthy; eating real forms of fiber such as vegetables, seeds, and nuts is healthy. Stay away from any type of fiber that is not naturally a part of your food. In fact, for the most part, if you see a fiber in the ingredients list, you know this product is better for the company’s marketing department than your body! There are many ways to tell if a food product is good or lousy. If a manufacturer is bragging about the fiber content of a certain food, there’s a good chance that fiber has been added in the form of inulin (also known as oligofructose or chicory root fiber), polydextrose, resistant starch, or wheat dextrin. Always scan the ingredients list to look for these terms and avoid foods made with them. Stick with whole-food fiber, not sawdust or engineered forms of fiber.

Cholesterol in foods is not the problem we once thought it was. There is little correlation between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol, and little reason to worry about this number on food labels. Surprising but true.

Sodium is abundant in packaged foods. As much as 70 percent of the sodium in your diet could be coming from packaged food sold in your supermarket. Companies add sodium to give packaged foods flavor, but fresh foods don’t need much salt to taste fabulous. When you eat whole foods, you naturally get the right amount of sodium your body needs. By following my program, you will easily cut down on and normalize your sodium intake. Current dietary guidelines suggest to keep sodium intake under 2,300 milligrams. Yet, new research shows that the lowest risk of mortality comes from an intake of 3,000 to 6,000 milligrams per day. Interestingly, Japanese people consume an average of 4,500 milligrams of sodium per day and have one of the highest life expectancies in the world, with low cardiovascular risk. What does all this mean? Sodium itself is not the culprit, but an unhealthy diet full of processed foods, inflammatory fats, and refined carbohydrates is. When you don’t include fresh, real food—namely, potassium-rich vegetables and low-glycemic fruits—you increase your sodium-to-potassium ratio. Because potassium helps you excrete fluid, it helps to relieve the pressure in your circulatory system. If you consume too much sodium, as is the case when you eat a processed foods–based diet, your blood pressure may rise, especially if you have diabesity. The goal is to include plenty of potassium-rich foods and crowd out the sodium-rich processed junk. When you cook meals at home with these recipes you will learn how to add the right amount and type of salt to flavor your food and nourish your body. Play around with adding real flavor to your meals by using tasty seasonings such as curry powder, chile peppers, rosemary, sage, and cinnamon. The less salt you add, the less you will want, as your taste buds will adapt to your new eating habits.

Protein is your secret weapon to success on this program because it reduces insulin spikes and keeps you feeling satisfied long after you’ve eaten. Each protein is made of specific amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are either essential or nonessential. Essential amino acids cannot be produced in the body and need to be consumed through diet, while nonessential amino acids can be produced in the body from other sources of carbohydrates or proteins. When we consume animal protein or soy protein, we ensure that our body receives complete, high-biological-value protein. This is important for detoxifying and getting and maintaining health. Remember that diversity is the key to nutrition, so eat a variety of whole foods to meet your protein needs. Opt for protein sources such as high-quality meat, clean fish, poultry, omega 3–enriched eggs, tofu, and nuts.

Vitamins and minerals are listed at the bottom of the nutrition facts panel, but eyeball these with caution. Sometimes junk foods are fortified with nutrients to enhance their appeal. For example, B vitamins are added to foods to “enrich” them, but that is only because they are impoverished in the first place. Obviously, a food put together from various artificial ingredients won’t naturally contain the valuable nutrients you would get if you just ate the real thing. Take vitamin water, for example. It is a farce, a brilliant marketing ploy for one more type of sugar water sold by Coke. We all know that water doesn’t naturally contain vitamins! And candy, too—do you really think gummy bears have naturally occurring vitamin C? Look at this part of the food panel carefully and you’ll be able to sort out good food from junk food.

Stay away from “foodlike substances.” These are things that, through processing, no longer resemble the real food in its true form. Veggie burgers made with soy protein isolates—a cheap form of processed soy—are a hijacked version of soy in its whole form (for example, tofu).

Knowing what to avoid is important. However, you are probably wondering about everything that is in your pantry and refrigerator right now. What’s okay and not okay to use during the detox? What should I avoid and then safely reintroduce? Here’s a general guide to the items that should be tossed out permanently or put aside for the next ten days.

ITEMS THAT NEED TO GO PERMANENTLY:

Highly refined cooking oils such as corn and soy.
Fried foods you may have stored in your freezer.
Margarine or shortening, which contain those dreaded hydrogenated fats we discussed earlier.

ITEMS THAT SHOULD BE AVOIDED FOR THE NEXT TEN DAYS (find a spot for them where they are out of sight, as you may choose to reintroduce these in your transition phase):

All gluten-containing products (including whole-grain versions), such as pasta, bread, and cereal.
All grains (including gluten-free versions), such as quinoa and rice.
All dairy products (including but not limited to butter, milk, yogurt, and cheese—from any animal).
All beans (including chickpeas, lentils, and even peanuts, which are actually beans).
Any prepared food that was made in your local store or by a small manufacturer. It’s best to steer clear of premade foods altogether because certain items might be left off the ingredients list due to FDA labeling guidelines.
All alcohol, as it is simply sugar in a different form, and it impairs impulse control so you’re more likely to eat more—and to do so mindlessly. It also has more calories per gram than sugar (7 calories compared to 4 calories), provokes a leaky gut, and inflames your liver. While it is not all about the calories, if you have one glass of wine a day at 110 calories, over the course of a year that can add up to 11 pounds of weight gain.
Caffeine. Some say caffeine speeds up metabolism or the rate of calorie burning, called thermogenesis. But so do spicy jalapeños or cayenne pepper. Caffeine is hidden in many soft drinks and energy drinks because it is addictive, so you consume more of the sugary drinks. Caffeine also increases hunger.

Now that you’ve cleaned out your kitchen, you will automatically steer clear of the toxic foods that cause addiction, weight problems, and health struggles. Consider yourself liberated!

STOCKING YOUR KITCHEN WITH WHAT YOU CAN EAT–MY GUIDE TO LIVING CLEAN AND GREEN

Now that there’s all that room in your fridge and cabinets, let’s have some fun filling them up with real, fresh food. This is where we begin to discover all the amazing new options you have. Perhaps it’s been a while since you explored the produce section of your grocery store or visited a farmers’ market. Maybe you’re unfamiliar with the bounty of fresh vegetables that you can use as the basis for many meals at the foundation of this program. The key to success is a well-stocked kitchen, which allows you to whip up a meal on even the busiest of days.

I am proud to be on the board of directors for the Environmental Working Group (EWG) because what we do to our bodies we do to the planet, and what we do to the planet we do to our bodies. The link between environmental toxins and chronic disease is now clear. We know that pesticides and other industrial chemicals cause obesity and type 2 diabetes. There is a new word for these compounds: obesogens. When we are toxic, we feel lousy, gain unwanted pounds, and have trouble losing them. Toxins disrupt the hormones that regulate our metabolism.

The recipes in this book will help you live clean and green by using foods that contain special phytochemicals that increase your body’s capacity for detoxification and balance your blood sugar. They are designed to put your medicine on the end of your fork.

Here are some of the fresh and pantry food items you should always have on hand.

Produce

Fresh vegetables and fruits make up half of all of my meals. But before we go crazy buying just any produce, I’d like to talk a little bit about making the right selections. Agricultural chemical inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers leave a residue, which we as consumers absorb. Because these chemicals are fat-soluble, they become stored in our fat cells. Our bodies recognize these toxins as foreign, prompting an inflammatory response. Once our exposure surpasses our threshold, we become sick and fat.

When you can, avoid the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables. The EWG annually reviews conventional vegetables and fruits and publishes a list of those with the lowest and highest toxic load. EWG understands that we have a right to know which foods are safe and which we need to be concerned about. They provide many resources for consumers, including their Shopper’s Guide, which helps consumers opt out of the produce posing the highest risk while saving their food dollars for the safer choices. For an easier reference, check out their “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” lists featuring the most-and least-contaminated options in the conventional food supply. Of course, you can still buy items from the “Dirty Dozen” list, but they should be organic. As of the date of publication of this book, these are featured below. To make the most informed choices for you and your loved ones, visit EWG’s website at www.ewg.org for the most updated lists.

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1. Apples

2. Strawberries

3. Grapes

4. Celery

5. Peaches

6. Spinach

7. Sweet bell peppers

8. Imported nectarines

9. Cucumbers

10. Cherry tomatoes

11. Imported snap peas

12. Potatoes

THE CLEAN FIFTEEN:

1. Avocados

2. Sweet corn

3. Pineapples

4. Cabbage

5. Frozen sweet peas

6. Onions

7. Asparagus

8. Mangoes

9. Papayas

10. Kiwis

11. Eggplant

12. Grapefruit

13. Cantaloupe

14. Cauliflower

15. Sweet potatoes

WHAT TO STOCK UP ON

When possible, choose organic, seasonal, local produce. Be sure to check out your local farmers’ market or community-supported agriculture (CSA) group. You can find the one closest to you at www.localharvest.org.
For those living in colder climates, you can find organic versions of your favorite fruits and vegetables in the freezer section. Always make sure you’re buying unseasoned or unsweetened varieties.
Nonstarchy veggies are freebies—eat as many as you like! A limited selection of fruits are included on this plan because most fruits increase your insulin levels. I have included those fruits that support you with the right vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Following is a list of low-GI, low-sugar vegetables and fruits you can eat while on this program. Many of them are incorporated into the delicious recipes in the pages ahead. If you have a few favorites that appear on this list but don’t appear in the recipes, feel free to substitute them at any time.

Artichokes
Arugula
Asparagus
Avocados
Bean sprouts
Beet greens
Bell peppers
Blueberries
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Chives
Collard greens
Dandelion greens
Eggplant
Endive
Fennel
Fresh herbs
Garlic
Ginger
Green beans
Hearts of palm
Jalapeños
Kale
Kiwis
Lemons
Lettuce
Limes
Mushrooms
Mustard greens
Onions
Pomegranate seeds
Radicchio
Radishes
Shallots
Snap peas
Snow peas
Spinach
Summer squash
Swiss chard
Tomatoes
Turnip greens
Watercress
Zucchini

Fresh Meats and Proteins

What about meat, poultry, fish, and eggs? As best you can, limit your exposure to excessive hormones, antibiotics, and grain-fed meat. Select wild meat, grass-fed when possible, and organic poultry and eggs. Because we eat what the animal ate, we want our animal-based protein to have been fed the highest-quality diet. An animal fed its natural diet, typically grass and plants, contains fewer stress hormones, growth hormones, and antibiotics than a feedlot animal or industrially produced animal foods. By selecting higher-quality animal-based proteins, you can be sure you are getting healthier fats and leaner, cleaner protein.

When it comes to selecting poultry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandates that all poultry be raised without the use of hormones. However, chicken producers must give medications to those birds that get sick before selling them. Therefore, always look for the terms “antibiotic-free” or “organic” when buying poultry to ensure you are truly getting a toxin-free product.

Get in the habit of keeping your fridge and freezer stocked with the items below:

Grass-fed, hormone-free, or organic beef, lamb, and bison (buffalo) meat (refer to the Environmental Working Group’s “Meat Eater’s Guide” at www.ewg.org to choose meat that’s good for you and good for the planet).
Organic or antibiotic-free boneless, skinless chicken and turkey breasts and ground chicken and turkey.
Wild or sustainably farmed low-mercury seafood such as clams, crab, flounder, herring, oyster, perch, pollock, salmon, sardines, shrimp, sole, squid, trout, and whitefish. Avoid fish that are high in mercury, such as tuna, swordfish, and Chilean sea bass. Go to the National Resources Defense Council website (www.nrdc.org) and download their Sustainable Seafood Guide to choosing the fish lowest in mercury.
Organic omega 3–enriched eggs.
Organic, whole forms of non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) soy food, such as tofu, tempeh, and gluten-free, low-sodium miso.

With these healthy pantry staples in your cooking arsenal, you’ll be amazed at the delicious and nutritious dishes you can create. Cooking food that tastes great and nourishes your body doesn’t need to break the bank, either—and that’s why I stock my pantry with food from Thrive Market. See here to learn how you can get a free two-month membership.

Healing Pantry Staples

The recipes in this book celebrate real, whole, fresh food. They are easily made in your kitchen yet taste as if they came from a restaurant. We live in a food desert, so our reliance on getting back into the kitchen to enjoy a meal that is both satisfying and healthy requires us to learn how to cook again. The following are some of the ingredients I use the most in my own kitchen: Many of these ingredients are available at www.thrivemarket.com:

Extra-virgin olive oil
Extra-virgin coconut butter/oil (at room temperature it is solid, but it melts into a liquid)
Other healthy oils, such as walnut, sesame, grapeseed, flax, or avocado
Nut butters (raw, if possible), such as almond, cashew, macadamia, or walnut
Nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, and macadamias
Seeds, such as hemp, chia, flax, pumpkin, and sesame
Tahini (sesame seed paste)
Full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
Unsweetened hemp or almond milk
Canned or jarred Kalamata olives
Almond flour (also called almond meal)
Arrowroot
Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Gluten-free, low-sodium tamari
Low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock
Dijon mustard
Sea salt
Black peppercorns (for grinding)
Dried herbs and spices, such as basil, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, onion powder, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, turmeric

Some of the items listed above may be familiar to you and others not so much. Whether you are new to cooking or just to learning how to cook healthy options, I want to introduce you to some amazing ingredients that can enhance your meals and provide some variety:

Almond Flour

Made from blanched and finely ground almonds, almond flour (also known as almond meal) is a low-glycemic alternative to grain-based flours such as wheat flour. Use almond flour in place of gluten-based flours when making muffins, breads, or other baked goods.

Arrowroot

During the 10-Day Detox Diet, all grains, including corn, need to be omitted from your meal plan. Arrowroot is a corn-free, hypoallergenic alternative to cornstarch. Remember, corn in any form is still a grain and a potential allergen. Arrowroot is a useful culinary tool for your sauces or stews.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are one of the few vegetarian and vegan sources of omega-3 fatty acids. When they absorb water, they gel into a pudding-like substance that adds great texture to shakes, desserts, and cereals.

Coconut Aminos

If you are soy-intolerant, try using a little coconut aminos for that soy sauce flavor. It is made from the sap of the palm tree and imparts a slightly sweet aftertaste. Coconut aminos are rich in amino acids—the building blocks of protein.

Coconut Butter

I use coconut butter to add a silky texture and buttery flavor to morning shakes. It is made from whole coconut flesh, not just the oil. The butter provides fiber, protein, and nutrients to help keep you satisfied. Coconut butter can be found in most grocery stores near the other nut and seed butters.

Coconut Cream

When you remove excess water from coconut milk and strain it, you are left with a rich cream that is slightly sweet and full of healthy fat. It is a great alternative to dairy cream—a little bit goes a long way.

Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is a nutty, slightly sweet alternative to grain-based flours. Unlike wheat flour, coconut flour is not heavily refined, so most of its nutrition remains intact. Dried coconut meat is defatted and ground to a granular texture. It is useful in baked products and often found in grain-free cereals. High in fiber and very low in carbohydrates, it is a great tool in your detox kitchen.

Coconut Milk

The slightly sweet flavor of coconut milk makes it a healthy alternative to dairy milk. It is rich in saturated fat and healthy medium-chain triglycerides, which studies show boost metabolism and have other health benefits. You can buy whole-fat organic canned coconut milk and mix it with four cans of water to create your own coconut milk without sweeteners or stabilizers.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is extracted from the whole coconut, and unlike coconut butter, the oil does not contain fiber or protein. Studies have shown that coconut oil, used in sautés, shakes, sauces, or baking, helps improve blood sugar regulation, boosts immunity, and even increases the ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol so you have more healthy lipids in your circulation. Look for whole-kernel, expeller-pressed coconut oil to get the most benefits.

Flaxseed Meal

Flaxseed meal is a nutrition powerhouse and a great vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids, lignans, and fiber. Add a tablespoon or two to shakes to add fiber and promote healthy elimination. Use freshly ground flaxseed meal when possible, and store it in your refrigerator.

Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil is extracted from the seeds of grapes. It has a healthy fat profile of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. I use it for higher-heat cooking and baking as it has a higher smoke point (the point at which an oil smokes and becomes rancid). Because it has a neutral flavor, you can use it as a healthier alternative to canola oil.

Hemp Protein Powder

Hemp protein powder is a hypoallergenic plant-based protein that can boost the protein content of your morning shakes or smoothies. Look for unsweetened protein powders. Sometimes hemp protein is combined with chia, rice, or pea proteins for a vegetarian or vegan protein blend with a smooth texture.

Hemp Seed

Hemp seed is an excellent complete protein as it contains all nine essential amino acids as well as essential fatty acids such as omega-3 fats. It has an earthy, nutty flavor, which balances the sweetness of berries in your morning shakes. Enjoy it in smoothies, nut and seed mixes, or even baked on chicken.

Kelp Noodles

Kelp noodles are made from the sea vegetable. They are simple to prepare, eaten raw, and low in carbohydrates. Their neutral flavor makes them fun to include in meals containing sauces such as curries or in broths such as miso soup.

Mayonnaise

Real mayo, made from omega 3–enriched eggs, is simple to make and adds an indulgence to your snacks and sauces. I’ve included a recipe (here) so you can avoid the unhealthy soybean oils, preservatives, and sugar in store-bought mayo.

Miso

Miso adds a deep, comforting element to dishes and intensifies the overall flavor. There are various kinds of miso, ranging from white and yellow, which tend to be mild, to red, brown, and even black miso. Generally, the deeper the color, the longer the miso has fermented and the stronger the taste. Mild miso tastes less salty, and stronger miso offers more of that umami, or savory, salty taste. Some miso pastes have been fermented with grains, especially gluten grains such as barley. Be sure to use miso that has only soybeans, water, and salt on the ingredients list. Brown miso, such as hatcho, is gluten-free and contains only fermented soybeans.

Mustard

Mustard, made from ground mustard seeds, is rich in antioxidants and other detox-friendly phytonutrients. Mustard is a lovely complement to any fish, chicken, or meat. It is also delicious in homemade dressings, marinades, and sauces.

Palm Shortening

Palm shortening, made from palm oil, is a great alternative to hydrogenated oils traditionally used in shortening. I like it because it has 0 trans fats and is gluten-and dairy-free. You’ll find that it works well in baking because it has a neutral flavor and adds that tasty, fatty mouth feel you are used to enjoying in baked goods.

Sea Salt

When you eat real food and not overly salted processed food, you can use more salt. While seafood, meat, and some vegetables are naturally rich in sodium, you can still enjoy flavoring your meals with moderate quantities of real sea salt. Avoid table salt, which is refined and devoid of sulfur, zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which naturally occur in sea salt.

Seaweed

Vegetables from the sea, such as dulse, wakame, nori, and kombu, are dense in minerals and vitamins such as potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, iodine, and selenium. Use seaweed in salads, soups, and stews to add a hint of savory.

Shirataki Noodles

Traditionally made with konjac root, these low-glycemic noodles are gluten- (and guilt-) free.

Tamari

Look for gluten-free, low-sodium tamari for a healthier alternative to soy sauce.

Thai Fish Sauce

Fish sauce has a complex flavor that complements the sweet flavors of traditional Thai cooking. I love using a dash of fish sauce to impress dinner guests. It adds that wow factor that will leave your guests wondering how you learned to cook so well!