Taking a holistic approach to nutrition means you are focused on the full expanse of nutrition your body, mind and spirit needs. It also means you choose to consciously avoid certain so-called foods.

We will start our view of a holistic approach to nutrition by focusing on what you should consume.

Perhaps the single most essential nutrient is water! Afterall, our bodies consist of up to 60% water.

Unfortunately, not all water is good for you. A full 72% of Americans are poisoned by city fluoridated water!!

Drinking fluoridated water lowers IQ, calcifies and damages the pineal gland and has led to a drop in male fertility from one hundred fifty million to forty million. One author has called fluoride “Public Murder.”

Should you consume carbs when you are taking a holistic approach to nutrition?

Although some carbohydrate is okay, you can make carbs from protein and fat!

So, if you do consume carbs, they need to be high-quality carbs. These carbs are also known to be good sources of protein. The best “grain” proteins that make sense to include in your diet are quinoa, barley, and oats.

Eating quality protein is critically important to holistic nutrition.

Our bodies require protein to repair cells and make new ones.

But not all protein is equally beneficial. In fact, some are better for you than others.

Here is a list of the best overall proteins in order of importance:

  • Sardines
  • Wild salmon
  • Eggs
  • Hemp seed
  • Grass-fed beef or beefalo
  • Wild turkey
  • Chicken
  • Non-soy beans
  • Lentils
  • Long white beans
  • Cranberry bean (borlotti)
  • Split peas
  • Pinto beans
  • Kidney beans
  • Black beans
  • Whey
  • Almonds
  • Walnuts
  • Pistachios
  • Cashews
  • Pine nuts
  • Brazil nuts
  • Peanuts
  • Hazel nuts

If you tend to avoid eating meats or animal products, there are many other sources of protein to consider.

The best plant proteins in order of importance are beans and legumes, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sprouted seeds and Sacha inchi.

Veggies other than legumes and hemp seeds with the most protein in order of importance are watercress, sprouts, spinach, Chinese cabbage, asparagus, mustard greens, broccoli, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.

The best nut protein in order of importance are almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, pine nuts, Brazil nuts, peanuts, and hazel nuts.

Proteins are the source of essential amino acids including taurine. This amino acid is essential for heart muscle function and stabilization of cell membranes. So, it is essential for those with hypertension. Taurine is also one of the most abundant amino acids in the brain and spinal cord. It is an antioxidant and helps regulate blood sugar. Without taurine, blood sugar is 30% higher.

The problem is THERE IS NO TAURINE IN ANY PLANT FOOD. As a result, vegans are at high risk of taurine deficiency which is associated with cardiomyopathy, renal dysfunction, developmental abnormalities and severe damage to retinal neurons.

When you choose to take a holistic approach to nutrition, you need to factor in your mental, emotional and spiritual health and decide how you will include taurine, a very essential amino acid, in your diet.

Another critical amino acid found in protein is cysteine. This essential organic compound promotes the production of cell-protecting antioxidants, detoxifies heavy metals and chemicals, and reduces the viscosity of mucous, making it easier to dislodge it from the lungs. Not only is cysteine important for everyday health, but it is also therapeutic in treating many different diseases and medical problems.

Good sources of animal-derived foods with cysteine are most meats, especially turkey, duck, and chicken, as well as milk, cottage cheese, and plain yogurt.

Beneficial vegetable sources of foods containing cysteine are onions, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. 

You also need some essential fats.

Some essential fats are critically important to the healthy functioning of your body. They provide essential fatty acids which the body cannot make itself and help the body absorb vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin E.

The best fats are avocado oil, coconut oil, omega 3 fatty acids, and virgin olive oil. ALL artificially hardened fat is poison, including margarine!

Here are a few other things for you to consider as part of your holistic approach to nutrition.

Chronic inflammation can cause many different diseases including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

Luckily, there are foods you can eat that are anti-inflammatory and should be included in your daily diet. The top anti-inflammatory foods are kale, pineapple, wild salmon, mushrooms, broccoli, dulse, blueberry, and non-canned sauerkraut.

Antioxidants protect your cells from free radical damage which may put you at greater risk for cancer, heart disease, premature aging, cataract and other diseases. The best antioxidants to add to your diet are bilberries, black currants, wild strawberries, cranberries and goji berries.

Anthocyanins are found in plant foods and provide a bright red-orange to blue-violet color of many fruits and vegetables. They also provide antioxidant effects. The best anthocyanins are black raspberries, black currants, blueberries, blackberries, red cabbage, black plums, red radish, and red raspberries.

Another thing you may be wondering about is organic food. Should you eat only organic food? Unfortunately, in today’s world there is NO ORGANIC FOOD because 75% of rain has Roundup® in it!

And if all this information about what you should eat seems a bit overwhelming, here is the short list of what foods to eat when taking a holistic approach to nutrition. The best overall foods are sardines, wild salmon, sprouts, spinach, peas, hemp seed, pumpkin seed, almonds, walnuts, legumes, hemp seed, quinoa, barley, oats, kale, pineapple bilberries, blackcurrants, black raspberries.

There are also foods you should avoid if you truly want to take a holistic approach to nutrition.

You should avoid wheat, white rice, white potatoes and sugar.

Although many consider whole wheat to be healthy, we consider all wheat to be unhealthy. That is because wheat is the most Roundup® poisoned food on earth!!

White rice has a glycemic index of 72 which is considered to be fairly high. This means it quickly converts to sugar (which is another of the foods to avoid) in the blood stream.

White potatoes also have a higher glycemic index around 82 on average. Again, this means that the flesh of white potatoes quickly converts to sugar.

Which leaves us with the last item on the list – sugar. Sugar has ZERO nutritional value. In fact, it robs you of nutrition! That is because it leaches essential minerals like calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium from your body.

Sugar stresses your body and leads to inflammation. It can cause weight gain, diabetes, increase your risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, and many other health problems.

Even if you follow our suggestions, you still need to take supplements to maintain your health.

One of the most important minerals necessary for health is magnesium. It supports muscle and nerve function and energy production. If you have low levels of magnesium in your system, you probably do not have any symptoms. However, if you are persistently low in this mineral, you are at higher risk of osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

More than a century ago, our food had sufficient magnesium. Unfortunately, that has changed. Today our soil is deficient in magnesium, so all plant food is low in essential magnesium.

You might think it would make sense to get a blood test to measure your magnesium level. However, it is impossible to measure it this way. That is because 98% of magnesium in the body is inside cells and not in the bloodstream.

The only accurate measurement is intracellular through IntraCellular Diagnostics in Medford, Oregon.

Magnesium supplementation is necessary.

Oral magnesium is poorly absorbed so magnesium supplementation must be through the skin. You can achieve this easily with Shealy-Sorin Magnesium Lotion or Spray!

Magnesium lotion is also essential for those with atrial fibrillation!

Interestingly, in most patients whose epilepsy is not well controlled by anti-epileptic drugs, the addition of taurine and magnesium lotion is highly effective. In our experience that includes children from age 2 throughout adulthood!

Yet, magnesium is not the only supplement you need. Because of the tremendous worldwide pollution, you must take much greater amounts of vitamins than the so called minimum daily requirement. The following are what we recommend for holistic nutrition.

For adults now you need Vitamin D 3 – 50,000 units a week if you weigh140 pounds or more; three times a month if you weigh under 140.

Shealy-Sorin Eco Green Essentials you need 2 daily up to 140 pounds; 4 daily above that weight.

Shealy-Sorin Youth Formula you need 4 daily up to 150 pounds; 6 daily 151 to 200 pounds; 8 daily above 200 pounds

Astaxanthin which plays a powerful role in cellular free radical protection. The recommended dosage is 10 mg daily up to 120 pounds; 20 mg for 121 to 150 pounds; 30 mg daily above 150 pounds.

Taking a holistic approach to nutrition is highly desirable and possible but it requires as much attention as every aspect of spirituality!

Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. is the father of holistic medicine. Dr. Sergey Sorin is a holistic physician as well as the CEO and medical director of the Shealy-Sorin Wellness Institute. Both doctors recommend the Biogenics® System as part of your overall commitment to self-health and enhancing your positivity.