Healing Arts Food Pyramid by Dr. Alicia Armitstead

For over 18 years, I have helped people get healthy by showing them ways to personally change to a healthy lifestyle, including their relationship with food. I have taken those 18 years of experience and boiled it down to one diagram: a Healing Arts Food Pyramid. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and our food pyramid is worth that and more. It's a foundational step in creating the healthy life you want. 

There are seven parts to it, and if you read this blog and decide there's no way you can follow our food pyramid, then start with one part at a time. Make the change for three weeks before beginning a second part. I want 21 days of a change before you make another change, and that way, you can build on it vs. doing your best for a little while and then deciding it's too hard and not doing it ever again. True lifestyle changes are for a lifetime. Healthy habits equals a healthy life.

I will start at the bottom, eight glasses of 8 ounces of water. So, I suggest at least 64 ounces of water for the average person. More if you work out, drink caffeine, decaf coffee, or alcohol, or sweat more than the average person. Those five things cause dehydration. Dehydration is the number one reason for headaches and muscle cramps, plus it is capable of adding to so many other problems that can go wrong with the body. Water is so important that if I could put it in pill form, I would make it easier for some of my patients to get their eight glasses in a day. Until then, we will have to drink up. 

Next is to eat five servings of veggies a day. That is not a typo. Thinking about how many servings of veggies is what made me create my own food pyramid. I always hated bread at the bottom, with 6-11 servings of carbohydrates on the original food pyramid that the USDA put out and used from 1992-2005. However, I do agree with the food pyramid's vegetable serving of 3-5 servings a day and want you to push for at least five servings a day. What is a serving size? You might be surprised to realize that 1 cup of broccoli and 12 baby carrots is a serving size. 

Generally, 1 cup is for raw vegetables, and 1/2 cup is for cooked vegetables. So, what does that look like for me? 1.5 cups of spinach in the morning in my pea protein (I love Kachava; here is a discount code for $15 off) or collagen smoothie. 

I keep it simple and obviously love arugula with whatever protein I am going to eat. You may want to get interested in different vegetables. I think the key is to find a way to have a serving at breakfast. There is no such thing as breakfast food, so maybe start with a cup of leafy greens with eggs or hide it in a smoothie like I do.

Also, at every meal, there should be protein and healthy fat. I do believe in eating three meals a day for most people. So breakfast should have protein and healthy fat. Protein can be beans, lentils, eggs, animal protein, and hemp seeds. I think of other seeds and nuts as being in the healthy fat category, along with avocados, coconuts, olive oil, butter, and tahini. It's not for everyone, but dairy would also go in the fat category. I only buy A2 whole milk and full-fat yogurts. With the fat comes the enzymes that naturally occur in the milk to help the body digest it. It's the 2% and fat-free milk products that the body does not recognize as food. They genuinely are just products, not real food, and should not be consumed.

Complex carbs are only two servings daily, meaning one meal a day (assuming you have 3) will not have a carb. Oats, quinoa, sweet potato, rice (wild rice is the best), Ezekiel bread can be included in the category. Less complex carbs would be white potato, corn, and white rice, which turn to sugar easily in the body and spike insulin, which you don't want, so complex carbs are healthier. The best thing to do is get muscle tested to determine what carbs are best for your body. 

Fruit does have to be limited to 1 serving a day. There are a lot of vitamins and minerals in fruit, but the fruit sugar can cause stress on the body. Too much sugar in the body causes stress on the pancreas, but fruit sugar, in particular (fructose), also puts extra stress on the liver. Also, with genetic modifications and our soil being depleted of minerals, an apple today contains more fructose and fewer minerals than 50 years ago. Our food, unfortunately, isn't as nutritious as it used to be. 

At the top of the pyramid is minimal sugars. Minimal sugars include honey, stevia, real maple syrup, and coconut sugar. Other natural sweeteners can be agave, but I wouldn't do that if you have blood sugar concerns or monk fruit. However, that would count as a fruit serving as well. The maximum allowed is a serving a day, and it is better if you were to have it only once a week. Again, you can get muscle tested for the specific natural sugars that work for your body. 

Avoid white refined sugar, brown sugar, or cane sugar to the best of your ability, even though they are hidden in ketchup, salad dressings, and sauces. Sugars like those are very inflammatory to your body and can wreak havoc on your health. Nancy Appleton has a list of over 140 reasons not to eat sugar. 

Follow these food guidelines; I genuinely believe you can lead a healthy life regardless of your suffering. I have seen great results with asthma, arthritis, insomnia, depression, infertility, constipation, anxiety, PMS, thyroid concerns, menopause, bloat, acne, eczema, and so much more using these food guidelines. It is amazing; food can really be medicine, and we can help!