Essential Eating: A Guide to Smart Nutrition

Remember: true hunger begins when your stomach growls! Familiar with this feeling? (Maybe you've forgotten.) It's crucial to eat when you're hungry! Emotional hunger, on the other hand, stems from imbalanced emotions, and that forced food becomes waste. It's important to recognize this and make a conscious choice each time about the benefit versus the cost.

Different Beverages - Consume soda, coffee, and caffeinated tea with a small cookie, and not after a nutritious meal, as they otherwise leach minerals you've absorbed. Ideally, remove them from your daily routine. If it's hard to give them up, try having them in the late morning before lunch and immediately follow with a glass of water to dilute them in the stomach.

Water - It's advisable to drink water or herbal teas on an empty stomach when thirsty. If your thirst mechanism has shifted over the years, consult with a healthcare provider on how many glasses to drink. Of course, with intense physical labor, it's better to drink more. The best test is checking the urine color throughout the day; it should be yellowish. Currently, reverse osmosis or mineral water is the best idea for clean water consumption. Israel desalinates seawater, which is hazardous, and substances like harmful fluoride and chlorine are added, which are unhealthy. Nowadays, there are more contaminants, so it's crucial to provide the family with the cleanest water possible.

Fresh Fruits - Consume fruits on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning, afternoon, or night. Eat them 30 minutes to an hour before or two hours after meals, depending on food types consumed. Sweet-tasting fruits are best in the early morning: citrus, guava, apples, plums, and pears. Later, you can have fruits like peaches, papaya, mango, bananas, dates, and raisins. Follow your taste if difficult. In the evening, a sweet fruit can help with a restful sleep.

Nuts, Almonds, and Seeds - They contain protein and plant-based fat. Preferably eat them with fresh or steamed fruits or vegetables, not with carbohydrates (as they contain protein).

Vegetables & Various Greens - Consume frequently and include at least one salad a day in meals with other vegetables.

Sprouts for Salad - Sprouts last one to ten days in the fridge.

Grains (Carbohydrates) - They contain protein too. Soak in water for a few to 24 hours to sprout them. Grains like quinoa, buckwheat, wheat (not recommended), and amaranth can be sprouted. Oats, rice, millet, bulgur, and semolina cannot be sprouted. Consume unsprouted grains with vegetables alone.

Heavy Starches (Carbohydrates) - Found in potatoes, sweet potatoes, and squash. Can be consumed with grains.

Light Starches (Carbohydrates) - Located in pumpkin, corn, and carrots. Can be consumed with grains.

Avocado - Contains starchy fat, suitable with meals of carbohydrates, starches, and grains.

Legumes (Proteins) - Unsprouted legumes are best consumed without starches and carbohydrates (grains). They contain plant-based protein. Recommended one-day soaking in water, changing water periodically, and washing well. Afterwards, it's best to sprout without water. Sproutable legumes include beans, mung beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Beans, soybeans, and non-sproutable legumes should be eaten with fresh or steamed vegetables.

Sesame (Tahini) - Contains fatty proteins, ideal for legume dishes. Consume ground sesame in salads daily.

Legumes and Grains Together = Complete Plant Protein - Sprouted legumes and grains can be eaten in one meal, with no digestion issues. Without sprouting, they may ferment in the stomach, causing discomfort.

For those disconnected from veganism and plant-based proteins (all legumes, grains, nuts, and almonds), it is advisable to consume fresh fish or cooked eggs over the week (up to 10 eggs weekly, preferably soft-boiled or as a soft omelette, to retain essential components lowering cholesterol).

Animal Proteins (Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs, and Dairy) - Consume sparingly with vegetables alone during the week.

Dairy Products - It's wise to avoid this harmful group known to cause various diseases with excessive consumption (even cancer risks). My recommendation is to consume butter only, goat yogurt, or goat cream occasionally.

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