Sacred Directives

Organically grown (chemical free) produce and sustainably raised (antibiotic-free, pastured/wild, fed a species-appropriate diet, corn and soy feed free, humane treatment throughout life cycle) animal products.

Eat wild whenever possible — wild foods have a much denser nutrient profile than domesticated counterparts: choose heirloom and wild varieties of plants when shopping (wild arugula, purple carrots, nopales cactus pads, etc.), harvest your own stinging nettle, pine nuts, watercress and other wild foods available in your area, choose “gamier” meats like elk, bison, venison.

Eat local foods in season whenever possible — you are a product of your environment and all of the factors that make growing conditions ideal for certain foods at certain times of the year in your area also make them ideal for you to eat at that time and in that place. To find out what is in season where you live, use this wonderful resource: seasonalfoodguide.org.

Avoid lectins whenever possible; choose no/low lectin vegetables, peel and remove seeds from higher lectin vegetables if you choose to eat them, soak, sprout, ferment and/or pressure-cook beans and other “no” foods to make them digestible.

Avoid grains and legumes — they contain lectins, are hard to digest and can cause inflammation. The exceptions are millet and sorghum, in moderation. You can also pressure-cook some beans and grains to remove the lectins, or ferment them, as the fermentation process will break down lectins as well.

Eat lots of sprouts and microgreens — broccoli, radish, mustard, cabbage, arugula, basil, cilantro, sunflower, pea shoots, and more! Sprouted foods are living foods: packed with predigested vitamins, minerals, protein rich amino acids, and other nutrients that are more readily absorbed and utilized by the body.

Incorporate lots of culinary rhizomes, spices and fresh herbs — ginger, turmeric, burdock, garlic, thyme, parsley, rosemary, oregano, dill, basil, the list goes on and on!

Avoid processed soy products — fermented soy like tempeh, natto and miso are okay in moderation. If you have low thyroid function, you should avoid all soy products, as they are goitrogenic. (It is possible to make tempeh, natto and miso from other beans which do not disrupt thyroid function, and the fermentation process removes the lectins.)

Drink juices, smoothies and soups to detox and give your intestines a break every now and then.

Incorporate prebiotic + probiotic whole foods for a healthy gut ecology. Use functional fermentation methods to eliminate mold and keep histamine levels low in fermented foods.

Practice intermittent fasting — eating within an 8 hour timeframe (for example, 9am-5pm) every day and resting your digestive system the other 16 hours. Your human growth hormone levels go up when you fast, and insulin levels go down. Your cells also initiate important cellular repair processes during the fasting period, and gene expression is altered to increase longevity.

Bless your food.