CULINARY & HOSPITALITY: Nutrition Tips

What to avoid:

1. Fruit Juice  - Coconut water OK
2. Grains - breads, pasta, cereals, crackers, muffins, desserts, flours, chips and granola bars. 
3. Processed oils - canola oil, safflower or sunflower oil - use other sources of healthy fats as well— including raw, full-fat dairy products and grass-fed butter or ghee  USE Grass fed Butter & Coconut oil  replacing all processed vegetables oils with unrefined, ideally organic and virgin oils, including coconut oil or real olive oil. 

4. “Healthy” Chips, Pretzels & Crackers - for better digestive health, you try switching to almond butter.  Instead of over-consuming salty chips or pretzels, try one tablespoon of almond butter with celery, in a smoothie or with some fresh fruit.

5. Granola - make homemade sprouted granola :  Simply soak almonds, pecans, cashews and chia seeds in water for eight hours, then set them out for a day on a paper towel. Then mix these ingredients with real foods like raw local honey, raisins, coconut flakes, cinnamon and sea salt.

6. Artificial Sweeteners - Instead, try using real, raw honey and dates in moderation.

Almond butter & almonds
Arugula 
Asparagus
Beans and peas
Beets 
Bell peppers - all colors
Berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
Bok choy
Bone Broth
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage 
Cage-free eggs
Carrots 
Cashews
Cauliflower
Cayenne Pepper
Celery
Chia Seeds
Chicken
Citrus, esp grapefruit
Coconut flakes (no sugar added)
Coconut oil
Coconut water 
Collard greens
Dandelion greens (tender shoots)
Dates
Grass fed, full-fat dairy products
Garlic
Grass-fed Beef
Green beans 
Kale
Kefir  
Lentils 
Liver (Beef and Chicken)
Mushrooms
Parsley
Parsnips
Pecans
Pumpkin 
Raisins
Raw honey
Romaine lettuce
Seaweed
Seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, chia, flax 
Spinach
Sweet potatoes 
Swiss chard
Tomatoes 
Virgin oils, coconut oil or real olive oil. 
Watercress
Wild rice 
Wild salmon and sardines

Foods to choose — The following are examples of foods that are generally low in sodium. Check the label to determine the amount of sodium, as amounts can vary widely from one brand to another.

●Biscuits – Whole grain breads, English muffins, bagels, corn and flour tortillas, most muffins

●Cereals – Many cooked low-salt (read the label to determine sodium content) hot cereals (not instant) such as oatmeal, cream of wheat, rice, or farina, puffed wheat, puffed rice, shredded wheat

●Crackers and snack foods – All unsalted crackers and snack foods, unsalted peanut butter, unsalted nuts or seeds, unsalted popcorn

●Pasta, rice, and potatoes – Any type of pasta (cooked in unsalted water), potatoes, white or brown rice

●Dried peas and beans – Any cooked dried beans or peas (without seasoning packet), or low-salt canned beans and peas

●Meats and protein – Fresh or frozen beef, poultry, and fish; low-sodium canned tuna and salmon; eggs or egg substitutes

●Fruits and vegetables – Any fresh, frozen, or canned fruit, any fresh or frozen vegetables without sauce, canned vegetables without salt, low-salt tomato sauce/paste

●Dairy products – Milk, cream, sour cream, non-dairy creamer, yogurt, lower-sodium cottage and other cheeses (be sure to read labels for serving size)

●Fats and oils – Plant oils (olive, canola, corn, peanut), unsalted butter or margarine

●Soups – Salt-free soups and low-sodium bouillon cubes, unsalted broth, homemade soup without added salt

●Sweets – Gelatin, sherbet, pudding, ice cream (brands vary widely), salt-free baked goods, sugar, honey, jam, jelly, marmalade, syrup

●Beverages – Coffee, tea, soft drinks, fruit-flavored drinks, low-salt tomato juice, any fruit juice

●Condiments – Fresh and dried herbs; lemon juice; low-salt mustard (not commercially available but can be made at home), vinegar, and Tabasco sauce; low- or no-salt ketchup; seasoning blends that do not contain salt

Foods to avoid — Many foods, especially those that are processed, have a high sodium content. Items that can be substituted for high-sodium foods are listed in the following table (table 2).

●Breads and biscuits – Biscuits, prepared mixes (pancake, muffin, cornbread), instant hot cereals, many boxed cold cereals, self-rising flour

●Crackers and snack foods – Salted crackers and snack items (chips, pretzels, popcorn), regular peanut butter, prepared dips/spreads, salted nuts or seeds

●Pasta, rice, and potatoes (processed or from restaurants) – Macaroni and cheese mix; rice, noodle, or spaghetti mixes; canned spaghetti; frozen lasagna; instant potatoes; seasoned potato mixes

●Beans and peas – Beans or peas prepared with ham, bacon, salt pork, or bacon grease; most canned beans and peas

●Meats and proteins – Salted, smoked, canned, spiced, and cured meat, poultry, or fish; many deli meats and poultry, unless stated to be low salt; bacon; ham; sausage; lunch meats; hot dogs; breaded frozen meat, fish, or poultry; frozen dinners and other frozen meals; pizza

●Fruits and vegetables – Regular canned vegetables and vegetable juices, regular tomato sauce and tomato paste, olives, pickles, relishes, sauerkraut, frozen vegetables in butter or sauces, crystallized and glazed fruit, maraschino cherries, fruit dried with sodium sulfite

●Dairy products – Buttermilk, Dutch-processed chocolate milk, processed cheese slices and spreads, most cottage cheese, aged or natural cheeses

●Fats and oils – Prepared salad dressings, bacon, salt pork, fatback, salted butter or margarine

●Soups – Regular canned or prepared soups, stews, broths, or bouillon; packaged and frozen soups

●Desserts – Packaged baked goods

●Beverages – Softened water; carbonated beverages with sodium or salt added; regular tomato juice (V8); ask about alcoholic beverages

●Condiments – Table salt, lite salt, bouillon cubes, meat extract, taco seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, tartar sauce, ketchup, chili sauce, cooking sherry and wine, onion salt, mustard, garlic salt, soy sauce, tamari, meat flavoring or tenderizer, steak and barbecue sauce, seasoned salt, monosodium glutamate (MSG), Dutch-processed cocoa

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) National Nutrient Database lists the nutrient content of many foods and provides comprehensive lists of foods containing vitamin K (phylloquinone) arranged by nutrient content and by food name, and of foods containing vitamin K (MK-4) arranged by nutrient content and food name.