All right, so moving on. Welcome back to the next part of this revenger pantry series. So moving on, we have dairy products starting off with a big one. So if you're consuming dairy products, you want to make sure you're looking for responsibly raised free range whole milk products. And this is the same thing you're going to be looking for when you have animal products. In general, you want to avoid products that have fillers.

And that's usually found in low fat options, and they contain chemicals detrimental to our health, and they should be avoided. You also want to avoid conventionally raised milk products for the same reasons. Again, it comes back to the meat we eat too. So when they're pumped with antibiotics and fed dies, they're not going to be they're not going to eat in the wild. That they all kind of lead to these chronic inflammatory conditions in the animals themselves. And when we eat them, we're kind of exposed to those same things.

So again, we want to look for Free Range as close to wild living conditions as possible when it comes to any sort of animal products, and that covers dairy. That being said, if you are going to consume dairy, it's still better to keep your dairy and put intake low especially as we age into adulthood, we have less of the enzymes needed to break down lactose which is the sugar found in there. And it can lead to many chronic inflammatory conditions and could be making your symptoms worse. So I would suggest keeping it low and even better eliminating it altogether. Now there's so many better milk alternatives made out of nuts and soy, as long as it's organic, so I won't get to that later. And again, you could even make these at home so try to find these alternatives if you can, but if you are going to have it from time to time, make sure it's coming from a true cloud source.

Flax seeds and flax seeds meal flax seeds flower It's kind of an interchangeable name, meal and flour. So flax seeds are great because they're very high in omega three fatty acids. The tricky thing with flax seeds when they're ground up, they tend to go rancid pretty easily, especially the oils. So you want to make sure they're cold milled, heating them and storing them in warm places. They will keep that they will increase the chance of it going rancid more faster. So that's something you want to make sure you're avoiding.

So boxy mill it's great for making pancakes and other baking uses. So definitely play around with it. I use it from time to time. And like I said before, if you're once you open it especially keep it in a cold place, I would suggest refrigerating it because it will spoil and go rancid easily. It can be found in again most health food stores, many supermarkets, and if you want to just buy the seeds and you can grind them up at home. You're more than welcome to do that as well.

Fruits and vegetables. So this is not the first time we're going over this but it is important to know. So when you buy fruits and vegetables, you want to make sure you're purchasing organic non GMO fruits and vegetables whenever possible. They are higher they have way more health benefits, they have higher micronutrient content. So that's your vitamins and minerals. They're also not treated with pesticides and other harmful substances like additives or GMOs.

So you want to make sure you're sticking to organically raised produce. Ideally now, you'd want to be able to use farmers markets or get in touch with farmers yourselves to really get an idea of how much is going into what these farmers are putting into their products. So if you are able to develop a relationship with local farmers, and understand how they raised their products, that's your best way to find out what's going into the food you're eating. You don't have that option. If you're like me, I live in Brooklyn. Farmers Markets are a good place to do that because at least that's a place where you still get to meet them and find out where they're going.

If not, or how they're growing their products. If not, then even at supermarkets. Just make sure you're sticking to organically raised produce. And again, we want to stick to as close to on the table as possible when you're picking your foods. Now, if you can't purchase organic produce on a regular basis, or you're not sure, ask yourself which things Is it okay to buy conventionally and which of these is it okay to buy that's organic. Your environmental the Environmental Working Group has two lists called the clean 15 and dirty dozen.

These are updated on an annual basis and it's based off the US Department of Agriculture's pesticide data program report. So the clean 15 refers to the groups opinion on which 15 fruits and vegetables are least likely to have pesticide residue. So in other words, if you were to buy 15 foods conventionally these will be the 15 to stick to. And in the other case, the Dirty Dozen, those are ones that are probably treated with the most pesticides or definitely can contain pesticides. And it's a running list and it changes annually. So this is something to definitely look at.

So again, clean 15 they might be okay to to purchase. If they're conventionally raised, Dirty Dozen you definitely want to stick to when you're buying organically. It's very easy to get to their website, the URLs provided here, it's ew g.org. You just search for the clean 15 Dirty Dozen. You can find that on Google as well. It's updated on an annual basis, and they actually have an app.

So if you want when you go through the app, you can actually either take a picture or type in the food when you're at the supermarket and it breaks the foods On their nutrition ingredients and processing concerns, and you actually get a gauge in real time of what's going into your food. So that's actually a great resource to have on your phone. He so he's been around for a very long time, not as much in America but it's been a staple in Indian cuisine and other Asian countries. It's a great substitute for regular butter. It actually has very similar taste and texture. Now ghee is technically not dairy free because it contains butterfat, which is from an animal products.

However, it is lactose free. So clarify, when you clarify butter, it removes the milk solids. And that's actually where all the lactose is found. are left in the middle, the solids do not contain the lactose, if that makes any sense. So it acts if you aren't lactose intolerant, you can use e m A centuries old method of preserving it long before we had refrigerators. So again, a lot of these techniques, fermenting foods and clarifying butter.

In this case, this was all old ways to preserve foods in a more natural state. And it's very different from what we're exposed to now with adding things to improve shelf life. If that's not what you're looking for now, since is a dairy product, the same rules apply as, as we talked about with dairy. So you want to make sure you're looking for products that are free range and come from grass fed cows, you do not want conventionally raised key products. Hello. So it's similar to coconut milk.

You can use it to substitute for regular cow's milk, especially if you have food sensitivity. It can basically be a one to one replacement in any circumstance. So it's pretty good to use in that case. And the same thing when we talk about other milks whether it's coconut milk or almond milk, you want to stay away from products that have added sugars and sweeteners. This might be a little harder to find than say an almond milk or coconut milk but you should be able to still find it in many places today. Honey so honey is one of my favorites when it comes to using sweeteners but that being said, you don't need to use it in large amounts and that's something can stress a lot.

I mean when you're adding honey to your foods or sauces and things like that you have to remember you're just adding sugar. If you're trying to cut out refined sugars, this might be a decent substitute but again, you want to keep it so low amounts when when you're using it. Now honey is great because it has high levels of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals when compared to other sweeteners. When you are looking for honey make sure you're looking for a locally sourced honeybees or manuka honey No, the reason manuka honey is good, it comes from bees that are fed the nectar from the new country, which is found in Australia. The reason this is important is there's, again, people have definitely gone abroad to different countries and have had, say things containing gluten or dairy and have not had the same reaction. It's a similar thing here.

It's just the way it's it's sourced in Australia is generally better than most conventional ways here in the United States. So that's why that's a good source. And again, you can find honey in almost any supermarket. Just make sure you're looking for the right one. Lagoon, so beans, this has become a heated topic of debate in recent years, and personally, I'm not really sure why it has become the poster child for the war against lectins. Now lectins are anti nutrients that mitigate the guts ability to digest properly and absorb nutrients.

So basically The theory behind what the anti lagoon people are saying is that it might affect your ability to digest foods and absorb nutrients properly by disrupting the gut lining. The thing is, you can eliminate lectins fairly simply, you can either just soak your beans overnight or you can just buy beans that are already can. And that array that eliminates all the negative effects of lectins in a simple manner, so I don't understand the big issue with it. That being said, if you're going to buy canned beans, make sure they're low in sodium and BPA free so anything in a can, you want to make sure as a BPA free lining and you want as few as two that can as possible. The reality is though beans are actually incredibly nutritious. They're a great source of protein that's plant based, so it's great for vegetarians and an interesting thing with with beans and legumes is that they're a staple of almost all the Blue Zones.

Cultures today. And a blues on culture is essentially usually an indigenous people but they're noted for their longevity and almost all of them have some sort of been as a staple in their diet. So to me like eating beans that they're great for your health and there's so many fantastic options there. Like I said they're a great source of protein and include many vitamins and minerals. lentils, chickpeas, green beans, kidney beans, black beans, these are all great options to use. Liquid amino so talked about coconut aminos earlier this is closer to tasting like soy sauce than the coconut aminos.

It's this is another great alternative to soy sauce because it's gluten free. It also I've seen that used in substitute for Worcestershire sauce which also includes includes gluten, so it actually can serve two purposes. We're gonna get to one later that I think is a more one to one substitute soilless than liquid Nino's. This has a little bit of a different taste. Bragg's makes a version that's non GMO, free of additives, alcohols and preservatives are. So this is something you will want to look for when you're buying maple syrup.

So we talked about honey earlier a lot all the same rules apply. Again, we'll need small amounts and it's the same, same thing. It's still like adding sugar. But that being said, you still want to look for locally sourced organic maple syrup with no added preservatives. millet so millet is another gluten free grain. It's also slowly becoming more popularized, I think in America now.

It's much more popular in Asia in the Middle East. The reason is because it is able to grow in very harsh conditions. And, again, these are very desert like areas we're talking about in military So that's why it became a staple in most places. If you're looking to use millet, you can use it to make part or porridge or oatmeal. Again, it can be used as an oat substitute in many cases also can substitute for rice and pasta. So, again, fabulous, gluten free alternative.

It can be served as a snack so you can roast it and just use salt, maybe a little olive oil and you can use it as a snack if you're looking for a snack. It does contain the high amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are that are good for your health. And now it's much easier to find nowadays it can be found in many grocery stores but you can definitely find it in most health food store. Nice Oh, so Nico is actually fermented soy beans with a grain It couldn't be a mixture. Usually it's one it's usually buckwheat rice or barley and then it's mashed into a paste once it turns into a paste probiotic strains. So that's bacteria.

They're added to the paste and that's what ferments it. And since since measles fermented, you actually are able to reap the benefits of probiotic foods so it helps regulate the gut microbiota and improve digestion. You'll notice a lot of digestive issues go away once you implement more fermented foods, or take a probiotic. It's the same kind of beneficial gut. Misa ranges and different colors on different colors have slightly different flavor profiles. So it's gonna be a little bit of trial and error to see which ones you like that being said they all still have a pretty salty taste.

So it is something you can use in a variety of dishes, especially Asian inspired ones. And again, it's known for its probiotic and anti inflammatory properties so so is a great thing to add to your arsenal when you're cooking. mushrooms, mushrooms are great for cooking, they add a very nice texture to a lot of dishes. And I think that this is great, especially for vegetarians who maybe want that type of texture in something they're eating but don't don't obviously want an animal product or meat. So mushrooms are great for that. But that being said, you can have them with meat dishes as well.

Now mushrooms are great because they're high in antioxidants and selenium. These are helpful in boosting the immune system function, you need Selenium to help improve motor function and eliminate free radicals. And obviously any options that's their job is to eliminate free radicals. So mushrooms are super easy to find. You can find them in all types. I suggest trying as many as you can and seeing which ones work in different circumstances.

Certain types of motions work different work better with certain dishes. So again, it becomes a little bit trial. there that could be a good thing that gives you more of a chance to experiment and really find which ones you like. They also take on many other flavors added to them so they may be fairly neutral and taste on their own. But again, once you add flavor, they will begin to pop noodle alternatives. So this is more for our pasta lovers.

And to be honest, who is an apostle, um, however, you can still maybe enjoy those pasta dishes and you just replace them with healthier alternatives. And the thing with regular pasta is they're packed with processed carbohydrates and this leads to that spike in blood sugar. You can use however other source other other types of noodles that aren't as detrimental to your health. So we talked about millet earlier millet and brown rice and those contain protein and this is important for vegetarians. They can also be used in many Asian dishes. So you can substitute for something like ramen as opposed to regular noodles or, again, pasta dishes super easy to substitute them out kelp noodles are great because they have a multitude of nutrients associated with them and they're very rich in iodine which is important for your thyroid health.

Also very low in calories. So that's actually something that I think is very easy so to to make. The final thing you might be able to use is spiralizer. So you can actually take zucchini, squash or other vegetables and turn them into noodles yourself. Actually, some stores are selling them in their noodle form already. Another form to look at it there are now pastas and noodles made out of different types of beans and those are all great alternatives to standard flour based noodles.

They actually will give you some health benefits now. I think those are all fantastic options. You'll have to apply around with which one works best for you, but I would look into teaching flour based pastas and using some other alternative as well. Nori, or seaweed for that matter. So you usually find it in sheets, it's usually roasted and then rolled in, becomes, again these flattened sheets, then usually rehydrated and that's where you find it found you find it in sushi, which is his most famous application, but you can use it now as in place of traditional tortilla shells, or perhaps many places now or are actually using Nori as raps and selling sushi burritos or things like that. So these are all kind of things that are becoming popular so it can also be used by cutting it into strips you can edit to soups and rice dishes.

Think there's always some sort of Nori or or seaweed in that. As with other vegetables again, this is a vegetable. You want to make sure it's organic and you can find it either online or locally. So nutritional yeast, this is also known as hippy does it's good for vegetarians because it contains not only Yeah, a lot of vitamins was specifically vitamin B 12. Because b 12 is only found in animal products. So again, this is a great source of vitamin D 12 for vegetarians or others who don't who choose to stay away from animal products.

Now nutritional yeast is different from baker's yeast. baker's yeast is used to make bread. nutritionally used usually found in powder flake form, usually an inconsistency similar to Parmesan cheese. You can find it when it's graded and you can find it usually in almost all food stores today. Nuts and seeds so given the fact peanuts and tree ologies continue to be an issue especially in the United States, it's important to find high quality alternatives to peanuts or other nuts if you're overseas. You want to make sure that you're looking for organic nuts and you want to make sure they're in their raw form or with only sea salt.

Again, like when these nuts and seeds are covered with sugars, sweeteners or other additives that they become detrimental to our health over time, so you want to make sure you get your buying your nuts and seeds in their their raw form. And you'll find these sweeteners and sugars in trail mixes flavored nuts and seeds. And again, think like the bags of sunflower seeds that are that are different flavors, things like that. But these are all kind of added sugars that have detrimental effects to your health. So if you choose to buy nuts and seeds, you can season them yourself. Instead of buying them in that way in package form.

And the reason why I suggest this not only with nuts and seeds but with other foods is it gives you more autonomy and agency over knowing what ultimately is the biggest key right you need to know what goes into your food to make the biggest changes and that's generally the biggest issues people have, especially when they eat out for other issues. So some great choices for nuts and seeds, almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds that there they all have different flavors and textures. So try all of them and see which ones work for you.