Module 1 – Dense Nutrition

Dense nutrition; foods densely packed with valuable nutrients and minerals that our body needs to work at optimal levels and prevent disease including obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, leaky gut, thyroid disease and more.

Nutrients like omegas, vitamins, protein, amino acids, electrolytes and other essential minerals. Enzymes help your body use nutrients and minerals better btw. 

Smiply put, nutrient dense food has a job to do! So when you consume this food it is put to work  immediately, on doing repairs, creating energy and rejuvenation. It’s job is not to become fat but to make you healthier, stronger and more resilient to the daily strains of life. 

Some of the densest nutrition foods are;

Foundational/ dense nutrition foods I have in my kitchen at almost all times.

*You can use this as a starter/guideline for your grocery list if you like. But you do not have to get everything, only what you will use.

1. Unsweetened coconut or almond milk or macadamia milk
2. Coconut cream or heavy whipping cream (organic and 36% MF *MF stands for milk fat)
3. Coconut syrup or 100% pure organic maple syrup
4. Liquid or organic powdered stevia, swerve is a option
5. Organic full fat yogurt dairy or other ruminant animal yogurt or unsweetened coconut yogurt *IF you HAVE gallbladder, thyroid or gut issues it is best you start out with unsweetened coconut or almond yogurt. We have recipes if you wish to make your own…otherwise you can get the Silk brand in Sobeys, Walmart and some other stores.
6. Raw honey
7. Raw or sprouted nuts and seeds – especially walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, macadamia, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts
8. Unsweetened shredded coconut
9. Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee (this is non negotiable for me)
10. Green liquid or powder supplement (if you don’t eat a lot of green veg)
11. Organic green tea (peppermint, lemongrass and ginger green teas are easy to transition with if you are not used to green tea)
12. Raw cacao powder and organic dark chocolate
13. Dried goji berries
14. POWDERED Bone broth
15. Organic soups
16. Krill oil (more in the supplements section). It acts as a natural sunscreen too! *Those with a seafood allergy can use “Algae oil”.
17. Organic ground CEYLON cinnamon
18. Organic turmeric, turmeric cinnamon or turmeric ginger tea
19. Organic unsalted real butter (grass fed if you can find it )
20. A good sea salt I like Mason Orphee, Redmons or Vancouver Island Salt Co.
21. San Pelligrino or some other sparkling mineral water in glass bottles!
22. Zevia, San Pelligrino cans or other approved flavored sparkling water
23. Chicken breast – organic or pastured if possible
24. Deli meat – organic and antibiotic free if possible (look for hormone and antibiotic free on the label)
25. Turkey or bison pepperoni – I get mine at community foods or nutters – “Old Country” is the brand
26. Organic mixed green leaf salad
27. Organic green veg – especially green beans
28. Sweet potato
29. White potato
30. Squash
31. Homemade salad dressing (always delish) *do not puchase salad dressings that contain any vegetable oils!
32. A variety of oils and vinegars from Oil on Tap Airdrie (all my clients get a discount )
33. Ground beef, bison, lamb, and turkey – organic or pastured if possible. *Get extra lean if you can not get grass fed.
34. Lean bacon or pork medallions – organic and antibiotic free if possible (look for hormone and antibiotic free on the label)
35. Turkey bacon – organic and antibiotic free if possible (look for hormone and antibiotic free on the label)
36. Salmon bacon
37. Organic free range eggs – organic pastured is best with eggs
38. Shrimp, Salmon, Scallops and Sardines (there is a full list of seafood and whats best for mercury levels in the forum, or use the SMASH acronym)
39. Cheese – hard cheese is best *Gouda and Edam are very health promoting.
40. Hot sauce
41. Salsa
42. Avocados or guacamole
43. Organic fresh or frozen berries and green veg
44. Organic lemons or limes
45. Nut butter – the only ingredient should be the nuts *Peanut butter is NOT approved
46. Hardbite avocado chips
47. Que pasa organic corn or cassava chips
48. Solar raw Kale chips
49. Cello whisps *these can be very dehydrating though
50. Other natural pepperoni sticks or antibiotic free pepperoni from a farmers market if you cant get to community foods – organic and antibiotic free if possible (look for hormone and antibiotic free on the label)
51. Lara bars – NOT the peanut butter or cashew
52. RX bars
53. Raw or 85-100% dark chocolate. Ask me about brands!
54. Kombucha 
55. Sauerkraut and Kimchi
56. Pickles and pickled vegetables
57. Organic unfiltered unpasteurized Apple cider vinegar
58. Many different herbs, spices, and seasonings
59. Silver hills squirrelly sprouted bread (in the red wrapping) and sprouted wraps
60. Real sour dough bread

Micronutrients are what makes food dense in nutrition.

So, not macronutrients, which are the structural and energy-giving caloric components of our foods that most of us are familiar with; proteins, carbs and fats.

Micronutrients are things like the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, phytonutrients, zoo nutrients and enzymes that allow our body to function at optimum levels. Simple micro nutrient deficiencies like low magnesium can lead to overeating, cravings, restlessness and pain, slow metabolism, regardless of your macro nutrient focus.

Micronutrients are also essential to hormone function, and we know that hormones regulate metabolism and body fat.

For you, my clients, its easiest to think about micronutrients as “fairy dust”. I created this idead of fairy dust to help my clients understand and think of sprinkling magic or fairy dust or micronutrients, onto each of their meals. This takes the meal from being good, to very good. Adding fairy dust to your meals, increase the nutrient density, thus helping us cover more nutritional angles or requirements in your body. 

Some examples of fairy dust are;

How do you know if something is a real food or not;

Again, right now your main meals should look like this – this is your “basic eating style” so if I refer to it, you know what I’m talking about. ⇓