Now that I’ve drank approximately 86 Smartwaters at Wanderlust Miami (and learned that I should be adding a little salt and lemon to my agua for hydration in the sun), I wanted to share a few other ideas from naturopathic physician Dr. Paul Gannon. The resident nutrition expert at The Standard, he has a series of videos about clean cooking and offered these considerations for gals:
- Soy can impede iron absorption. Watch how much you get, especially if you have anemia and are trying to build your iron stores back up.
- Raw veggies rock.
- White rice has a high glycemic index and can be part of the reason that some people don’t sleep well after eating sushi.
- Iodine is needed for estrogen receptors, and eating seaweed can help.
- Eat sardines, as they’re sustainable and relatively mercury-free compared to shellfish.
- When cleansing, it’s important to clean the liver (a “chemical factory”) but not necessary to give up wheat and dairy together unless you’re trying to uncover a food intolerance.
- Coconut water is high in potassium. Drink up.
- Probiotics: buy refrigerated only and from a doctor or nutritionist if you can.
- If you’re craving fish, go for wild salmon, not farm-raised/Atlantic.
- Green tea has great anti-cancer properties and is multitudes better than coffee.
The doc says he doesn’t push a particular diet—raw, vegan or otherwise—on anyone but tries to get people to be more considerate in their choices. “Food is such a gift,” he told yoginis, “and we need to be more aware of working with that abundance.”
Good to know; esp the soy/iron piece!