Here is a list of healthy foods to eat everyday.
This is compiled by Dr. Michael Greger, our mentor. He calls this the Daily Dozen. These are scientifically proven to be the healthiest quantities of specific food groups:
Beans
Dals, pulses and legumes, including chana, rajma, peas, toor dal, moong dal, urad dal, tofu, tempeh, etc.
Servings: 3 per day
e.g. ½ cup cooked dal, ¼ cup dal chutney, or 1 cup tofu, sprouts, sundal
Berries
any small edible fruit, including amla, raisins, blueberry, blackberry, jamun, grapes, etc.
Servings: 1 per day
e.g. ½ cup fresh or frozen, ¼ cup dried
Other Fruits
Servings: 3 per day
e.g. 1 medium fruit like banana, apple, orange; 1 cup cut fruit; or ¼ cup dried fruit, like dates, raisins, and figs
Cruciferous Vegetables
from the brassica vegetable family, like radish, turnip, cabbage, cauliflower, mustard leaves, etc
Servings: 1 per day
e.g. ½ cup chopped, or 1 tbsp horseradish
Greens
any local green leafy vegetables, such as palak, amaranthus leaves, chakotha, paruppu keerai, drumstick leaves or moringa leaves, malabar spinach or basale, or coriander leaves.
Servings: 2 per day
e.g. 1 cup raw, or ½ cup cooked
Other Vegetables
including all other vegetables, like beans, carrot, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, gourds, etc.
Servings: 2 per day
e.g. ½ cup nonleafy vegetables, or 1 cup raw leafy vegatables
Flaxseed
Servings: 1 per day
e.g. 1 tbsp ground
Nuts and Seeds
including peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, etc. (Coconuts are not classified under nuts for nutrition purposes)
Servings: 1 per day
e.g. ¼ cup nuts, or 2 tbsp nut butter
Herbs and Spices
Servings: 1 per day
e.g. ¼ tsp turmeric, in addition to any other herbs and spices you may be using
Whole Grains
including red rice, brown rice, black rice, whole wheat, proso millet, foxtail millet, little millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, bajra, jowar, oats, rye, barley, etc.
Servings: 3 per day
e.g. ½ cup rice, 1 slice of wholegrain bread, 1 idli, 1 dosa, or 1 chapathi
Beverages
Servings: 5 glasses of 350ml each per day
e.g. Water, green tea, hibiscus tea
Exercise
(Even though this is not a food, it is essential for optimal health!)
Servings: 90 min. moderate exercise or 40 min. vigorous exercise in total per day
Eating two Sampoorna Ahara meals a day can give you 100% of the Daily Dozen, apart from beverages and exercise.
The NutritionScience.in Plant Based Diet Masterclass has 3 weeks of sample diet plans incorporating the Daily Dozen to get you started.
Once you become familiar with the Daily Dozen for three to four weeks, you may not even need it anymore. Healthy eating becomes a subconscious habit!
Be Blessed!
Dr. Achyuthan Eswar