Unfortunately high quality foods also come with high prices.  But at least you know you’re getting the most nutrient dense foods available.

Since my diet mainly comprises of protein and fat, I make sure that I always buy quality meat, fish, eggs, butter and oils.

When getting meat I make sure that it’s pasture raised and grass fed and if possible grass finished not grained finished.  I buy grass fed butter and eggs from pasture raised chickens.

Since I consume a decent amount of eggs, I used to buy eggs from “vegetarian fed” chickens because it’s cheaper in price and honestly I didn’t think too much about what chickens ate.  But the more I thought about it, the less it made sense that chickens were being fed a vegetarian diet.

As it turns out, chickens are omnivores, not vegetarians.  So on top of eating greens and seeds, they love to eat insects, worms, frogs, snakes and even mice!

That’s a lot of nutrients that the “vegetarian fed” chickens are missing out on!  In fact, when you look at egg yolks from pasture raised chickens, it’s a deep orange color compared to the pale yellow egg yolks that many of us have become accustomed to.  In fact looking at the color of the egg yolks is one of the easiest way to find out if the chicken was pasture raised and healthy.

As far as animal meat goes, I tend to stay away from chickens, simply because it’s not as nutrient rich compared to grass fed meat and wild caught fish…and it has one of the highest content of omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-6 fatty acids are linked to inflammatory processes, where as omega-3 fatty acids are linked to anti-inflammatory processes.  Although both fatty acids are absolutely essential, most of the foods we eat tend to be higher in omega-6 fatty acids…so I figure I don’t need to consume any additional foods high in omega-6 fatty acids.  Keep in mind that the vast majority of people (probably including yourself) have a substantial imbalance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids.  This is why if you’re not consuming enough omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, you really should be taking omega- 3 fat supplements to combat the high omega-6 fats in your diet.

As far as oils are concerned, the most important quality to look for is it’s stability.  You want to stay away from oils that are easily oxidize and can go rancid.  Remember, that when oils go rancid, it turns into cell damaging free radicals.  These nasty little molecules can wreak havoc and cause inflammation in your body.  For this reason, I stick to grass-fed ghee and coconut oil for cooking since both are stable at high heat.  And I stick to olive oil for salad dressings and dips, because they’re not as stable in high heat.

Something else that I’m always on the look out for are xenoestrogens.  These are compounds that mimic estrogen like properties that can cause heath problems, including gaining excess belly fat!

Many people associate xenoestrogens with plastic containers and canned products, but that’s not all.  It can also be found in processed foods (with trans fats), vegetables and fruits treated with herbicides and pesticides, meat that come from animals raised in substandard conditions (given antibiotics and growth hormones) as well as farmed fish raised in subpar conditions and poor diet.

So, if you’ve been exercising the right way and eating a well balanced diet conducive to burning fat and optimizing your health…but still aren’t seeing any results.  You may need to look at source of your foods. Eating high quality foods can make a huge impact on your health and the way your body functions.  Keep in mind that your body is under constant attack from external factors like stress, pollution, bacteria, virus… and most of these are out of your control.  But what you CAN control is what you put into your body.  And by providing your body the proper nutrients it needs to protect your body from harmful outside components, the better your body will be able to function.

Your body is like a well oiled engine.  When there’s no gunk built up, it can run smoothly and burn off ALL of the fuel.  BUT when it gets clogged up with old oil build up, it loses it’s efficiency and can only burn fuel at a fraction of it’s capability.  Much like a clogged engine, eating poor quality foods can bog down your metabolism and slow your fat burning process.

So make sure you consume high quality foods to ensure that your body is functioning optimally, so you can reap all of the benefits of working out and eating well!