THE 2 PRINCIPLES OF GROCERY SHOPPING FOR HIGH ENERGY LEVELS AND OPTIMAL

HEALTH:

1. Eat only things that run, fly, swim, or grow out of the ground. Eat whole, unrefined, minimally

processed foods that are close to nature.

Stay away from packaged foods. Buy things which have one ingredient (e.g. oranges, apples,

potatoes, grass-fed beef, oysters, etc.) not foods that list 17 or 30 different ingredients that

you cannot pronounce. This means you will be shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store.

2. If you are able to afford it, eat naturally-cultivated forms of those things that run, fly, swim,

and grow out of the ground. This means:

Grass-fed red meats, free-range poultry and eggs, and wild-caught seafood. Stay away from

factory-farmed meats and poultry, and farm-raised seafood.

o Eat organic fruits and vegetables.

Those are the 2 main principles that govern all the food choices. Principle #1 is a must. Principle #2

applies only if you are able to afford it, because it is obviously more expensive to buy higher quality

foods.

But even if you cannot afford it, keep in mind that Principle #1 is far more important than Principle

#2.

Below, I give specific tips for what to buy for each category of food. And below that is the actual

shopping list of the most important items to buy at the grocery store.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING PRODUCE.

FRUITS

Buy ripe, fresh or frozen fruit as much as is possible for you.

Do not buy fruit juices from concentrate. In general, do not drink

juice.

Try to avoid dried fruit.

Do not buy canned fruits,

Always keep your house stocked with ample fruits—fresh or frozen.

VEGETABLES

Buy fresh or frozen vegetables as much as is possible for you.

Always keep your house stocked with sweet potato varieties and

carrots.

Always keep your house stocked with LOTS of varieties of greens.

Cruciferous veggies (chard, kale, broccoli, collard greens, brussel

sprouts) as well as spinach, arugula, and all sorts of sprouts.

Do not buy if they have brown spots or are wilting. This can be a

source of mold and toxins.

FISH AND SHELLFISH

If you eat fish, buy “wild-caught” fish. Try not to buy any fish that is

farm-raised—even if it says it is “sustainable.”

Stay away from very large predatory fish like swordfish and shark—

due to higher mercury content. The smaller the fish, the lower down of

the food chain, and the less that animal will have built up toxins. I.e.

Tuna vs. sardines. (Sardines are a smarter choice with far less toxins).

Support local and traditional ways of fishing—it helps prevent the

rampant overfishing occurring today and will ensure that your children can enjoy seafood too.

Shellfish in shells like clams, mussels, and oysters are usually fine farm-raised, since they are typically

farmed in the ocean and not fed by humans. Shrimp however, are typically very toxic when farm-

raised and there are now scandals about the (rather disgusting) farming practices of many Asian

shrimp farms.

BEEF, BISON AND LAMB

Try to buy 100% Grass-fed (not “organic,” “natural”, “hormone and

antibiotic-free” or any other term other than grass-fed).

Do not eat factory-farmed meats. (Unless you can’t afford any other

option).

Try to avoid all processed meats (sausages, cold cuts, etc) unless they

are nitrate-free.

CHICKEN, EGGS, TURKEY, AND DUCK

Try to buy “free-range organic” or “pasture-rasied.”

The second best choice is “cage-free” or “hormone and antibiotic-free”

meats and eggs.

I do not recommend buying factory-farmed poultry and eggs. If you eat

poultry, try to eat only high-quality free-range poultry.

FATS AND OILS

Buy organic refined coconut oil, organic coconut cream/butter, MCT

oil, olive oil, grass-fed butter.

Do not buy any store-bought dressings and sauces. Make your own

using the good oils/fats listed above. (Unless you understand how to

read ingredient lists and you have verified that it only includes

ingredients listed here).

Do not buy any liquid oil other than olive oil or MCT oil.

Never use any liquid oil for cooking (butter or coconut oil only—olive oil is only healthy if eaten

unheated).

Never buy any vegetable oil (canola, cottonseed, soy, corn, sunflower, safflower, etc.). These are toxic.

Avoid all sources of processed fats and oils like margarine.

Avoid anything that has “hydrogenated…” something in it. These are trans-fats and are poisons.

DAIRY

For some people, they are intolerant of dairy. If so, listen to your

body and avoid it. For others, like myself, raw grass-fed dairy is a

powerful healing and metabolism-rejuvenating food that makes you

feel good. If you consume dairy, here is what it should be:

Ideally organic grass-fed or pasture-raised dairy. You want to get

NON-homogenized dairy if you can.

You can do full-fat or low-fat or non-fat.

Do not use homogenized dairy—even if it’s organic.

Do not use any dairy product that has carageenan or gums (xanthan, etc) in them—these are

frequently in yogurts, cottage cheeses and ice creams, and they are very damaging to your gut and

cause lots of inflammation.

You can find dairy products without gums and carageenan, but usually only the high quality products

are made this way. (These substances can contribute to leaky gut and the leaking of toxins from the

intestines into the blood).

COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE

Any type of organic coffee is acceptable.

If you get cacao, buy raw organic cacao powder.

Chocolate should be at least 80% cacao

GRAINS AND LEGUMES

Whole grains are best. You can eat grains, but making refined grains

(i.e. bread, pasta, cereal, cookies, crackers, pastries, etc.) staples in

your diet is a recipe for poor energy levels.

Colorful grains and legumes are a smarter choice (i.e. black rice or red

rice, or red quinoa, or darkly colored lentils or beans, as opposed to

those without much color. This is an indication of their phytonutrient

content.)

NUTS AND SEEDS

It is best to eat only raw nuts and seeds, rather than roasted and

salted.

Nut butters are okay in moderation.

THE ENERGY BLUEPRINT SHOPPING LIST

The following is the shopping list for the most important foods in each category. Each category has

items listed in approximate order of importance from most to least important.

FRUITS: Focus your meals on these specific fruits: Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, pomegranates,

strawberries, pineapples, papayas, goji berries, acai berries, and currants.

Citrus fruits (lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, etc).

Organic tropical and fleshy fruits (banana, watermelon, peaches, mango, etc)

Apples and pears

Melons and cantaloupes

Exotic fruits (cherimoya, mangosteen, rambutan, noni, etc.)

VEGETABLES:

Green leafy veggies: Spinach, arugula, watercress, celery, asparagus, lettuce, cilantro, artichoke, etc.

Cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens.

Primary carb sources should be root veggies and tubers and all squash varieties: Sweet potatoes (all

varieties, the more colorful, the better), carrots, beets, and all squash varieties.

Secondary focus should be on other potato varieties and starchy tubers: Red, golden, yukon, and

russett potatoes, cassava/yucca, malanga, etc.

Other root vegetables for carb sources: radishes, jicama, parsnips, celery root, rutabaga, turnips, taro

root.

Medicinal roots: Ginger and turmeric. (But lots of fresh ginger and turmeric if you can, and use it

liberally!)

Other herbs, veggies, and plant foods (tomatoes, basil, mushrooms, garlic, shallots, onions, etc.)

ANIMAL PROTEINS: Wild-caught shellfish like oysters, clams, squid, shrimp, mussels, and scallops. (Note: oysters, clams,

and mussels are okay farm-raised).

Oxtail for oxtail stew, or alternatively, marrow bones + stew meat for bone broths

Wild caught fish (cod, flounder, halibut, tilapia, snapper, tuna, etc), Must be wild-caught.

Free-Range Organic Eggs

Organ meats (grass-fed beef or bison liver)

Grass-fed meats (beef, lamb, bison)

Organic or Raw Dairy (Raw cheese, Organic Butter, Organic Milk, Organic Cottage Cheese (no

carrageenan or gums), Organic Yogurt (no carageenan or gums)

Whey or Casein protein powder (no artificial ingredients or gums)

Free-Range Organic Poultry like chicken and turkey.

Pastured pork

GRAINS AND LEGUMES:

Organic is ideal, if you can afford it.

Whole grains and legumes are best.

Any darkly colored lentils or beans are great.

Red rice and black rice, and colored varieties of other grains like quinoa are also excellent choices.

Whole oats or rolled oats can also be used.

NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, macadamias, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, and brazil nuts are all excellent choices.

Chia seeds, flax seeds, buckwheat groats (technically a seed), pumpkin, and hemp seeds are all

excellent choices.

SWEETENERS:

(for any and all sweetener needs or pre-, post-workout shakes)

Raw Honey

Coconut sugar

Grade B Maple Syrup

Stevia (best non-sugar, no calorie sweetener)

OILS AND FATS:

Olive oil (A recent scandal has shown that many Italian-sourced olive oils are being “watered down”

with canola oil. So be careful with your source. A California-grown olive oil may be a wise choice).

Organic Coconut Oil (refined/expeller pressed is less allergenic than virgin, for those sensitive to

coconut)

MCT oil

Grass-fed butter

Organic Coconut Cream

Coconut milk (no carageenan or gums, and ideally in BPA-free cans). I recommend using coconut

cream in glass bottles from tropicaltraditions.com in place of coconut milk. You can make your own

milk by adding hot water to the cream and blending.

FOR FLAVORING:

Real Salt from Utah (or unrefined sea salt like Celtic or New Zealand)

Assorted spices and herbs (turmeric, ginger, thyme, basil, pepper, garlic, etc).

Vinegars (balsamic, raw apple cider vinegar etc)

OCCASIONAL CARB SOURCES:

White Rice (organic)

Non-gmo, organic corn and polenta

Non-colorful varieties of grains

MISCELLANEOUS: Organic Coffee

Dark Chocolate (no soy) or raw organic cacao powder to add to shakes or with fruit

Medicinal Mushrooms (Reishi, Cordyceps, Maitake, Shitake, etc.)