Food availability varies around the world. Earth provides different plants according to climate. The peoples of our planet have also spread pleasurable and nutritious foods from culture to culture and country to country by carrying seeds or plants to cultivate in a new area. Many foods present in America, such as potatoes, rice, and even wheat, were not originally grown here.

One of the most natural concepts of eating is that of consuming primarily foods that are grown in the area in which we live, and consuming them near the time when they are grown—in other words, seasonal eating of fresh foods. Some foods, such as root vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds, store better than others, and may be consumed in times, such as winter, when in many areas, most foods are not available in their fresh state.

Overall, it is important to eat a variety of foods. As we will see in the descriptions of specific categories of food, eating only one type will usually provide limited nutrition and an imbalanced diet. Also, in general, I advocate eating a predominantly natural diet containing fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans, with only moderate amounts of the more concentrated proteins such as eggs, milk products, and flesh foods, rather than the opposite—one consisting mainly of meats, dairy products, and refined foods and only occasional fresh foods, a diet that is all too common in our society.

I will discuss the basic foods from the least concentrated to the most, basically, from fruits to animal meats. I actually begin with even higher octave or vibration foods, flowers and pollens, and move through the food chain to animal products, and then finish with seasonings and beverages. With each category, I will describe the basic nutrient makeup and vitamin and mineral content and give specific examples of foods that are part of that group. For the exact nutrient content of each food I refer you to food source books such as the Nutrition Almanac, where this information can be found in a section entitled “Table of Food Composition.”

Using this information, we can analyze what we eat in regards to our exact nutrient intake. That, however, is a fairly complex and time-consuming process. I often suggest doing a diet survey to individuals wanting to see how their diet is balanced and what specific nutrients it contains. Appendix I has an example. A diet survey basically involves recording onto a special form all food consumed over a one-week period. This information is transferred into a computer programmed to analyze the daily intake of calories, fiber, cholesterol, and nutrients from vitamin A to Zinc. The percentages of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins are also important, as is the percentage of calories from various food groups. These all help us to see more clearly how the diet is balanced and how to shift to a potentially healthier one. This is a valuable exercise for anyone interested in personal nutrition.