Potatoes are a starchy root from the nightshade family. But potato starches are mostly resistant starch. This means they are not digested in the small intestine but reach your large intestine intact. There, your gut flora digest them, producing beneficial fatty acids. To get the most out of your potato starch, cool them after cooking.

Avoid bagged crisps and restaurant french fries, because most factories and restaurants used refined seed oils for frying.

Rice is a processed starchy grain, which should put it squarely in our red category.

However, white rice is also a comparatively clean food, and it contains very few substances other than pure starch. You can of course eat whole grain rice, but feel free to use white rice from time to time.

Like with potatoes, the starches in rice improve if you cool the rice first (sushi time!)

Refined grains cause unnatural blood sugar spikes and are firmly in our red category. The fibers in whole grains slow down the rate at which the starches from the grains are absorbed in your body, meaning the blood sugar spikes are reduced. Research shows that people who eat whole grains are healthier than people whose diet is based on refined grains.

Even so, grains are not a natural human food. As a result, many people are sensitive to grains and grains are associated with many symptoms, including irritable bowel syndrome, raised LDL levels and hay fever. Anecdotal evidence suggest that people that suffer from these can benefit from leaving grains out of their diet. If you experience any unexplained symptoms, you may want to do a Reset to see if the symptoms improve.

If you do turn out to be sensitive to grains, just leave them out of your diet. Although fibers are important, it is not necessary to eat whole grains to get enough fiber. If you eat a balanced, natural diet, the fibers you get from vegetables and fruits are enough. There is nothing in grains you cannot get from other foods.

Avoid highly processed whole grains, as the processing makes the starches more available. Don’t go by color, because companies often add caramel coloring to breads to make them look darker. Traditionally made breads (like sourdough) are best.

Quinoa is not a grass, but related to leafy greens like spinach and lettuce. Its seeds are more nutritious than grains, and it is one of the few vegetables to contain a complete protein, making it a popular choice if you’re a vegetarian. It does cause your insulin to spike, so once again moderation is key here.

Nuts have been part of the natural human diet for many thousands if not millions of years. Nuts are highly nutritious and provide a lot of value in a small package.

While eating nuts is generally healthy, it’s good to bear in mind that nuts are a pain to collect in the wild. You certainly wouldn’t be eating 16oz. bags of them. A natural portion of nuts would be a small handful a few times a day.

Although chocolate is generally considered candy (not unjustified in the case of white and milk chocolate), cocoa beans are actually highly nutritious. They have a healthy fat profile with a high concentration of monounsaturated fats. They are also full of flavanols, micronutrients that have been shown to protect against cardiovascular disease.

The darker you like your chocolate, the better. Although really dark chocolate (70-85%) is an acquired taste, nothing beats it once you get a taste for it. We advise you to really try.

Think of chocolate more as a supplement than a food. Have a few squares now and then, but don’t eat entire bars at a time.

Legumes include peas, lentils, (hard) beans and peanuts. They also include soy, but we list soy products separately.

Legumes are not vegetables but seeds. As a consequence, they need to be thoroughly soaked and cooked before consumption. Additionally, most beans have a high starch content, so try to eat them in moderation.

If you’re a vegetarian, legumes can be a good source of protein, in addition to eggs, cheese, yogurt and a variation of vegetables (including mushrooms).

Green beans and garden peas are treated as a vegetable (these are in the green category).

Raw soy is especially rich in antinutrients, but traditional fermentation techniques eliminate most of these. As a consequence, fermented soy products are fine to use occasionally.

Fermented soy products include:

• Tempeh
• Miso
• Natto
• Wheat-free soy sauce (traditionally brewed)

Stay away from tofu, soy milk and regular soy sauce, as these are all firmly in our red category. For the same reason, avoid products that contain soy as an additive as much as possible.

Some people are sensitive to soy proteins, with symptoms ranging from hives and swollen lips to shortness of breath and nausea. If you experience similar symptoms, you may want to do a Reset to see if they improve. If you do turn out to be sensitive to soy, avoid all soy products. And avoid cow milk products, because they contain similar proteins.

Both drying and juicing are processes that make the sugars in fruit more available. This means they cause bigger insulin spikes.

Eat dried fruits like you would eat nuts. At most have a small handful at a time and make sure you eat them to fuel an active life.

It’s best to dilute fruit juice, especially store bought juice. A ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part juice is best. You can use carbonated water for a refreshing drink.

Smoothies made from whole fruits and vegetables are part of the green category.

Although alcohol is on our red list, scientific consensus is that 1 glass of alcohol has a beneficial effect on health. Recent studies also suggest that beer, wine, cider and spirits may all have the same effect on health. Cocktails and other sugary mixes are counted as sugary drinks and firmly in our red category.

Drink a maximum of 1 glass of alcohol on the days you have earned it. If you suffer from fitful sleeps, try having it with dinner instead of just before bed.

Opening a bottle of wine can give you the feeling you need to finish it, because it will not taste as good tomorrow. Buy a vacuum pump with special stoppers to keep your wine fresh for days.

Eggs are extremely nutritious and versatile in the kitchen. Unfortunately, for the last few decades, the official advice has been to limit your intake of eggs because they contain cholesterol. But evidence is piling up that cholesterol is not only harmless but an essential nutrient that contributes to many important bodily functions. High LDL can be an indication of health problems but limiting cholesterol intake is not the correct response. The correct response is to eliminate all factors that can induce inflammation, including smoking, stress and excessive sugar consumption.

It’s time to take eggs off the naughty step and recognize them as the superfood they are.

Beef, pork and lamb are all red meats. Red meat, and especially processed meats, have been indicated in increasing the risk of bowel cancer. Although the findings are not without controversy, it is likely that the unnatural feeds and high stress of our modern food chain are not producing the healthiest meat.

Try to go for organic, grass fed meat whenever you can and limit your intake of processed meats.

Chicken and turkey are good choices for lean meat and an excellent source of high quality proteins.

Choose organic, naturally fed poultry whenever you can and limit your intake of industrially fed poultry.

Cheese is a great source of fat and protein, making it especially valuable for vegetarians.

Generally speaking, aged cheese (like gouda, parmezan and emmental) has a lower lactose content and is the healthier choice. Fresh cheese (like cottage cheese, mozzarella and feta) has a higher lactose content and is best avoided or eaten in moderation.

Although milk consumption appears natural, cow milk is not human milk. Many people are sensitive to cow milk, with symptoms ranging from hives to shortness of breath and vomiting. If you experience similar symptoms, you may want to do a Reset to see if the symptoms improve.

If you do turn out to be sensitive, you can try goat’s cheese as an alternative. Or you can choose to avoid all dairy products. As long as you eat a natural diet with quality proteins (eggs, fish, meat) and plenty of vegetables (for calcium), you don’t need dairy products. Also avoid all soy products, because they contain similar proteins.

Although yogurt contains more than 2% lactose, the probiotics in yogurt help you digest it. As a consequence, yogurt is much healthier than unfermented milk.

Avoid sweetened yogurts and try to find full fat yogurt from grass-fed animals. Kefir is a healthier alternative that contains less lactose and is not based on cow milk (see the cheese section for advise on cow milk sensitivity).

Cream contains many saturated and monounsaturated fats and only a few polyunsaturated fats. This makes it great for cooking and occasionally adding to your black coffee (as a treat, not a habit).

Cream does contain some lactose, but as long as you’re not lactose intolerant or sensitive to cow milk proteins, this should not be a problem.