While I do touch on nutrient density and toxicity of different ‘edibles’ in my coaching nutrition guides, the ‘ranking’ of food is one of the most common questions I receive on social media and also in my consulting sessions.
It’s typical human programming to want a list and thus being able to “get away” with some bad choices as long as you stick with the good ones most of the time.
And sure, it can be beneficial when you begin your journey to adopt our species-appropriate, species-specific diet; when you are slowly transitioning and slowly healing your body. With that said, once you have transitioned and notice the extreme changes in your energy levels, your mental state and cognitive abilities, and when you notice that most nagging ‘health issues’ has disappeared, you should never want to compromise your food selections ever again. You should be fully aware of how it is and how it really feels to be human. You should never want to go back or even compromise that feeling.
Still, as many request this, I will do a simple breakdown. And yes, it’s extremely logical if you stop for a minute and think about it.
As humans are obligate hyper carnivores, the most nutritious and least toxic foods will always be meat, organ meat, and animal fat. From there, anything that is not from an animal will be contraindicated and somewhat toxic, while also being mostly non-bioavailable for us as humans, as in we will not be able to extract any significant amounts of nutrients from it. And among these foods, the more unnatural and processed it is, the worse it is for us.
So, here’s a simple list from best to worst, based on nutrient bioavailability, toxicity, and compatibility with our physiology.
Tier 1 to 5: superior human-specific foods
Tier 1:
Raw meat, animal fat, bone marrow, blood, organ meat, etcetera from any grass-fed ruminant animal such as cow, bull, oxen, sheep, goat, deer, etc. Also, pasture raised eggs, or any eggs from wild birds, especially the yolks.
Tier 2:
Raw meat, animal fat, blood, and organ meat from any other healthy animal, especially game/wild life. Also, wild-caught fatty fish and fish roe.
Tier 3:
Lightly cooked meat, animal fat, and organ meat from any ruminant animal.
Tier 4:
Lightly cooked meat, animal fat, and organ meat from any other healthy animal.
Tier 5:
Raw milk from sheep, goat, or cow. Natural butter and other minimally processed dairy such as kefir or yoghurt.
Also, any meat, fat or organ meat from non-grass-fed animals — and meat that been unnecessarily thoroughly cooked.
Tier 6 to 7: emergency foods, toxic in various degree, very little nutrition, but naturally available
Tier 6:
Wild seasonal edibles found naturally in nature, such as a few berries, fruit, mushrooms.
Tier 7:
Other fruits found untouched in nature (very rare) and some citrus fruits such as lime, orange, and kabosu.
Tier 8 to 12: vegetables, fruits, and other plants (all are man-made and genetically modified)
Tier 8:
Water and mineral-based vegetables such as cucumber, squash, lettuce, bok choy, and radishes. Can be used for hydration. Only moderately toxic but no real nutritional value.
Tier 9:
Fermented plants and vegetables. Somewhat less toxins, some beneficial bacteria. Also processed dairy.
Tier 10:
Other vegetables including rice and tubers. Very high in defense chemicals, antinutrients, and some heavy metals, also pesticides. Also natural unprocessed honey.
Tier 11:
All other man-made fruits (and berries) such as apples, pears, bananas, blueberries, etc. Very high in sugars and deuterium, and covered in pesticides.
Tier 12:
Legumes, seeds, nuts, or anything that is the seed or fruit of the plant, the way they reproduce. These are extremely toxic with the highest concentration of antinutrients and defense chemicals.
Also, any kind of herb or leaves, such as pine needles or dandelion that some gullible people use for tea or beverages.
Tier 13 to 17: Processed foods
Tier 13:
Minimally processed foods, such as homemade bread and homemade food items using minimally processed ingredients.
Tier 14:
Processed foods that are somewhat low in carbohydrates and seed oils.
Tier 15:
Processed and refined ingredients on their own, such as any kind of sugar or carbohydrate and especially any kind of seed/vegetable oil.
Tier 16:
Processed foods that are high in carbohydrates, but low in fat/oils.
Tier 17:
Processed foods that are high in both carbohydrates and seed oils, especially trans fats.
Again, this list is very simplified. Ideally, to feel and perform your best, and to maximize your lifespan, you should only consume food from Tier 1 and occasionally Tier 2. Still, you will do excellent with any within Tier 1 to 4 and the occasional items from Tier 5.
The real secret here is Tier 1 and 2. As long as you have some of your food raw from mainly Tier 1, you can actually have some food items from tier 5, 6, 7 and even 8, and still do better than the animal-based eaters sticking to only cooked food as in tier 3 or 4. In other words, the more you stick to tier 1 and 2, the better off you will be, and the more leeway you will have because of your superior health.
With that said, if you actually care about your health and wellbeing, you should never venture below Tier 7 or 8.
And when it comes to navigate all the different animal-based foods, as in quality and sources, I have detailed sheets available with my nutrition guides.