To me, healthy eating simply means removing, or limiting the foods in your diet that could be harming you and eating enough of the foods that contain the nutrients essential to your health. It is always preferable to get your nutrients from food itself rather than supplements, although replenishing nutrients using supplements is necessary, too. Most importantly, eating should be a pleasurable experience. If you are not enjoying your meals because you feel deprived or bored, your diet is not right for you. There is no one right diet, or way to eat, different people thrive on different foods.

1. Try doing some of your shopping at local farmers markets if possible. Here is a great link to find one near you.

2. Never go shopping when you are feeling hungry. This will help prevent impulse buying – usually something junky – to satisfy your hunger.

3. Most of your shopping should be in the outer aisles – the produce, the meats, fish, eggs. The inner aisles are usually full of processed foods (which you want to avoid) – the ones full of sugar, trans fats and other preservatives that extends their shelf life. Processed foods also tend to have a lot of the healthy protective micronutrients missing and are high in sodium and low in fiber.

4. Buy fresh food whenever possible – the fresher the food, the more nutritious.

5. Buy organic fruits and vegetables whenever you can and if possible, locally grown. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are less likely to have been sprayed with pesticides and chemicals. It’s also a great way to support local farmers.

6. Choose the most colorful fruits and vegetables, the more varied the colors, the better. This way you will get as many different phytonutrients as possible.

7. Choose simple whole foods – those closest to mother-nature. The more refined or processed, the less the nutritional value.

8. As a general rule, if there are ingredients that you cannot recognize, pronounce or spell, you should not be putting those into your body. And no cartoon characters either.

9. Become a label reader – though most of the foods you should be eating do not require labels. If you do buy packaged or boxed foods, know what is in them.

10. Be wary of “all natural” labels. Although I recommend an all natural way of eating, “all natural” on a label is often meaningless and deceptive and a guise for hidden sugars.

11. Look for sugars in all its different forms on the label. A variety of different versions of refined sugars are often used to trick you into thinking that there is not much sugar in the product. Here are some of the different versions of refined sugar – cane sugar, brown sugar, beet sugar, date sugar, grape sugar, glucose, sucrose, maltose, maltodextrin, dextran, dextrose, sorbitol, corn syrup, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, corn sugar, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, barley malt, caramel, carob syrup and sorghum syrup.

12. Look for the number of grams of sugar on a label – 4 grams is equivalent to 1 teaspoon. If possible buy foods that contain 3 grams or less.

13. Try to buy grass feds meats and free range chickens. Organic meats and poultry without hormones would be next best and if you cannot find them, then chose lean cuts of meats and remove the skin from chicken as this is where toxins are stored.

14. Limit buying fish with a high mercury content. Choosing ocean caught fish is generally better than farm raised fish which are usually full of PCB’s.

15. Lastly, bring your own shopping bags with you to the supermarket.

Follow Dr. Frank Lipman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lipmo .

Frank Lipman MD, is the founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in NYC a center whose emphasis is on preventive health care and patient education. His personal blend of Western and Eastern Medicine combined with the many other complimentary modalities he has studied has helped thousands of people recover their energy and zest for life. He is the author of the recent Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Start Living Again (2009) and Total Renewal; 7 key steps to Resilience, Vitality and Long-Term Health (2003).

Who wasn’t inspired by the impressive efforts put forth by the Olympic athletes over the past few weeks? There were the amazing performances of the American athletes who pulled together for the highest medal draw at the Games. Canadian athletes broke Olympic history by having the highest number of gold medals in a single Olympics. Slovenian athlete Petra Majdic won a bronze medal even after she suffered a massive fall and the resulting broken ribs and punctured lung. And countless other athletes demonstrated near superhuman speed, endurance, and spirit. Other than the obvious drive they must have, what foods fuel these incredible feats? And, which foods can we eat more of to help us experience the best strength, endurance, and disease resistance?

Here are the top 10 picks that show the greatest antioxidant capacity, based on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scores by the USDA. Athletes are particularly prone to free radical damage, making the foods high on the ORAC chart excellent choices for them. But, these foods are not just good for athletes. We can all benefit from eating more of the top 10 foods on the ORAC chart. The number in brackets after each food item is the ORAC score it obtained…

Unsweetened dark chocolate (14479): Anyone who ever said healthy eating couldn’t taste great hadn’t considered the antioxidant capacity of dark chocolate. For anyone who is used to sweetened chocolate, it may be an adjustment to taste the bitterness of dark chocolate. Eating one square of baker’s chocolate daily offers tremendous antioxidant powers.

Elderberries (10655): Not only do raw elderberries rate high on the ORAC scale, they have proven antiviral ability, making them an especially good choice if you’re fighting off a cold or flu virus, or a more potent virus like HIV or Epstein Barr (linked to chronic fatigue syndrome). One half cup of raw elderberries was the amount used to determine its impressive ORAC score. It may be difficult to find elderberries in some communities. They are also available in dietary supplement form.

Apples (Red Delicious, 7781 and Granny Smith, 7094): Maybe there is truth to the old adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” One raw red delicious or Granny Smith apple daily packs a potent punch against free radicals.

Pomegranate Juice (100 percent pure pomegranate juice, 5923): For me, the taste of pure pomegranate juice rivals chocolate for the top-tasting antioxidant food on this list. As with all juices, be sure to dilute it 50:50 with water and sip slowly to prevent a sugar rush.

Prunes (dried plums 1/2 cup uncooked, 5700) and Prune Juice (one cup, 5212): Not just good for keeping the bowels moving, prunes are excellent superfoods with the ability to destroy age- and disease-related free radicals. Be sure to choose prunes that are free of sulphites. And, dilute juice 50:50 with water.

Red Wine (5693): While red wine is not the best choice for everyone (those suffering from brain disorders, hormonal imbalances, diabetes, among others should avoid alcohol), 5 ounces of red wine ranked high on the USDA ORAC table. Grapes and grape juice are an excellent alternative to red wine for those who want to avoid the alcohol or sulphites.

Artichokes (boiled 1/2 medium, 5650): Barely eaten in North America, these Mediterranean staples are a delicious and nutritious addition to any diet. I found 20 excellent recipes on Canadian Living’s site if you aren’t sure how to add artichokes to your diet.

Cranberries (1/2 cup raw 5271): It can be tricky to add raw, unsweetened cranberries to your diet, but these nutritional powerhouses are worth the effort. They are particularly good for anyone suffering from a urinary tract infection thanks to their proven antibacterial properties. I juice or blend them with some apple and add a bit of water to reap their benefits.

Pears (one medium, 5235): Not only are pears high on the ORAC scale, but like apples they contain an important type of fiber called pectin which has been proven to bind to harmful heavy metals in the body to escort them out through the bowels.

Pecans (1 ounce, 5086): Choose raw, unsalted pecans to reap the best antioxidant powers of pecans. Pecans are also high in the B-complex vitamins: thiamine, pantothenic acid, folate, and B-6, all of which are important for energy levels and balanced moods.

While few of us will have the opportunity to partake in the Olympics, we can all enjoy high performance foods that help us live life to the fullest.

Copyright Michelle Schoffro Cook.

Michelle Schoffro Cook, RNCP, ROHP, DAc, DNM, is a best-selling and six-time book author and doctor of natural medicine, whose works include: The Life Force Diet, The Ultimate pH Solution, and The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan. Learn more at: www.TheLifeForceDiet.com.