Ok—so now that we’ve covered the idea of WHY Micronutrients are important (don’t suffer nutritional deficiencies, eliminate hunger between meals, feel energized, be able to lose weight)…and how you can get many of them from getting your weekly/daily PROTEIN in good order.

Per this Eating for Energy/PHD plan—you also want to eat Daily/Weekly Supplemental Foods…AND there are also recommended Supplements to take, for micronutrients that are in short supply in modern food (soil depletion), or foods that we routinely ate as Paleo people (that our bodies still nutritionally expect) that we don't each much of nowadays (like liver)...

It is possible to get ALL of your nutrients from food…but it takes eating a huge variety of food, and eating maybe some foods that you potentially wouldn’t want to eat, as well.

So, now that we’ve covered an overview of why Micronutrients are so important...let's get specific with:

—how to plan daily/weekly Protein Supplemental Foods (like liver, egg yolks) that are key...plus some alternate ideas, if you don’t want to eat these Supplemental Foods 

—and in Bonus #1, I’ll share the simplified version of daily/weekly soil & water depleted Supplements the Drs. Jaminet recommend taking for convenience & optimal feel good health & energia

All right--let's keep going with a brief investigation of these daily/weekly Protein Supplemental Foods. These are foods that you want to plan to eat, because you can get so, so many important Micronutrients from these foods!!

First up...these are the “supplemental foods” the Drs. Jaminets recommend eating on a daily basis (with two updated recommendations):

• 4 pasture-raised egg yolks/whole eggs daily, 5 yolks daily for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant (for choline, folate, vitamin A, Arachidonic acid)
• Fermented vegetables such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir or fermented mixed vegetables (for nucleotides, probiotic bacteria, and vitamins K2 and B12)...and other vegetables such as tomato, avocado, potato, sweet potato, banana, jicama, green leafy vegetables, daily (for potassium)
• Daily collagen shooters (more deets in the next section) for collagen
• plus an updated Calcium recommendation (from several servings per day of dairy products, edible bones, cruciferous veggies)
• also, Zinc-Copper regularly from foods like oysters, red meat, cheese

1. Why Egg Yolks are so important:

All right—let’s finally dig into why Egg Yolks are so important. I mentioned briefly that they’re one of the most important foods for metal health…and it all comes down to a B vitamin that egg yolks are rich in…and this B vitamin is called Choline.

Choline is an essential nutrient involved in the process of Methylation (cellular energy) and helps folate & B12 work well together…plus, it supports your nervous system.

Choline also supports fat digestion…and helps move fat out of the liver (preventing & helping to resolve fatty liver)…and it supports muscle strength and brain power too.

Dr. Paul Jaminet writes on their blog about Choline:

"In the book, we recommend…that pregnant women and vegetarians supplement with [extra] choline. We thought seriously about recommending that everyone supplement choline, but were reluctant to recommend too many supplements.

In retrospect, we should have recommended [extra] choline...for everyone who is overweight, has elevated blood glucose or lipids, or has elevated liver enzymes. […]

Choline deficiency (CD) by itself induces metabolic syndrome (indicated by insulin resistance and elevated serum triglycerides and cholesterol) and obesity."

Choline, yo!

Again, Choline is a key component in cellular methylation (cellular energy & detoxification)…and it helps reduce the chance of pre-diabetes from turning into diabetes. Umm, seems so important!

Plus, Methylation:

Methylation is a process that turns on & off billions of switches in your body…that range from your stress response, to your brain chemistry and focus…to detoxification.

Methylation is a foundational process in our bodies & it’s a huge part of our physical, mental and emotional health. Dr. Chris Masterjohhn goes into great details about methylation here.

And choline—plus glycine, folate & B12—are all cornerstone ingredients to this really important process in our bodies. 

Woah! Choline is indeed a master nutrient…and you can really run into problems if you’re deficient in it.

How much Choline do you need each day?

Dr. Chris Masterjohn shares that the adequate intake (AI) assigned to adult men of 550 mg/day is assumed as the basal requirement…and that’s there’s no clear evidence that women need any less than this, as well.

So in order to achieve this recommended daily amount of 550 mg/day of Choline to support good methylation & body processes…that ends up being equal to 4 egg yolks.

An “egg yolk equivalent” is 136 mg of choline, the amount in one large 20-gram egg.

(4 egg yolks to get to daily requirement)

This is the daily minimum recommended as an intake of Choline. Some people have genetic permeations that actually mean they would need more Choline daily (like 8 “egg yolk equivalents” to make their methylation system function well)…

(If you want to learn more about your own specific needs for Choline--if you've done 23 & Me or the ancestry report on Ancestry.com--you can download your raw data and use Dr. Chris Masterjohn's free & data-protected Choline Calculator tool.)

Dr. Chris Masterjohn writes that “People with low MTHFR activity should consume 900-1200 mg/d, which is the amount in seven to nine egg yolks.”

And a New York study with pregnancy (and many pregnancy studies lately have been focusing on Choline) found healthy babies were made with at least 930mg of Choline a day.

That’s a lot of egg yolks! 🙂

I’ll share how to pull this off--getting in 4 egg yolks of Choline a day (or if you need more, too) with more about egg yolks & some “egg yolk alternatives” too.

What’s up with the Egg YOLKS…and not necessarily whole eggs?

The first reason is because the Choline is in the egg yolks…Also, the egg yolks contain that inflammation-resolving Arachidonic Acid, too.

The second reason egg yolks are emphasized is because being allergic to Egg Whites is indeed a common allergy...

That's why some people don't recommend eggs at all...

But you may find that if you're allergic to egg whites, that you may tolerate the Egg Yolks quite well.

Are there any benefits to eating whole eggs? (yes!)

If you aren’t allergic to egg whites—then eating whole eggs is a great strategy. The egg whites—when cooked fully—this destroys the anti-nutrients that inhibit the absorption of biotin (so "just say no" to raw egg whites in general).

The egg whites are rich in Biotin actually (an important B vitamin also fond in liver too).

Practically thinking too—if you aren’t allergic to egg whites, eating 2 (or even 3) whole eggs with breakfast is a good chunk of protein…and with our Protein Breakfast goals of 25 - 35 grams of Protein to optimize daily cortisol rhythms—that means that you need less whey or pea protein powder added on to that too.

Plus, whole egg omelettes are really yummy on the weekend, too! 🙂

Also--the Choline in egg yolks is not destroyed by cooking..so go for your egg yolks or whole eggs COOKED/BOILED, of course!

What’s up TMAO?

There is some controversy about how much trimethylamine oxide (TMAO)—found in eggs—affects your health and specifically the health of your heart. Dr. Chris Masterjohn details that:

“Gut microbes convert choline that you don't absorb into trimethylamine (TMA), and your liver converts it into TMAO.”

There is concern that excess TMAO can cause heart disease. However, there is not conclusive evidence that TMAO causes heart disease at this point—but it makes sense to use strategies to limit potential TMAO production. And you can do just that with these strategies...

Strategies to reduce/eliminate TMAO production:

So to achieve this--you could eat 2 whole eggs (or just egg yolks) for Breakfast.

Then add 2 egg yolks onto your salad or greens with Lunch.

Bam! The 550 AI of daily Choline is happening! 🙂

You can also choose supplements that generate little to none TMAO. More about these below.

In general--Dr. Chris Masterjohn shares that he is not extremely concerned about TMAO production from eating more than 2 eggs at a meal...he writes that if more compelling research is generated, that he would revise his opinion however. But to date, he finds the TMAO concerns around eating too many eggs with a meal to be far less worrying--than the national epidemic of a shortage of Choline.

Choline too has been shown not only to be essentially for healthy fetal brain growth...but also for the prevention of Alzheimers and other nuero-degenerative diseases!

For me, whole eggs are an essential daily protein to make sure I'm eating enough of...for their nuero-protective benefits...and they're an easy to prepare, really eco-friendly source of protein, too.

Why you can get half of your daily egg yolks as Betaine

Dr. Chris Masterjohn writes:

“Betaine is best for supporting methylation (see here for a primer on methylation). When you use choline for methylation, you turn it into betaine first, and you use the betaine directly for that process. Betaine generates 100 times less TMAO than choline…I recommend only getting half of your requirement from betaine because you can't use it directly to make phosphatidylcholine [used for processes like digestion] or acetylcholine [used for your brain & nervous system].”

Alternative idea:

So if you don't want to eat these 4 daily egg yolks for this master-nutrient Choline, then the Drs. Jaminet & Dr. Chris Masterjohn highly recommend taking supplemental Choline…or use alternative FOODS to meet this requirement.

For an amazing list of Choline & Betaine FOODS…and the best types of Choline supplements…check out this Choline database post from Dr. Chris Masterjohn.

Personally—I am going for 930 mg/d with Choline for fertility. I eat 4 egg yolks (over breakfast & lunch)…and then I do the Jarrow Betaine supplement he recommends plus the acetylcholine supplement too. I take the acetylcholine with dinner (potentially can disturb your sleep if you take it too late) & the Betaine with breakfast.

This post from Dr. Chris Masterjohn also covers how you can get Choline/Betaine from other food sources as well (unfortunately, it's a little challenging, and egg yolks really offer the best bang-for-your-buck for this metabolically powerful Choline micronutrient).

If you don’t like the taste of Egg Yolks—you can also mix them in with other foods and microwave them. See my Breakfast Fried Rice recipe as a great example. 🙂

And again—research has shown that eating and/or supplementing with Choline is key for helping to regulate blood glucose as well. AND, daily Choline is a key ingredient in helping to make BILE--and be able to digest your Good Fats & be able to absorb fat-soluble vitamins & minerals, too.

Daily Choline—a valuable & under-appreciated Micronutrient.

However...

However, the only problem with substituting egg yolks with a Choline supplement completely…is that you would not be getting the valuable essential fatty acid called Arachidonic acid (you can take it as a supplement though)—which does help resolve inflammation, which is really helpful for recovering from exercise and freeing up resources to be a better fat-burner, too.

(There are AA supplements if you need them as a Vegan, too)

And essentially Arachidonic acid--found in egg yolks--supports the functioning of cells in the nervous system, skeletal muscle, and immune system….and supports energy production and stress-coping responses as well.

AND...

Arachidonic Acid (in egg yolks) + Omega-3 fatty acids = resolving inflammation superstars

Plus, Arachidonic Acid--the other superstar ingredient in Egg YOLKS (besides Choline)--is part of the *resolving inflammation* superstar team.

The fabulous thing about AA is that when you pair it with omega-3 fats, the two get together and do the Resolving Inflammation dance.

Woot! From the Harvard researchers long-term study on Inflammation:

“Colleagues of Serhan’s are using resolvins [Arachadonic acid & omega-3 fatty acids] to control asthma and to stimulate surgical-wound healing. They are also investigating their effects on the microbiome. Earlier animal studies showed that resolvins reduce rheumatoid arthritis.

Because these compounds have not yet been synthesized as pharmaceuticals, maintaining healthy levels of SPMs is best supported by foods rich in the essential fatty acids EPA, DHA, and arachidonic acid.

“There’s a reason they are called ‘essential,’” says Serhan. “You can only get them from your diet.”

Fish contains all three, although arachidonic acid is also present in chicken, eggs, and beef, and EPA and DHA can be obtained from certain plant sources and algae.”

These ingredients together can help inflammation to peak and then resolve. (You can also use aspirin to help with this process, see more from Dr. Chris Masterjohn HERE)

Also--interestingly, Arachidonic Acid helps you feel happier, as well. More deets about this here.

Ok—so am I getting you excited about the power of daily Egg Yolks?? 🙂

Again--why I mainly recommend Egg Yolks (and whole eggs if you tolerate them)...and why this differs from Dr. Alan Chriastianson's recommendations in The Adrenal Reset Diet

Ok, so in Dr. Alan Christianson’s book The Adrenal Reset Diet, he recommends avoiding eggs. However--along with the Drs. Jaminet & Dr. Chris Masterjohn, potentially this problem could be solved by instead avoiding EGG WHITES:

Egg Whites are the part of the egg that most people are allergic too—and the Drs. Jaminet assert that they can get stuck in your colon...

When egg whites are fully cooked (like after 6 - 7 minutes of boiling), Dr. Chris Masterjohn details in his free Vitamins & Minerals 101 course that this does eliminate the anti-nutrients that block the absorption of Biotin, so that's good news there.

If you’re not allergic, then eating 2 whole eggs for breakfast (aiming for more total protein though)...and 2 egg yolks with Lunch is a great way to go, to get this minimum recommended daily intake of Choline...

while spreading out your intake to limit TMAO production.

Choline is so, so important for Methylation…good baby formation…preventing/resolving fatty liver disease…and Arachidonic Acid is key to resolving inflammation.

If you are truly allergic to all parts of the egg (egg yolks included)…then please check out Dr. Chris Masterjohn’s recommendation of alternative sources of Choline & Arachidonic Acid (links above).

And egg yolks have been shown to extend longevity and help promote gut health, too.

All right—how are you feeling about Egg Yolks at the moment? Excited to add them in & see how your digestion & energy improve? Or maybe wondering how to make it tasty & do-able?

I have some good recipes in my Breakfast Recipe Book…and I hope you feel empowered to take action with getting IN your Choline (and Arachidonic Acid, too).

2. Why Veggies and Fermented Foods:

Next on the daily “supplemental foods" list from The Perfect Health Diet are Veggies & Fermented Foods.

Ok, so obviously these are not PROTEIN foods...but they fall in the daily recommended foods from the Drs. Jaminet, so I'll briefly share a bit here...

And in the Safe Carbs module, I dive deeper into the importance of Vegetables…and choosing bitter ones to help stimulate bile production, for good digestion…and why you want to get as much Micronutrients as you can from your veggie & fruit choices.

Exciting Veggie Micronutrient Planning chart coming up!!

Plus--just eating Veggies every day is the best way to get all of the fiber you need: 

One of the main purposes of fiber from veggies is so that your gut bacteria can turn this fiber into essential fatty acids & helpful butyrate (covered in more detail in the Safe Carbs/Veggies section).

And if you're eating Veggies, you don't need any additional fiber supplements.

There are awesome Micronutrients—like Potassium & Calcium—that you want to get from eating real veggies, in every meal to taste, if you can. And eating 1 to 2 cups of veggies at each meal is one of Dr. Chris Masterjohn's steps to help resolve Fatty Liver Disease, too.

Plus, having 1 to 2 tablespoons a day of real Fermented Veggies is a very powerful way to help your Gut Microbiome. I’ll share more research in the Good Digestion bonus module as to how you can use Probiotic Foods to “crowd out” unfriendly gut bacteria and help right the balance in favor of good gut bacteria (that make vitamins & short chain fatty acids for you)…

Examples of daily fermented foods include real pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha (with no added sugar), kefir…

You want to start out small with your daily servings…and gradually increase to eating up to 1 or 2 tablespoons of fermented foods a day (or up to 1 cup of kefir)…

Also, if you have a histamine intolerance, then you won’t be able to eat fermented foods (see my Good Digestion bonus module for a recommendation instead).

Alternative idea:

And if you don’t want to eat Veggies or Fermented Veggies…

Well, try getting organic veggies—and try starting with mild ones like carrots and broccoli. Organic veggies do taste better (the taste comes from the heightened mineral content), so I recommend trying those before deciding you hate all veggies, too.

You can also potentially take a phage probiotic in place of fermented foods, even if you have a histamine intolerance (see my Good Digestion section for more info).

3. Calcium: an updated recommendation

All right—so the PHD program recommended Bone Broth as a main source of Calcium. Bone Broth actually does NOT contain a lot of calcium. This is something that’s been updated since the publishing of their book. I’ll share more about this in just a moment.

And, from what I can find in terms of research—is that Bone Broth is actually not a great source of skin & tissue-building Collagen either. 

It appears that the Collagen found in Bone Broth is not hydrolyzed. So, it’s not very usable by your body to help with skin elasticity, joint & tendon strength, and good stuff like that.

It is delicious for soups & stews…but so is making Veggie Mineral broths, too!

Hydrolyzed Collagen itself is super important though—because it contains the amino acid Glycine which we need a lot of on a daily basis to help with many, many processes in our body. So see the next page for how to use Hydrolyzed Collagen and/or Glycine…to make daily Collagen shooters.

Plus, fresh fruit and veggies, sulfur-containing veggies…Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin C help with making skin & tissue Collagen too.

Please see the next page for more info on Collagen/glycine.

And back to the topic of Calcium...

Recently, two research studies found that Bone Broth does not contain much Calcium. The Weston A. Price Foundation was actually quite surprised, and ordered some of their own lab diagnostics, as well. It turns out that Bone Broth is indeed NOT a significant source of calcium.

Let’s talk here though about the daily RDA of Calcium…and how to know if you're getting enough Calcium.

Getting enough Calcium:

It’s important to go for getting your Calcium from real food sources…as synthetic Calcium supplements have been strongly correlated with early death and heart attacks. And, getting calcium from food also works really well because Calcium works together with Magnesium, plus vitamins D & K2 as well.

When it comes to the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of Calcium—it’s interesting that the RDA of Calcium for a middle-aged woman (it does vary based on your age!!) is described as being equal to 3 eight ounce glasses of milk.

That’s an interesting way to describe it—you can actually get a lot of absorbable Calcium from certain veggies too (especially Napa cabbage, bok choy & Chinese mustard greens)…as well as edible bones & pasture-raised bone meal…and mineral water.

Which is a good thing, because some people don’t tolerate the proteins in Dairy very well!

So how can you tell if you’re getting enough (or too much) Calcium? Dr. Chris Masterjohn shares that the best food sources of calcium are:

--dairy products,

--edible bones (as found in sardines...but not bone broth),

--and cruciferous vegetables like collards, kale & broccoli contain some...

--However, the super-star veggies are Bok Choy, Napa Cabbage and Mustard Greens

And…If you’re eating several servings per day of these foods, then you’re likely not deficient in calcium.

If you're NOT eating several servings per day of these foods…then you likely may be.

Dr. Chris Masterjohn recommends using cronometer.com to track your calcium intake for a few days to see how you’re doing…if you’re getting 1 - 1.5 grams per day, then you’re most likely getting enough. If you’re getting less than a gram, you may be deficient. If you’re getting less than 500 milligrams per day, then calcium deficiency is probable.

You could be deficient in both Vitamin D & calcium at the same time…and Dr. Paul Jaminet remarks on their blog that:

"If you’re worried about bone health, supplement with vitamins D, K2, and magnesium citrate – not [synthetic] calcium."

Best food sources of calcium: 1/2 teaspoon Traditional Foods whole bone calcium supplement (72%), 1 cup of whole milk Kefir, Lifeway brand (49% DV), 1 cup of canned sardines (drained) (44% DV), 1 cup of whole milk yogurt (37% DV), 1 cup of whole milk (34% DV), whey protein 18g protein (18% DV), 1 ounce cheddar cheese (16% DV), 1 cup steamed bok choy (16%), 1 cup of canned salmon (drained) (15% DV), 8 ounces mineral water (9%), 1 cup of broccoli cooked (6% DV)

*the calcium in spinach is not easy to absorb—instead choose cruciferous vegetables

Although Dr. Chris Masterjohn shares in his free Vitamins & Minerals 101 course, that the calcium in whole bones & dairy products is only a little over 30% absorbable…while the calcium in cruciferous veggies is 40 - 60% absorbable.

Again, aim for 1,000 - 1,5000 mg of Calcium from real food or real food supplements, ideally.

More about how to supplement if you need additional Calcium, with a whole foods supplement in the Resource Guide on the next page…

One Calcium caveat: if you have Iron-deficiency Anemia

Another interesting thing about Calcium is that it competes with Iron for absorption.

So if you’re trying to get more Iron and correct iron-deficiency anemia—you would want to drive most of your Calcium into one meal—and then focus on getting your best Iron-rich foods & supplements in the other two meals. I've had great success with this tip from Dr. Chris Masterjohn!

I drive my main “3 glasses of calcium” into Breakfast…and focus on getting in my Iron during Lunch & Dinner.

If you aren’t trying to correct Iron-deficiency anemia…then spreading your Calcium intake evenly across all three meals is best!

I personally do use the whole bone foods supplement…and I’ve been going for a cup of steamed bok choy or broccoli with breakfast OR sometimes a glass of Kefir.…plus a little whey protein, too.

What’s your Calcium strategy going to be?

See the above deets of how to guesstimate...or use cronometer.com...to make sure you're getting in 1,000 - 1,500 mg of Calcium a day.

More about how to supplement if you need additional Calcium, with a whole foods supplement in the Resource Guide on the next page…

4. First, about Zinc:

All right—so Zinc is such an important micronutrient to get enough of Daily…as it’s central for youthful, healthy skin; a robust immune system; sharp vision; stable blood sugar control; balanced and strong hormonal health & a good sex drive; and far more.

Daily Zinc is even needed for protection against the heavy metals that pollute our environment…and it’s key for Vitamin A metabolism.

It is common to be deficient in Zinc though too—especially with Vegetarians or people who eat wheat/bread and beans often…as these foods are rich in phytic acid (phytates, in the family of anti-nutrients) that actually block the absorption of zinc.

How to know if you’re getting enough daily Zinc (awesome video here):

Dr. Chris Masterjohn shares that there are 5 principles to keep in mind, to make sure you’re getting enough Zinc:

1. There are 3 Zinc super foods:

oysters, red meat & cheese.

You can get enough Zinc for the day if you eat 1 or 2 oysters…or 1 or 2 servings of red meat (where a serving is a 1/4 pound)…or 2 - 3 servings of most cheeses (where a serving is 100 grams/3.5 ounces)

These are the Zinc superfoods ^^^ and animal food sources are better sources of Zinc, because your body can readily absorb it…and zinc is found in foods like meat, eggs & seafood.

Surprisingly—Non-fortified Nutritional Yeast (like the fabulous one from Sari Foods) also is a good source of Zinc. 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast has 1.6 mg (20% daily value).

Nutritional Yeats tastes great on top of salads, or instead of butter on top of potatoes/sweet potatoes/rice too.

Sulfur-containing amino acids like cysteine and methane actually improve zinc absorption.

2. Beware of Phytate

(Phytate is a compound found in whole grains, seeds & legumes…that essentially *locks in* minerals to prevent them from getting lost before it’s time for the grain or seed to sprout…good news for the plant, not very good news for us.

So, even though pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds & cacao are all high in Zinc, the phytic acid content would make it less bio-available….and additionally, these phytate sources can inhibit the absorption of Zinc from other foods as well.

It wouldn’t be like the phytates in these seeds bind all the minerals for the entire day…but it does affect the minerals in that particular snack or meal as a whole. So one solution is to eat your phytate-rich foods in separate meals from your Zinc-rich foods.

The other idea to consider--is that if you’re eating phytate-rich foods, or have been eating them (wheat, grains & beans)—then you may need to supplement Zinc.

3. You’ll absorb more Zinc if you spread it throughout your day.

Weird (and research-based) fact about Zinc:

Your body can only absorb about 7 milligrams of zinc at a time (and this ability resets every 5 hours)…so that’s why it’s best to have some Zinc Superfoods in each meal…or essentially, you could eat two canned oysters every 5 hours to optimize your Zinc. 

You would also want to adhere to this principle by taking a low dose of zinc (10 - 15 milligrams) that’s balanced with 1 or 2 milligrams of copper....if you're going to supplement Zinc (and copper).

4. Some conditions increase your need for Zinc:

If you’re pregnant or if you’re wanting to build muscle quickly, you need 1 extra serving of Zinc a day…if you’re breast feeding, you need 2 extra servings of zinc each day…

Also chronic malabsorption problems, diabetes, alcoholism, and potentially other medical conditions could affect your ability to absorb Zinc (discuss these principles with your doctor, and determine what would be best for you).

5. Be strategic about your supplementation.

If you’re following the other 4 principles, then you won’t need to worry about supplementing. But if a lot of your Zinc is coming from phytate-rich foods or meals…then to stay on the safe side, Dr. Chris Masterjohn recommends that it would be good to take a Zinc supplement.

Another reason why you may want to supplement Zinc (with copper)…is that Zinc supplementation can help you remove detox from heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, lead…)

And we actually make our own heavy-metal-detoxing protein called Metallothionein, to help get rid of heavy metals in our body, and it takes Zinc to make this protein!

If you have heavy metal toxicity, then you need to work with a health care specialist, one-on-one. However, if you’re just a little high in a heavy metal—then Dr. Chris Masterjohn details that using Zinc is a much gentler and safer way to ferry out extra heavy metals than using chelation therapy.

The best Zinc supplement?

Dr. Chris Masterjohn recommends that if you're going to supplement Zinc (and copper)...to take Zinc on an empty stomach, 1 hour before next meal...(you can take it with a collagen shooter, or take it with a meal if it upsets your stomach).

Since too much zinc can cause an imbalance with copper…a zinc-copper supplement brand from Jarrow (link in my Guide on this page) is already balanced with a low-dose of each….so this brand & dosage & form of zinc too, is recommended by Dr. Chris Masterjohn.

You could also eat two canned oysters every 5 hours to optimize your Zinc/Copper. 🙂

Testing your Zinc status is the only way to know for sure if you have a Zinc deficiency, of course. More about how to test your Zinc status here.

And tracking it  on cronometer.com is super helpful & being mindful if your Zinc-rich foods are being eaten with phytate-rich foods at the same time...

Best sources of Zinc: 7 oysters cooked (82 mg, 1029%), 2 canned oysters (10.6 mg, 133%), 5 ounce grass-fed beef (8mg, 100%), 5 ounce lamb (7mg, 86%), 1 chicken leg (4.3 mg, 54%), 1 tablespoon Sari non-fortified nutritional yeast (1.6 mg, 20%), 3 egg yolks (1 mg, 13% DV)

5. Second, about Copper:

Being deficient in both Copper and Zinc is common. Copper deficiency can cause anemia, hypothyroidism, graying of hair and heart disease. You can become copper deficient by supplementing with too much Zinc!! More about testing & managing your Copper status here.

And Zinc & Copper need to be in balance because a very important antioxidant—the zinc-copper superoxide dismutase (see superhero immune system image below)—contains both.

Are you getting enough…or too much…Copper?

Dr. Chris Masterjohn asserts that it’s hard to get too much Copper from real foods. Copper toxicity instead comes from too much supplemental copper…and by using copper mugs & pans (ditch the copper cups & cookware)…and water from copper pipes. Get your Moscow Mule, if you do, in a regular glass.

These sources of copper can cause major brain degeneration, especially in the elderly.

To get a fabulous amount of Copper from real food:

Quite simply, if you eat the recommended 1/4 pound of beef or lamb liver per week (or doing desiccated liver supplements)…that equates to 12 - 16 milligrams of copper per week (which is a great target amount of 2 milligrams per day).

Additional Copper-rich foods are also oysters, shiitake mushrooms, dark chocolate or cocoa, cashew nuts, squid and lobster. 

Chicken liver & refrigerated cod liver oil both do not contain copper…you can add in some Copper though with the above Copper food ideas…or use the recommended Zinc-Copper supplement strategy.

Also, again—copper cooking gear and mugs leech copper into foods in toxic amounts—so you want to avoid those! (They are pretty though :))

Best sources of Copper: 1/4 pound beef liver (16.1 mg, 1793%), 7 oysters cooked (2.8 mg, 140%), 3 oz cooked squid (1.8 mg, 90%), 4 Ancestral Supplement desiccated liver pills (1.7 mg, 85%), 3 ounce cooked lobster (1.3 mg, 66%), 1 cup shiitake mushrooms (1.3 mg, 65%), 1 cup cooked white mushrooms (0.78 mg, 39%), 1/2 avocado (0.1 mg, 13%), 1 cup cooked kale (0.2 mg, 10% DV)

And if you want to supplement Zinc & Copper—see my Guide for a brand that Dr. Chris Masterjohn recommends to help you reset a deficiency or help you get rid of a slightly high level of heavy metals (if you have high levels, get one-on-one care).

You can get adequate Zinc & copper from food…and supplementing big doses of Zinc upsets your Zinc-Copper imbalance needed for a healthy immune system (and other mineral deficiencies too). Whew! 🙂

How fabulous are Oysters?

"This bivalve is a zinc powerhouse that packs in 5.3 mg per medium oyster. The shellfish is also high in protein, relatively low in calories, and packed with other valuable vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin B-12, iron, and selenium. Try oysters cooked, canned, or on the half-shell — no matter how you serve them, you’re in for a tasty treat and a stronger immune system to boot. Oysters are also rumored to have other amorous health benefits." 🙂

Zinc/Copper daily

So even though The Perfect Health Diet originally recommends eating zinc/copper-rich Shellfish 1x a week…you may consider eating it more frequently, too.

Zinc/copper (in balance) can be a common deficiency because a lot of zinc gets wrapped up in phytate-rich food. This may be a supplement to strongly consider…

I’m currently experimenting with taking the Jarrow Zinc/Copper supplement with a Collagen shooter an hour before dinner, because I’m currently experimenting with eating some sprouted grains right now.

And in addition to the Zinc-rich super foods Dr. Chris Masterjohn suggests…I do add in 2 tablespoons on nutritional yeast a day. Eggs have a fair amount of Zinc, too.

I do love eating shellfish weekly (mussels, clams, oysters, or scallops)…and getting more zinc/copper daily seems to be key as well!

Zinc & copper…don’t be deficient. Woot.

1. Why Collagen (for cellular energy, skin beauty & gut lining love) DAILY

I go into great detail about why & how you would want to supplement Hydrolyzed Collagen (or glycine) on a meal-by-meal basis—to support cellular methylation/energy, help strengthen your joints & gut lining…and have plump, youthful skin as well!

Please see the next section for more info on Collagen/glycine.

And I know the Drs. Jaminet originally placed Collagen in the Weekly Foods category--but I firmly believe it belongs in the Daily Foods category instead--

because it contains the crucial amino acid Glycine, which is an important part of the process of cellular energy & detoxification--called methylation--that's so important to support every day, for our physical and emotional health.

More about how to do Collagen on the daily, in the next Protein Micros section!

And next, these are the “supplemental foods” the Drs. Jaminets recommend eating on a weekly basis:

• ¼ lb beef or lamb liver, weekly. If you like, substitute ¼ lb chicken, duck, or goose liver weekly plus 30 g 85% dark chocolate daily (for copper, vitamin A, folate, choline) or DAILY body-usable Vitamin A alt ideas
• fish, shellfish, eggs, and kidneys, weekly (for selenium)
• 1 or 2 meals a week of oily, wild-caught fish or shellfish (or daily algae oil), daily pastured egg yolks (for omega-3)

2. Why weekly/daily Liver is important:

All right—so I already took a deep dive with getting IN your body-suable forms of Vitamin A. And Liver is the main source--but also sustainably grown red palm oil is a great source too--to give your body this essential vitamin it needs for hormonal health.

You can find all the details for this info here.

You can get in your Liver (Retinol/body-usable Vitamin A) with:

I've done it both ways and I’m currently doing the retinol Vitamin A supplements daily, because it feels like an easier habit to sustain for me personally.

I did enjoy making Liver pate every week—especially in the winter…It’s good to experiment with both strategies and se what works best for you.

All the Vitamin A deets here…recommended supplement ideas in the Resource Guide on the next page…Don’t limp along without enough body-usable Vitamin A.

What's your Vitamin A strategy going to be--daily or weekly?

3. Why planning weekly fish, shellfish, eggs, and kidneys is important (for selenium)…

Selenium is very important for thyroid health…and for making cellular antioxidants (which strongly impacts thyroid, gut & immune cell health). 

Selenium & Iodine work together synergistically. More about Selenium’s buddy Iodine on the Bonus #1 Supplements page! 🙂

Selenium is often best not taken as a long-term supplement (because too much of it can be toxic)--and instead, you want to focus on getting it from food!

See the below recommendation to see if you're getting enough Selenium from your food choices each week. Selenium is particularly rich in shellfish, kidneys, most meat, and Brazil nuts.

However, the amount of Selenium in food varies from region to region, based on the mineral content of soil.

You can check the soil quality of Selenium in your area (US) on theses two fascinating sites here and here.

Alternate Idea?

If you find you're not getting enough Selenium from food (either because of the soil quality where you live or because you're a Vegetarian)...the Drs. Jaminet recommend as a general guideline that you can take 200 mcg per week (not daily), if you need to supplement Selenium, and can't get it from the below food choices.

How To Know if you’re getting *enough Selenium*

Here's how to know if you may need to supplement additional Selenium. Dr. Paul Jaminet writes on the PHD blog: