Within the Functional Medicine framework there are six food plans. The basic “healthy diet” is called the “Core Food Plan” because it lays the foundation for eating well throughout your life. It is designed to help you eat in a way that will nourish and energize your body. It also incorporates the basic principles of “food as medicine” to support your health goals and your relationship with food.

Science-backed Dietary Principles

The CFP was developed by a team of Functional Medicine physicians and nutrition professionals to help individuals learn to eat a balance of healthy, whole foods that support optimum health. The CFP is based on current research that points to what we should eat in order to live long, healthy lives. It takes elements from the Mediterranean diet and the hunter-gatherer approach (often referred to as the “Paleo” diet), and focuses on eating low-glycemic carbohydrates.

The Core Food Plan is designed for anyone who is interested in:

• Core principles of healthy eating

• Health maintenance

• Disease prevention

• Awareness of your relationship with food

Core Plan Features:

1) Foundational Eating Plan: This plan is designed to meet your daily needs for protein, fats, and carbohydrates. It also supplies all the necessary minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients, along with adequate fiber and fluids. On this plan, you can choose from a wide variety of high-quality foods to incorporate into meals. Healthy snacking is also part of the plan.

The CFP is appropriate for children, adults of all ages, and pregnant women. The plan is highly customizable for vegetarians, vegans or those with food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances. Adjustments in calories and macronutrient ratios can be made for athletes, those wanting to lose weight, or control blood pressure. Practitioners may recommend a certain number of servings from specific food categories for your specific health goals. Similarly, the number of meals and snacks may be changed each day to help distribute food in a way that best serves your needs.

2) Focus on Whole Foods: Whole, plant-based foods are a source of fiber and phytonutrients that are critical for proper health and digestion. Fiber binds to toxins and excess hormones so your body can eliminate them. Fiber is also essential food for the cells that line your digestive tract. Plant-based compounds called phytonutrients also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits. Phytonutrients are also responsible for the rainbow of colors we see in fruits and vegetables. Different fruit/vegetable colors often signify specific phytonutrients. (For example, yellow-orange foods like carrots and papaya contain the phytonutrient beta-carotene.

3) Promotes Clean and Organic: Eating “clean” foods helps reduce our exposure to toxins. In today’s food supply we may be exposed to artificial colors, flavors, additives and preservatives that can harm our bodies. Pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides are also found in conventionally-grown (non-organic) produce, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. The overwhelming amount of synthetic sweeteners in highly processed foods is also a concern. Eating a “clean” diet—avoiding non-organic, processed foods—supports your liver’s ability to eliminate toxins and lower the toxic burden in your body.

4) Adequate Quality Protein: Protein contains the building blocks of life (amino acids) that are necessary to make and repair cells, support muscles, maintain lean muscles mass, and stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels. Protein options in the Core Food Plan are fairly lean and include both animal and plant sources. Grass-fed and free-range animal sources are encouraged for their better fat profile (higher in omega-3 fatty acids) and lower toxins. Because protein is so critical to our bodies, it should be included in every meal and snack.

5) Balanced Quality Fats: Balancing dietary fat is key in minimizing inflammation and the risk of chronic diseases. The CFP recommends: eliminating trans fats, decreasing intake of saturated fats and omega-6 fats from animal sources and increasing intake of omega-3 fats from fish and plant sources. Healthy sources of saturated fat included in the CFP are coconut oil and butter from grass-fed cows. Anti-inflammatory fats from foods like fish, leafy greens, nuts, certain oils, and seeds are also featured.

6) High in Fiber: If you’re eating the typical Western diet containing mostly processed foods, you are only getting one-third of the fiber you need to function optimally. The CFP with its focus on whole, unprocessed foods will provide more dietary fiber from a variety of sources: whole grains, legumes, nuts, vegetables and fruits. The benefits of fiber are many: provides bulk that makes us feel full, promotes detoxification and elimination and feeds healthy bacteria in the digestive tract. The goal is to consume at least 5 grams of fiber per serving of food or a total of 25-35 grams of dietary fiber per day.

7) Low in Simple Sugar: The CFP limits added sweeteners to help reduce cravings for more sweets. Removing sweeteners also helps minimize inflammation and prevent spikes in blood sugar and insulin in order to stabilize blood sugar levels. No more than 1 to 3 teaspoons daily of lower glycemic sweeteners such as barley malt, brown rice syrup, blackstrap molasses, maple syrup, raw honey, coconut sugar, agave, lo han, fruit juice concentrate, and erythritol are allowed. Still, most sweeteners perpetuate a need for sweet-tasting food and make it difficult to enjoy the natural sweetness in fruits and some vegetables. Therefore, even approved sweeteners should be enjoyed in moderation.

8) Phytonutrient Diversity: The CFP encourages eating a variety of phytonutrient-rich fruits and vegetables every day by challenging individuals to eat six different colors of plant foods daily: red, orange, yellow, green, blue-purple, and tan/white. This is to take advantage of the thousands of beneficial plant compounds found in colorful plants that can provide dramatic health benefits. A few examples are bitter compounds in green leafy vegetables and resveratrol in grapes and red wine, or the astringent compounds in green tea. These phytonutrients may help regulate blood sugar, lower LDL cholesterol, and get blood pressure back to a healthy range.

Personalizing and Reviewing the Plan

As with all Functional Medicine Food Plans, your practitioner will walk you through your personalized food plan. You will receive food lists and a Comprehensive Guide that explains the features of the plan, frequently asked questions and resources/tools for success.

In some cases, healthcare providers may choose to recommend daily calorie amounts based on your age, gender, size, and activity level. These amounts can be met by selecting specific foods within each of the different food categories each day. Calorie counting is usually only needed initially to help get a feel for portion sizes and learn how to balance choices of protein, fat, and carbohydrate-rich foods. As you gain experience following the CFP, the quality of foods rather than calorie amounts will become more of a priority. Once balancing protein, fat, and carbohydrates in meals becomes intuitive, there will be no need to count calories.

In addition to being a healthy food plan to stay on, the Core Food Plan is also used as an entry level food plan before moving on to a more advanced therapeutic food plan.

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Need Help With Healthy Eating?

Following your doctor’s lifestyle recommendations including changes to your diet can be challenging. We at IndividuWELL can help you integrate dietary changes into your busy life with personalized health coaching to meet your needs. Contact us or schedule a free call to learn more about our health coaching programs and how they help make change happen.