The Food Classification System is based on a food rating system from level 0 to level 10. It was devised for the purpose of placing foods in groups ranging from the healthiest (level 0) to the most “toxic” (level 10). This 0-10 scale was devised to eliminate the need for reading food labels, counting calories or points, or measuring portion sizes. Additionally, this classification system allows for accuracy when measuring compliance in the clinical setting and replication in the research setting. Certain food levels of similar health value can be grouped into zones (detoxification zone, maintenance zone, and disease progression zone) for further simplification.
Our current terminology and classification of nutrition in the medical literature relies on labels of different “diets”. Examples include: The Mediterranean Diet; The Keto Diet; The Paleo Diet; The Vegan Diet; The Whole Food Plant-Based Diet; as well as others. Such labels lack adequate specifications about the foods included in them such as preparation, place of acquisition, extent of processing. Hence, individuals consume diets under the same “dietary label” but consume foods of completely different levels of health.
Both our clinical experience and the medical literature support “diets” that consists of either mostly plant foods or only plant foods are the healthiest. However, this characteristic alone isn’t enough to determine the level of health of the “diet”. We have seen many individuals in our clinical practice who state that they have followed a whole food plant-based diet for many years without adequate improvements in their health. With further inquiry, we find that the foods they are consuming are overly processed. We further find significant improvement in their health by removing excess processing of their food.
Our long clinical experience and scientific evidence has shown that the most nutritious foods to consume are characterize as being whole, plant-based, and as close to their natural state as possible. Hence, over the years, we have developed a classification for foods as a more accurate way of precisely describing the specific type of food and its level of processing at the time of consumption.
Detox: Level 0-4B
Maintenance: Level 0-6
Danger Zone: Level 7 or higher
Our Food Classification System is based on three fundamental characteristics:
It is important to note that we do not use the labels, vegetarian, vegan, or raw vegan food to describe our food choices. This is important because, although there is considerable scientific evidence supporting the health benefits of these diets compared to diets that include meat, there are also unhealthy foods included in these diets I want to avoid. For example, deep fried, breaded okra is classified as vegan, but it may not be much healthier than sautéed chicken. To be certain that even plant-based food is healthy, we must consider how it was developed and prepared prior to our consumption. The science-based evidence that supports the position that minimally processed, whole, plant-based foods provide the most optimal nutrition is the foundation for our Food Classification System.
Our classification system takes into consideration that foods are complex chemical structures with many features that we understand and can characterize. However, we acknowledge that foods have many more characteristics that we do not understand and hence cannot classify. Hence, our classification system is designed (and expected) to evolve over time.
As a result, our classification system does not limit its approach to simple finite factors such as calories, sugar content, or fat content, nor arbitrary classifications such as carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. We try to assess the “global” aspects of food:
Our Food Classification System (patent pending) is a proprietary system of assigning foods and other nutritional substances to categories, based on their ability to facilitate optimal human body healing and function. Various properties of foods are utilized to categorize them within the system. Five basic characteristics are described in the Food Characteristics Design below.
Fundamental Characteristic of the Food
Processing Category A—Physical or Chemical Changes to the Food
Processing Category B—The Extent of Mixing or Combining of the Food (No direct application of Category B will be used in this version of the classification system)
Baseline Nutritional and/or Chemical Characteristics of the Food
Origin of Food’s Development
The above classification scheme is not meant to be memorized in detail. The purpose for providing it here is to show the various factors that are used to classify foods into the various food levels. Notice the absence of factors such as caloric content, portion size, protein amount, etc.
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