The 7 Healthiest Foods You Need in Your Diet

Raw fermentation creates live lactic acid bacteria that produce vitamin K2 and break down cabbage into easily digestible nutrients. Glutamine in cabbage serves as fuel for intestinal cells and repairs the gut lining. Sulforaphane, a cruciferous phytonutrient, has anti-cancer properties and puts H. pylori (ulcer-causing bacteria) into remission. Vitamin U (S-methylmethionine) builds up the mucus layer and directly heals ulcers in the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.

Arugula contains dietary nitrates that the body converts into nitric oxide, a signaling molecule that dilates the inner lining of arteries (endothelium), improving blood flow, reducing blood pressure, and combating arterial inflammation. As a cruciferous vegetable, arugula also supplies anti-cancer phytonutrients like sulforaphane. The olive oil’s monounsaturated fats and polyphenols further enhance endothelial function, while nutritional yeast provides B vitamins and amino acids that support energy and stress resilience.

Berg personally consumes arugula salad daily: ‘And personally, I also add a little nutritional yeast on it because it gives it a little cheese flavor, and nutritional yeast gives you B vitamins, amino acids. And so, the combination of why I take it is it tastes good, and also it gives me more B vitamins, especially to keep the stress low.’

DHA is a structural component of brain and retinal cells; EPA serves as a precursor to anti-inflammatory resolvins and protectins. Salmon’s selenium forms a complex with mercury that is excreted, preventing accumulation. Collagen and omega-3 fats just beneath the skin support joint, skin, and cardiovascular health. The fat-insulin connection: fatty fish like salmon barely raise insulin, unlike lean proteins.

Berg states, ‘One thing about salmon that I always do is I always eat it with the skin on it, okay? The skin has a lot of nutrients, especially right underneath the skin, you have a lot of omega-3 fatty acids.’

Cod liver is exceptionally fatty, and fat does not raise insulin (unlike carbohydrates or lean protein), making it ideal for an insulin-lowering diet. The omega-3s EPA and DHA suppress inflammation, support cell membrane fluidity, and are vital for cardiac rhythm stability.

Berg shares, ‘I can do cod liver. It's like pudding. I like the texture, I like the taste.’ He also sent cod liver to the lab and was surprised by the positive omega-3 results, leading him to correct his earlier public advice.

Fat slows gastric emptying, reducing the speed of amino acid absorption and blunting the postprandial insulin spike. Carnosine acts as an antioxidant and anti-glycation agent, protecting proteins from sugar-induced damage. Creatine supports ATP regeneration in muscle, and heme iron is absorbed 2–3 times more efficiently than non-heme iron from plants.

Berg states, ‘I consume a lot of hamburger, of course, without the bun. It just makes me feel good.’ and ‘In fact, I healed my body on red meat, okay?’

Selenium is a cofactor for iodothyronine deiodinases, enzymes that convert T4 to active T3. T helper cells require selenium for their receptor function and cytokine production; without it, the adaptive immune response collapses, increasing vulnerability to viruses and cancer. Selenium also supports glutathione peroxidase, protecting the ovaries, testes, and hair follicles from oxidative damage.

Oleocanthal in genuine olive oil gives the throat sting and has anti-inflammatory effects comparable to ibuprofen. The oil’s monounsaturated fats improve the bioavailability of fat-soluble phytonutrients in greens. Polyphenols protect LDL from oxidation, and the oil exhibits mild anti-platelet activity that reduces clot formation, which is the primary trigger for most heart attacks and strokes, not plaque buildup alone.

Berg says, ‘I've consumed olive oil for years and I didn't know that because I was consuming probably an adulterated version, which wasn't even the real thing. You just buy it at the grocery store.'

Vitamin K2 activates matrix GLA protein, which binds calcium and escorts it into bones and teeth while preventing deposition in arteries and soft tissues. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) promotes fat oxidation and lean body mass. Butyric acid, produced by fermentation, is the preferred fuel for colonocytes and has anti-inflammatory effects in the gut. The fermentation eliminates lactose, dramatically reducing carbs.

Berg says, ‘Most of the cheese that I consume, I get it imported from another country. But, that's not 100% because there are certain places in America that are doing it right.’

Cocoa flavanols stimulate endothelial nitric oxide synthase, increasing nitric oxide production and vasodilation. Magnesium acts as a calcium antagonist, preventing calcium oxalate crystal formation in kidneys; it also supports over 300 enzymatic processes, including ATP production and muscle relaxation. Berg posits that gut microbes signal the brain to crave chocolate, so satisfying that with high-cacao chocolate meets the microbes’ needs without spiking insulin.

Berg says, ‘Sometimes I'll get 85% dark chocolate as my dessert for the first meal, right around lunch. I don't consume chocolate late at night because it has certain type of stimulants.’

L. reuteri colonizes the gut and sends signals via the vagus nerve to the hypothalamus, stimulating endogenous oxytocin production. Oxytocin reduces cortisol and promotes parasympathetic activity, enhancing sleep, social bonding, and muscle repair. The bacterium also competes with pathogenic bacteria, potentially alleviating SIBO by shifting the microbial balance back to the large intestine.

After making and eating the yogurt, Berg’s wife asked, ‘What the heck has gotten into you? … You want to like hug me five times a day.’ He replied, ‘Keep eating the yogurt. I said, “Okay, I will.”’ He notes he was previously not a frequent hugger.

He had previously published a video claiming heat denatures omega-3s in canned fish, later felt unsure, then tested it himself.

Berg personally purchased the products, sent them to the lab, and was surprised by the results: ‘The report came back, and I was like, “Wow, it actually does have the amount of omega-3s that they say it does.”’ He then took down the old video and posted a corrected version.

Many health authorities advocate limiting red meat due to associations with chronic disease; Berg calls those claims ‘utterly ridiculous.’

Berg says, ‘I consume a lot of hamburger, of course, without the bun. It just makes me feel good. All this data about red meat that people tell you causes cancer, diabetes is utterly ridiculous. It’s absolutely not true. In fact, I healed my body on red meat, okay?’

L. reuteri is a microbe missing in many people due to lack of breastfeeding or antibiotic use; Berg created a yogurt to reintroduce it.

Berg’s wife said, ‘What the heck has gotten into you? … You want to like hug me five times a day.’ He recounts that he was previously not a frequent hugger, and the change was so stark his wife urged him to keep eating the yogurt.