the food rules of thumb  —  ha ha just thinking out loud here

if it was picked 2 weeks, months or years ago it was green and may be tasteless
if your orange is very orange, it was probably dyed
if you tomato is very red, it was probably ripened with ethylene oxide
if it doesn’t rot, its not going to be that nutritious
if mice and rats won’t eat it, its not food
if it turns brown it has lost its antioxidant value
if it is a fruit, after being picked it cannot ripen, it can only rot
if it is a root or tuber, it very well may improve with age
if it is stressed, it will give you less than optimal nutrition (veggie fruit or meat)
if it is white, it has few polyphenols and phytonutrients
if it is purple, it probably has lots of phytonutrients
if you peel it, in many cases you lose the valuable parts
if you burn it, you create carcinogens
if you boil it, sometimes you make it better (carrots) sometimes worse
if you eat it alone you miss other nutrients that help with digestion and absorption
if you eat a very small variety of food you will be minimally nourished
if it makes you sick, or itchy, don’t eat it again
if you take a vitamin — don’t be fooled into thinking you are nourished
if you calculate gut surface area, food is your largest environmental interface
if you eat anything, you are feeding your microbiome
if you are kind to your microbiome, you will be healthier