Benefits of a Whole Foods Diet

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If you are living off of fast food and packaged processed dinners, your health may be telling you it’s time for change. Low energy, bloating, dull skin – sound familiar? There are many health benefits of a whole foods diet, so there is no time like the present to start transitioning your diet.

After swapping your french fries, canned soup, and macaroni and cheese throughout the week to fresh cut potatoe wedges, home made soup, and grilled chicken with brown rice, I’m sure you will start noticing a difference in your hunger levels, energy, and overall health.

You will feel nourished and satisfied. Your desire to overeat will decrease. You will have energy and a lightness versus lethargy and bloating. Over time, your immune system will improve, your skin will radiate, your cravings will subside, and you will find it easier to lose unwanted pounds. Try this chicken and mango stir fry for a zesty flavoured whole-foods dish.

Of course it can be difficult to change your lifestyle 100%, so take baby steps. Little by little, you will find ways to replace your processed meals with real delicious healthy foods.

Check back to this blog where I will include tips and strategies with simple recipes to help people implement healthier living in an easy and doable way.

How to begin gaining the benefits of a whole foods diet?

1. Begin by adding veggies to your meals. For example, If you are eating a canned soup, toss in some spinach. Or add a side salad to your pizza.
2. Try to avoid packaged food. However, if you do purchase packaged food or canned goods, ensure you pick one with the fewest ingredients (and ingredients you can read and pronounce!). Remember to read your food labels.
3. Instead of going through a drive through, stop in the grocery store and select a pre-made salad or chopped veggies and pre-cooked chicken.
4. Choose a fruit as a snack and add some nut butter as a dip.
5. Boil some eggs, so you have ready to eat meals.
6. Keep low sugar turkey jerky or almonds in your car as a quick go-to when you’re hungry so you don’t stop for unhealthy food.
7. Take the time to try simple quick whole food recipes or make big batches of food and freeze for quick meals. Cooking does not have to be difficult or time consuming. Read this post on kitchen tips for beginner cooks.

What is Real Whole Food?

Real foods are whole, single ingredient food.
Real food is found in nature.
Real food is not processed.
Real food does not have chemicals or additives.
Real food is rich in nutrients.
Real food provides you with all the vitamins and minerals your body requires.
Real food limits overeating.
Real food gives energy.
Real food takes the focus off dieting and deprivation.
Real food is delicious.
Real food doesn’t make you sick.
Real food is rich in antioxidants.

How to Choose Real Food?

Fruits and Vegetables
Purchase local, seasonal, and organic when possible. This produce has more nutrients and is not sprayed to induce ripening.

Dairy & eggs
Choose grass fed and pasture raised. Higher fat content will keep you more satiated and low fat products often contain more sugar.

Whole Grains
Look for 100% whole grain.

Beans and legumes
When using dried beans, soaking first helps digestion. When buying canned beans, look for BPA-free cans. Be sure to rinse the beans to reduce sodium and starch.

Seeds and nuts
Raw and unsalted is best. You will need to keep refrigerated to reduce rancidity.

Sweeteners
Use organic honey and maple syrup, dates, coconut palm sugar, or organic stevia as a sweetener.

Meat and fish
Purchase wild, grass-fed, humanely raised without hormones or antibiotics.

Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15

Every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out a list of the produce that contain the most pesticides called the Dirty Dozen. This is the produce you should try to buy organic as often as possible or be more cautious about where you are buying the produce and . The Clean 15 is the produce with the least pesticides and safer to purchase as nonorganic.

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Kitchen Tools to Help Make Eating Whole Foods Easier

A Vitamix Blender can help make healthy smoothies quickly. A Vitamix is more expensive than some blenders, but it blends more consistently than some and can even make soups and ice cream. I’ve had mine over ten years and it still works perfectly.

However, it is an investment, so a less expensive option is the Magic Bullet. This inexpensive blender can help make smoothies quick and easy. There are many blender options in between the prices of these two, so read the reviews before selecting an option.

Another kitchen tool that can help make cooking whole foods easy is a slow cooker. This Ninja model has many options. A Slow Cooker allows you to prepare your food in the morning and have a home cooked meal by the time you come home.

If you get ambitious, you could purchase a spiralizer and make vegetable pasta to swap out your regular high glycemic pasta options and to get more vegetables in your diet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of a whole foods diet?

There are many health benefits of a whole foods diet, which included losing weight, balancing blood sugar leves, decreasing cholesterol, and improving overall health.

Also, a whole foods diet is less expensive than buying prepackaged food, restaurant takeout, and fast food. It just takes more time to prepare, but there are many ways to make this easier.

Is cheese considered a whole food?

Whole foods are foods that are as close to their natural state as possible and have undergone minimal processing. Cheese has gone through some processing; however, it is still often considered a whole food by many.

Are potatoes whole foods?

Yes, potatoes are whole foods. Anything grown in the ground is a whole food. Although french fries are made from potatoes, they are not considered whole foods because they are often processed and fried in oils. You can make whole food potatoe fries, by thinly cutting your potato, spicing it and baking in the oven until crispy.

Conclusion

A whole foods diet is a way of life versus a fad diet, emphasizing real, natural healthy foods versus processed packaged foods that are full of sugars, fats, and colourings. There are many health benefits of a whole foods diet, which included losing weight, decreasing cholesterol, and improving overall health.