Sustainable Steps to WHOLE NUTRITION
Whole foods are food in their natural whole state. They are food that have not been refined or processed, or adulterated. This means that they have not been broken down physically and/or chemically into lesser parts then sold, made or eaten as just a part or fragment of the whole of the food.
12 Steps to WHOLE FOODS
What you CAN eat:
Whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry.
DRINK PURIFIED WATER! Water is the lost nutrient, and most of us do not drink enough. Guzzle Guzzle.
Lots of fruits and vegetablesshop for these at your local farmers market. Local and organic (if possible and feasible, is best). Shop in COLOR! Try new fruits and veggies you never have tried before.
Grass fed protein from properly raised animals.
Dairy products need to be in its most RAW form: raw milk unsweetened Greek yogurt, pastured eggs, and raw cheese. ONLY and in moderation.
100% whole-grains (spelt, kamut and amaranth are my fav) or gluten-free/grain free flours (if applicable).Find a local bakery in your area that has approved sandwich bread (should have 6-7 ingredients or less). Or use Gluten Free or Grain Free flour to make your own.
Seafood (wild caught is the optimal choice). No oysters or mussels.
Only locally grass-fed and pastured raised meats (sparingly)such as chicken, beef, and pork. Should be free from nitrates and any chemical fillers. Use bone broth for soups, stews, ect.
Good Fats for cooking/baking like coconut oil and avocado oil. Olive oil and hemp oil (only raw) for dressings and dips.
Beverages limited to kombucha, freshly squeezed juice, dandelion coffee substitute, and herbal teas.
Snacks like nuts or nut butters, seeds, dried fruit, and homemade popcorn
All natural sweeteners including honey, 100% grade B maple syrup, coconut sugar, and stevia. Again these in moderation too!
What you CANNOT eat:
No refined grains such as white flour, crackers, pasta, ect. White rice is an exception if it’s soaked and cooked in bone broth.
Processed meats: hot dogs, deli meats, spam, ect
No refined sweetener ssuch as sugar, HFCS or any corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda/aspartame, and truvia. NO sugar alcohol such as: sorbitol, glucitol, or mannitol.
No bad fats. Canola, vegetable, soybean oil, ect
Nothing out of a can, box, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5-6 ingredients listed on the label.
No fried foods unless you’re frying them yourself in the healthy fats above.
No “fast foods.” Restaurants chains, drive through, take out, microwave foods, ect
No soda, alcohol or juice.
5 Tips on becoming a Whole Journey Foodie
Read the ingredients label before buying anything. Fat grams, calories, and sugar are important to look at, however it’s not the most important thing. While this may be significant to some, the best indicator of how highly processed a food is can actually be found in the ingredients list. If what you are buying contains more than 5-6 ingredients and includes a lot of unfamiliar, unpronounceable, and just a bunch of gibberish… It’s not a WHOLE FOOD. Skip it! Shop the perimeter of the store and you will be in good shape.
Increase your consumption of plants. This will help to displace the processed foods in your diet, and will actually make your food selections in general very simple. No more counting calories, fat grams, or carbs when your only concern is selecting whole living food foods that your body NEEDS! Choose Nature over industry. Try to buy organic or local that in on the Dirty Dozen list.
Get to know the community of whole foods. Shop around at different markets, health food store, and co-opts. Join the Weston A. Price Chapter where you live. Ask around! Talk to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers on different connections maybe they have with whole foods in your area.Cook at home, eat out less. Prepare your meals. Learn how to preserve food (can, ferments, sprout). Sure, it’s fun to go out to eat, but do not make it habit. Get yourself in the kitchen. If you choose to go out to eat, choose places that support local farmers. Avoid the kid’s menu at all costs. Those selections are most often things like pre-made chicken nuggets, fries, and pasta made with white flour, among other things. Instead buy an adult meal and split it with your children. Also, try assembling some sort of side item plate (like baked potatoes, fruit, soup, ect) and/or try sharing some of your own meal.
You want it, you make it! Want cheesecake? Make it yourself. Want cookies? Bake them yourself. Want ice cream? Yes, even ice cream you can make it yourself. Want some French fries? You get the picture. If you had to peel, chop and deep fry potatoes every time you wanted fries then you might not eat them very often. If you had to go though all the work of making the perfect delectable cheesecake every time you wanted it, I’m sure it would be few and far between. If your only eating “junk food” such as cakes, sweets, and fried foods as often as you are willing to make them yourself, this will automatically ensure the frequency is appropriate and innately become moderation.
80/20 RULE. Our family has always lived by this. BALANCE. Be healthy when you can and let it go when it is not possible, feasible or available. Trust the amazing machine you were born into. Our bodies are incredible, and if you’re eating whole foods 80% of the time and the other 20% your going out with your friends, stuffing your face with your grandmas holiday meal, indulging when on vacation, that’s ok. I believe in birthday cake and bacon! However, don’t use the 20% to bring junk food in, use it as another freedom unity to have balance in your life. If you have allergies, then consider eating before, or packing your own food at gatherings. If you trying to reach goals, sometimes you have to at your 100% compliance, that’s great. Once you’re at maintenance, the 80/20 rule balances it perfectly. In the real world the 80/20 rule has always given us a very healthy relationship with food. All will be well with the world when you return to your healthy way of eating tomorrow, the next day or even next week.