Whole Foods Eating

 

There is a lot of advice out there about what sort of foods and supplements you should eat to be healthy. Most people tend to get overwhelmed and revert to whatever habits they have cultivated over time with their diet.

 

To really be healthier, though, we need to maximize the nutrient value of our food. The place to start with this is with a “whole food” approach. This does not mean shopping at a certain store of the same name. It means having a good think about what exactly you eat. A whole food is an apple. A whole food is brown rice, unprocessed corn or wheat. A whole food is a zucchini, a berry, a melon. We can even put meat and some dairy products into this category if they are made without additives.

 

So now you are perhaps thinking, “well, of course that is what I eat”. Hmmm. Maybe it is. But most probably, other foods sneak into your diet, even daily. Foods like soda, candy, processed foods and snacks. Very, very few of us actually eat solely whole foods. The problem with that is that we miss out on the amazing nutrients and fiber present in whole foods when we have highly processed food.

 

One way to start to make a shift to a healthier diet is by keeping a diet diary. (Get a blank template in my office if you want one). On this you record all the food you eat, liquids you drink, supplements, and activity for the day. While you are doing this daily, you can make your diet look better on paper by trying out some new whole foods every day. Fresh vegetable stir-fry (with a little meat if you want) over brown rice for dinner instead of a fast-food meal. A dish of fresh berries with yogurt or cottage cheese for a snack instead of a Frappe-something from the coffee place. No need to cut out treats you really love; just introduce some nice whole foods into your diet diary.

 

Enjoy your food, too. Have friends over or a buddy who knows you’ll be serving them kale. Get some really good recipes- they’re out there- and see how good real food can taste.  No time to cook? This is the perfect season for raw foods- salads, veggies, fruits.

 

A wonderful book to help guide you is Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford. This is an encyclopedia of useful information about all kinds of healthy food, what kinds of nutrients you need and what things do for your body. This book could also be called, everything you ever wanted to know about healthy food and how it can make you healthier (though I see why he went with the title he did).

 

If you want to talk about healthy eating, get a diet diary, have some acupuncture or massage to kick off your health buzz, give me a call or an email.

 

Wishing you the best of health,

Marian