Unlock Your Well-Being: Ditch Diets, EMBRACE Whole Foods
BLESSED BUT LOST.
That's so many of us when it comes to nourishment. We are blessed because we have food on the table (so to speak). But we're lost because the nutritional landscape is ripe with a myriad of conflicting information (are fats actually making us full or fat?), ever-changing dietary fads (from low-fat to low-carb) and loud noises (think of your "good friend" on Instagram who talks a body-loving talk on her feed, while sipping on a hipster-approved but bloodsugar-hijacking oatmilk chaga latte at her posh coffee shop). Not helpful. Not very helpful at all. So how do we wade through this deeply nourished confusion? One nutritional therapy proven answer is: Turn back to the basics of nutrition. Macro nutrients + whole foods.
The simplest approach to a whole foods diet would be to eat as close to nature as possible. Basically: Eat a baked sweet potato, not chips. But the real-life approach is a bit more nuanced. Because there is the beautiful ideal of a full-on whole foods diet. And then there is... the messy reality that we choose to live in.
A full-on whole foods based diet would consist of unprocessed and single seasonal ingredients sourced from both the animal- and plant-based kingdom. These include meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy; lots of colorful veggies and leafy greens; (preferably low-glycemic) fruit; and unrefined whole grains, legumes, nuts + seeds.
Food Freedom: The Whole Foods Difference
Unlike other dietary regiments (plant-based, grain-free paleo, or low-carb Keto), the whole foods diet is non-restrictive and promotes food freedom. And by "food freedom" I mean variety + diversity. The goal is to include (and rotate) as many different whole foods as possible. Key word: possible. Because there may be bio-individual food sensitivities and allergies to consider. Certain food groups may be completely "off-limits" (allergies) or limited to 2-3 times per week (sensitivities).
Either way, you should eat the rainbow! Here's why: Eating well-balanced and nutrient-dense whole foods provides our cells with the crucial macronutrients (protein + fat + carbs), vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients to function optimally. (But here's something to consider: Due to soil depletion, the quality + nutrient-density of even organic, locally-sourced ingredients is not what is used to be and therefore basic supplementation may be a requisite for optimal wellness. This, however, is not a free pass for eating highly-processed fast foods.).
While there are some notable health benefits (anti-inflammatory, blood-sugar balance, gut health), this way of eating may evoke a romanticized notion of a traditional foods lifestyle way before processed foods took over our wholesome pantry + kitchen. This was the time when... the seasonal foods of gardens and farms deeply nourished our great-grandparents and generations before them.
But… our great-grandparents did not have to deal with the demands of our productivity-obsessed, high-speed, always-on modern culture. They were able to follow the circadian rhythm, listen to their natural hunger cues, and enjoy home-cooked meals. But in a twist of karma, modern life has different plans for us.
Which brings us to the messy reality where there is a legitimate need to go easy on ourselves and to allow space in our kitchen cabinets for some convenience products with minimal, recognizable ingredients. Those are ingredients that you could pull from your own pantry or would not hesitate to put on your whole-foods-based shopping list.
That's the guiding question you need for determining whether a convenience product is still using whole foods. Every single time you go to the grocery store and are looking at a jar of pasta sauce, for example. If the listed ingredients for pasta sauce contains Italian whole peeled tomatoes, olive oil, onions, salt, garlic, basil, black pepper and oregano, then this product would still fit within a whole foods diet. Because there are no added sugars, inflammatory oils (safflower, sunflower, soybean, canola), preservatives, additives, food dyes, or other artificial ingredients included. These "no thank you" ingredients may cause inflammatory reactions, blood-sugar imbalance, or digestive problems.
A FEW GOOD + CLEAN BRANDS
PRIMAL KITCHEN
Some of my favorites are Unsweetened Ketchup, Mayo with Avocado Oil, and Dijon Mustard.
KETTLE & FIRE
I like their regenerative beef bone broth, which is made with grass-fed cow bones raised using regenerative agriculture.
SIETE FOODS
My brand favorites include Grain Free Tortilla Chips, Casava Flour Tortillas, Mild Taco Seasoning.
SWEET LAUREL
Sweet Laurel’s cake and pancake mixes are divinely delicious, yet they’re grain-, gluten-, and refined-sugar-free.
Clean brands like these help us to still eat nutrient-dense whole foods — but with a real-life flexibility. Our busy lives often include juggling too many things all at once (and yet we are strangely perplexed why we're so freaking tired...). That's exactly why we need to create loving conditions of nourishments for ourselves that are easily adaptable to our schedules of deliberate fullness.
So... what does that look like in practice? You could make a delicious salad with leafy greens from the farmers market and a regenerative chicken breast but tossed in a ready-made dressing. Or scramble some pasture-raised eggs with a handful of spinach, drizzle some bottled unsweetened tomato ketchup on top, and wrap it all in a store-bought almond tortilla. Or consider sauteeing grass-fed ground beef, broccoli, and spinach in your favorite pasta sauce from the grocery store but made with minimal ingredients.
I could go on... but here's my gentle point: You don't need to work for hours in the kitchen to nourish yourself with whole foods. But it requires a bit of effort (grocery shopping, some light cooking). Considering the overall wellness benefits + improved life experience, it's well worth it. And so are you!
SO MUCH EASIER. AND... MOOOOORE LOVING!