What Is Whole Food?
Whole foods are the foods that we should be eating most of the time, but it seems very few of us understand what whole foods really are. So what is whole food then?
Whole food is food with little or no refining or processing and containing no artificial additives or preservatives; natural or organic food, states the dictionary.
Whole food is actual food. Foods you see in nature! Foods that haven’t been altered from their natural state. They are foods that can be eaten before a human even touches it. Whole foods are healthy and convenient. Generally, you can eat more whole foods without gaining weight than you could of processed foods.
What is whole food?
Whole grains (i.e. rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oats). Don’t get these confused with refined grains (breads, pasta, noodles).
Vegetables & Fruit (vegetables and fruit are much better than supplements containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and all their other magical hoo-ha).
Meats (fresh, lean cuts. Not boxed, frozen, crumbed like chicken nuggets, dim sims etc).
Legumes (i.e. kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils).
Dairy (even though dairy such as milk, yoghurt and cheese, has undergone processing in the form of pasteurisation, these products are still considered whole foods as pasteurisation is not believed to affect the products nutrition.
Ideas for substituting ‘healthy food’ for whole food
Instead of a muesli bar; a bowl of oats with berries, cinnamon and milk.
Instead of ‘baked not fried’ and ‘healthy’ versions of chips; a boiled potato with natural yoghurt and chives, or baked pumpkin (with skin on!) or baked sweet potato or carrots.
Instead of a pre-packaged breakfast drink; a home made smoothie with banana/berries and milk/coconut water.
Instead of bruschetta on bread, try my bruschetta on mushrooms!
But of course… treat yourself to the processed, refined and artificial crap sometimes. Life is also meant for living.