What is a Whole Food?
Whole foods are foods that are as close to their whole or natural state as possible. If you can imagine the food growing then it is a whole food. Examples of whole foods include whole grains, dried beans, fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds and fresh wild salmon.
For many people, It may be difficult to have every aspect of your diet be a whole food. Small amounts of foods that are still close to their whole form can be used such as extra virgin olive oil and natural sweeteners without compromising your health.
What does a Whole Foods Diet look like?
A whole foods diet is a balanced way of eating that promotes life-long health. This way of eating emphasizes an abundance of fresh organic raw and cooked vegetables, fresh organic raw and cooked greens, fresh organic seasonal fruit, whole grains, beans, and plenty of purified water. Nuts and seeds, unrefined oils, natural sweeteners, and sea vegetables enhance the meals with flavor and nutrition. If animal products are included at all, they appear less frequently and in lower quantities than is standard in the American Diet.
Whatever combination of foods you choose, remember to emphasize whole, fresh, organic, local and seasonal ingredients to the best of your ability. A whole foods diet, combined with plenty of sunshine, deep breathing, sleep, water, exercise, spending time with God and fresh air is your key to unlocking your health and vitality.
Ten Great Reasons to Eat Whole Foods
Eating a diet consisting largely of fresh, unrefined, whole plant foods every day is like consuming an arsenal of medicines without the side effects. Whole foods contain all of the vitamins, minerals, anitioxidants, and phytochemicals we need to prevent and reverse disease and aging.
10 reasons to eat whole foods include:
1. to help insure the healthiest life possible from childhood on
2. to maintain a healthy body weight
3. to promote intestinal function
4. to regulate the immune system
5. to decrease systemic inflammation
6. to decrease cellular damage
7. to support optimum organ function
8. to assist with hormonal balance
9. to ultimately ward off disease and…
10. to reverse diseases that are already present in the body
