What is a Whole Food?

A whole food is anything that is unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible. This includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, herbs, spices and other plants, animal meat and other animal products, such as eggs and unprocessed cheese. Whole foods are nutrient-dense as opposed to calorie-dense.

The most obvious way to tell if something is a whole food is whether or not or how directly it came from nature. It’s very difficult to tell what highly processed foods are actually made of because the food label is a never-ending list of ingredients that are nearly impossible to pronounce. But when you eat a banana, you simply eat the banana as it grew in nature; therefore, it is a whole food.

Usually, food found in boxes, bags, wrappers, cans and jars are not whole foods, but there are some exceptions.

A whole foods diet is as close to nature as possible. A diet made up of whole foods provides you with the nutrients and natural enzymes your body needs to create healthy cells and support daily functions. In doing so, you’ll avoid countless diseases and ailments, your body will receive optimal nutrition, fiber and natural enzymes, and your digestive health will dramatically improve. You’ll also enjoy perks, such as more energy, better moods and hormonal balance. And you’ll be surprised just how delicious and filling your food can be when you follow these guidelines.

Cookies & Milk

Wholesome Ingredients

Baked Broccoli

Take Care Of Your Body. It’s The Only One You’ve Got.

If you can’t pronounce it, Don’t eat it.

There are no hard and fast rules, but here are some things to avoid:

  • Refined grains (white flour, enriched white flour, and corn meal)

  • Anything that is “processed” or “artificial” like Artificial colors (FD&C Red No. 40, Tartrazine, or Blue No. 1). Artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, or sucralose). Flavors (MSG, Natural Flavor which is anything but natural)

  • Fast food

  • Soda and sugary drinks

  • Trans Fats any hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, vegetable oil, canola oil, and corn oil.

  • Refined sweeteners (High Fructose Corn Syrup, Glucose, Sucrose, Malt Syrup)