Whole Foods Lifestyle For discussion of whole foods and more natural diets.

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Old 05-05-2009, 11:19 AM   #1  
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Default Can a carnivore follow a "whole foods" lifestyle?

Hello everyone!

I don't know if the question is silly but I've been reading over here and doing some research and my questions still not answered. I LOVE meat (red meat since I've read about turkey and chicken over here). Is there's any suggestions when buying meat? Certain things that I should be aware like hormones, etc, etc,?

Making research and reading you over here I've come to the conclusion that I was raised in a "whole food" kind of way since in my culture we eat a lot of fresh fruits, vegetables, roots and grains and I wasn't raised eating tons of processed/frozen meals (the sugar addiction is another subject hehe). I've been in a battle with High Fructose Corn Syrup over three years and I avoid it as much as I can. I wan't to lead my son in the same way my family did and teach him about the wonders of making food from scratch but being realistic I could never be a vegan.

Am I confusing terms here? Thanks for reading.
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Old 05-05-2009, 11:39 AM   #2  
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Carnivore = An animal that survives only on the flesh of others.

So you are confusing that term You are an omnivore as you consume flesh and plant matter. Also you could be a vegan - anyone can, it's just a personal choice.

Vegans can follow a whole foods diet however there are many processed items that they could consume also which would not make it a whole foods diet. By that same regard one could eat meat and follow a whole foods diet. Whole foods simply means eating foods in their most natural state with as little processing as possible.
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Old 05-05-2009, 11:50 AM   #3  
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Originally Posted by Fat Chick B Gone View Post
Carnivore = An animal that survives only on the flesh of others.

So you are confusing that term You are an omnivore as you consume flesh and plant matter. Also you could be a vegan - anyone can, it's just a personal choice.

Vegans can follow a whole foods diet however there are many processed items that they could consume also which would not make it a whole foods diet. By that same regard one could eat meat and follow a whole foods diet. Whole foods simply means eating foods in their most natural state with as little processing as possible.
Thanks for your reply!

Carnivore is just a simple joke, maybe in English doesn't make sense. As for vegans, what I meant is that I personally could never be a vegan because I love meat. I have tried before since I used to live with vegans roommates but it's not a realistic option for me as a person that loves meat.

Last edited by Renacer; 05-05-2009 at 12:02 PM.
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Old 05-05-2009, 12:08 PM   #4  
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I'm also trying to stick with a more whole foods lifestyle, I find it just makes more sense than processed foods. But I am a big meat eater.

If you are eating meat, I would suggest going organic. I'm Canadian, so I know some rules are different here (we're not allowed growth hormone in dairy cows and there's rules about antibiotics in our dairy cows), but overall from what I've read cows are allowed to be given hormones -- real and synthetic and chickens are allowed to be given antibiotics. It's hard to see how this would not translate into your food, and in the States, you're milk (although I am also switching to organic milk).

I did some pricing and for the price difference compared to eliminating the chemicals, it's not too bad, you just have to try and shop smart. For instance, I noticed chicken breast with skin on and bone in is closer to what you would pay for conventional chicken -- you just need to remove the skin, and deal with basically one big bone and it's the same as skinless, boneless but cheaper.

For some people, going direct to local farmers may also be a good option.

Hope that helps!
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Old 05-05-2009, 12:34 PM   #5  
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Following a whole foods lifestyle doesn't mean vegan just as much as being vegan doesn't mean following a whole foods lifestyle.

I'm vegan, I love it, I follow a whole foods lifestyle, which I also love. I would say most people in the whole foods forum aren't even vegetarian let alone vegan.
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Old 05-05-2009, 12:42 PM   #6  
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I'm not a vegetarian nor a vegan nor am I currently planning to ever adopt either of those foodways. I am a whole food-ist, because "whole foods," as mentioned, simply means eating the majority of your foods in an unprocessed, unpackaged state. You might read Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" to get a better idea of what whole foods are. Generally speaking, if you can shoot it or pick it, it's a whole food
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Old 05-05-2009, 01:01 PM   #7  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chickiegirl View Post
I'm also trying to stick with a more whole foods lifestyle, I find it just makes more sense than processed foods. But I am a big meat eater.

If you are eating meat, I would suggest going organic. I'm Canadian, so I know some rules are different here (we're not allowed growth hormone in dairy cows and there's rules about antibiotics in our dairy cows), but overall from what I've read cows are allowed to be given hormones -- real and synthetic and chickens are allowed to be given antibiotics. It's hard to see how this would not translate into your food, and in the States, you're milk (although I am also switching to organic milk).

I did some pricing and for the price difference compared to eliminating the chemicals, it's not too bad, you just have to try and shop smart. For instance, I noticed chicken breast with skin on and bone in is closer to what you would pay for conventional chicken -- you just need to remove the skin, and deal with basically one big bone and it's the same as skinless, boneless but cheaper.

For some people, going direct to local farmers may also be a good option.

Hope that helps!
Thanks! Talking about the meat factor I found about this place that is not far from where I live, I want to see if they carry other more healthy options than my local supermarket. Let's see how it works.

Quote:
Originally Posted by WarMaiden View Post
I'm not a vegetarian nor a vegan nor am I currently planning to ever adopt either of those foodways. I am a whole food-ist, because "whole foods," as mentioned, simply means eating the majority of your foods in an unprocessed, unpackaged state. You might read Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" to get a better idea of what whole foods are. Generally speaking, if you can shoot it or pick it, it's a whole food
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check out that book. Now I wish I've learned about killing animals strictly for alimentation like my grandparents did...
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Old 05-05-2009, 01:36 PM   #8  
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Quote:
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are. Generally speaking, if you can shoot it or pick it, it's a whole food
LOL, thats funny. Love it
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Old 05-05-2009, 07:45 PM   #9  
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I love meat too - living in a farming community, I tend to buy local and humanely treated. (Heck, around here, you can go buy cows and chickens pre-slaughter, if you want to!) Organic is definitely a better buy, and places like Safeway tend to offer some good sales each week. You'll pay more, but the quality is better - juicier chicken, more tender meat.
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Old 05-05-2009, 10:59 PM   #10  
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Hi Renacer,
Whole foods doesn't mean veggies only, even though alot of vegitarian purists tend to eat whole foods. i used to try and do the veggie thing, but i simply have found i feel better when i eat some meat.

i was going to also suggest Michael Pollans other book the "Omnivores Dilemma" it's very informative. I read it years ago now and i still rely on some of the guidelines i picked up from it when choosing my foods, which is rare for all the books i 've read on diet and food....

Here's some basics on whole foods as far as meat consumption goes:

wild is better
hunted food is whole
for farm raised meat look for Grass Fed as oppossed to grain fed if available.
look for farming co-ops in your area where you might be able to purchase a whole humanely raised cow. if that's too much meat for you, go in with a friend.
Conventionally raised livestock can be considered whole, but alot of times they may have been given antibiotics, hormones or fed an un-organic diet, all of which can affect the consumer.

the more organic, hormone-free, anti-biotic the better.

this might go with out saying, but processed meats wouldn't be a top choice, or that kind of meat that comes in pre-packaged frozen dinners since it is probably highly processed.

Check out farmers markets, there is one in town here that advertised natural grass fed beef/ chicken. I have yet to try it but hope to this month when i stop in there again.

hope that helps. that's sort of what I think about when purchasing meat. Now that i think about it, I give a lot more consideration before buying meat or animal products than to other types of food.... always a dilemma...

Last edited by kaebea; 05-05-2009 at 11:01 PM.
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Old 05-06-2009, 11:45 AM   #11  
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THANK YOU SO MUCH, Kaebea.

I was lost regarding the meat part of the whole food concept and now I have a better idea about what exactly to look for. Hopefully here in NYC I can find a place, I'll go and check out this place outside the city that I mentioned before. Thanks for the book recommendation as well.
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Old 05-07-2009, 03:28 PM   #12  
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None of my "whole food" friends are vegetarians.
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