Okay.. I'm sold. I know what not to eat. I know I should not live on processed/high fat/high sodium foods. I know this. I know what I should not eat or limit eating.

Here's the tough part for me.... what should I eat? Call me blonde - but I just don't know. I've never been a big veggie eater... but I'm slowly improving.

I don't really like fish... (unless it's battered and deep fried ) I can eat chicken. I love red meat.. ground beef.. steak. Don't really touch pork. (besides bacon ) so what? what do I cook? Give me some typical "whole foods" meals.

btw, hubby and I are going to start a garden this year (we have one acre) carrots and maybe some beans. I'm really looking forward to the summer so we can eat some of our own produce.

Thanks for any help.

Please feel free to read my fitday and provide me with any feedback - good or bad - it would really help.

Dana

Have you checked out the whole foods forum? Also, the book Superfoods RX is an excellent resource on some of the best foods for you and why they are the best.

Typicals for me:
Brown Rice - I usually have this almost every lunch and every dinner
Steel Cut Oatmeal (or regular oatmeal) - I have this almost every day
Beans - I love beans! Usually every lunch and every dinner
Veggies - Steamed, Roasted, Braised, Raw
Fruit - I try to eat a piece of fruit every day
Nuts - I snack on nuts but I am a bit careful because they do have lots of calories
Whole grain breads - I buy one that contains no sugar and it is pretty good. I make sandwiches
Whole wheat pasta - I sometimes eat this but I usually don't care much for pasta
Nonfat plain yogurt - I mix this with frozen berries for a sweet treat

Typical dinner - Brown rice, beans, oven roasted chicken, green beans
Typical lunch - similar to dinner except usually minus the meat
Typical breakfast - I cheat here sometimes, it may be oatmeal but I use oatmeal for snacks during the day. Breakfast is usually a fruit smoothie with protein powder.

Want pasta? Try whole grain pasta, with some tomato sauce with minimal ingredients (tomato sauce, spices) and meatballs made from ground turkey breast. For a side, try some oven roasted zucchini.

Want hamburgers? How about a turkey burger (season it how you like it), on a whole grain bun with lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Fries? How about some sweet potato oven fries.

Want pizza? Go ahead. Get a whole grain premade pizza crust or buy whole grain pizza dough (Trader Joe's carries one), top it with tomato sauce, spices, shredded mozzarella, some veggies and maybe some lean meat (I usually don't put meat on my pizza so I don't have specific advice for that).

I do focus on whole foods but I wouldn't say every item I eat is something I would classify as a whole food but I really do try. Whole foods really though is about eating stuff with limited processing and eating stuff that nourishes your body. I say go for it

I am into the whole foods (and doing the YOU plan) Get the book Superfoods Rx - that will give you some ideas too. What I do is I do not buy any foods that are processed anymore.

Only whole grains (brown rice), fresh (and frozen) vegies and berries, Fresh fruits. Nuts, (not roasted and salted ones either!)

Steel cut oats or whole grain no sugar cereals.

We only eat beef once a week now. We eat mostly turkey, chicken and fish (NOT battered and fried!) there are some really good tasting fish out there to try, some strong, some delicate flavored.

Twice a week we eat meatless meals - beans are a great base for meals.

We eat salad everyday too - NOT iceburg, good dark varieties.....mediterranian blend, fresh spinach, romaine, etc. I have cut ALL sugars out of our food (real and artificial) we do not eat any "white" food. Instead of white potatos, we now have baked or mashed sweet potatos.

You pretty much shop the outside edges of the store, and don't venture into the processed foods areas.

I have never felt better in my life, nor have I ever been satisfied as much. I am doing this for the rest of my life.

I couldn't have changed my lifestyle without veggies. I've always liked volume. With veggies I get to eat so much more food, volume wise then a higher calorie item, like the grains or even fruit.

You said you are getting better. That's good. I'm wondering what you've tried. What you like and what you DON'T like.

-Have you tried spaghetti squash? I make it with browned onions and garlic and a little marinara sauce. Very good.

- I make stir fries a couple of times a week. I always start off with onions, red peppers, zuchinni, carrots,broccoli, tons of mushrooms (very low in cals) and add plenty of fresh garlic to make them tastier. I add chicken breast to it. Although it's good enough to eat without it. You could add some lean sliced beef as well.

-You're all probably sick of hearing this, but I eat cauliflower probably 5 -6 times a week, which I cook in a little chicken consomme.

- I also make a yummy salad with fresh baby spinach, red leaf lettuce, red onions, strawberries and mango. I dress it with a drop of balsamic vinegar.

- I make a yummy finely chopped cucumber, tomato and onion salad with a lemon juice, oregano dressing. It keeps for quite a few days since it has lemon juice in it, so I make a big batch of it.

- I eat chicken breast a few times a week. I serve it on a bed of sauteed spinach and garlic and top it with a broiled sliced tomato. Delish.

- I season chicken breast with some taco seasoning and grill it, slice it and serve it over a salad and crumble 1/2 taco shell over it. You could sprinkle on some salsa.

-Have you tried salmon fillet? Or talapia? Very good mild fish. Add lots of garlic, some seasoned corn flake crumbs. Very good.

-For lunch I live on Morning Star Farms products, definitely the most processed food I eat. I love their Chick Patties. 150 calorie, 9gms protein. I eat that with a huge bowl of steamed veggies. I also like the Spicy Black Bean Burger @ 140 cals.

You've got to be open to new things. Experiment, experiment and then experiment some more till you find what you like. If you want more specific recipes or anything else let me know.

Charbar - I'm SO glad you asked this!! This is EXACTLY the quest I am on and have checked out numerous books from the library lately only to find they contradict each other in some way or another. I appreciate the responses here!!

Great list, Nelie! I will be referring back to this!

Mrs. Quadcrew, you have come through again for me!! I do have a question for you though. We are REALLY wanting to be rid of sugar and artificial sweeteners also. BUT, what do you do? Just not have anything sweet anymore or do you use a natural sweetner? If natural, what do you use? My husband was raised having desserts ALWAYS, and this is a biggie for him, but even HE is wanting to be rid of sugars and artifical sweeteners. He has been using honey, but it has a lot of calories versus artificial sweeteners. I have read that molasses isn't much better than sugar and we have tried Stevia but cannot stand the taste. Sooooooooo - what do you suggest?

Wow, Robin!! You can bet I will be trying your stuff! They sound SO good!! May I ask, what is chicken consomme? Is it chicken broth? I buy the canned (fat free/low sodium). And, how do you sautee spinach? As for more specific recipes/ideas, I would absolutely wholeheartedly appreciate any and all! I am making our menu for next week at this very moment and was SO glad I logged on to see this!

Thanks so much, ladies!!!

Dr. Oz suggests Agave Nectar for a sweetner.

Dana, everyone has given you great suggestions. I checked out your fitday.
I would switch from Kashi go lean 6 g. sugar to Kashi 7 whole grain puffs 0 g of sugar.
Read , read , read labels.
Find out what amount of sugar, fat and everything else that you are going to put into your mouth. Remember fat free foods have sugar in them and all kinds of stuff. We have so much stuff written about foods its hard to know what to believe. But I believe this, our ancestors didn't have the foods we have today and were much healthier and muscular for it. If it is artifically made it doesn't belong in my body. I see you like red meat my family does also and we now eat buffalo and they love it.

Thanks! I will have to try this. I imagine this is in health food stores and not grocery stores? Or am I wrong?

use spaghetti squash instead of pasta... it amazing....

I forgot to mention it but Mrs Quadcrew did. Shop the perimeter of the store! I hardly ever venture into the aisles/middle of the store for anything except canned beans, dry beans and brown rice. Also, the only thing I get from the frozen section are frozen fruit and frozen veggies.

My other suggestion is try new foods I never had butternut squash until last year and it is pretty amazing. I used to do a "try a new veggie" days when i went shopping. It helped that I used to shop at a large Korean market for produce quite often but now I'm hooked on frozen veggies. I'd buy something, then search online how to cook it, then cook it. It is pretty fun to try new things.

I can't say I eat a completely "whole foods" diet, but I do make my meals at home as healthy as possible (if you squint really hard, you won't notice the can of diet soda accompanying the healthy meals...sssshhh... ).

I love pizza. I use Boboli whole wheat crusts to make my own at home. I especially love bbq chicken pizza, which I make at home with chicken, center-cut bacon (40% less fat than regular and only 25-30 calories per slice), reduced-fat shredded cheese, and bbq sauce (I use an organic one from Whole Foods that has only 25 calories per 2T--it may contain some organic sugar cane, though).

Like Nelie mentioned, I also LOVE burgers, so for us, it's turkey burgers on wheat buns. I sometimes add bacon and reduced-fat cheese and a soy mayonnaise--very yummy, and leagues healthier than restaurant burgers.

Stir-fry dishes are my best friend. For me, this is the best way to get in some veggies (since I really can't stand most veggies). I just use chicken, frozen veggies, and a sauce/marinade from Whole Foods and serve over brown rice or whole wheat couscous.

Last night, we had boneless skinless chicken tenders baked in olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese. I served the chicken over a mixture of frozen corn, peas, and diced carrot and brown rice with some more garlic and olive oil (not much) mixed in for flavor.

I've discovered an amazing recipe for orange chicken (I LOVE Chinese food, so being able to make it healthier at home has been a lifesaver). I just use some reduced-sodium soy sauce, orange juice, white cooking wine, honey, and orange marmalade and seasonings (ginger, garlic, onion, crushed red pepper...) and marinate/cook the chicken and add 2 bags of frozen broccoli--delicious!

Ritzy - we have cut all sugars out of our eating. If it is a natural sugar we have it (of course!) I also allow myself 1 ounce of 70% cacao chocolate every couple of days if I want it. Often times, I don't even want it. since cutting all the JUNK out - the cravings ceased. Nada! NONE! I really think it almost a miracle that it works that way, but it does. Once you have it out of your system, you just don't care for it anymore. it had to be an all or nothing approach for me, nothing else has ever worked, and I didn't want to have surgery to loose this weight.

I have not had one chip, cookie, cracker, sweet (other than my 70% chocolate) in 5 weeks now. I have never felt better in my life. And the weight is coming off in leaps and bounds! (I know that will slow down eventually, but it's pretty exciting right now)

I do use the Agave nectar. It is a LOT sweeter than sugar is, so it takes a tiny amount to sweeten something, and it has no bitter after taste like Sevia does. I use it in my steel cut oats in the mornings - about 1/2 teaspoon of it along with 1/2 cup of berries and some cinnamon. I will also core and cut an apple and sprinkle it with a little cinnamon in a bowl - drizzle 1/2 t. of agave nectar on it and cook it in the micorwave for a couple of minutes. (those are the only time I even use the agave.)

It only took about a week of completely cutting the sweets and processed foods out before I noticed the cravings were no longer there.

I recommend reading Superfoods Rx and You on a Diet - they both will open your eyes and are both very helpful as far as planning what you want to eat and how to do it for the rest of your life.

I am thrilled with the changes I have made, and the best part is that I know I can live this way for the rest of my life. I am not "deprived" of anything!

Here is a link to the whole foods forum:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=209

I'd start out with lean meats, whatever fresh/frozen vegetables you like, some fruit, and some whole grains (sweet potatoes, potatoes, brown or wild rice, etc.). I like the 50/25/25 deal that Sonoma promotes - your plate should be 50% vegetable, 25% meat, and 25% grain. You could start with a few simple meals (grilled chicken, a baked sweet potato, and a side salad, for example) for the first few weeks.

This is what I usually buy: chicken (typically boneless breasts, for convenience), shrimp, salmon, zucchini, eggplant, onion, garlic, bagged leafy greens (not iceberg), quinoa or amaranth, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, frozen berries, dried fruit, milk, plain yogurt.

I think what's amazing about eating whole foods is the way my taste has changed. A few years ago I ate a lot of "re-engineered" foods that were ff/sf - muffins, bars, dressings, yogurts, you name it. Now I can't stand the taste - they all smack of chemicals to me. Even "regular" food that's highly processed tastes bad now. Lol, a few weeks a go we were watching the Food Network and saw a segment on how they make Twinkies. We reminisced about how much we loved them as kids, and on a whim bought a box the next time we were at the store. Both my husband and I almost gagged when we bit into one-it just tasted like chemicals.

Now I eat whole grain, mostly whole/frozen/fresh foods, organic dairy, with very few pre-made foods. I do like one brand of pasta sauce that is low fat/low sugar, and keep it on hand for convenience, but like others I only venture into the middle of the grocery store for canned beans, rice/grains, frozen veggies and dry goods. Like many of you have said, we feel better and are healthier than ever. Keep the good ideas coming!