[mals1]

I am not sure how to start this journey of using Whole Foods. Of the books posted above which one did you find the most helpful starting out? I am a SAHM and don't have much money to spend on books. But I would like to get at least one right now to start out with.

What about magazines? I use to get Eating Well and Cooking Light. Cooking Light subscription lapsed and I just ordered a new subscription to Eating Well any others? Years ago I use to get Vegetarian Times and another Veggie magazine (Veggie Life maybe?).

[mandalinn82]

I don't know that a whole foods diet necessarily requires books. Just some basics...

1. Shop the outer aisles of the grocery store (where the fresh produce, meats if you use them, and dairy are sold) and stay away from the inside except to get things like whole grains, beans, etc).
2. Learn how to cook different veggies. This doesn't necessarily require a cookbook! I use google...as in "how to cook pea shoots". On the same note, experiment with new veggies and find new favorites. Farmer's markets are GREAT for finding new veggies to try.

[Glory87]

I don't buy a lot of books - that's what the library is for I photocopy recipes that look good! Books I would recommend checking out: Superfoods Rx, Omnivore's Dilemma, What to Eat and Food Politics by Marion Nestle.

As far as getting started - that's kind of up to you. What whole foods changes fit with your lifestyle? I try to avoid as many processed foods as possible, but I still buy "convenience" foods - like whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat pasta, veggie burgers. Technically, I could make my own veggie burgers, make my own whole wheat pasta, bake my own bread, but that just didn't fit into my lifestyle.

I do the best that I can

[mariposita]

I would chime in on checking books out of the library. If your library doesn't have them, ask your librarian about borrowing them through interlibrary loan. You might also be able to get magazines from there, depending on what subscriptions they have.

I've learned a lot by reading through posts on this forum. I think the stickies about the super foods are really good. There are also some great resources on the web, like the world's healthiest foods,
http://www.whfoods.org/
and the Harvard food pyramid
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritio.../pyramids.html

As far as where specifically to get started, if you're looking to make changes for the whole family, you might want to pick one or two areas to start with. Things like serving more salads, or beginning a switch to whole grains, for example, could be a good start. It sort of depends on where you all are with your eating right now, what everyone's comfort level is, and what kind of foods you think people will enjoy trying or wouldn't mind giving up. For a lot of families a gradual approach works well because it's not too overwhelming.

I second Glory's reading recommendations, particluarly Omnivore' sDilemma and What to Eat. What to Eat is excellent for reference and I thought it was very readable. I am also a SAHM without a big book budget, so I use the library alot. I like the Cooking Light website for recipes.

My one piece of advice for getting started would be to start adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet and work up to 9-12 servings a day. Learn what a serving is - it may not be as big as you think. I started planning my meals around the produce, instead of the meat...then other parts of our diet started to improve as well.

[mals1]

Library... Unfortunately we live in a city of 30,000 so we don't a have a huge selection and if we do there is a waiting list. LOL I will go there tomorrow (I don't have the truck today) and see what I can find. The Library is brand new and it is awesome...just need more books.

My kids have been crabby the last few days and I haven't had a chance to sit down and go thru some of the cookbooks I do have. I have a bunch of Cooking Light cookbooks and a vegetarian cookbook that has pressure cooker recipes as well as the American Heart Association cookbook. Time do so some digging and see what I can come up with.

[alinnell]

I subscribed to Eating Well and am a little disappointed in it. I also subscribe to Cooking Light, and again, disappointment (however the website for Cooking Light is indispensable!). I bought the Superfoods Rx book, and took some notes and lent it to a friend a year ago....I'm thinking it is gone for good.

[Glory87]

Originally Posted by mals1

Library... Unfortunately we live in a city of 30,000 so we don't a have a huge selection and if we do there is a waiting list. LOL I will go there tomorrow (I don't have the truck today) and see what I can find. The Library is brand new and it is awesome...just need more books.

The local branch might be small, but it's probably tied into a larger county or state system. I very heavily use inter-library loans. My county library system has a website - I log in with library account and then I can request any book in the entire system (not just at the branchl). There is often a wait, but the wait is the trade-off for free books! When my book is ready, I get an email and I pick it up at my local branch. It is an EXCELLENT system!

I very rarely browse at my branch. I go in to drop off books and pick up books.

[WaterRat]

Librarian chiming in here. ASK for books if your library doesn't have them. I almost always buy books that patrons ask for (and I serve about the same number of people your town has). I see from your library's website that you are indeed part of a much larger library system, so you should have access to a large number of books. And if there's a list, get on it. Your turn may come around sooner than you think.

Glory - you're lucky with King County (I assume that's where you are). It has a great library system.

[mariposita]

I will testify to interlibrary loan, since my town is about 1300 people! We are very lucky to have our own library, but it is teeny (can you say Carnegie?) and I get a ton of my books from other local branches and ILL.

[Glory87]

Hey Pat! It is King County - www.kcls.org yay!

[enchantedonyx]

Oh, feeling the library love! I'm a librarian as well and work in a much smaller town (16,000). If it's a new library- chances are a lot of their books are still in storage. We had 100,000 volumes in storage. In the new building for a year and still not completely unpacked.

I tend to check out stuff that I think I might be interested in buying. That way I can read it and decide if it's worth the money. After this week, I'm pretty sure I'll buy Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (which is a fantastic endorsement for whole foods and buying local), when it comes out in paperback.

[imjustagirl]

Originally Posted by enchantedonyx

After this week, I'm pretty sure I'll buy Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (which is a fantastic endorsement for whole foods and buying local), when it comes out in paperback.

Thanks for the suggestion! I just requested it from the library

[K8-EEE]

I love the library too!! Hey I'm just beginning as well, but I was inspired by Glory87's story here in the "Goal" section, if you go there and read it, basically she started emphasizing the "15 foods" featured in that book -- in her post she says what those are, then in the home page here there's a "150 best foods" book you can prob get at half.com or at the library.

I got the "Sonoma diet" used book on half.com for $3! I'm finding it VERY HELPFUL in fine-tuning the whole/healthy foods concept.

So far 7 and a half pounds down and not going crazy!

As far as starting, I would suggest starting by discontinuing or severely limiting foods that are not nutrient dense (more calories than nutrition) such as white bread, french fries, soda, etc. and eat mostly the "15 foods" in glory's post....and every week add a little more.

Also "Fitday" is a great site to keep track of overall calories & nutrition & excercise. GREAT AND FREE! FROM ONE SAHM TO ANOTHER! That's my kind of program.