I'm doing pretty good in general, but I've allowed myself a few splurges (a combination of craving and curiosity to see how my body would react). I had Chinese food last Friday, and I could really tell my body was not pleased.

I'd say I'm eating about 90% whole foods right now, which I'm pretty proud of. I'd like to get closer to 100%, but one step at a time.

What foods do you still allow yourself?

I think of whole foods as foods that aren't too adulterated from their original version. So, I consider some boxed foods like cereals whole foods. However, I have a mad sweet tooth on occasion and I still really like the sugar free jello dark chocolate pudding. Also, So Delicious makes a wonderful 100 calorie coconut milk nondairy "ice cream" sandwich. So good!

I make my own roast beef, smoke my own turkey, make my own jam, bake my own bread, can my own fruit. However, they'll have to pry my bottle of ketchup out of my cold dead hand.

For me, its really about what my diet consists mostly of. I eat beans, whole grains, fruit and vegetables. I may add some things in like oat bran or unsweetened soy milk or premade salsa or soy yogurt. I just pick and choose what I add to my diet and make sure that those processed, even minimally processed foods, aren't the main focus of my diet.

Diet Coke on Friday night

Fat-Free Miracle Whip to make tuna, salads, and tartar sauce

Laughing Cow Light cheese wedges

Sweetner in my coffee

Skinny Cow I C bars

Fat free cream cheese and fat free sour cream - just cannot part with either yet. I know they're Frankenfoods

Like LindaT, I can't part with sour cream. Can't do it. Fortunately I don't eat it too often. I also drink Diet Soda, although a heck of a lot less than I used to. I haven't had one in three days! Oh, and condiments...ketchup, mayo. Yes, mayo. -_-

Diet Coke, about once a week
Laughing Cow cheese, about once a month

Condiments but rarely, and I used to drown everything in them.
Occasionally a small ice cream cone from a local shop
Occasionally pizza in small amounts
Will eat out sometimes and eat something processed but not if I can find other stuff on the menu.
yogurt... quite a bit of it
cottage cheese and occasionally other cheese

Yes, Diet Coke, although much fewer than I used to, and the store bought sugar free individual puddings because they satisfy my sweet craving when I'm thinking of something way worse.

Oh, a lot. I just don't think I have it in me to be 100% whole foods focused. I drink the occasional diet soda, love sugar free lattes. I like all kinds of little packaged crunchy things for my salads which aren't great for me (tortilla strips, french fried onions, crispy wontons). I eat salad pretty much every day and I consider those foods helpful - they make salads fun for me.

Hmmm what else - low fat mayo (very little, mostly to make salmon salad sandwiches), laughing cow cheese, string cheese, BBQ sauce and salad dressings (although I try to buy organic). Various packaged Trader Joe's sauces and marinades. I buy whole wheat pizza crust, bread, yogurt, tortillas, pasta - if I were really really committed, I suppose I could make all that stuff.

Is wine considered a whole food? Hee.

Eating healthy food is important to me, but I try to balance that goal with my lifestyle.

Glory, that is kind of the way I do it also, only not so much as sounds as if you do. I completely avoid artificial sweeteners but I started doing that one several years ago. Once in a while I buy a bag of salsa Sun Chips and dole them out... 10 at a time with dinner, etc. But for stuff to add to my salads I have started getting things like falafel from PCC, heating them up and breaking them up, etc. Make yummy croutons although they are not cruncy. But I also add a few walnuts, cashews or almonds, etc. and some dried cranberries or cherries... fresh grapes, etc. to my salads.

I think I may go back to Miracle Whip Free. I MISS that stuff ha. I switched to organic mayo but that means I don't get to EAT much of it!!

Yogurt
Fiber One Cereal
Splenda and other artificially sweetened products, like SF ices
Crispy Wheats - a cracker like item

Oh, there's plenty more. Brains' just now working at this hour for some reason.

I am waaay satisfied and completely content with the vast amount of veggies, fruits and other whole foods that I consume to confidently say that I keep to a *mostly* whole foods diet. And that's more then good enough for me.

I agree, Robin. I want something I can LIVE with! And I am amazed at how much fruits and veggies I am eating and how GOOD they taste. I admit I "cheat" a lot though and buy lots and lots of salads and stuff from PCC Natural Market.

Another thing... and I was just thinking how long it has been since I have done this. I like to get the red seedless grapes and put them on the dehydrator. I don't even like raisins all that well but these are wonderful! Plain fresh pineapple also is really good dehydrated.