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

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Old 10-03-2008, 01:50 AM   #1  
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Default A little overwhelming...

I'm debating on starting a whole food meal plan, but I'm sooo confused. I was trying to write out some meals and snacks but just became overwhelmed trying to get everything in! By the time I tried to include superfoods, whole grains, and other protein sources (like eggs and dairy) there was just too much.

Also, how do you transition over. I have cupboards, a fridge, and a freezer all with non-whole foods/non-super foods. What do I do with things like peanut butter, ham, white potatoes, fiber one bars, and sugar free fudge pops. How do these things fit in? Or do I say good bye?

Any suggestions for a whole foods virgin would be GREATLY appreciated.

Also, if these questions are answered in the books feel free to just tell me to take my cheap butt to Barnes & Noble
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Old 10-03-2008, 10:04 AM   #2  
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I'd say start incorporating whole foods as much as possible. The foods I eat evolved over many years, not over night.

Also, take your cheap butt to the library to at least read through the Superfoods RX book or other related whole foods books.
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Old 10-03-2008, 10:48 AM   #3  
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What nelie said - it's an eating style that evolves. I would have gone nuts if I tried to do it all at once.

I'd do some reading and start making one change at a time. Make a menu that includes some "superfoods" to start with. Add one or two things a week. Baby steps.

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What do I do with things like peanut butter, ham, white potatoes, fiber one bars, and sugar free fudge pops. How do these things fit in? Or do I say good bye?
To your specific question: I try to eat whole foods / clean foods as much as possible and here's how *I* handle those things (everyone is different and others might have different opinons):

Peanut butter - I eat natural fresh peanut butter that I get from Whole Foods all the time. I don't think you need to eliminate pb from a healthy diet. It's full of protein and good fats.

Ham - can be very salty, especially processed ham. I eat pork all the time, and ham (like Honeybaked ham) on special occasions. I try not to eat deli ham just because of the sodium and nitrates in it. When I can find brands that are nitrate free, I'll sometimes get that.

White potatoes - I think these get a bad rap from all the low-carb diets out there. Potatoes are amazingly healthy items as long as you don't pile them with butter, sour cream, etc. A medium (about 150g) baked potato with the skin is chock full of vitamin c, potassium, folic acid, b12, and even 2g of protein. All for 120 calories. I often have a baked potato for lunch, topped with steamed veggies or shredded pork loin or something like that. Yummy, healthy stuff.

Fiber one bars and sugar free fudge pops - Truthfully I consider these junk. I don't eat processed "bars" of any kind. I don't think they provide enough nutritional bang for the calories and they're full of chemicals. Every once in a while I'll have a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, but I try to stay away from them.

One of my non-whole-foods things is that I will use artificial sweetener every once in a while. I use Splenda to sweeten my yogurt in the mornings and sometimes in my oats. I'm lucky in that I tend to not crave sweet things, so it's not something that I use very often. When I bake I use real, organic cane sugar, rather than processed white sugar or artificial sweetener. I'd rather eat less of something sweetened with real sugar than more of something filled with chemicals.

Hope that helps a bit. I'm by no means the expert on whole eating / clean eating that some of the women around here are ... but I'm learning my way.

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Old 10-03-2008, 11:21 AM   #4  
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Yep, yep - Like nelie and PhotoChick said - Don't worry about jumping in with both feet right away.

You may not have to pitch everything in your cupboards anyway. I remember reading a post here once that someone considered 'whole foods' to be anything you can grow or shoot so the ham and potatoes would still fit - just try to keep an eye on your serving sizes. My personal choice was to start by eliminating artificial sweeteners and HFCs - I subbed in a few things that were sweetened with "oganically dehydrated cane juice" Yep, it's still sugar but with way less human "interference". I'm also a calorie counter so I just made sure that I didn't go nuts on the number of servings. I sort of progressed from there by reading labels. I still buy things like canned soup and premade pasta sauces as long as all the ingredients listed are things I could pick up at the same grocery store if I was going to make it myself. You'd be surprised at how many brands like that are easily available.

I can't even begin to describe the difference "eating clean" has made - not just with losing weight but with my mood, outlook, and attitude as well. It takes a little effort in the beginning but it is sooooo worth it and, before you know it, it's just second nature.
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Old 10-03-2008, 03:14 PM   #5  
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Oh yeah, I definitely did it in baby steps. I was a huge fan of Dr. Pratt's book. When he said "eat yogurt!" well heck, I ate that low cal processed yogurt to start - it was the only yogurt I knew! It took months before I slowly transitioned to an organic low fat plain Greek yogurt and added my own chopped fruit. That's just one example of the 100s of baby steps I made from my old junk food diet to my new lifestyle.

Even now - I'm not "perfect." I don't plan to be "perfect" - I plan to make as many good decisions as possible that fit into my life. For example, I don't think I'll ever make my own bread or make my own yogurt.
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Old 10-03-2008, 05:30 PM   #6  
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Hi Stacey,

i agree with the others. I dont' really go by any bible or book when it comes to whole foods. If it seems whole and natural to me, i will include it in my diet. and i'm not perfect by any means. candy and sugar have always been weak spots for me, and those are not very whole foods.

If i were you, i'd finish off the foods you mentioned. as you use up the PB, replace it with natural sugar free PB. Use up the ham and restock with free range organic meat. Potatoes are a whole food---and there are some lines of thinking now that whole real butter is not so bad for you-not as bad as margarine anyway. lately i've been topping mine with a small pad of organic butter. It's all a personal choice.

I make my own yogurt. it's not so hard once you get it down, and it has more probiotics than pills or storebought yogurt by the billions.

like Photochick said, i don't buy 'bars' of any kind in general Except for Larabars, which just have whole ingredients. I actually got into a discussion about this at TJ's today with the cashier--he said people always ask him which bar he would recommend, and he likes that larabars are just food.

but i would just use up the foods you have, and if you haven't eaten them 3-6 months down the road, then i'd pitch them. or give them away. I don't like to waste food, but a friend of mine once told me the way she sees it (when it comes to sweets and stuff that were bought in a moment of weakness) : You can either waste it in the trash, or waste it on your body.

but don't forget the most important foods: fruits and veggies. Just start spending more of your grocery $ in the fresh produce isle.
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Old 10-04-2008, 08:33 AM   #7  
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Incorporate whole foods into your life a little at a time. As you eat what you have in your cupbords, replace them with healthier choices and in hardly no time at all you will have a pantry and refrigerator full of healthier choices.
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Old 10-04-2008, 02:13 PM   #8  
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Maybe pick one meal a week to convert to whole foods. I think breakfast would be a great start - starts your day off great, and many people don't mind having the same thing every (or most) days, so it's less complicated.
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Old 10-06-2008, 12:40 AM   #9  
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Thanks for all the help ladies!

I'm definitely planning on incorporating more whole foods into my diet. I checked out the superfoods diet book this weekend but it just seemed so rigid with all the categories and picking a certain number and planning and all that. I've decided for now I'm just going to add whole foods in and use the intuitive eating concept. I've just become way too obsessed with food and calories. It should be a nice healthy combination for me. Better food for my body and better attitude for my mind. Hopefully the weight loss comes along as well.
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Old 10-06-2008, 12:49 AM   #10  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stacylambert View Post
Thanks for all the help ladies!

I'm definitely planning on incorporating more whole foods into my diet. I checked out the superfoods diet book this weekend but it just seemed so rigid with all the categories and picking a certain number and planning and all that. I've decided for now I'm just going to add whole foods in and use the intuitive eating concept. I've just become way too obsessed with food and calories. It should be a nice healthy combination for me. Better food for my body and better attitude for my mind. Hopefully the weight loss comes along as well.
I like the first SuperFoods book, but I thought the diet plan in the second book was strangely complicated and weird. I think the book is great for inspiring you to eat fabulous foods, and help you learn about them. Then I think anyone can take it from there on their own.
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Old 10-06-2008, 09:31 AM   #11  
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I've never looked at the superfoods diet book. I read the first (and second) superfoods books and I think they are useful to read because they give recommendations and tell you why you should be eating something rather than just 'eat this'.
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