10 Ways to Eat More Whole Foods:
If you're looking for some simple ways to work on your nutrition and add in good nourishing whole foods you've come to the right place! I always recommend keeping the focus on adding in whole foods rather than obsessing about eating less X, when working on your nutrition.
Whole foods are foods from the earth that are in their "whole" form or minimally processed and unrefined. Beans and legumes, whole grains, starchy and non-starchy vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, unprocessed meats, fish and eggs are all considered whole foods. Typically most people struggle to incorporate a good variety of plant foods specifically and more processed foods are just more accessible and convenient. So below are some tangible ways to make eating well just as accessible. Let me know what questions you have or what you've personally done to make eating well easier for yourself!
Let's get into it:
Aim to have at least 3 different colors in each meal. Typically vegetables and fruits are what add color to our meals so this is a really simple trick to use. The bright colors from these foods also come from phytochemicals which are SO good for us and can have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
Keep breads to just 1 meal a day to make room for other complex carbs.
Have at least 1 meatless meal a day. If you do more, great! Doing at minimum, 1 plant-based meal can make room for more plant protein sources like nuts and seeds, beans, lentil, peas, tofu/tempeh or edamame. These foods will also offer fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Plan meals by choosing your vegetables first, then plan the meal around that. Decide what veggie sounds good and how you’d like to cook it then build from there. You can even look up recipes based off that vegetable for ideas and learn what pairs well with it.
Keep fresh fruit on hand to snack on - always!
Rethink carbs. Carbohydrates are NOT bad for us, most people just need to work in more complex carbs over processed. Think outside the typical wheat breads and pastas. Cook with a variety of complex carbs such as oats, farro, quinoa, beans, barley, bulgur, wheat berries, different varieties of whole grain rice, soba noodles (made from buckwheat) and potatoes. When it comes to potatoes, red skin and sweet potatoes are my favorite to cook with for taste AND they are more nutrient dense. Look for microwaveable or frozen grain packets to make cooking MUCH easier.
Join a local CSA (community supported agriculture). This is a great way to support your local farmers! You’ll receive a weekly box with fresh produce, maybe even local eggs as well. You generally pay ahead of time which means you’re committing to eating a variety of fresh veggies each week.
Aim for vegetables to be the star of your dinner. This means incorporate them into the meal as a key player, not just a side.
Find go-to restaurants or prepared food items that you can rely on for busy nights. To cook every night just isn’t realistic for most of us. Do some research on your local restaurants to see what’s available to you. Also check out your local grocery store’s or deli’s prepared food items - rotisserie chicken, chicken or vegan “chicken” salad, cooked salmon, whole grain & mixed bean salads, and frittatas are all items you can look for!
Keep your freezer stocked with frozen fruit & frozen avocados for smoothies! I buy frozen berries at the store and use re-usable zip bags for avocado and banana slices. Smoothies aren’t a necessity to eat well but they certainly are practical, delicious and fairly easy to prepare.
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