Whole foods throughout the whole day!
When I first started eating a plant-based diet, I heard the term “whole foods” a lot, and that a whole foods diet is very health-promoting. But I felt a little silly that I didn’t know what “whole foods” meant, exactly.
I soon learned that it didn’t mean I had to eat my food whole, or that I could only eat food from Whole Foods Market; it means eating food that still looks as it did growing in nature, or very close to it. Basically, food that has not been messed with, or only minimally messed with. This is because everything (all the nutrients and fiber) in that whole fruit, vegetable, grain, legume (beans, peas, lentils), nut or seed has already been perfectly arranged: as the saying goes, “Don’t mess with Mother Nature.”
The human body runs most efficiently on food that is in its natural form, or very close to it. When the body sees an oily, salty potato chip comin’ down the chute, it has to work harder to do its job. If we make the body’s job easier, it will make our life easier.
When I say “messed with” I am referring to food that has been overly altered during food manufacturing. This is typically done through the processing and refining of food. Sugar, salt, and oil (as well as other chemicals and preservatives) are often added in with whole foods during processing, while other things may be removed, such as all-important fiber and water (which is why we don’t fill up as easily on processed foods and often develop constipation).
There are many reasons manufacturers process food, but mainly it’s to concentrate flavors, thereby making the product more appealing to our taste buds, so we’ll continue buying it, and the manufacturer will continue to make nice profits. Processing and packaging foods can also result in a product that lasts longer on the shelf, and is convenient to eat. But beware, as these foods are typically very high in calories.
However, all processing needn't be avoided: we process whole foods ourselves when we make applesauce from apples, carrot juice from carrots, a green smoothie from fruit and kale, and pancakes using oat flour we ground from rolled oats. These things have been minimally processed. The upside to this is that you made it so you know what’s in it (and not in it), and you know the quality of the whole food (how fresh it is, if it’s organic and GMO-free) and any ingredients that went into it. However, minimally processing our own foods can also result in a calorie-dense final result, such as with pancakes and smoothies.
You can also find minimally processed packaged foods at the store, such as: cooked whole foods (beans, tomatoes, vegetables); frozen fruits and vegetables; and non-dairy milks and condiments (salsa, mustard, vinegar). The best choices will be those that do not contain any salt, sugar, and oil. This is an excellent list of the 10 healthiest packaged foods you can buy.
Processed food products that are best to avoid (or go light on) are those that have been overly manipulated and are full of salt, sugar and oil, such as: potato chips and crackers, snack bars and candy, prepared soups and frozen dinners/desserts, most boxed cereals and breads, jarred spaghetti and pizza sauces, and yogurts and other refrigerated prepared foods and condiments. Fast and slow food restaurants also add a lot of salt, sugar and oil to their food.
Unless you’re dealing with a whole fruit, vegetable, grain, legume, nut or seed, check out the ingredient list on the package so you know what you’re putting into your body, and that you’re okay with it given your health goals.
In your quest to eat more whole foods, keep the following in mind:
Sooner is better: As soon as a plant is plucked from its life-source (the soil, the tree branch) it begins to deteriorate. Eating whole fruits and vegetables within a day or so of picking them or buying them will yield the most nutritional benefits. Frozen whole fruits and vegetables can also be a nutritious choice, as they are flash-frozen very soon after picking.
Where to look: Local farmers markets and farm stands are ideal places to find an abundance of nutritious whole foods since the food has usually been picked within 24 hours. Your grocer’s produce section also carries whole foods, although this food will typically not be as fresh as what you’ll find at farmers markets, since the food has often been trucked in from afar. Search online for "farmers markets," "produce stands," and "CSAs" (community supported agriculture) to locate the freshest local produce.
Whole on the go: Whole foods travel easily and fill us up. Consider packing a snack bag to take with you when you leave for work or go on a trip. Convenient whole food choices include: bananas, apples, grapes, carrots, fresh green pea pods, and cold cooked potatoes. Dried fruits and nuts are often handy whole food choices for traveling, but they are more calorie-dense. Cooked oatmeal or leftovers, even if cold, also make delicious traveling food.
Viva la variety: Consume a variety of whole foods throughout the day to adequately meet your body’s nutrient needs. I usually start my morning with a bowl of cut-up fruit and/or cooked whole-grains (brown rice, quinoa, etc.) with almond or soy milk. My lunch might include a green salad with a variety of veggies and beans, or a bowl of hearty vegetable soup. Later in the day, I’ll grab a couple pieces of fruit, and for dinner I might have baked potatoes or winter squash topped with raw and/or cooked vegetables, or a hearty chili.
For optimum health, whole is the goal!
What are your favorite whole food snacks, tips or suggestions?
Great article Cathy. It's easy to get off track and think you are eating a whole-foods diet. Thank you for giving us such a detailed article!
This article is a wealth of clear cut, easy to understand information. I have one question-bread. Does it have a place in your food plan for sandwiches, and if so, what brand would you recommend? Baking is not an option for me, I hate to bake! 🙂
Thanks so much,
Belinda
Hi Belinda, I don't eat bread at home, just when I go out to eat, which isn't very often. I used to eat good, healthy bread every day, but even then I was addicted to it and would eat way too much in a day. So I stopped buying it for the most part. But if I do ever buy bread, I usually get Ezekial brand (found in the freezer section) or something whole-grain and vegan from a local bakery. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback on the article!
Hi Again!
I found a bread at Trader Joe's that isn't too bad at all. It's vegan and it's sodium free. It's called Daily Bread, made from sprouted whole grains. I toasted some last night and mashed a soft banana to use as a spread instead of butter and jelly. I enjoyed it.
Cathy, you have inspired me to try vegan cooking. Today I am going to make your BBQ Beans and Greens. Thank you for taking the time and effort to make all this information available to us.
Belinda
Hi Belinda, that sounds great! You're so welcome, it's my pleasure. 😉
This is great information.
Thank You!
Love it, Cathy! Thanks. Sometimes I take for granted that people know what I mean when I say whole food. They get even more cross-eyed when I say "whole food, plant-based."
Great post Kathy.
I'm trying to include more and more
whole foods into my diet.
Thank you for your insights!
As of yesterday, I couldn't conceptualize of cooking without salt, oil or sugars.... especially the oil... Thanks for the introduction to this lifestyle... I no longer want concentrated oil fat clogging up my arteries.. !! Thanks
Welcome Monty! 🙂 That's wonderful! Thanks for the comment.
What is a good oil substitute
It depends on what you're making; check out this article about cooking w/o oil. 🙂
Hi Cathy. I just found your site and am excited to continue enjoying all your great recipes and reading about you and your experiences. I am a McDougaller, so appreciate all the great options with no or little salt, oil, and/or sugar. Thanks, Lynn.
Welcome Lynn! 🙂
can you please tell me what is meant by a "whole meat" sandwich. I have searched the web over and cannot find an answer.
Hi Jeff, I've never heard that term, and don't eat meat, so I'm not help, sorry.
ok thats all nice, but what is the effect of this diet
You can read more about that on this page, under "Why do you eat this way?"
Thank you Cathy. Stumbled across this page and am loving it. I am trying to eat whole foods only, and for the most part I do. Just seem to stumble a lot. Now that I have found this page I am hoping it will keep me on track
Welcome Donna! 😉
Hi. Great post. I am interested in the whole food diet but I have a question. Is salt not a whole food? I am confused as It is found in nature as it is.
Hi Kim, good question. I would argue that salt is not a whole food, as it's a mineral found in the ocean or is mined from the earth, not easily attainable without some work (processing, refining). It's recommended to get our sodium requirements met via the plant foods we eat. The issue is that people are consuming so much of it, and it can be quite addictive as table salt (or other concentrated forms: sea salt, soy sauce). Having just a little can be hard for some people, while others can add a little to the top of their food (not add it in while cooking) and keep it at a minimum. When I go out I usually will get some salt in my food or when buying certain packaged foods, so I try to avoid it at home. Plant-based doctors have different opinions about salt usage, but since I base my recipes on the philosophy of TrueNorth Health Center where I work every week, I keep them all SOS-free (salt, oil, sugar-free). Dr. McDougall, however, feels that adding a little on top of meals at home is fine if it gets you to eat a plant-based diet more easily and helps you enjoy your food.
Thank you for your newsletter today. I found a recipe online for some gluten-free cookie bars touting the high nutrient quality of teff, but the recipe also had 2/3 cup coconut oil and equal amount brown sugar. I almost was going to print it to make it but your newsletter acted as my conscience and guided me back to the SOS-free path. Thank you for all that you do! (You get bonus points if you you can suggest a gluten-free SOS-free gingery desert because that is what is on my mind...)
Hi Gira, wow, that's great! Thank you. 😉 No gingery desserts spring to mind, but I'll think on it.
I recently went to Costco after not having bread for a very long time and managed to find a 3 pack of sourdough loaves for 7 dollars or so. I am in love with this bread. Only 4 ingredients and all organic. From what I have read, sourdough is not bad for bad for but I think I may eat too much of it 🙁
My husband could not understand why I was so excited over only 4 ingredients lol
What are the 4 ingredients? 🙂 Brand?
The sourdough process also reduces the Glycemic Index of the bread... whereas some GIs of wholegrain breads and gluten free breads are very high in the 70-80 range.. sourdough breads are in the more acceptable 30-50 range... the GI is a measure of how much glucose these breads convert into compared to 100 of pure glucose.. so eating wholegrain bread is not much different from eating spoons of sugar...
Brian Mcintosh says
December 18, 2015 at 8:42 am
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Hello. Forgive me for responding on this post. I could not find a way to respond to you directly. Here is my story, and I believe it to be a miracle I found this article. I actually took the day off from work because I wasn’t feeling well. Not sick, but just not well. I know it has a lot to do with me being 315pounds, type2, high blood pressure,and high cholestroral. I know what your thinking , “Gee do you think so!” lol. I am so tired of this condition and having to take all this medication. I am committed to making a change. I understand whole foods isn’t enough and I will need to add an excersise program as well. Funny how we all know what to do but don’t do it. I also feel bad for having made fun of people who eat healthy as I ate my BBQ ribs. I’m not laughing now. I believe since it is early enough, just in this year, that I was diagnosed with all this , that I can change it, reverse it maybe even cure it. I wanted to say thank you to you and those on this blog for posting this info. It is encouraging and I would like to join your team. Even if it means being made fun of by some fat guy. Lol! One question. Since I am a newby , can you recommend websites,or ways to develop a menu. I’m just a little lost in this area. Again, thank you, God bless you. My email if it’s easier to communicate is bmac2112@yahhoo.com. Thank you, Brian.
REPLY
Hi Brian, email me at cathy@straightupfood.com and I'll reply more thoroughly.
I have been vegan since January but on very rare occasions I will eat fish. I have 7 fruit and veg home juiced drink for breakfast, which includes kale, spinach, carrots, apples, strawberries , blueberries and beetroot. I have a cooked lunch, which is also plant based, and I have diary/gluten-free puddings (Pudology). I drink soy or almond milk, and have a light snack for dinner with nuts. I must confess that I do like a bit of salt, and I use Xylitol sugar in my tea. i don't drink coffee. I would love to give up gluten and fish completely, but that's my biggest challenge right now. I have Lupus and Sjogren's syndrom, and found that stopping all consumption of dairy and meat has helped me feel much better.
Hello Maria, I am 2 years late. But just found this post. I have the same illness and do not at all understand about whole foods and plant based foods. Can you please explain. Thank you
Hello, what are your thoughts on soy? Specifically tofu? I eat mostly whole foods but my mom insists on giving me tofu everyday and I can't argue with her. Would you consider tofu to be healthy and good for weight loss? Or is it better to eat beans? Thanks
I wouldn't consider it a good weight-loss food, since it's high in calories. I eat beans more, personally. I believe the general consensus in the plant-based community is that tofu and soy milk are okay as condiments but more processed "soy isolates" and other overly processed soy (like soy hot dogs) are not the best for health. See these resources on soy by Dr. McDougall, here and here.
Thank you so much for your reply! I will now try to convince my mom to stop giving me tofu (it took a while for her to accept veganism).
I just checked Cronometer for the numbers on tofu vs. beans: 8 ounces of tofu has 211 calories and is 79% fat (13 g). Cooked black beans, while still high in calories (317) per 8 ounces, only has 9% fat (1.4 g). I often have heard a good rule about high-fat foods, which is try to avoid them while you are actively losing weight, and then when you reach your target weight, eat them only in very small amounts or just on occasion. Tofu isn't bad in itself unless you have an individual sensitivity to it or are eating it in the most processed forms.
Thanks Cathy! So do you think there is any difference between consuming tofu or beans on a daily basis? For the past couple of days, I made the switch from tofu to black beans, because this year I've learnt a lot about the controversy regarding the former, and also it's not a whole food. It seems like Dr McDougall doesn't advocate regular soy consumption either. I'm overthinking this issue 🙂 It's just that though I love all my other whole food staples (rice, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, vegetables, etc), the legumes aspect is the part I'm less fond of - I'm not crazy about beans or tofu, but people always say you need it to be healthy. Is there any danger to not having either of those on a plant based diet? Some vegans on youtube say you can get all the protein you need just from eating grains and vegetables, but I'm not sure what to believe.
So on a daily basis, do you think there is any difference between eating tofu or beans? Tofu wouldn't be a part of a whole foods diet, would it? It seems like Dr McDougall doesn't recommend it as a regular condiment. While I love all my other vegan staples (sweet potatoes, rice, corn, squash, and other vegetables), I'm actually not that fond of legumes - I don't particularly like beans or tofu, but I thought they were necessary to be healthy. Do you think it is necessary eat them as a vegan? There are many vegan youtubers who say you can get all the protein you need from grains and vegetables, but I don't know what to believe.
I don't think it's necessary to eat beans or tofu, no. Dr. McDougall doesn't recommend tofu because it's high in fat and most of his patients are trying to lose weight. If you are concerned about getting enough nutrients, you can get a blood test every year. In any case, you should not eat foods you don't like.
Thanks for your reply! And sorry for posting the same thing twice, it was an accident.
Cathy, just wondering if other people making the switch to eat more legumes etc. experience more gassiness? This is certainly the case for me and I am generally not a fan of beans (except fresh green beans). I can tolerate chickpeas and lentils in small amounts but just not beans. Even when I soak them correctly and cook them, my body just rebels. For now I am avoiding any recipes containing beans. Any advice or guidance?
Dr. McDougall talks a lot about this. I would Google his name and "gas" or "beans, gas" and see what you find. He also has a whole book about digestion and includes a good amount on gas.
Herbs,herbs,herbs. Also taking out the junks makes it all taste better. Legumes are wonderful and there are so many varieties. I add them to most meals and my teenage children love them. If you can't get kids to eat vegetable give them raw to start with. Keeping up with surely is the hardest thing.
Love this! I'm new to all this and learning. This is very helpful. It's so daunting to change my whole way of eating.
Thank you for the amazing information!
Iv recently reading about the SdA cenetarian in loma Linda and was also reading about Agatha Thrash when I came across your site. Great info!
We hesitate to try the packed food because it could have lost the natural nutrient. This post was like an answer to this hesitation. Thank you for sharing the helpful post.