In an effort to improve their health and prevent disease many people are interested in the whole foods lifestyle. Most people are aware that eating more natural foods is better for them than the foods that they are currently eating now. Many people would like to begin the process of living a whole food lifestyle, but they may be unsure as to what it will require and how they should begin. The following are some commonly asked questions concerning whole foods.
1. What exactly is the Whole Foods Lifestyle and how is it different from any other “diet” I’ve tried?
The Whole Foods Lifestyle is not a “diet”. The premise around the whole foods lifestyle is for people to change what they eat on a permanent basis. Diets are temporary; a whole foods lifestyle is not. People that are interested in eating healthier for the rest of their lives will find that there is much to be gained from a being committed to eating healthier foods. A whole food lifestyle requires that individuals commit to eating foods that are found in their natural state. This eliminates a lot of processed foods, and opens the door to eating a lot of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fresh lean meats. It is important for people to understand that this is not a diet. It is a new way of living that requires that people be more aware of the types of food that they are consuming each day.
2. What foods will I have to give up and what foods can I eat under a Whole Foods Lifestyle?
Individuals should be prepared to do a thorough sweep of their refrigerator, cabinets and pantry to remove all the processed foods from their homes. Processed foods should not be consumed when adopting a whole foods lifestyle. Also, fast food is no longer. Fast food is one of the worst forms of processed foods as it is high in fat and far from being natural. The foods that people should stick to a fruits and vegetables in their natural state, fresh lean sources of protein and whole grains. Individuals should avoid canned, dehydrated or frozen products.
3. How hard is this new “lifestyle”? I mean, I really want to try it, but it sounds like I won’t be able to stick with it.
This Lifestyle is as hard as a person makes it. To be honest, there are some people that will probably have a tougher time adjusting to these new ways of eating. This is particularly true for people that have spent their entire lives eating processed foods. Making the change from eating breakfast from a local fast food place to eating whole grain cereal and a piece of fruit can be hard for some people. However, this is what the whole foods lifestyle is about making better food choices. For those that are on the fence about the diet because of reservations about their tenacity it may be best to slowly adopt this healthy lifestyle in increments. For example, individuals can make a commitment to each replace a group of bad food each week. For week one the individual can commit to replacing all sweet foods with fruit. For each week thereafter the goal is to gradually incorporate healthy foods into one’s life until everything one eats is whole food.
These are just some of the few questions that people have about a whole foods lifestyle.