What Are Whole Foods?

The simplest definition for whole foods is that they are foods which are consumed in their natural state. They have had minimal processing and little to no refinement. Think of walking through a vegetable garden and pulling a fresh tomato from the vine. Another example would be going to a farmer’s market and purchasing beets or potatoes which had been dug up that morning. Those fresh vegetables are whole foods at their best.

Other whole foods you might find are fruits, other vegetables, legumes, whole grains, oats, nuts and unprocessed fish or meat. These foods don’t have to be raw for them to be considered to be whole foods; they can be cooked without having been “processed.” They don’t have the harmful additives of processed foods. To be considered a whole food, they also will not contain added ingredients. They are as natural as they possibly can be.

You may be surprised that even items which may not seem like ‘food’ to you can also be classified as whole foods. For instance, many people only think of dandelions as a weed in their yard. Every part of the dandelion can be consumed – the root can be dried and ground to create a coffee alternative, the leaves can be dried and prepared as a tea or eaten as a green in a tossed salad and the yellow flowers can also be added to your salad and enjoyed. Of course, you’ll want to avoid spraying the dandelions with herbicides and carefully wash your dandelions prior to eating them. I have never tried them, but I know people do.

Consider choosing varieties of legumes you’ve never tried before. Rather than turning to canned green beans for dinner, why not try lentils or adzuki beans? Think of all the types of beans you’ve never tried before. Trying new beans, peas or lentils will open up a whole new array of foods to choose from when planning your family’s weekly meals.

When choosing nuts and seeds, look for those which are raw rather than salted or otherwise flavored. It is common for whole and unprocessed nuts during the Christmas holidays. Some nut and seed choices you might want to try are Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Remember, they can be dried or roasted, but you’ll want to avoid those which have been salted or seasoned. Also watch for oils that have been added to nuts.

Whole grains are becoming more popular even in processed foods. But, if you’re truly looking to add whole foods to your diet, eating processed cereals with whole grains may not be your best choice. Quick oatmeal is one commonly eaten whole grain. You may also want to add brown rice, hulled barley, whole cornmeal, whole rye and millet to foods your family consumes.

As previously stated, whole foods will not have additives. With this in mind, you can see how a skin-on baked potato is a whole food and home fries aren’t. You can also understand how a fresh peach would be considered a whole food but peaches which come out of a can aren’t considered to be. Whole wheat flour is processed as in milling however white flour has been processed to remove the outer covering of the wheat bran; this further processing also removes many of the nutrients.

So, when it comes to defining “whole foods,” you’ll want to find and serve foods as close to their natural state as possible. Choosing whole foods doesn’t mean your family has to become raw vegetarians but adding raw fruits and vegetables will surely meet your desire to add whole foods. The goal with this report is to provide you ideas of how to begin serving more whole foods to your family and helping you decide how best to add them to your family’s diet.

Next time we will discuss “Why Are Whole Foods Important?”

The above is extracted from a report, “Eat Whole Foods - For the Health of It” and offers the following disclaimer: This report is written for entertainment purposes only. The author is not, nor does she claim to be, an expert in nutrition or health. The report is written in an attempt to share knowledge based upon what was learned during research and by incorporating some of the information contained in it with her family. It is by no means intended for medical advice nor should it be followed as such.