Why a wholefood diet is your key to health
When it comes to diets, there truly is no one-size-fits-all option. This is particularly true for diets that you see in magazines or promoted on social media! But we can look at overall eating patterns that support our wellbeing. And when it comes to healthy eating, I will always start my clients on a wholefood-based diet approach.
But what is a wholefood diet, and how can you get started? Let’s take a look at why you might want to give this approach a try.
What is a wholefood diet?
First up, let’s get clear on what a wholefood diet entails. A wholefood diet includes foods that are either unprocessed or very minimally/traditionally processed before preparing and consuming. Think:
Poultry and red meat (ideally organic/grassfed)
Fish and shellfish
Eggs
Dairy if tolerated (including goat or sheep dairy for those who tolerate it better)
Wholegrains such as brown rice, oats and buckwheat
Beans and legumes
Nuts and seeds
Fruit and vegetables
Herbs and spices
When I talk about a wholefood diet, it’s not about being 100% all the time. Frankly, any diet that requires 100% compliance is not sustainable or good for your mental health & relationship with food! Instead, it’s about choosing mostly wholefoods.
For the average person looking to work on their health, a ratio of 80% wholefoods and 20% other foods is a good place to start. If you have one or more complex health conditions, you may need to aim closer to 90%/10%, or look at choosing foods in your 20% that you know won’t trigger your symptoms.
What are the benefits of a wholefood diet?
I could go on and on for hours about why eating wholefoods is amazing for your health. But as an overview, here are some of my favourite reasons:
Rich in micronutrients – many diets focus on macronutrients, but micronutrients are just as important! By focusing on wholefoods, you’ll be getting a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Easy to get a wide range of antioxidants – the more colour, the better! I’ll be covering the benefits of antioxidants in another article, but a wholefood approach makes it effortless to get plenty of them into your diet.
Fabulous for your gut – many wholefoods, particularly the plant-based ones, are an excellent source of dietary fibre. Fibre has many perks, but when it comes to your wellbeing, supporting a healthy gut is top of the list!
Helps you to stay fuller for longer - do you find yourself starving just an hour or two after eating? Wholefoods will help you to stay satiated for longer! This can be helpful whether you’re trying to resist the office snacks or even drop some excess body fat.
Your taste buds will adjust to a healthier approach – if you struggle to give up processed foods because they taste so good? Following a wholefood approach will help to reboot your taste buds (and your gut!) so you can appreciate the subtle flavours of wholefoods. As a result, you’ll find that processed foods are often too sweet, salty or chemical-tasting in comparison!
You’ll naturally follow a pattern of seasonal eating – when you focus on fresh wholefoods, you’ll be choosing foods that are in season. Foods that are in season will have specific nutrients and antioxidants that support your health during that season, plus they will have higher levels of those nutrients. And as a bonus, seasonal eating is often more affordable AND supports your local farmers!
How can I transition to a wholefood diet?
The best part about a diet that adds in good foods, rather than following strict rules and excluding foods? You don’t have to jump on it overnight! Instead, you can start with small changes over time.
For example, you might like to:
Add a serve of fruit and/or veg to your meals
Try out a new wholefood-based recipe each week
Find a wholefood option to your favourite comfort food
Remember, the point of a wholefood diet isn’t to exclude or cut foods out. Instead, it’s about filling your body with nutritious food – but as a result, you’ll have less room for foods that may not be as beneficial. It’s a healthier way to ‘crowd out’ processed foods, without you needing to give them up altogether!