For many of us, the foods we eat are making us sick. They’re causing us to gain too much weight and increasing our risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and other illnesses. The foods I’m talking about are highly processed – high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats and low in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber and healthy fats. They include fast foods, snack foods, prepared foods, and most restaurant foods. They’re usually quick and easy and often taste delicious – but they’re damaging our health.
Many women would like to change the way they (and their families) eat, but don’t know exactly where to begin. In fact, the whole idea can seem rather daunting – like something that should be put off until next week (or month or year)! But, it doesn’t have to be that way. I want to suggest an approach that will allow you and me to eat more whole grains and whole foods by taking one step at a time to improve the quality of our diets and our families’ diets.
The focus of this approach is to eat more whole grains and other whole foods. Whole foods are, basically, the foods your great grandparents and every generation before them ate. They’re foods in their natural (or near natural ) state – fruits and vegetables served raw or cooked with herbs and spices; meats and chicken grilled, broiled or pan sauteed without breading or sauces; wild-caught fish; whole grains and legumes; plain dairy foods; and nuts. These foods are high in the things our bodies do need and low in the things they don’t need. They provide vitamins, minerals, disease-fighting phytochemicals, fiber and healthy carbohydrates and fats. They help our bodies regulate blood sugar levels and make it easier to maintain a healthy weight. And, in most cases, they’re delicious!
So here’s the idea – pick one strategy for eating more whole foods from the list below and begin implementing it this week. Once it has become fairly easy to maintain that strategy (probably within 2-4 weeks) pick another and incorporate it into your family’s meal plans and eating routine. Don’t make changes too quickly, but if you’re really committed to healthier eating, don’t wait too long to make another change.
- Replace processed grains with whole grains . Ditch the white bread and rolls, refined cereals, and while pasta and replace them with whole wheat bread, whole grain cereal, and whole grain pasta. When you bake, incorporate as much whole wheat flour into your breads and muffins as possible.
- Replace packaged snacks (cookies, chips, crackers, etc.) with fruits, vegetables, nuts and other whole foods. At the beginning of each week, organize snacks for the week so they’ll be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Wash fruits and vegetables, make up small containers of grapes or carrot sticks, bag single servings of raw almonds, fill small containers with plain yogurt or cottage cheese and fruit. If your family likes to have energy bars or baked goods on hand, make them yourself using as many whole foods as possible. These homemade energy bars are delicious, and they’re loaded with whole food ingredients.
- Stock up on whole foods for breakfasts and lunches. Move away from processed, quick foods (sugary cereals, bagels, pre-packaged
lunches) and focus on whole grain cereals (oatmeal), eggs, nut butters, fruits and vegetables, sandwiches you make with whole grain and other whole ingredients, and leftovers from the healthy dinners you will be making (!) I used to take a frozen dinner for my lunch at work, but even the healthier ones are full of processed ingredients. So now I cook larger healthy dinners so that my husband and I can take leftovers for lunch. The recipes I often double include Spicy Italian Beef, Tex-Mex Shredded Beef, and Family-Friendly Butternut Squash Soup. - Stop eating fast food. Take time each weekend to plan your week so that you aren’t stopping for fast food lunches or dinners when things get hectic.
- Cut out (or cut way back on) sweets. Cookies, candy, baked goods, and other sweets are full of fat, sugar and processed ingredients. The more you limit them in your diet, the less likely you are to crave them. If you have to eat something sweet, try a small serving of semi-sweet chocolate chips, a small piece of dark chocolate, or dark chocolate-covered almonds.
- Cook dinner (almost) every night and make your meals as “whole” as possible. If most of your recipes call for lots of processed ingredients, start looking for new recipes. Find some “go to” whole meals that you can always make in a pinch. For example, I know that I can always cut up some potatoes, onions, and colored peppers (into chunks about the size of two bites), toss them with olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper, and roast them on a baking sheet at 375 or 400 for 30 minutes or so. (Optional but good – sprinkle some lemon juice over the vegetables after they come out of the oven.) Combined with some grilled or pan sauteed chicken breasts or fish, they make a delicious, healthy meal. My free ebook – The Busy Woman’s Guide to Quick and Healthy Meals – includes 24 healthy meals you can cook in a flash, plus 22 tips for prepping whole foods quickly and easily. Download a copy today and put it to work for you.
These changes aren’t easy to make, because they go against the grain of the entire American food system. But by making changes one at a time, and letting them become part of your family’s routine, you can change your family’s entire diet.
(You can catch up with all of the Real Food Experience 2016 posts here.)
What strategies for eating more whole foods have worked for you? If you’ve adopted these or similar strategies, how have you made them work? Please share your ideas in the Comments – I would love to hear from you.
Stephanie Marie Martinez says
My family and I like to try to eat whole and plant heavy, we recently went vegetarian in hopes of detoxing from all of the bad things. Congrats on your sits day!
GC says
Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie!
Gaye
Denise Bertacchi says
Checking in from SITS….thanks for the tips!
a happier girl says
Great advice! I gave up fast food in July and never realized how addicted I had actually kind of gotten to it.
Emily says
I’m in the process of RE-implementing this is my life. I was a vegan for a long time who lived on veggies and fruits and whole grains and legumes and nuts: all the good stuff. And then I got married to a southern boy. And I tried to compromise. And then I remembered how good all of “his” food tasted – and I started a major down hill slide. I was fat and happy. Now, after our first child, health is back in the forefront of my mind. I have learned to be mindful of the times I’m mostly like to mess up, and prepare ahead of time. I tend to either skip breakfast altogether, or crave something sweet. So now I’ve started the habit of making breakfasts the night before – smoothies made with chia seeds as a thickener instead of ice last beautifully in the fridge or freezer – and overnight oats with crushed pineapple and almond extract feel like a treat in the morning. I do so much better when I don’t look around the kitchen and think “what am I going to eat?” it’s just there and ready. We have also started having better snacks on hand and drinking our tea or coffee without milk or sugar. Baby steps. 🙂
hoppybottoms says
Great post! I became a vegan 2 years ago because I started reading about whole foods, etc. Happy Sits day!
The Roving Retorter says
I jumped on this bandwagon years ago, for the health and body benefits – but now I also prefer the taste of natural foods to the white or processed stuff.
Tanya O says
Happy SITS feature day! 🙂
akaleistar says
Great ideas! Happy SITS Day!
Rabia @ TheLiebers says
We’ve done a lot towards eating more foods, but the $$ gets hard in the winter when the prices for fresh produce skyrockets. can’t wait for Spring and gardens to get here again!
Danielle @ the Growing Foodie says
Great tips – we started small like this about 2 years ago and it is really changing our lives – I am definitely going to incorporate some of these ideas. Happy SITS Day!
dishofdailylife says
Excellent tips! I do try to plan 2 vegetables at dinner time…my family loves their veggies! I skip most of the middle aisles in the grocery store and avoid the processed snacks! But certainly we could do better here, so thanks for the great advice! Enjoy your SITS day today! I’ll follow you on twitter and Facebook too! Really enjoyed your blog!
misssrobin says
Love this! We’ve been moving toward healthier eating. It does take time. And planning. Thanks for a few extra ideas.
sjskill says
Whole foods are good for everyone. My body doesn’t tolerate too many raw foods, though. I try to steam a lot of my vegetables. Microwaving without any water is another favorite. Roasting vegetables is also a delicious way to eat them. Thanks for the post. Enjoy your SITS Day.
Tanya @ Mom's Small Victories says
These are great tips and reminders on how simple it can be to eat healthy. I really need to be better about prepacking snacks of fruits and veggies. Stopping by from SITS!
Kim@Co-Pilot Mom says
Great tips! We have been making an effort to make more meals at home and move away from processed foods. The planning step is key for us – knowing what we are going to make/eat sets us up for success!
GC says
Hi Kim – I agree that planning is key, and I love your phrase “sets us up for success.” So many things in our busy lives set us up not to succeed when it comes to healthy eating.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Gaye
Trish @ Mom On TimeoutT says
Awesome tips! Thanks so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout! Hope to see you back this week!
-Trish
GC says
Thank you, Trish – I will.
Gaye
Betsy @ Romance on a Dime says
These are great tips. I’m going to try to eat at least two fruits or vegetables with every meal! Thanks for linking up at Romance on a dime. Hope to see you tomorrow.
GC says
I’m doing the two per meal too. It’s not easy for me – I really have to be intentional about it.
I look forward to linking up with you again.
Gaye
Rosey says
I think that’s true, when you cut back on processed foods you crave them a lot less. I’ve seen that with coffee and soday too.
Little Sis says
Great advice. Such small changes with such big results.
GC says
Thank you so much. And thank you for commenting so that I could discover your site. It looks terrific, and I am happy to be following you. I love your idea of baby steps.
I hope you will stop by again.
Gaye
Paula J says
These are some very good tips here. I’ve just pinned it for inspiration 🙂
Thanks for linking up with my NO RULES Weekend Blog Party!
Paula
lifeasweknowitbypaula.blogspot.com
GC says
Thank you, Paula. And I appreciate the opportunity to link up with you.
Gaye
Desire Empire says
Hello
Just found you over at Sunday Scoop. We eat pretty much like your last shot every night. We also love our salad. I’ve lost 15kg in one year and hope to pretty much eat like this for the remainder of my life.
After losing the weight I began drinking alcohol and eating cake again and on goes the weight, so I’ve cut them out again. I have 5 more kilos to go to be pre baby weight after 10 years of trying.
I agree with all that you’ve said here.
Carolyn
GC says
Hi Carolyn – I agree – eating whole foods needs to become a lifelong way of eating. Yes, the carbs (alcohol and cake!) really seem to create a craving for more and more carbs! The further I can stay away from high-carb food, the better it is for my weight!
Thanks so much for stopping by. I looked at your web site = lovely, and such a beautiful location!
Gaye
Patricia Robertson says
I am a new follower from the Weekend Blog Hop. I have been working on trying to eat clean but as you pointed out the task is difficult. I get frustrated and want to give up. To be completely honest I have given up several times. I believe your blog is going to be helpful in my quest to get my family healthy.
GC says
Hi Patricia – Thanks so much for stopping by. I know, making positive changes in your diet can be really tough. It’s definitely a process, rather than a one-time change. I encourage you to keep trying. My idea is that making and sticking with two or three positive changes is better than making a bunch of changes, but then giving up. Check out the resources I mentioned in the reply to Esther below – those sites have been helpful to me.
Have a great weekend.
Gaye
GC says
Also, Kelly the Kitchen Kop has some good whole food information and resources.
Esther Norine Davison says
I am a new follower from the weekend blog hop and I am excited to follow you. I have been working on my nutrition for some time now and I have completely cut pop out of my diet for almost 2 months. I am working torwards healthy clean eating and I am hoping to learn some good tips from you. I need easy. I am not a big cook. I have found sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes and baby carrots are perfect for lunch. What do you think of Lara Bars?
GC says
Hi Esther – I am so glad you stopped by from the blog hop! Congratulations on cutting out soda! That is a major positive step. I wasn’t familiar with Lara Bars but I took a look at them and they look pretty good – they seem to contain all or primarily whole food ingredients. I like to make snack bars at home but if you aren’t much into cooking, those look like a good way to go. As you’re working on developing a clean diet that works for your schedule, you might want to check out these sites – Plus Other Good Stuff, Kitchen Stewardship, and Consider the Leaf Turned. There are also a lot of good books, like Real Food by Nina Planck. I think that the snacks that you mentioned are great ones – anything healthy that you can grab quickly and easily. Do you make smoothies? I like to have them for breakfast and even make them ahead and freeze them. You can put lots of healthy things in a smoothie – Grab-and-Go Breakfasts and Healthy Nutrition 101.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Gaye
Jamie J says
Thanks for your great post. My bad diet has, in part, led to my hypertension, and I’m trying to avoid McDonald’s as much as I can and incorporate more “whole foods” into my diet. A plus side is, I need Potassium to help keep my blood pressure in check which is found in many healthy foods. Thank you for reminding us all that we need to take “baby steps” to eat healthy. Drastic changes in the way we eat will just lead to binging on the bad stuff later on.
GC says
Hi Jamie – I agree that one step at a time is the way to go. Make one positive change, let it become a healthy habit, then make another. Here are some sites that I’ve enjoyed reading recently as I’ve been trying to learn more about healthy eating and whole foods – Plus Other Good Stuff, Kitchen Stewardship, and Consider the Leaf Turned. There are also a lot of good books, like Real Food by Nina Planck.
Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll come back again.
Gaye
Megan Hall says
I found you through the weekend walk blog hop. I love how you give a lot of steps, but say start small. I think that’s key. It’s overwhelming to try and make a complete change all at once. I’m in the process of looking for healthy snack alternatives which is my biggest problem area right now.
GC says
Hi Megan – I agree that starting small and building up is the key. I cannot make too many changes at one time – it’s too easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged! Have you checked out this site – http://www.snack-girl.com/? I just found it recently, and it looks pretty good. If you subscribe to the site she sends you an article with 100 healthy snack tips.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Please visit again.
Gaye
danielle says
I am following you now too:>
Danielle @ Blissful and Domestic
http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com
GC says
Thanks Danielle!
Gaye
Garden girl says
I absolutely agree. That is why we have such an obesity problem in this country. Especially in our children. We are making wrong choice and are not getting the nutrition our bodies need so we crave things like sugar and fat. Check out my website. I think you’ll really like it.
http://woodlotfarms.com/
http://mrsgardengirl.blogspot.com/2012/02/fighting-good-fight.html
GC says
Hi Michele – Wow, I do love both your blog and your web site. I am definitely going to keep up with both of them. We just received our very first chicks (9 of them!) this week! We have been talking forever about getting chickens and finally did it. My husband grew up working on his grandfather’s chicken farm, so it is in his blood. I don’t know why we didn’t do it sooner. I’m very interested in the idea of urban homesteads, and will definitely read about that on your site. We have close to 2 acres, so we could really do some things. We do garden in the summer, but need to expand it.
I agree that lack of whole foods is a huge contributor to the obesity epidemic. One of the three things I want to encourage women to do is to eat a more-whole, healthier diet. (The other two are be more physically active and enjoy more intimacy!)
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Gaye
Bree @ Twinkle in the Eye says
I find mineral water is a good replacement for soda. With a little squeeze of fresh lime, its refreshing and tastes a little naughty – but its not! Thanks for linking up for Flash Blog Friday 🙂
GC says
Hi Bree – That’s a good idea. I love something that tastes naughty, but isn’t!
Have a great weekend.
Gaye
Thea says
Popping over from Twinkle in the Eye’s linky. I love this post. Such great ideas. I’m really conscious of trying to eat less processed and more whole foods. Following you now on Twitter and Facebook! 🙂
GC says
Thank you, Thea. I am following you on Twitter.
Gaye
Joanna @ plus other good stuff says
These are great tips for just starting out. I hope you encourage some people who have been afraid that switching to healthier eating habits would be too difficult and overwhelming. You don’t have to do it all at once!
GC says
Joanna – Thanks so much for stopping by. I love your blog – so much good information! Yes, I agree that small steps are the way to go as a family moves toward healthier eating.
Have a great day.
Gaye
Mo @ The Baby Is Fine says
This is great advice. Starting small with one thing at a time gives you the confidence that you can make even more changes. I used to eat terribly but I started being more conscious of things when I was pregnant, and now I can’t even think of the last time I ate white bread 🙂 I have made other changes as well, but the switch from white bread/bagels/etc to whole grain was the first small step I did so it sticks out in my mind!
GC says
Thanks Maureen – I love the idea of taking one small step or making one small change at a time. That way I don’t get discouraged and, as you said, it gives me the confidence to make additional changes.
Love your blog – it is so funny and your baby is too cute!
Thanks for stopping by.
Gaye
Nothy says
The first thing I did was carry two or three apples for the commute home. I have about a 40 minute commute and so I started packing the extra apples in my lunch bag. Even if you are famished and eat all three , you’ll still feel good. And apples are so calming compared to coffee (and traffic!)
GC says
Oh, that’s a really good idea. For me that period between the end of the work day and dinner is a huge risk time for bad snacking. I am just slumping between about 4:30 and 6:30, and if I don’t have some healthy snacks on hand I am doomed! So apples that are right at hand are a great idea. Plus, as you say, they are a lot more calming than more coffee! Something about chomping down on them gets some of the stress out.
Gaye