Finding the right diet that fits into your lifestyle can be difficult. Many times, people gravitate toward traditional diets with a strict set of rules that end up being unsustainable in the long run. A whole foods diet is different. It's a long-term, sustainable approach to shifting your eating habits and food choices. We've crafted this eating plan to help you eat healthier and live well.
Tips for Getting Started
Motivation
Begin this plan for yourself - not for your doctor, spouse, or friend.
Don't look for a quick fix. Losing weight takes time.
Be realistic about your weight loss expectations.
Use the BMI chart. If you decrease your weight by 2 BMI increments and maintain it, you'll significantly improve your health.
Monitoring
Be willing to address your current eating habits.
Concentrate on the quality of the food you eat rather than the number of calories.
Deprivation never works. Healthy eating results in more energy and better sleep.
Moving
Your exercise goal should be 30 minutes/day, 5 times/week. Walking is the best first choice.
Take advantage of every opportunity to be more active.
What is a Whole Foods Diet?
A whole foods diet controls the intake of refined sugars and flour and encourages the intake of whole, unprocessed food, allowing your nutritional needs to be supplied naturally with moderate amounts of starches, proteins, and fats. It's fairly simple -- you fill your plate with whole foods and avoid processed foods. Whole foods are foods in their most natural form that haven't been processed, refined, and haven't had additional ingredients added. Some of the most common whole foods include fruits, vegetables, meat, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and eggs.
This diet revolves around these 3 steps -
- Eat & Drink to Satisfy your Hunger
- Control your Carbohydrate & Fat Intake
- Avoid Items Containing Refined Sugar & Flour
Eat and Drink to Satisfy your Hunger
Drink water and eat fruits, vegetables, meat, and cheese to satisfy your hunger. See our guide for specific food choices we recommend in this category.
Control your Carbohydrate & Fat Intake
Carbohydrates
Use control with this part of the plan by eating only 5 servings/day from this group. This group includes bread, cereals, grains, starchy vegetables, crackers, and dried beans, peas, and lentils.
Fats
Avoid saturated fats, the fat found in meat and dairy products, by eating low-fat meats, milk, and cheese, and focus on consuming unsaturated fats - aka, the "good fats" instead. The unsaturated fat group breaks down into 2 categories -- monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.
See our guide for specific food choices and serving sizes we recommend in each of these categories.
Avoid Items Containing Refined Sugar & Flour
Avoid the following items -- sugary drinks like soda, cookies, cake, pastries, thick sauces, cream gravy, thick soups, cream, sugar, syrup, chocolate, sweets, honey, and jam. See our guide for more items to watch out for.
Helpful Tips
We get it - starting and sticking to a new diet or eating plan can be hard. We've gathered a few tips to make help you meet your goals.
- Weigh yourself before you begin your journey
- Eat 3 or 4 meals/day
- Eat only "green light" foods between meals
- Drink at least 64 oz. of water/day
- Increase exercise -- 30 minutes/day, 5 times/week
- Prepare yourself mentally & set a start date
- Remember the 90%/10% rule:
- Follow this plan 90% of the time and treat yourself to your favorite foods 10% of the time.
View our Whole Foods Weight Loss Eating Plan for a detailed guide to our whole foods diet.
