When it comes to nourishing our body, the best source of nutrients is to eat whole foods. What exactly does this mean? It means the food that is closest to its original form in its entirety. No processing and no added ingredients. Often, packaged foods are “fortified” because they have been processed and are not nutritious any longer, so manufacturers add back certain nutrients.
But consider this: There are over 10,000 phytonutrients in an apple. They all work together to make an apple a wonderfully nourishing food. And this can be said for every food in its natural form, from meat to seafood to vegetables to fruit to dairy.
The more natural, the better.
So what does this look like for our shopping and meal planning? We have all heard it before, but shop the perimeter of the store, buying organic whenever possible. At least 75% of what we eat should be in its natural state (before preparation, if needed).
The fresh fruits and veggies, the whole meats and fish, the eggs and dairy in their most natural form are the most nutritious.
Now, we can’t always buy everything fresh that we want or need; for example, when fruits and veggies are out of season. But we can try to eat what is in season, and purchase something that is quick frozen if we can’t find fresh. Try not to buy frozen items that have sugars, preservatives or sauces added, but cook and create our own sauces to control the ingredients.
For proteins, go to the butcher counter, try to buy pasture-raised, grass-fed whenever possible. When preparing items, use fresh herbs if possible, or organic dried with nothing added. Try to eat dairy in its original form, in the proper portion sizes, with no added hormones and organic and pasture-raised when possible (Dairy is processed to create the lower-fat versions.)
Stay as natural as possible, as often as possible. That’s whole food nutrition.
