This information is excerpted from the book, Recapture Your Health, by Walt Stoll, M.D. and Jan DeCourtney, C.M.T. Feel free to use up to 10 tips in an article or story as long as you quote the source and ordering information for the book (at bottom).
All of the many widely recommended diets on the market all agree on one point the fewer refined or processed foods eaten, the better. A Whole Foods Diet helps most people improve their health greatly with minimal effort and expense. Following a Whole Foods Diet basically means you eat foods that are whole and avoid refined foods. If a food has been refined, most of the micronutrients have been removed, but in order for the body to metabolize the rest of the food, it needs those micronutrients and has to take those micronutrients from bodily storage. Thus the more refined foods you eat, the less nutrition you get.
A whole food is one that has had no parts removed. In contrast to a whole food, a refined food is one that has had something taken out. For example, a potato with the skin on is whole, but if you remove the skin before eating it, the potato is refined.
If you are even looking for a dietary approach to feeling better, you may assume that you might benefit from a two-week trial of eating exclusively whole foods. Eating all whole foods can help correct or prevent a variety of diseases or symptoms. In addition to healing chronic illness, one effective way for most people to lose weight is to follow a Whole Foods Diet strictly until reaching a normal weight (the level at which you feel best) and then continuing the diet for at least 6 months. Another benefit of this diet is how great the food tastes! After eating fewer refined foods, a person s numbed taste buds come alive and recover their sensitivity to the natural flavor and sweetness of whole foods.
Health food stores carry a wide variety of whole foods. Some communities also have good natural food co-ops. Regular grocery stores are increasing their shelf space for whole foods or may special-order items for you. Whole foods may also be mail-ordered from some health food stores. When changing to a Whole Foods Diet, read every food package label (including the label of any nutritional supplement, vitamin, etc., that you take) to make sure that no refined foods have been included. If you view this diet as an adventure in eating, you can use it as an opportunity to explore new foods and create new dishes at the same time you enhance your health.
Walt Stoll, MD, and Jan DeCourtney, CMT, are co-authors of the book, Recapture Your Health: A Complete Step-by-Step Program to Reverse Your Chronic Symptoms and Create Lasting Wellness, (ISBN 0965317129), available at local and online bookstores, and from Sunrise Health Coach Publications, 1-877-357-9355 or www.sunrisehealthcoach.com.
^ Return to Top