A question I often get asked in clinic is, “what is a whole food diet?”.  Here is a summary of my typical response with a few interesting facts thrown in.

A whole food diet is part of a health-promoting lifestyle AND allows you to LIVE a healthy life with quality, enjoyment and satisfaction. Two medical doctors, Denis Burkitt and Hugh Trowell (circa.1981), and independently one dentist, Weston A. Price (circa. 1900), are credited with making the connection between diet and chronic disease[1], and hence whole food principles have been around for some time.

Essentially, a whole food diet and modern naturopathic nutritional advice has evolved from some of these principles and can be summarised as follows:

1. Food Groups – Consume food consisting primarily of fruits, vegetables, legumes/beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds that are preferably in season and non-genetically modified. A good diet (rich in fruit and vegetables) is considered a factor in preventing many chronic diseases[2].
2. Unprocessed – Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables as unadulterated as possible, i.e. whole food! Anything that is contained in packaging is a ‘food product’ and does not satisfy this criterion.

Interesting Fact – Soy milk in cartons is also a processed food.

3. Animal Foods – Do not over consume animal foods.
4. Organic where possible – Try to eat organic where possible – reducing your exposure to pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, heavy metals, food additives, preservatives, and synthetic chemicals as much as possible. If this is not an option, choose to limit your exposure by choosing wisely. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a published list of fruits and vegetables that concentrate these chemicals.  See here for the list of ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ foods.

Fact – Sulfite/sulphite (a food preservative; numbers 220-228 on food labels) sensitivity is a common trigger for asthma attacks in asthmatics[3].

5. Water – Drink sufficient water daily (filtered if possible, although reverse osmosis is best).
6. Sugar – Manage total blood sugar levels and avoid concentrated sources such as sugar, sweeteners (natural and synthetic), corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, carbonated/soft drinks, ice cream, lollies and sweets.
7. Avoid – hydrogenated/trans fats, fast foods, bakery products , too much caffeine, table salt (also a processed food product), processed meat products containing nitrites/nitrates (numbers 249-252 on food labels), burnt & charred BBQ foods[4].
8. Replace – pots and pans that have Teflon or non-stick coatings (I prefer 18/0 gauge stainless steel pans; ‘0’ meaning that they have no nickel in the metal); and avoid microwave cooking[5] (we actually have no microwave in our household).

I also mention to clients the following important points:

1. You have to “live within your environment” – so there’s no sense in creating more stress if you can’t achieve all of the above. A little is better than nothing at all.
2. You have “choices” to make every day. Whatever choice you make regarding what you consume or do, will either work for you or against you, and irrespective, it’s still your choice.
3. Other factors like exercise, fresh air, sunshine, sleep, and levels of stress also play a part in your overall healthful lifestyle, but again, it’s your choice.

Eating whole food, and foods that don’t contain many ingredients, doesn’t necessarily need to be a chore, but if you are not used to it, then it will require some mental and taste bud re-adjustment. The most significant benefit to you is that you consume valuable fibre, enzymes, protein, carbohydrates, fats and nutrients in the way that nature intended which will ultimately lead to better health, wellness and longevity.

[1] Murray & Pizzorno 2012, Textbook of Natural Medicine, 3^rd Edn., p50

[2] http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/chronic#com, viewed 30 July 2014

[3] http://www.allergy.org.au/patients/product-allergy/sulfite-allergy, viewed 30 July 2014

[4] http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Cancer_and_food, viewed 30 July 2014

[5] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722699/, viewed 30 July 2014

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