Home>Wellness>Clean eating: How to begin a whole foods diet
Mar 9, 2017
A whole foods diet, also known as clean eating, is based on legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, colorful fruits and a variety of vegetables.
Editor’s note: This post is the first in a series with information to help you on the road to clean eating with a whole foods diet. Remaining posts in the series feature suggestions and recipes for each meal.
Brown rice, broccoli, strawberries and kidney beans– what do they have in common?
They are whole foods.
“When I think about whole foods, I’m thinking about foods mostly unchanged,” said Shelly Wildenberg, a Marshfield Clinic registered dietitian. “In other words, they come as nature gave them to us. ‘Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food,’ is how author Michael Pollan puts it.”
Clean eating benefits
Key nutrients present in a whole foods diet help fight against nutritional deficiencies and chronic disease. Also referred to as “clean eating,” this diet is based on legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, colorful fruits and a variety of vegetables that can reduce risk of:
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Arthritis
- Depression
- Alzheimer’s
Unprocessed, whole foods retain the “good things,” which may be removed when foods are processed. Whole foods often have higher levels of:
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Antioxidants
- Good fats
- Fiber
- Phytochemicals
Tips to begin eating whole foods
“For starters, don’t let yourself think you can’t eat clean because you’re too busy,” she said.
Even with time constraints, you can begin whole foods eating. Start with these strategies:
- Buy bagged vegetables. Look for frozen vegetables that come in microwavable bags thatonly take a few minutes to heat. “It doesn’t get much easier than that,” Wildenberg said.
- Make use of nature’s fast foods. Add nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables to your everyday diet.
- Purchase pre-cuts. Find convenience in pre-cut fruits and vegetables, though slightly more expensive. Even fresh meats come with pre-cut options.
- Think simple. A clean meal can be as simple as a microwaveable frozen bag of vegetables, baked fish and roasted or steamed sweet potatoes.
- When baking swap sugar and fat for fruits and vegetables. Replace oils and sugars with mashed or pureed fruit and vegetables in baked goods. Try avocados, bananas, unsweetened applesauce, pears, dates or figs. Try this whole foods makeover of a cookie recipe.
Start fresh with new recipes
Shine365 has a handful of healthy recipes to help you get on the track to a whole foods diet.
Visit these websites for more recipe inspiration:
- American Institute of Cancer Research
- American Heart Association
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Mixing Bowl
More clean eating tips and recipes
Make a whole foods breakfast
Turn whole foods into fast meals
Whole foods dinner and eating out tips
13 Comments
Aug 20, 2022
james h.
I am pre-diabetic. And I'm looking for two lists: 1) good foods; 2)food to avoid.
Reply
Aug 22, 2021
Vicki
Hi! I am allergic to wheat flour, rye and barley. What can I use in place of those flours for your recipes? My husband insists that gluten free flour is not whole food based. So what can I use in place of those flours? I am trying a whole foods diet to see if it helps with my skin and joint issues that no one can seem to figure out what is causing my issues. Thank you.
Reply
Aug 24, 2021
Jacob Z.
Hi Vicki,
Thank you for reaching out. Below are some additional whole diet recipes that you may find helpful:
-https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wellness/whole-foods-lunch-recipe/
-https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wellness/whole-foods-dinner-recipe/
-https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wellness/whole-foods-breakfast-recipe/They all have recipes that avoid those flours or offer alternatives. They also have links to where you can go for other ideas as well.
Thank you and hope that helps,
JakeReply
Mar 22, 2021
Stacey
I am wondering what are good brkfst options that I can eat at my desk at work. I have some stomach issues so can't eat some things. I am not a fan of tomatoes, some veggies like zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, and a few others. I was told by my dr to eat whole, healthy foods so this is a great website.
Reply
Mar 24, 2021
Jacob Z.
Hi Stacey,
Thank you for reaching out. We have this additional blog post you may find beneficial: https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/wellness/whole-foods-breakfast-recipe/
Hope that helps!
JakeReply
Jul 11, 2020
Ngoni
While buying pre-packaged foods are easy to pop in the microwave, there are many people who are zero or low waste, and so that would not be a viable option. Buying produce unpackaged is the best way to go.
Reply
Jan 28, 2020
Erica
Do you have a cookbook that I can buy?
Reply
Jan 28, 2020
Jacob Z.
Hello Erica,
Unfortunately we do not. However, we provide offer up a variety of other healthy recipes that you can view by clicking here: https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/tag/recipe/
The American Heart Association also has many cookbooks with healthy recipes that you can check out here: https://recipes.heart.org/
Hope that helps 🙂
JakeReply
Mar 21, 2018
Rebecca V.
If I buy packaged foods… How do I know if they have not been processed? I want to start eating clean, but it is very hard considering bad food surrounds us. I am a beginner and just want to know where to shop and what to buy.
Reply
Mar 21, 2018
Kirsten S.
Hi, Rebecca. Thank you for the question. I will talk to one of our nutritionists for a more specific answer related to where and what to buy. I'm sure they have starter recommendations for clean eating.
In the meantime, I believe these story series will be helpful for you:
Clean eating series: https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/tag/clean-eating-series/
Heart-healthy meal plan: https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/tag/heart-healthy-meal-plan/Additionally, we have numerous recipes on the blog you might consider trying: https://shine365.marshfieldclinic.org/tag/recipe/
– Kirstie
Reply
Mar 22, 2018
Kirsten S.
Rebecca – I spoke with Shelly, nutritionist, and she provided these packaged options:
– Frozen bagged vegetables
– Nuts or seeds
– Pre-cut fruits and vegetables
– Whole grain mixes
– Frozen or fresh meats/fishShe reminded me, "Whole foods are minimally changed from how they are found in nature. They do not have large amounts of added fat, salt or sugar. When looking at the ingredient list, look for ingredients you can pronounce and recognize as whole foods. For example, white pasta is processed where as 100-percent whole wheat is whole food."
Place of shopping is truly your preference. She said you’ll find the most whole food options around the perimeter of the store. You might try buying whole foods, like fruits and vegetables, and having a prep day where you portion them off yourself for upcoming lunches or meals.
I hope this helps and thank you for reading Shine365. -Kirstie
Reply
Mar 16, 2017
Jean
Looking forward to future posts on this topic. Just in time to take advantage of the fresh Spring produce coming to markets.
Reply
Mar 16, 2017
Kirsten S.
Thanks for the feedback, Jean! The next post in this series publishes Monday, March 20. We look forward to your thoughts and are always interested in topics from our readers.
Thank you for reading Shine365. -Kirstie
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