What does whole foods nutrition look like?
Whole foods are: fruits, vegetables, beans, lean meats and whole grains. Here are some examples of meals and snacks. Look through them to get the jist and then either get recipes from internet or a meal prep app like Mealime.
Breakfast
Breakfast is an important meal, so that we are not starving and eating poorly mid-morning and at lunch. Avoid excessive sugar. Protein provides for even energy for the day.
Egg, whole grain muffin, turkey bacon and avocado. Turkey bacon generally less fatty than pork and much less messy to make!
Yogurt. Stick to plain yogurt and add granola, berries, maybe a small amount of honey.
Oatmeal. Regular is better than instant. Stick to plain and add berries, nuts, cinnamon, and maybe small amount maple syrup.
Cereal. Most cereals are packed with sugar and are exactly NOT the way we want to start the day with huge sugar spike and insulin response. Look for cereals that:
- The first ingredient is a whole grain or bran
- No more than 6g sugar per serving
- At least 4g of fiber per serving
Add berries and nuts!
Lunch
Sandwiches and wraps are pretty easy, so are left-overs from last nights dinner.
Chicken or tuna salad, lettuce and tomato, whole grain bread. Go light on the mayo.
Humus and veggie wraps. Whole grain tortilla, let the eat choose the veggies!
Dinner
Slow cooker meals and stir fries, makes for quick meals to prep.
Slow cooker pulled chicken with BBQ sauce (go light); slaw from a "slaw kit" (go light on the dressing), baked sweet potato wedges (cut into wedges and bake!).
Slow cooker mexican chicken tacos. Sneek in radishes, cilantro, black beans, low fat feta cheese!
Slow cooker veggie stew. Great for lunch next day.
Stir fries are pretty easy to pull together. Get the family slicing and dicing. Go easy on the sauce. Use brown rice options or small amounts of white rice. Quinoa is a nutritious alternative to rice.
Snacks
Make all snacks fruits, vegetables, or nuts.
Shooting for 5 palmfuls of fruits and veggies per day.