Making nutritional changes can be very challenging. Everywhere you look, someone is saying don’t eat that, eat more of this. You won’t lose weight until you start doing “insert here”. It’s overwhelming and adds so much confusion that most people would rather not worry about it. It would be much easier if you just had a place to start, right? Prioritizing and eating more whole foods can be that starting point.
When I say whole foods, what does that mean? Whole foods are ones which have not been processed. Think meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables. Sure, most foods will have to be picked, cleaned, butchered, packaged and transported. They still fall under the whole foods category to a much greater extent than cereal, white bread and cookies.
For the most part, whole foods are what you would typically purchase from the outer sections of the grocery store rather than the aisles. As a colleague of mine has said, if it grows in the ground or has a mother, eat it. Whole foods simply offer better nutritional value. They contain what nature offers. Nothing added and nothing subtracted. This can be particularly true if you grow your own vegetables or buy your meat and eggs from local farms. There is something to be said about knowing where your food comes from.
The reason that prioritizing whole foods yields better results is that they typically contain less calories and offer better nutrients. If someone goes from eating processed foods the majority of the time to eating whole foods I would bet that person will see a change in their body composition over time. Processed foods are usually higher in calories and can be easy to overeat.
That’s not a great combination. Whole foods make that a much greater challenge and what we eat will help us feel fuller for longer. Prioritizing whole foods will point us in the right direction. It’s a great place to start with fairly minimal overwhelm before taking the next steps. Eating whole foods will never stop being the focal point of a well-rounded nutrition plan.
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Michael Allen
Author Bio
Michael has been working with clients in the gym and countless adults in a physical therapy setting since 2013. He spent 3 semesters working at Towson University with student-athletes from nearly every sport at the school. He served as the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for Kennard-Dale High School during the 2019-2020 school year. His goal is to always get better and give you the safest and most effective use of your time at First Capital Gym.