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Whole Food Nutrition

Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added salt, carbohydrates, or fat. Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, and animal products, including meats and non-homogenized dairy products. (Source: Wikipedia)

Purpose

Here are six reasons we should eat more whole foods, according to nutrition experts:

1. Phytochemicals. In the past 10 years, scientists have identified hundreds of biologically active plant-food components called phytochemicals (or phytonutrients). They include the powerful antioxidant lycopene, a red-colored carotenoid found mainly in tomatoes; anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant that gives deep blue color to berries; and pterostilbene, which appears to turn on a “switch” in cells that breaks down fat and cholesterol, and is found in blueberries and the Gamay and Pinot Noir varieties of grapes.The only way to make sure you’re getting the phytochemicals we know about, as well as the ones we haven’t yet discovered or named, is to eat plant foods in their whole, unprocessed form (or ground, if they’re grains or seeds).
2. Nutrient shortages. According to national survey results published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, almost a third of us get too little vitamin C; almost half get too little vitamin A; more than half get too little magnesium; and some 92% to 97% get too little fiber and potassium. Yet, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), these particular nutrients help lower the risk of our major health problems: cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.What’s the easiest way to correct this nutrient shortage? Two words: whole foods. “Almost all of the shortfalls identified by this survey can be corrected by eating a balanced, mostly plant-based diet,” says AICR nutrition advisor Karen Collins, RD.
3. Good fats. When you eat a diet made up mostly of whole foods, it’s easier to decrease the bad-for-you fats (trans fats and saturated fats) often added to processed foods and fast food. At the same time, it’s easier to emphasize the “good” fats (omega-3s from fish and plants, and monounsaturated fat from plant sources).
4. Fiber. Most whole plant foods are rich in fiber; many processed foods, junk foods, and fast foods are not. Fiber helps your health in all sorts of ways; keeps the GI tract moving, helps you feel full faster, and it helps fight heart disease and diabetes.”Foods are a better way to get fiber than supplements. You get the whole package,” says Martin O. Weickert, MD, of the German Institute of Human Nutrition. That’s because most plant foods have both types of fiber (soluble and insoluble). (Source: MedicineNet)