Switching to a whole foods diet can help you to naturally cut calories without sacrificing flavor

The whole foods diet is seeing a bit of a popularity boost right now, but that doesn’t mean that the idea of eliminating processed foods in favor of whole foods is anything new or novel. A diet rich in highly processed foods is unique to the modern generation. Even 50 years ago diets were much more naturally close to a whole foods diet. There were meats, vegetables and grains, and there wasn’t a whole lot of other items to include in the average meal. Pantry items were only being introduced, and the idea of going an entire week without turning on the oven thanks to fast food delivery and drive-thru windows was unheard of.

This is the problem with diets today in the United States. It is actually more convenient not to cook than it is to enjoy a healthy meal with your family. While cooking at home can be more cost effective and healthy, the convenience of getting take-out for the entire family is something that many of us just can’t pass up. But when it comes to losing weight, it is time to tip that scale in the other direction. Fast-food may seem convenient, but it is damaging to your health.

Switching to a whole foods diet by avoiding processed food takes work, but it is one of the healthiest shifts that you can make, and is likely to make a big difference in your weight loss efforts. This includes making changes like:

• Cutting out as many breads and processed grains as possible in favor of simple healthy grains like brown rice or quinoa
• Reducing processed meats or heavily breaded or fried meals in favor of simple proteins like grilled chicken or fish
• Opting for healthier sides like legumes or fresh salads rather than French fries or pasta

Avoiding processed foods is a great way to make healthy changes to your diet. Enjoying more single-ingredient meals and dishes with plenty of freshly cooked vegetables can allow you to pack plenty of flavor into your diet as you lose weight, but cooking in this way does take more time. Take the time to prepare your meals over the weekend, shop around the fresh markets in the Atlanta area and keep a few portions in the freezer so that you have quick and easy meals as you need them throughout the week.