I have always been pretty nutrition conscious. Especially in times of trying to lose weight and periods of training for marathons, I was vigilant about knowing how much fat, sugar, protein, dietary fiber, and carbohydrates were in all things I ate. I bought sugar-free fat-free yogurts, whole grain tortillas, and Protein Bars. When I didn't have time to make my lunch for my office job I might have a Lean Cuisine or a microwavable soup labeled as "healthy". Oh and diet coke was definitely a staple...no sugar, no calories, what a treat! (No questions asked about what is in diet coke just relieved there were no calories!)
But somewhere along the way the scale got stuck at a number I didn't like, my energy levels were low, and my moods were not so good. I also became interested in where my food comes from and some of the larger ways my food choices effects the world. I read some books, watched some documentaries, took some classes, became a holistic health coach, and decided that being a "health" nut wasn't healthy for me or the world! Through this process I realized that a calorie is not just a calorie and a gram of protein from a protein bar is not the same as a gram of protein from whole foods. As I began really paying attention to ingredient lists of the foods I was eating, I began to ask myself, why are there ingredients in my food that I can't buy at the store and that I can't even begin to imagine what they look like? What are all these things I can't pronounce? Why can't my yogurt just be milk and cultures, my bread be some kind of flour, yeast, maybe a few seeds, and some honey?
More and more preservatives get added to our food products so that they can last longer and longer on our grocery shelves or in trucks transporting foods all over the world (who wants to eat food made a year ago anyway?). More and more artificial ingredients get added as we request low-fat, low sugar, high protein products rather than products that are left as nature intended them. And at the same time more and more research is showing that nature knew what it was doing when it put our foods together. The fat, protein, carb balance and mixture of vitamins within whole foods is there for a reason and allows our bodies to digest the food into energy optimally and use the vitamins and minerals to make our bodies function at their best. In processing foods we are removing essential natural components from our food and adding artificial chemicals leading to disease, low energy, stubborn weight gain, cravings, and nutrition deficiencies.
For example, here are the ingredients of a Balance Bar, a bar I used to eat regularly when I trained for marathons:
Protein Blend [Soy Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate (From Milk), High Fructose Corn Syrup, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Partially Defatted Peanut Flour, Sugar, Peanut Butter (Roasted Ground Peanuts), Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Contains Less Than 2% Of Natural Flavor, Fructose, Oligofructose, Sodium Caseinate, Peanut Oil, Soy Lecithin, Caramel Color, Fish Gelatin, Salt.
As a runner and "health" nut, I checked that the bar had high protein content, enough dietary fiber, lower fat and sugar, but I just skipped right over the ingredient list. Now as a "whole foods" nut and someone interested in overall health of my body I look for natural whole food ingredients. High fructose corn syrup? Really? How did I miss that? Aren't we over using that in things we call "health" bars? And where could I ever buy soy protein isolate or sodium caseinate?
Now I want my foods to be whole as nature intended and without chemical additives. No more fat free, sugar free, high protein foods for me unless that's how nature made them. My new motto is: if it doesn't grow, fly, swim, or graze, I don't want to put it in my body (most of the time anyways!).
As you start checking out ingredient lists you will notice that it can be very challenging to find any whole foods in packages. For example, I think every tortilla, granola bar and salad dressing at most stores has high fructose corn syrup or some other processed ingredient. So what do you do? Well there are lots of delicious ways to eat fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains all of which are whole foods straight out of the ground. But you don't have to miss out on some of your favorites that come in packages....just check labels and buy the products that have whole food ingredients ....sometimes you might have to go to a health food store to find them. Or sometimes you just have to make your own!
At first making your own may seem overwhelming and please don't try to make all your products on your own all at once. For me it continues to be an ongoing slow process to become a whole foods nut! Try one make-your-own product at a time, once it becomes a habit that fits into your life, try another one. Start with granola bars. Below is a seriously delicious taste-tested recipe for granola bars....no baking required...just make a batch for the week! Send your kids off to school with one of these and you are giving them protein, healthy fats, fiber, whole grains, vitamins, antioxidants all from natural whole foods such as seeds, nuts, oats, nut butter, dried fruit, etc.
Are you experiencing unexplained health symptoms, low energy, cravings, or weight gain even when you feel like you are following all the "diet rules"? Try eating whole foods instead! Become a whole foods nut with me! I will continue to post "make your own" recipes in my blog and newsletter and I welcome recipes from all of you! Keep your eyes out for make your own tortillas and salad dressings coming soon.
Make Your Own Whole Foods Granola Bars:
Recipe adapted from bowlofmush.blogspot.com
* 1.5 cup rolled oats (gluten free oats will make these bars gluten free)
* 1/2 cup hemp seeds
* 1/2 cup chia seeds
* 4 tbsp sesame seeds
* 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds
* 1/2 cup millet puffs
* ½ cup chocolate koala crisp cereal
* ½ cup chopped almonds
* 1.5 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
* 20 unsweetened dates (pitted, chopped and mashed or cut up small by hand or in food processor)
* 2/3 cup raw almond butter
* 1/2 cup organic, extra virgin coconut oil
* 1/8 cup organic agave nectar
* ¼ cup organic brown rice syrup
In a large bowl, add the oats, hemp seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, millet puffs, koala crisps, chopped almonds, and coconut flakes.
In separate bowl combine mashed dates, almond butter, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, and coconut oil.
Add date mixture to oat mixture. Scrunch the mixture with your hands until evenly and well combined. The mixture should easily stick together when you press it with your hands.
Line a baking dish or baking sheet with plastic wrap and then press the mixture into the dish firmly until even. Cover tightly with more plastic wrap and then place the baking dish in the freezer for a few hours.
Remove slate of granola from the pan by flipping it upside down on a work surface, it should slip out easily because of the plastic wrap. Cut the granola bars into slices and wrap each one individually in plastic wrap or wax paper and store in the refrigerator.
