4 Tips for Making the Switch to Whole Food

Whole Food Health is a nutrition lifestyle approach that focuses on food as fuel for your everyday demands. It focuses on food in its purest form without much processing or packaging. If you think about a grocery store, you will shop the perimeter of the store where all the fresh food is found. We focus on a foundational diet-base of the food period stuff. This means more fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, beans and legumes, and less added sugar and refined grains.

So how do you make the switch-especially if YOU or others in your family are picky eaters and have become “addicted” to processed and pre-packaged? First, give yourself grace and time but combine it with my 4 straight-forward no nonsense steps and you’ll see progress sooner than you think!

1. Communication

Explain to your family why you are cleaning out the pantry and filling it with new foods (or less options!). It may sound something like, “As parents, we don’t always get it right, and some of the foods we’ve allowed in our home are not serving us or our bodies well. We have decided to start eating more foods that will so we can be the best we can be! It might taste or seem strange at first, but our taste buds will adjust and we are going to do it together!”

2. Consistency

Don’t bring it back in the house once it’s gone and don’t replace processed food with different “diet” processed food. (Example: Doritos and “protein” nacho cheese chips are still processed and still chips.) The first two weeks are going to be rough, I’m not going to lie. The detox everyone will be going through will cause tantrums and tears (in kids and adults alike!), but working through it together and not caving to cravings is important! What you used to think was “weird healthy food” will become normal and your body will actually crave that!

3. Get Everyone Involved

All of us have a sense of pride over things we make. If its your spouse and/or your kids who are reluctant (I had one reluctant child and one reluctant spouse), let them help plan and cook meals, shop, read labels, and talk about ingredients and tastes and textures. The “WE” mentality is the key to success.

4. Don’t Get Rid of Your Favorites

I’m not asking you to go cold turkey so don’t get rid of all of your family’s favorites and turn to impossible recipe substitutions. A lot of healthy eating books aren’t family friendly which is why I share our variations in the In Crowd Group every weeknight! A lot of your favorites (mac n cheese, chicken nuggets, tacos, ice cream, pizza, etc.) aren’t inherently unhealthy! It’s all about the ingredients- ultra-processed convenience foods v. whole food. Simply making more from scratch (which takes way less time than you think!) will fuel your bodies in just the right way.

Are you interested in learning more or need more direct support? I can do that! I can provide you with the tools and nutrition education to establish healthy eating habits without banning foods (only the processed stuff!), reframing your relationship with food without diet fads, and empower you to make better daily choices with a strong nutritional foundation.

Sign up for our fall Whole Food Health Series for Families and Individuals. You will get 6+ hours of training and coaching, countless PDF guides and recipes, and practical, evidence-based nutrition education paired with support, encouragement, and accountability for lasting and sustainable change for the whole family!