From processed to whole foods?

[Night Elf]

My question is for people who have made the switch from processed foods to whole foods, i.e. those who specifically made a lifestyle change to eat healthier.

 

Our family diet is heavy with boxed and canned goods. The foods I love that aren't boxed don't seem to be healthy: potatoes, milk, cheese, pasta, rice, and bananas.

 

Did you force yourself to eat foods you didn't like and then eventually get used to them? Brown rice, pasta and bread are the first things that come to my mind. They are YUCK. The texture is gross. But supposedly they are healthier. How can I start liking them? :tongue_smilie:

[LittleIzumi]

You can start by mixing half healthy with half unhealthy, like half whole wheat pasta or flour & half white. Try recipes out & that's pretty much the only way to figure out what you'll like. You get used to it but it can be tasty ;). And seasoning is key!!!!

[CalicoKat]

one thing at a time. I made a list and started by changing that one item and once it was accepted or unperceived I moved on to the next item on the list.

 

1. salt & fats - using good salts and we went back to (organic butter) and coconut oils.

 

2. white bread to wheat, to home ground

 

3. white rice & pasta to whole grain pastas

 

4. .... you make your own list.

 

I was inspired by Jackie Wellwood and 20 Healthy Habits bu Frahm

 

The latter book is available on my paperback swap shelf. :)

[regentrude]

There is nothing unhealthy about potatoes (unless they are fried in a lot of fat), milk or cheese or pasta. These foods have been part of traditional diets for centuries.

Is whole grain pasta healthier? Sure, but none in our family likes them it, so we don't eat it.

I don't think one has to go completely overboard and do whole grain everything. What is much more important is to incorporate a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in ones diet. There must be some that you and your family like. Try incorporating whole grains through cereal and bread.

[Carrie12345]

The foods I love that aren't boxed don't seem to be healthy: potatoes, milk, cheese, pasta, rice, and bananas.

 

 

 

Pfft! What's wrong with potatoes, milk, cheese, and bananas?! Maybe don't build your entire diet around them, but don't psych yourself out by banishing them from your meals!

 

I started by looking at my grocery list and asking "Can I make this myself?" Many times, the answer is yes. Sometimes it's "Yes, but it's totally not worth it!" Baby steps!

[nmoira]

You can start by mixing half healthy with half unhealthy, like half whole wheat pasta

And don't assume it is supposed to taste like cardboard, as some brands are *much* better than others. We like Gia Russa and Bionaturae.

 

Oroweat Honey Whole Wheat is a good starter w/w bread. It's soft and the texture is familiar, and makes decent French toast.

 

Before you write it off, make sure you're trying brown rice that's *fresh*. It can taste off if it's old. Store it in the fridge or freezer if you have space. Don't sweat it too much though; a bit of white rice with a veggie-heavy stir-fry is still a pretty good meal. You could also use brown rice with strongly flavored foods like curry and use white rice for more delicate dishes.

 

Take your time making the adjustment, adding one new element at a time and taking the time to get it right.

Edited March 15, 2011 by nmoira

[fairfarmhand]

a little at a time; it takes time for your tastebuds to acclimate.

 

Also instead of telling my family stuff like "No more Captain Crunch...it's bad for you!" I began to buy healthier versions of cereal (raisin bran, etc.) and save the Captain Crunch for "dessert cereal". They like to eat a small cup of sugary cereal for dessert. So they are better about it if they know that they will see their favorites again from time to time.

 

I totally switched my iceburg family to baby spinach a little at a time. I bought a salad mix, instead of iceberg and over time began adding a bit of spinach to it. Now we only eat salads of baby spinach.

 

If you don't like whole grain pasta that is ok, but instead of filling up on the regular stuff, fix a salad or veggies with a bit of dip to go along with it.

 

I took us back from whole milk, to 2%, and now we drink 1%.

 

It helps my family to have a schedule so that junk food is not the first thing we go for when it is snack time....morning snack is fruit or yogurt. Afternoon snack is something healthy...popcorn or chips and salsa (salsa is a veggie!) After supper they get a sweet treat.

[elfgivas]

one thing at a time. I made a list and started by changing that one item and once it was accepted or unperceived I moved on to the next item on the list.

 

1. salt & fats - using good salts and we went back to (organic butter) and coconut oils.

 

2. white bread to wheat, to home ground

 

3. white rice & pasta to whole grain pastas

 

4. .... you make your own list.

 

. :)

 

this was the approach we used. i started with milk, moving from whole milk to 2 percent to 1 percent to no fat. simultaneously, we moved from white bread to cracked wheat bread (which is still soft and light) and then to soft whole wheat and then to whole grain. milk and bread changes took about two years.

 

at the one year mark, i also began to gradually reduce meat portions until they were about 4 ounces. i eliminated processed meats except for hotdogs, which still make an occasional appearance (down to a few times a year). i began to serve two veggies with every meal. (you need to to fill up the plate, but also to get in the servings). we started making vegetarian chili and spaghetti sauce.

 

we eliminated soda. we eliminated chips, etc, and added in different kinds of nuts. we still do chips and salsa though. we added in popcorn in the evenings when i stopped serving desserts, first microwaveable (which is not so healthy) and then air popped.

 

i also worked on breakfasts, trying to find seven healthy, delicious things. i found healthy and tasty muffin recipes (mondays are muffin days : ). we experimented with making McDonald's style fruit parfaits, with yoghurt, fruit and granola. this was a definite hit. we experimented with pancake recipes, adding in 1/3 whole wheat flour to start with, and toasted wheat germ. we came up with a whole wheat and oatmeal waffle recipe that dh makes every sunday. there are left overs that we freeze for later in the week. we experimented with different kinds of hot instant oatmeal, and everyone found at least one flavour that they like.... now....

breakfast was the easiest and most fun meal to change around.

 

only after ten years are we now making the switch to whole wheat pasta and brown rice. we started with rice medleys, and that worked well. but now we have made the jump to all whole grains, and both dh and i like it, but all the kids don't. we'll just keep working on it. that said, i wouldn't have liked it at all 10 years ago.

 

four years ago, we joined a CSA, and get a large box of organic fruits and veggies each week, which we design our menus around. its a challenge, but 4 years in, we all have new favourite veggies, and a few that we just can't stand. eg. dh is the only one in the house who likes beets.

 

so that is our 10 year journey in a nutshell. its a huge thing, but makes a huge difference.

 

and to answer your question, yes, sometimes i eat things i don't like. after all, i expect my dc to eat things they don't like initially, so it only seems fair. and i've discovered that after about 20 times i begin to like them. some i come to like them a lot. beets i will never, ever like and have given myself permission to just not eat.

 

it worked well for us to make changes gradually. the first year, i started in lent. (we gave up soda/pop for lent). and then the changes progressed from there.

 

you can do this.... it is so worth it in the end!

 

hth,

ann

[Night Elf]

I wrote a long note but decided it wasn't worth reading. :tongue_smilie:

 

I like the idea of making changes slowly. My personality is really all-or-nothing so ideas like that don't come naturally.

 

I'd be embarrassed to detail my daily diet. I struggle with the concept of moderation. Being on WW twice taught me good portion control. Both times I lost 20 lbs. Too bad I don't keep it off.

[prairiewindmomma]

Start with adding more fruits & veggies and healthy snacks. Baby step it. You're completely relearning how to buy and prepare food. I still can't handle brown rice or lentils or lima beans or eggplant, but we eat well 90% of the time.

[LittleIzumi]

Oh, and start adding a veggie or salad to every dinner. Make your regular dinner, just also have a veggie or salad on the side. It will help with portion control of the less healthy food & will acclimate everyone to more veggies.

[meggie]

Definitely start slow and baby step it.

 

Also, I've found that overcooking brown rice and whole grain pasta make them more palatable to me. I use extra water in the rice cooker for brown rice and cook ww pasta for MUCH longer than it says on the box. There's a weird texture, but you can hide/get used to that. And don't make brown and white rice in the same pot, the results are awful.

[Giraffe]

Consider what you want to change. Look at the boxes - what are they? Hamburger Helper? What could you do instead? White rice or brown rice with seasonings?

 

Get some cookbooks from the library and look at what you can cook from scratch. Deborah Madison has several good ones. "Get Cooking" from Mollie Katzen is also a good one.

 

Go ethnic. When I started cooking DH's native cuisine (Turkish) I naturally moved to more whole foods as there simply aren't a lot of processed foods in that style of cooking.

[JustGin]

My question is for people who have made the switch from processed foods to whole foods, i.e. those who specifically made a lifestyle change to eat healthier.

 

Our family diet is heavy with boxed and canned goods. The foods I love that aren't boxed don't seem to be healthy: potatoes, milk, cheese, pasta, rice, and bananas.

 

Did you force yourself to eat foods you didn't like and then eventually get used to them? Brown rice, pasta and bread are the first things that come to my mind. They are YUCK. The texture is gross. But supposedly they are healthier. How can I start liking them? :tongue_smilie:

 

For whole wheat, try using white whole wheat flour or products made with that. It's 100% whole wheat, just a milder, softer, sweeter, variety.

[angela in ohio]

We used a great book: Refined to Real Food. It gives a chart for each category of food, and in each category there is a sliding scale from not healthy to very healthy. You find where you are and then start moving slowly in the healthy direction.

 

We did have to eat things we didn't like. But now we like them! Now a meal of broccoli and grilled chicken over brown rice tastes good. :001_smile:

[Parrothead]

You don't have to change everything. If 85-90% of your food choices are whole foods - organic where possible - you'll be so much better off. I get crunchier every day, but I will never eat whole wheat pasta and like it.

 

But the salad was made with organic mixed greens and veggies, the sauce made with organic tomatoes and herbs and the bread is baked at home with wholesome ingredients.

 

That is a long way from pasta with a salad of iceberg lettuce and canned tomato sauce.

 

Dh grew up in southwest GA. You know there white bread is a staple. We have been together for 15 years. I've been trying that long to get him to eat something besides what I call "air bread." It was just this past weekend he finally decided that he likes WW bread better now.

 

So there is hope that your tastes will change eventually, just don't expect it to happen over night.

[Peela]

I would start by adding more fresh foods rather than changing all your whites to wholemeal. We eat healthy here but when we eat rice, its white basmati (which by the way is very healthy because of the way it is prepared), and it's white organic pasta. Ds eats white bread- I buy the stuff without preservatives for him but its all he will eat. I like brown rice and brown pasta but noone else does.

 

But we eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and the "white stuff" (which is all the stuff you said you love) is not the centre of our diet. You can make a fresh vegetable/tomato sauce for your pasta, a stir fry for your rice. You can make smoothies with bananas and ...berries. You can cut up apples to eat with your cheese.

Instead of taking away the foods you love, and feeling deprived...start looking for foods you might like to try- add in foods. Eventually the less healthy options will be displaced.

You can make a vegetable soup...and add some cream to give it a creamy texture.

Baby steps.

[LizzyBee]

There is nothing unhealthy about potatoes (unless they are fried in a lot of fat), milk or cheese or pasta. These foods have been part of traditional diets for centuries.

Is whole grain pasta healthier? Sure, but none in our family likes them it, so we don't eat it.

I don't think one has to go completely overboard and do whole grain everything. What is much more important is to incorporate a large amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in ones diet. There must be some that you and your family like. Try incorporating whole grains through cereal and bread.

 

:iagree: You might like the book Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck. (I'm not sure if I spelled her name correctly.)

[missmoe]

I've read in various places that it takes one's palette 10-15 tastes of something to learn to like that something.

 

I'm sure that some of the stuff you eat would taste YUCK to me because I'm not use to eating it. But with time and repeat tasteing, I could learn to like processed foods.

 

And the same can be true for the opposite. One can learn to like more natural foods. It will take time.

 

Certainly follow all the other posters' advice to take it slowly--so you don't have a mutiny on your hands! But remember that you can learn to really like different foods.

[Guest Momlovesbooks]

http://www.suegregg.com/

 

I posted a great website for switching to Whole Foods. Everyone else alredy warned you to start slow. Also, play with recipes before throwing out an item totally. I mill our whole wheat and try to bake with it. There have been many failed experiments before finding recipes that we really like. www.heavenlyhomemakers.com This is a blog that has some awesome recipes for cooking healthy. My boys have loved everything here.

I don't believe eating healthy means removing fat from your diet. Your brain needs the fat. We drink whole milk and cook with real butter. I use olive oil instead of vege. We also eat the entire egg. For me eating healthy means eating food straight from nature. Nothing processed or that has had chemicals added to it. I also buy produce, milk and meat from local farmers.

[Pretty in Pink]

Have your white pasta. Just make sure you buy marinara sauce with only real ingredients -- no HFCS, lower sodium, etc. Kids love sugar cereals? There are several dry cereals available that don't have any artificial ingredients, no HFCS, etc. There are many natural and organic choices these days for everything from Pop Tarts to granola bars and even potato chips.

 

I always read labels. I still buy Lays, but just the original flavor that has only 3 ingredients. We like white rice -- I just serve it with a fresh stir fry. I haven't made my own bread in ages, but I do know which brands of whole wheat are free of nasty ingredients and still soft and tasty.

 

Be prepared for an increase in your grocery bill.