Stop Counting Calories and Start Counting Chemicals; Moving to a Whole Foods Diet

You may have counted calories and carbs to lose weight or live a more healthy lifestyle. This may work short-term, but long-term, your body is craving something else. What’s that, you ask? Real food! One of the biggest reasons counting calories stops working is that you cannot take cues from your body about what it might need.

Furthermore, we may put ourselves in starvation mode, which will ultimately cause our body to store more of these calories as fat. So what do I propose you do instead? I propose you stop counting calories and start counting chemicals. Eat a diet with more whole foods instead. Stay with me here and allow me to explain.

Processed Food

They contain high amounts of sodium, sugar, and chemical preservatives to enhance processed foods' flavors, texture, and shelf life. This not only makes them highly addictive, but due to the chemical enhancements, these toxins in your food are also very harmful to your health. So what are some examples of what I am referring to? Fat-free foods include cake mixes, frozen meals, boxed meals, frozen pizza, cereals, crackers, chips, packaged bread, baked goods, candy, etc. Not only are these chemicals added to processed foods, but you also need to look closely at things like artificial hormones fed to the animals we consume, soy products, the packaging on some foods that contain plastic pollutants, and pesticides sprayed on our produce. This is only the tip of the iceberg, my friends.  

So why do foods high in chemicals cause weight gain? First, these chemicals cause disruptions in our endocrine system, wreaking havoc on our hormones. This leads to weight gain and obesity. Furthermore, as I mentioned, our bodies recognize these substances as invaders. This puts us in alert mode, and our bodies react, causing an inflammatory response. Then there are the more obvious processed sugars and high sodium in abundance. The disruption of hormones, inflammatory response, and high sugar and sodium content can lead to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid disruptions, and obesity. Yes, obesity is considered a chronic illness. One in six Americans is obese.

To assess whether or not your food choice is highly processed, a simple question is, “Did this come from a tree? In the ground? On a bush? A good example would be a loaf of bread. It doesn’t grow directly out of the ground; however, rice does. Whole foods are as close to their natural form as possible.

What are Whole Foods?

Whole foods are unadulterated, meaning they are unprocessed, unrefined, and free from harmful additives. Foods that are as close to their natural form as possible offer nutrient-dense nutrition. What does this mean? Well, they are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and various levels of macronutrients (carbs, proteins, and healthy fats). Our bodies easily recognize these nutrients. This means that they are being well absorbed. When we introduce processed food ingredients, we do not absorb important nutrients as effectively. What we do absorb, our bodies may recognize these ingredients as foreign, which causes our bodies to react negatively. This can lead to various health issues, weight gain, irritability, fatigue, and sleep disturbances.

Making the Switch

Before making any big change in your life, you must discover your “why?” Are you doing it because you think you should, or are you doing it because you know it is not serving you or your body? You will undoubtedly fail if you don’t have the right mindset going into a habit change. First, you have to get real with yourself. Are you feeling like total crap every day? Tired of feeling tired? Are you sick of dieting and failing over and over again? Do you have kids that you want to see grow up or grandkids? Do you want to feed them better for their future?  Have this discussion with yourself and ask why you are moving to a whole-food diet. Figure out WHY, and always return to that when you want to give up.

Another thing you want to explore is Who your support is. Who do you need on board to follow through, and who will keep you accountable? For example, do you need your sister, friend, or coworker to check in with you and say, “Hey, how’s eliminating the processed foods from your life going?” Studies have shown that having someone who keeps you accountable increases your chances of success by miles. Get them on board to stop counting calories and start counting chemicals.

Adjustment Period

You want to proceed with this change gradually, especially if you have been someone who has eaten primarily fast food, prepared meals, sweet cereals, potato chips, etc., for most of your life. You have to give yourself some grace. Proceed gradually because those who need a BIG change require SMALL steps. Too much, too quickly, can lead to overwhelm and then failure. I want to suggest something called “Phase In, to Phase Out.” Here are some tips on how to get started with that:

Go through your pantry, refrigerator, etc., and replace certain food items with better choices. I did this gradually when I first started. If you replace everything all at once, it can become costly, and again, when you make a BIG switch all at once, you’re apt to fail. We don’t want that. Start with step one, which would be replacing your kitchen food staples with cleaner choices. Clearing the clutter in your kitchen can be daunting, but pick one place at a time—the snack cabinet, the freezer, etc. I have a beginner guide to Trader Joe's; if you have one, you can grab one here. Each week, choose how many meals will be completely whole food choices. Start small if you have to, then increase by one each week. 

Get your People on Board

If you live with others, get them on board. This will make it easier for you to stay on track and return to accountability; you can keep each other on track. If you have young children, get them on board too. Make it a fun adventure for them. Let them help you clean out the pantry, pick fun recipes, and make a game out of choosing new kinds of food to eat. Young children love to learn new things, so teach them why eating this way is important and, more importantly, why eating unhealthily is dangerous.

Focus on the Positive

When you make this transition, try not to focus on what you can’t have but rather on what you can have. But by doing this, you automatically change your mindset from negative to positive (remember mindset?) This is huge. This will eventually rewire your brain to desire what you are thinking about. After practicing this for some time, you crave the good foods and feel better, so it’s a win/win. This takes some practice, but as I said, you must have the right mindset. The more you think about the positive, the easier changing your habits becomes. In the end, eating more whole foods becomes a part of what you do, and being healthier becomes part of who you are.

Some Steps to Make it Easier – Stop Counting Calories And Start Counting Chemicals

• Cook at home—I know this is not always possible, but preparing your own meals is a good way to know exactly what’s going into them. You can make it easier by meal planning one day a week so that you’re not trying to figure out what’s for dinner at 5 p.m. and then end up getting takeout because there was no plan, ingredients, etc. Even if you plan just three meals, that’s three meals that could be healthier and keep you moving the needle forward.
• Find a Local Farmer’s Market- this is a fabulous way to ensure you get the freshest, in-season produce available. This produce will also likely not have those gross waxes and preservatives that contain unnecessary chemicals. You can speak to your farmer about what they might use on their crops, etc., in person.  
• Wash your produce when you get home, ensuring you’re ready to go. All fruit will be easily accessible so that you can grab and go. Your greens will be ready to eat to prepare a salad, etc. The #1 excuse for people eating fast food is convenience. It’s quick, convenient, and readily available. Well, prepare your healthy snacks and meal ingredients ready to go!
• Make it enjoyable—Be creative. Be experimental. Try a new recipe every week that you have never tried before. Having variety will prevent you from becoming “ho-hum” about your meals. Also, consider making some of your favorites, but create them in a new way, using more whole foods.
• Buy meat that is grass-fed, antibiotic, and GMO-Free- this is important on so many levels, and I could go down a really big rabbit hole here, but consider this one tidbit; whatever that cow or pig was fed is stored in that animal's body and has now become the meat that you are consuming. That is the bottom line. If you must eat, please choose options that do not pump you with unnatural components. There may be a butcher near you or a farm specializing in grass-fed choices. Many markets now carry meats that fall into this category, as well.

Flexibility vs. Rigidity

Be flexible with yourself. There will be times when you have no other options and have to eat highly processed food. Don’t attack yourself in this case. Eating is meant to be not only a necessity but a pleasurable experience. Passing judgment on yourself will lead you to give up. At your next meal, you can return to the Whole Foods train.

If you eat a meal or snack that is primarily processed and sugary after spending some time eating more whole foods, pay attention to your body and see how that makes you feel. Sometimes, it is helpful to keep a food diary to see what might trigger certain symptoms or emotions (yes, this is a symptom, too). If you slipped and craved food that you know is not good for you, focus on why you craved that food. Ask yourself, what was it that I was craving? Is it an emotional craving that is fed with comfort food? Get connected with yourself. 

In summary, it is important to listen to your body and be intuitive about what it is telling you. Stop counting calories and start counting chemicals. You may be surprised at the weight you can lose, the energy you will gain, or just feeling better overall.

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