Whole food nutrition, you’ve heard it talked about by almost anyone who has something to do with health and fitness, and for good reason.

If you’ve found yourself wondering what the hell “whole food nutrition” is and how the implementation of the basics can dramatically improve your health and performance, check out this article. 

What is whole food nutrition?

Simply put, whole food nutrition is any food that is unprocessed or minimally processed. Meaning a diet consisting of mainly single ingredient foods; no prepackaged snacks, no hyper-palatable foods, and nothing in the ingredient list that you can’t pronounce/ understand why it’s in there in the first place. 

“If you can’t hunt it, fish it, or grow it… Don’t eat it!!”

Now there are of course exceptions to that rule. Just keep in mind the basic principle of choosing foods with minimal ingredients if not single-ingredient foods.

This is all fine and dandy, but I bet you’re wondering how all of this can affect you as an individual and bring you closer to your goals.

To really get an understanding of how whole food nutrition can benefit you, you’ve got to first understand the role your food has on the body. You can then make the right choices for yourself moving forward. 

Protein

Protein! We all love it, we know it’s important, yet many people still do not get in their RDA (recommended daily allowance) of dietary protein.

Why? It could be a lot of things, but in my experience, it has really boiled down to the fact that most people just do not know how much protein they need on a daily basis; or what protein does for their body.  

I could go on for days about why you should get enough protein, but you didn’t come here for that, so let’s cover the big picture. 

What is protein? 

Protein is an organic molecule made up of something called amino acids, which have been referred to as “the building blocks of life”. There are two categories of amino acids that make up a protein molecule and those are your essential and non-essential amino acids. 

Essential amino acids are, of course, essential; Meaning it’s important for us to consume these through whole food nutrition since we cannot make these amino acids on our own. 

Next, we’ve got non-essential amino acids, which means that the body can usually make up enough of these on its own; Not requiring an outside source. 

Whole food sources of protein that include BOTH essential and non-essential amino acids would be considered a ‘’complete protein’’. Whereas a protein source that did not include both essential & non-essential amino acids would be considered an “incomplete” protein.

How much protein do you need? 

A ton of factors come into play when determining how much protein you need. But perhaps the most important factor is activity level. 

Assuming your goal is to maintain or even build lean muscle mass, anywhere from .6-1g of protein per pound of bodyweight would be sufficient. This is the amount needed for basic protein synthesis.  

Why is it important to eat enough protein? 

• Optimal immune function
• Improved performance & recovery
• Increased metabolism (when paired with exercise) 
• Improved satiety & weight management 

Without adequate protein intake, our bodies cannot function well at all. Protein plays a huge role in replacing old cells, aiding in growth & repair, and transporting various substances throughout the body. Therefore, pretty darn important. 

Whole food sources of complete proteins include:

• Grass-fed/finished beef
• Free-range chicken/eggs 
• Cottage cheese
• Whole milk
• Greek yogurt
• Almonds
• Soy 
• Quinoa 
• Chia seeds

Carbohydrates

Believe it or not, whole food nutrition actually does include carbohydrates! Carbs are another awesome organic molecule that’s typically classified by the structure that it’s in (simple or complex). 

What are carbs? 

Simple carbs are super small, easily processed molecules called monosaccharides (one sugar group) and disaccharides (two sugar groups). 

More complex carbs are called polysaccharides, which means that there are more than two sugar groups linked together. 

This is important considering the type of carbohydrate consumed determines the effect it has on the body, different effects can include:

• How quickly the carbs are digested 
• The taste of the carbs (mouthfeel, sweetness) 
• Altered energy levels  

How many carbs do you need?

Like protein, the amount of carbohydrates you need depends on a handful of factors. Again, one of the most important factors for carbohydrate consumption is your activity level. 

Everyone’s body is different and people have different tolerances to how many carbohydrates their body can handle. However, the minimal RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for the general population is about 130g of whole food carbohydrates per day. 

Why is it important to eat enough carbohydrates?

• Carbohydrates are the primary source of immediate energy for all of your body’s cells
• Carbohydrates spark a release of insulin in the body
• Can help improve the body’s cholesterol profile 
• Controls blood sugar and enhances vitamin & mineral intake 
• Enhanced satiety (appetite control) 

As mentioned before, always keep in mind that the type of carbohydrate plays a large role in the effects it has on the body. 

When the diet consists of simple sugars and refined carbs it usually ends up in elevations in bad cholesterol and insulin resistance. Compared to a diet that consists mainly of whole food sources of complex carbohydrates which aids in controlling the body’s insulin response and improves one’s cholesterol levels, not to mention body composition.

Complex & simple sources of carbohydrates 

Complex: 

• Brown or wild rice
• Barley 
• Quinoa 
• Legumes 
• Sweet potatoes/ yams 
• Whole wheat bread/ pasta 

Simple: 

• Refined sugar 
• Soda
• Baked goods
• Prepackaged foods
• Coffee creamer 
• Fruits 
• Juices 

Fats

Last & certainly not least, there are fats! No, they’re not evil either, they’re actually way more important than you might think. Although dietary fats have been demonized over the years, they’re nothing to be afraid of since they’re similar to protein and carbs by just being an organic molecule made up of stuff!

What are fats? 

As mentioned above, fats are organic molecules made up of super-long chains of carbon and hydrogen (hydrocarbon). The interesting part?  The structure of these molecules determines the type of fat it creates and whether or not the fat will be healthy or unhealthy (kind of like carbs)!

Depending on the structure of the bond, you’re left with either saturated fat or unsaturated fat. 

Saturated fat is typically solid at room temperature and does not contain a double bond. Meaning that there are more hydrogen molecules than there are carbon molecules. The structure is “saturated” with hydrogen.  

Unsaturated fat typically has more than one double bond; meaning not all carbons have a hydrogen molecule stuck to them.

This is important considering the structure determines the effect the fat has on the body.  

How much fat do you need? 

Although this is different for everyone and depends on many factors, most people in the general population do well when 20-30% of their daily calories come from a mix of whole food sources of fats. Avoid industrially processed or artificially created foods to really steer clear of unwanted crappy fats.   

Keep in mind that, unlike carbs and protein that have 4 calories per gram, fats have 9 calories per gram! Making them way more dense than the other macros, so be cautious with over-consuming.  

What is healthy fat? What is unhealthy fat? 

I’ve found the term “Healthy fat” to be rather loose. The common answer you’d find is that “poly and monounsaturated fats are the healthiest!!” or “omega 3 and omega 6’s!” but the real answer is pretty shocking. The “healthiest” fats are the ones that are relatively unprocessed and come from whole foods

Whereas “bad” or “unhealthy” fats are typically the foods that are designed to be perishable (long shelf life) and hyper-palatable (make it taste almost irresistible).

For example:

• Transfats that appear in highly processed foods
• Hydrogenated oils and other fats like margarine and some peanut butter
• Shelf-stable cooking oils 

Many people are worried about “too much” dietary fat, which can absolutely cause its fair share of problems. However, this fear has led people to run into issues caused by not having enough fats, which is an entirely different animal.

Why is it important to eat enough fat?

• Increased satiety 
• Improved body composition 
• Improve mood & brain function 
• Improve heart & eye health 

Balancing your fat is very important if your goal is to optimize your health and want to get the most of a high-functioning body and brain. 

Whole food sources of healthy fats:

• Nuts and seeds
• Fish 
• Pasture-raised eggs/ poultry 
• Grass-fed beef
• Olives/olive oil 
• Avocados 
• Coconuts/coconut oil
• Grass-fed dairy (milk, butter, yogurt)

Hopefully, this survival guide can help you take your first step towards navigating the world of whole food nutrition!