We all know fresh, whole foods are better for us, yet most of us don’t seem to get enough of them in. The ease and convenience of pre-packaged or processed foods may save you time, but they aren’t really doing us any favors when it comes to our health. I’ve recently shifted my focus to prioritizing eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, and fresh or whole foods over processed foods. Today I am sharing some of the tips I have used to help me get in more whole, fresh foods. I’ve recently started doing this and have identified 3 tips in particular that have been helpful in staying on track with this. These are:
- Plan and prep ahead.
- Identify where you can make swaps.
- Stock up on your favorite fresh foods.
I’ve mentioned in some of my previous episodes and blog posts that I have two favorite or preferred approaches to eating to support body weight and composition goals. One is macro tracking, which you can learn more about in my episode How to Get Started with Macro Tracking. The other is what some call clean eating, but there are several terms for it and it varies what different people mean by this. To put it really simply it is when most of your food is fresh, whole food. What I mean when I refer to this approach is lean protein sources, whole grains or other high fiber carbohydrate sources, and fresh fruits and vegetables. The idea is to avoid highly processed foods as much as possible.
Through using the “clean eating” approach I have found that not only does my body composition improve, but there are numerous other benefits. Some of these include more energy, improvements in skin, reduced cravings (over time), and lower hunger. When you add it up, it makes sense why this happens; you’re giving your body the type of fuel it can use beyond quick energy. For example, you drink an energy drink or have something sweet, and you get a quick boost for a short time and then that crash hits you later. Your body isn’t getting enough of what it needs, so it keeps firing off hunger hormones, which is why you feel hungry more often.
I’ve recently gone back to the whole food or clean eating approach and this time I’ve been focusing on getting in more vegetables in particular and more servings of raw vegetables in each day. They say that in eating this way we don’t need to take vitamins and supplements, because you would be getting all of those that you need from fresh fruits and vegetables. However, it can be really difficult to eat the amount of fruits and vegetables each day that would accomplish that. It’s a goal of mine at the moment, and as I’ve been pursuing it, I’ve developed some tips that I find helpful in getting in more fresh foods each day.
So, up to this point, I have three tips that help me get in more fresh foods each day.
- Plan and prep ahead.
A little planning goes such as long way. I was once very fly by the seat of my pants, so I certainly understand that and how hard it can be to get yourself out of it. But I can tell you life is so much smoother when you do a little planning ahead, including for your food.
As you may already know from some of my earlier episodes and posts, such as Meal Planning made Easy, I plan my meals ahead each week. I usually do this on a Friday evening; sketch out weekly meals and write my grocery list. On Saturdays I do my shopping for the week and between Saturday and Sunday I prep ahead anything that needs pre-prep to save time and help me stay on track through the week.
So, since we are talking specifically about fresh foods today, I’ll focus on what I do for fruits and vegetables. I determine what vegetables I’m going to use for snacks that week and roast or cook any that I prefer to eat that way, such as squash, beets, and asparagus. Anything I plan to eat raw, like carrots, broccoli, or cucumber, for example, I will wash, cut, and bag ahead of time so all I have to do is grab and go during the week.
This goes for fruits too. I will wash berries and grapes ahead of time and pre-bag them for easy grab and go. If its something like melon, I will cut them up into chunks to save time during the week. - Identify where you can make swaps.
So, part of what we want to do is eat mostly fresh, whole foods, most of the time. This means limiting and eliminating processed stuff. It’s also being mindful and aware of the fat content and methods of preparation for certain things. This means avoiding deep fried foods and foods high in fat and that have tons of added salt and sugar.
The more you pay attention to this, the more areas of your daily diet you’ll find that need some work. For example, I grew up with lunches that comprised of sandwiches, chips, and fruit snacks and as I got older, it evolved into some sort of sandwich and chips with a soda. I’ve since swapped out some things. For example, I usually eat my sandwich dry or will use some avocado in place of mayo. I traded chips for either cherry tomatoes, mixed vegetables, or salad, and drink water instead of soda.
Other ideas for swaps. Trade the beef burger patty for turkey or better yet, portobella mushroom and swap the fries for fresh steamed green beans. You can swap pasta for zucchini noodles, or just add zucchini noodles to your pasta to get in more vegetables. Swap out your usual desert for some fruit. Replace the microwave popcorn with homemade. It tastes ten times better and you can drastically reduce the amount of fat and salt when you make it yourself. Replace chips with mixed nuts when you want something crunchy. - Stock up on your favorite fresh foods.
If you aren’t big on vegetables now, start with the ones you do like and stock up on those. You will be more successful if you have enough of the right kinds of food on hand, and even more so when you have them prepped and ready to grab ahead of time. If you are going to focus on fresh, whole foods being the majority of what you consume most of the time, then it’s important to make sure you stock up. You don’t want to be stuck hungry with none of the things you are working to eat more of on hand. It just makes it easier to give into eating the things you are trying to avoid.
It’s also important to make sure you are stocking up on the things you will enjoy eating and find ways to prepare them that will make it easier for you to eat them. You won’t eat what you hate or what you feel like you have to force. In the meantime, for things you aren’t that crazy about or maybe haven’t tried, look at different recipes and see what sounds good, or how you can combine them into other things. Don’t be afraid to experiment and get creative. You might be surprised.
For example, I thought I hated beets for most of my life. Why? Because I had only ever been given the canned ones. When I decided to try fresh beets, I was in love. They taste so much better fresh! Another trick I’ve found in experimenting with different ways to get in more vegetables is to add them to my protein shakes. You don’t even notice them. I’ll share one of my go to protein shake recipes that tastes great and gives me the boost I need in the morning: a good handful of spinach or other leafy green, a handful of frozen mixed berries or other mixed frozen fruit, a small banana, some ice cubes, about a cup of oat milk, almond milk, or water, and a scoop of a good vanilla or birthday cake protein powder.
So, those are my three tips to getting in more fresh foods and staying on track with better eating. I hope you found some helpful things to try yourself. The better you care for your body, the better your body cares for you.
I would love to hear from you, so please share your thoughts in the comments. If you find this helpful and want to continue the pursuit of faith, fitness, and joy with me, please like and subscribe. You can also find Faith Fitness Joy on Facebook and Instagram or check out the podcast. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you in the comments and on the socials!