Whole Foods?

J

Jessie

Active Member
I've been reading on the Ask Cathe Forum about how people stopped eating refined carbs and started eating more whole foods.

My question is, are there books or something people can recommend on this topic? I was just diagnosed with a tendency towards low blood sugar and my father's a diabetic, so this topic is very important to me!

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
Christina Cooks

<center><font size="1" color="#ff0000">LAST EDITED ON Nov-04-99 AT 01:59PM (EST)</font></center>

Hi Jessie! There used to be a show on PBS in this area (SE Pennsylvania) called "Christina Cooks." The woman's name is Christina Pirello, and she also has a cookbook out called "Cooking the Whole Foods Way". She had a website at http://www.christinacooks.com, but I checked and it isn't there anymore. I have seen the book in bookstores, though.

I don't have the book, and I haven't tried the recipes, but they looked and sounded good when she made them on the TV show. I've been trying to incorporate more whole/natural foods in my diet too -- whole grains, etc.

Hope this helps!

Lynne
 
the website's gone?

I looked at it once and it was really nice. You could find quite a few recipes on it. I wonder if she was afraid people were using the site instead of buying the cookbook?

I never made anything of the recipes I looked at, but they looked really interesting, as does the cookbook. I haven't bought it yet because I already have more cookbooks than any one person should own. I can't think of any specific recommendations off of the top of my head, but going to your local Borders or Barnes and Noble and browsing through the vegetarian section would probably be a good way to find some cookbooks with more of a "whole foods" approach.

My fav veggie cookbooks are the Mollie Katzen ones (Moosewood and Enchanted Broccoli Forest), Vegan Vittles by Joanne Stepaniak, and one by Lorna Sass whose name I'm blanking on. All of those would have whole foods type recipes in them, though if you have an aversion to nutritional yeast, avoid Vegan Vittles
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Lots of grains, soy products (tempeh, tofu, etc), sea veggies and the like get covered in these books, with the Mollie Katzen ones being the most "friendly" to people not used to such things.

Oh, and 8 Weeks to Optimal Health by Dr. Andrew Weil has several very nice, very simple recipes. Best broccoli I've ever had came from that book (basically, quick steamed in a skillet with LOTS of garlic and red pepper flakes and a bit of olive oil). Lots of fish recipes in this one (mostly salmon).

Good luck in your search.

Karen N
 
whole foods

Another source for info is "vegsource.com" a vegetarian site where you can find recipes, or ask others for info on switching to whole foods.
 
Found some more info...

On our local PBS station's website , I found more info about the show. According to their info, she also publishes a whole-foods magazine. I also noticed there that her website has changed to http://www.christinaschoice.com, but when I tried to connect it still didn't work. Maybe it's down for repairs or something.

Also, regarding Karen's post below, Lorna Sass has some great pressure cooker books. I think one is called "Cooking Under Pressure" or some other catchy title. Those are great if you're short on time. (Who isn't?)
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Lynne
 
some ideas

Hi Jessie,

Here are some of my favorite books:
Staying Healthy with Nutrition by Elson Haas, MD - I consider this book my bible. It explains all the vitamins and minerals and what they do for you in detail along with tons of other great info.

Elson Haas also has a companion cook book called A Diet For All Seasons. It focuses on whole foods found naturally during the seasons.

This next book, Feeding the Whole Family, by cynthia Lair was part of my nutritional counseling at my Naturopathic physicians office. It is a very good basic starter book for families to incorporate whole foods into their daily lives.

One other whole food cookbook is The Natural Gourmet by annemarie Colbin.

Oh, and one more...I love the magazine Natural Health. They have the best recipes.

Lynne's tip for a pressure cooker is great advice. You will love how it shortens your kitchen time
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Now I am off to investigate that cooking website
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, thanks Lynne. Good luck, and if you are new to whole foods, it might be a big adjustment....persevere! I try to remind myself that food is fuel and I try to always add high test.

nancy:O)
 
pardon my ignorance

I'm not even exactly sure what "whole foods" are. . . several have referred to vegan books/recipes, is whole foods a vegan thing? Anyway, one healthy thing I do for my family is I make whole wheat bread. By whole wheat, I don't mean the WW flour you find in the store. . . other than the extra fiber, it's not nutritionally a whole lot different than white flour. All the wonderful vitamins and minerals in fresh-ground wheat have dissipated. I actually buy WHEAT, grind it myself, and make my own bread with it (just call me the Little Red Hen!
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). It's too heavy for the girls to like sandwiches with it, but we make toast out of it most morning and often toast it for snacktime as well (especially good when slathered with strawberry jam I made with just two-hours-picked strawberries, mmmm!). Anyway, to make two loaves a week doesn't take too much time, you can find wheat, wheat grinders, breadmakers if you want one, recipes etc at www.urbanhomemaker.com. -susan p
 
OH, and does anybody grow sprouts?

I have a sprouter, and some seed to sprout, but don't use it much. I know sprouts are real nutritional powerhouses. I have trouble with my sprouts coming out a little bit bitter and I don't know why? Anybody else grow sprouts and know what I'm doing wrong? -susan p
 
What makes foods "whole"

Hi Susan,

I think it is awesome that you grind your own wheat! You go girl
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I took this from the Cynthia Lair book:

What is Whole Foods?

Can you imagine it growing? It is easy to picture a wheatfield or an apple on a tree. Tough to picture a field of marshmallows (yumm).

How many ingredients does it have? A whole food has only one ingredient - itself.

What has been done to the food since it was harvested? The less, the better. many foods we eat no longer resemble anything found in nature. Stripped, refined, bleached, injected, hydrogenated, chemically treated, irradiated, and gassed, modern foods have literally had the life taken out of them.

Is this product "part" of a food or the "whole" entity". Juice is only a part of a fruit. Oil is only part of the olive. When you eat partial foods, your body in its natural wisdom craves the parts it didn't get.

nancy:O)...the yumm was my own input..not found in the book
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everything in moderation

those devil dogs won't kill ya!hehehehehe and if they and my other non whole treats contribute to my death...I'm dying happy
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nancy:O)
 
Thanks everyone!

So I guess the low-fat Pop Tart and Bran Chex cereal wouldn't be considered a whole food? :)

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions!

Jessica
 
aw shucks

nancy, I was kinda hoping that "whole foods" meant something like "you have to eat the WHOLE BAG of Hershey's Nuggets with Almonds" and "you have to eat the WHOLE SIX-PACK of little chocolate donuts" and "You have to finish the WHOLE TUB of buttery theatre popcorn". . . Are you really sure that's not what it means??
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susan p
 
OK, I changed my mind

<center><font size="1" color="#ff0000">LAST EDITED ON Nov-05-99 AT 05:05PM (EST)</font></center>

I like your idea a lot better too!LOL

I will be chuckling when I head to the movies next time and order my "whole food" popcorn
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nancy:O)
 
Susan, you're a crack up! :)

I'd love to join you for a breakfast of homemade toast and strawberry jam!
 
To Susan P

I have two rolls of nestle cookie dough in the fridge. I actually might cut them and put them in the oven by hand! I also make a mean Stouffer's Mac'n cheese.

Actually, I am impressed at what you do for your family's health. I try to keep healthy food in the house, but it's HARD!! Since I work almost 40 hrs (not including call and other responsibilities) and soon will have to work 50 hrs(yuck), I rely on my husband, who stays home, to do some shopping and do what he would actually call cooking. Suprisingly, the job he does is not bad. However, it is not what I would do myself. I have found Whole foods/Fresh Fields supermarket to be helpful (if darn expensive). They have great organic chocolate!(I know I'm evil).

Do you know any RAPID healthy meals or snacks?!!

Thanks,

Irene
 
You grind wheat?

And make bread and didn't bring us any on the trip? You know that now you'll have to make us a few loaves for the next trip, don't you?
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Rose
 
Sprouts

Susan, I've grown sprouts off and on. The bitterness you're experiencing might be from several things: 1) The type of seed you're sprouting--maybe it is naturally bitter (for example, radish seeds are a bit bitter); 2) Not rinsing enough. Most seeds are o.k. with a good once-a-day rinse, but some (garbanzo beans, for example) need to be rinsed twice a day, or even three times a day. 3) rinsing method. I've gotten the best sprouting results from using a system where you thouroughly rinse the sprouts under running water (with a sink sprayer or sprayer attachment for the faucet). I've used both baskets and trays for this. good luck finding the problem!
 
vegan

Vegan and whole foods don't necessarily go hand in hand (as you've probably already figured out). For instance, chicken would be a "whole food", while TVP (aka texturized veggie protein)and veggie burgers would not (not to mention the fact that vegan chocolate exists - thankfully!). However, a lot of the vegan cookbooks, which I'm obsessed with due to my dairy allergy, have lots of whole foods type recipes. And a really big veggie / grain emphasis.

Reading about your bread is making me hungry. I love whole grain stuff.
 
Dairy allergy

Sabella,
What kind of a dairy allergy do you have? I've always heard of dairy allergies being referred to now days as lactose intolerance and was wondering if that was true in your case. I'm just real curious, I've recently cut dairy out of my diet to see if that is causing certain problems. Thanks for allowing me to be nosy!

Elizabeth Kelly
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