What Is Real/Whole Food?

Real food is food that is found in nature, plants growing in the ground, in your backyard, animals living on a farm, in the forest, grasslands, oceans, rivers, lakes. It is food that is close to its natural state as possible, and is full of nutrients. It is a whole food that nourishes you, and enables you to grow, stay healthy and thrive.

Real food is whole, unprocessed with no additives, and we recognize exactly where it came from. Real food has not been altered, refined, nor processed. Nothing has been stripped away and no chemical or artificial ingredients have been added. It doesn’t need a package or a label because it contains ONE ingredient! Real food has no ingredients list.

Real food can be hunted, caught, gathered or picked in the wild, it can be naturally grown in a garden or on a farm. Some foods that can be hunted are beef, bison, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, rabbit, quail, goat, wild game, and fish. Others can be grown or gathered such as vegetables, flowers, fruits, leaves, seeds, nuts, seeds, and berries.

Plant based whole foods are rich in dietary fibers and phytochemicals, natural compounds (beta carotene, lycopene, quercetin, which provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Animal sourced food are rich in protein, amino acids, and various minerals (iron, selenium, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iodine) vitamins (B6, B12, folic acid) bio-active compounds(creatine, taurine) which are all vital for muscle growth, maintenance, repair, brain health and cardiovascular repair.

So the next time you’re hungry, think of cooking with whole foods. They’re nutritious, nutrient dense, satiating and healthy for you.

Research links

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9189583/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39119462/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11124005/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23273468/