As many consumers continue to seek the perfect diet for themselves, one thing has emerged for certain, natural is best.

The every day normal American diet consists of 60 percent processed foods, according to this study. Many people are trying to find healthy alternatives.

A diet rich with whole foods can not only optimize your physical health, but has been shown to lower your chances of certain medical conditions.

However, giving your body the right nutrients it’s not just good for your physical health, it’s also good for your mental health.

As it turns out, wholefood nutrition could be the key to achieving both physical and mental nourishment.

The Whole Food Diet Explained:

When you think of the whole foods diet, think of five basic pillars.

First, aim to go back to basics. This means taking your diet and its ingredients as close to its natural state as it can get.

The second pillar centers on including plant based ingredients in your diet, although it is not mandatory that your diet is completely plant based.

When it comes to animal protein, stick to local or naturally raised. Take the time to know the origin and breeding conditions of any animal protein.

If you must purchase prepackaged or premade food, check out the ingredient list, and opt for minimally processed options. As a rule of thumb, stay away from products that include ingredients you may not recognize or even be able to pronounce. Chances are, they are simply preservatives or additives. Don’t forget to apply this outlook to your mode of preparation as well. Preparation methods such as sous vide allow for minimal addition of salt, fat or other additives, and focus more on enhancing the natural taste of your ingredients. By using this temperature controlled vacuum cooking method, your food retains all of its nutrients as compared to other methods of cooking, such as boiling or steaming.

Finally, focus on eating for nourishment and not for weight control or to keep up with dietary fads. Listen to your body, and feed it what it needs, using the dietary guidelines by national health organizations as a guide.

3 Reasons Why Choosing A Wholefoods Diet Benefits The Body And The Mind:

1. It honors your body with freshest ingredients.

The wholefood diet is all about sticking to the freshest, most natural ingredients and skipping the processed alternatives. Therefore, by sticking to a diet rich in whole foods, you are not only nurturing your body with the best of ingredients, but you are also nurturing your soul with the ingredients that are as close to their natural state as they can get. For your soul, a body that is at optimal health levels finds itself much more in tune with its other dynamics, your mental state included. You feel happier and less guilty when you are eating healthily.

2. It supports local farmers and businesses.

Supporting wholefood nutrition can also mean buying local. The diet includes opting for whole grains and fresh vegetables or locally sourced, farm fresh and preservative free protein where possible. This is the ideal situation that allows you to support your local farmers and stores, thereby putting money in local workers’ pockets and providing employment for local farmers. On a spiritual level, it provides the opportunity for you to appreciate the true taste and the work that goes into growing the ingredients for your meal. Appreciating the subtle yet distinctive differences in taste or texture that comes with freshly grown preservative free produce can be all it takes to fulfill your soul.

3. It promotes higher quality sleeping.

It has long been shown that our diet has a direct impact on our sleeping patterns and overall well being. It impacts our exhaustion levels, vulnerability to stress, and even our history with sleep conditions such as insomnia. Getting enough rest is crucial to our overall well being, both physical and emotional, and so using our diet to promote rest is a great step to achieve this. However, getting enough rest with the implementation of a whole foods diet does not just impact your physical well being, it also helps you achieve peace of mind and a complete state of restfulness. This means you are able to be more productive at work and home, achieve a longer life expectancy, and even reduce your medical outgoings.

What You Need To Know:

Best of all, adopting a whole foods diet is quite simple, and can be done gradually, at your own pace. By slowly swapping out the ingredients for natural alternatives on your weekly grocery shop, you can gradually make this way of eating a part of a healthier lifestyle and not simply a diet. Not only will your body thank you, but in time, you will find that you slowly become more mindful around food, making better choices for yourself and others.