August. Bingo month. This was the month where I finally started to develop my own philosophy around food and nutrition. The month where I wasn’t as easily lead by what magazines or ‘experts’ were saying and learned to start trusting myself. I decided that it made no sense to me to use margarine, when butter is a natural alternative and a brilliant source of fat-soluble vitamins. I can’t remember exactly when or why I had this revolation, but it was well overdue.

My diet continued to evolve and eating 100% whole foods had virtually become second nature. I had my moments, where I would question myself or lose sight of what my real food philosophy was and get sucked into the ‘it’s not that bad’ approach (sunflower oil on dried fruit … I let it slide, pure icing sugar on a cake every once in a while … I figured it was a tiny potion of my diet and way better than an artificial sweetener alternative).

For the most part, I continued to learn and evolve, adding more and more nutrent density as I went. Here is an idea of a typcial day for me in terms of food in August 2012 …

Breakfast: Oats, cooked in water in the microwave, with acai berry powder, cinnamon and chia seeds stirred in after cooking. I’d usually sip on a herbal or green tea, sometimes (as a treat) with a bit of honey or organic stevia

Comments: Apart from the fact that I was cooking my oats in a plastic container in the microwave (double cringe), the breakfast itself; fibre-rich oats, antioxidant-rich acai berries, protein and beneficial fats in the chia and blood-sugar balancing cinnamon was pretty nutrient-dense and the herbal or green tea aided in digestion and balanced my energy quite nicely.

Morning snack: Organic Fuji Apple

Comments: So delicious and fresh from the markets that week. I can’t fault this snack at all. Hydrating, rich in fibre, vitamin C and antioxidants.

Lunch: Chia Spelt Bread with mashed avocado and a small container (a few generous handfuls) of tamari almonds

Comments: Sure the spelt bread still had gluten, but at this time, my body was responding really well to just being wheat free and I was glad to eat bread without feeling sick afterwards. Avocado is nutrient-density itself and the tamari almonds were a great source of protein and vitamin E, whilst also being salty and satisfying.

Afternoon tea: natural cheddar cheese and sultanas or raisins

Comments: The cheese wasn’t organic, or even local, and the dried fruit may have had preservative 220 in it (I can’t quite remember .. let’s just assume that it did). However, at this time, it was a sweet and salty snack that was both satisfying and delicious (and far more nutritious than the snacks of yesteryear; chips, sweet biscuits and chicken crimpies).

Dinner: Lamb, vegetable and cashew nut stir-fry with steamed Jasmine Rice

Comments: again, dinner varied every night, but most evening meals were either meat, veg and spuds or meat, veg and rice. I probably didn’t need the rice or spuds and would’ve felt better on just adding more non-starchy veggies, however for where I was at this time, just the fact that it was gluten free and mostly all from-scratch whole foods (mum may have used some questionable sauces … I hadn’t done a cupboard “clean up” at this stage) was good enough and made me feel pretty clean.

Dessert: I actually can’t remember for sure, I think I might have started doing fresh apple with natural peanut butter at this point or having some more tamari almonds with sultanas. Whatever I had, it was usually based around fresh or dried fruit and nuts. If we ate soup for dinner I’d usually have some Chia spelt toast with avo for ‘supper’ rather than dessert, or perhaps a toasted carrot and natural cheddar cheese sandwich.

Comments: Never perfect, but always whole food and nutrient-dense compared to what I used to consider dessert (I was once an absolute chocolate pudding, ice-cream or frozen yoghurt fiend … or homemade treats, like mum’s homemade caramel, banana or apricot slices … that woman has a gift for baking!)

Tip #8 for transitioning to a whole foods diet …

Enjoy the new philosophy that you’re settling into, there’s no need to rush or ‘over-educate’ yourself. Keep moving forward and making small changes, knowing that you needn’t change everything at once. By this stage your diet will be mostly whole foods and this is a huge accomplishment! In the months and years to come, you’ll probably eliminate the last few niggling things (a sauce with added sugar, a few preservatives here and there etc.), but for now, relax, smile and be proud of the changes you’ve made.