What Is a Whole Food?

Whole foods are foods that are in the form found in nature—fresh, unprocessed, and simple. These include:

High-Fiber Foods

Beans
Whole grains
Vegetables
Fruits
Nuts
Seeds

Quality Proteins

Beans
Nuts and seeds
Eggs
Fish
Lean poultry, lamb, pork, or beef (preferably organic, grass- or range-fed)

Healthy Fats

Fish oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Cold-expeller-pressed plant oils, such as grapeseed, walnut, and sesame
Avocado
Olives
Coconut
Nuts
Seeds

Healthy Carbohydrates

Vegetables
Whole grains
Beans
Fruit
Nuts
Seeds

This chart is excerpted from Mark Hyman’s book, UltraMetabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss (Scribner, p. 26).