Previewing the WPF Lifestyle
Living a Whole Plant Food Life
March 3, 2017, updated April 5th, 2023
March 3, 2017, updated April 5th, 2023
The term whole in WPF describes foods that are minimally processed. This includes fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), nuts, and seeds.
Many eventually give up the "diet" label in favor of lifestyle. Perhaps that’s because the common understanding of "dieting" has become so confusing. A WPF lifestyle is simpler. It’s not a short-term punishment charged by guilt. It’s not a set of complicated meal plans. It’s a return to whole foods, natural flavors, and optimal health.
What do I eat? Keep it simple -- eat whole, unprocessed foods derived from plants.
Why? The benefits of a healthy lifestyle are enormous. When you adopt a WPF lifestyle, you can increase the odds that you will:
The price? $0, except for the effort in teaching yourself how to choose healthier foods.
You can achieve profound health benefits by loading your plate with whole plant foods. Let’s break it down into what is and is not a whole plant food...
Many eventually give up the "diet" label in favor of lifestyle. Perhaps that’s because the common understanding of "dieting" has become so confusing. A WPF lifestyle is simpler. It’s not a short-term punishment charged by guilt. It’s not a set of complicated meal plans. It’s a return to whole foods, natural flavors, and optimal health.
What do I eat? Keep it simple -- eat whole, unprocessed foods derived from plants.
Why? The benefits of a healthy lifestyle are enormous. When you adopt a WPF lifestyle, you can increase the odds that you will:
- Lower your risk of prostate, breast, and other cancers
- Prevent, even reverse, heart disease
- Prevent, better manage, or even reverse diabetes
- Achieve a healthy body weight and increase your energy levels
- Live longer and happier
- And much more!
The price? $0, except for the effort in teaching yourself how to choose healthier foods.
You can achieve profound health benefits by loading your plate with whole plant foods. Let’s break it down into what is and is not a whole plant food...
Whole Plant Food Guide
Eat these in abundance: Enjoy a wide range of whole, unrefined plants. You can eat when you’re hungry and eat until you’re full. Strive for variety in your meals, and include fiber-rich foods that capture all the colors of the nutrition rainbow. The following list contains many suggestions, but it is not exhaustive. Some items on this list may be inaccessible where you live due to climate or culture. We encourage you to use these suggestions as a starting point, but explore other foods in the following food groups, as well!
Should I take vitamin B12? This essential nutrient is not made by animals or plants. B12 is made by microbes, bacteria that blanket the earth. Animal foods can be sources of B12. Very few plants contain vitamin B12. If you are on a strict vegetarian (vegan) diet, we do recommend that you take a B12 supplement.
Eat these with caution: Many of the following foods are healthy. For example, nuts, seeds, and avocados have many valuable health-promoting nutrients. But these foods are also very calorie dense because of their naturally high fat content. It is also easy to eat these foods excessively without realizing it. Enjoy them in moderation.
If purchasing a pre-packaged food product, carefully read what is on the package, box, or can. Note that product ingredients are listed in descending order, with the greatest amount by weight listed first. Look for plant-based products that have only a few ingredients. This generally indicates that it is less processed. Aim for foods high in fiber and low in sodium and low in added sugars.
Avoid eating these: The standard American diet (SAD), or the Western diet, is heavy on meat, dairy, and refined and ultra-processed foods. It is very high in added oils (saturated fat), sugar, and sodium and deficient in health-promoting macro-nutrients, fiber, vitamins, and phytonutrients. Consequently, we face epidemics of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other lifestyle-related diseases; staggering health care costs; and lower quality of life.
* Even the finest olive oils are 100% fat, meaning calorie-dense and nutrient-poor. Oil injures the endothelium (the innermost lining of arteries), and that injury is the gateway to vascular disease. Adding even a little oil can negatively impact heart health, especially for those with known heart disease.
** Ultra-Processed foods are often packaged and drastically modified from their original state (think Twinkies, Oreos, potato chips, and other “junk foods”). If you’re not sure whether you are eating an ultra-processed food, read the label and ask yourself whether you recognize the ingredients. Are they whole foods or only fragments of the original foods?
- Fruit (fresh or frozen) - apples, apricots, bananas, berries, cherries, grapes, kiwi, mangoes, melons, papayas, pears, pineapple, plums, etc.
- Vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned) - asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, peppers, winter squash, tomatoes, zucchini, etc.
- Greens - arugula, bok choy, chards, cilantro, collards, kale, lettuces, parsley, spinach.
- Roots - beets, carrots, daikon, garlic, ginger, leeks, onions, potatoes (all colors), radishes, turnips.
- Whole Grains & Ancient Grains - amaranth, barley, brown rice, bulgur, farro, millet, quinoa, sorghum, steel cut and rolled oats, teff, wheat berries, whole wheat, wild rice, etc.
- Beans - adzuki (red) beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, fava beans, green beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mung beans, peas, pinto beans, soybeans.
- Legumes - dried or canned with minimal salt.
- Omega-3-Rich plant sources - chia seeds, ground flaxseed, walnuts, soy
- Organic Whole Soy Products (recommend limiting soy to 2-3 servings per day) - edamame, miso, tempeh, tofu.
- Spices - all spices
- Beverages - water, green tea, herbal teas, unsweetened plant-based milk substitutes, decaffeinated coffee
Should I take vitamin B12? This essential nutrient is not made by animals or plants. B12 is made by microbes, bacteria that blanket the earth. Animal foods can be sources of B12. Very few plants contain vitamin B12. If you are on a strict vegetarian (vegan) diet, we do recommend that you take a B12 supplement.
Eat these with caution: Many of the following foods are healthy. For example, nuts, seeds, and avocados have many valuable health-promoting nutrients. But these foods are also very calorie dense because of their naturally high fat content. It is also easy to eat these foods excessively without realizing it. Enjoy them in moderation.
- Nuts - almonds, cashews, nut butters, pistachios, walnuts
- Coconut - low-fat coconut milk, raw coconut, unsweetened shreds or chips
- Avocado
- Olives
- Seeds (in addition to omega-3 sources) - pumpkin, sesame, sunflower
- Dried Fruit (organic and without added sugars or oils) - raisins, cranberries, mango, banana, pineapple
- Natural Added Sweeteners - date syrup, maple syrup, honey, molasses
- Beverages - 100% fruit and vegetable juices
If purchasing a pre-packaged food product, carefully read what is on the package, box, or can. Note that product ingredients are listed in descending order, with the greatest amount by weight listed first. Look for plant-based products that have only a few ingredients. This generally indicates that it is less processed. Aim for foods high in fiber and low in sodium and low in added sugars.
Avoid eating these: The standard American diet (SAD), or the Western diet, is heavy on meat, dairy, and refined and ultra-processed foods. It is very high in added oils (saturated fat), sugar, and sodium and deficient in health-promoting macro-nutrients, fiber, vitamins, and phytonutrients. Consequently, we face epidemics of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other lifestyle-related diseases; staggering health care costs; and lower quality of life.
- Meat - processed meat, pork, shrimp, beef, lamb, turkey, chicken, fish
- Dairy - butter, buttermilk, cheese, cream, half and half, ice cream, milk, yogurt
- Eggs
- Processed Plant Fragments (these are often found in vegan replacement foods)
- Added and Hydrogenated Fats
- Margarine & Oils - including olive oil and coconut oil*
- Refined Sugar - barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, cane juice crystals, confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), corn syrup, fructose, white sugar
- Refined Grains - white flour (including in pastas, bread, cereals, snack foods), white rice
- Protein Isolates - isolated milk protein, soy protein isolate, pea protein isolate
- Ultra-Processed Foods - packed with additives, artificial colors, stabilizers**
- Beverages - caffeinated coffee and high-caffeine tea, energy drinks, soda, sports drinks
* Even the finest olive oils are 100% fat, meaning calorie-dense and nutrient-poor. Oil injures the endothelium (the innermost lining of arteries), and that injury is the gateway to vascular disease. Adding even a little oil can negatively impact heart health, especially for those with known heart disease.
** Ultra-Processed foods are often packaged and drastically modified from their original state (think Twinkies, Oreos, potato chips, and other “junk foods”). If you’re not sure whether you are eating an ultra-processed food, read the label and ask yourself whether you recognize the ingredients. Are they whole foods or only fragments of the original foods?
Worth the Effort: “The epidemic of chronic, degenerative disease that is sweeping the western world can not only be stopped, it can be reversed. The power lies in the hands of the consumer -- YOU, in the choices you make about what you put on our plate.” -- Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study.