Single Foods

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to eat foods that had only one ingredient, the food itself? Or in other words “a single food”. Could it improve your health, shape up your body composition, help you lose weight, and maybe even help you feel better?

Before I answer this, let me introduce myself. I am Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD registered dietitian for Ben Hogan Sports Therapy Institute and the Executive Health Program at Texas Health Fort Worth.

As a registered dietitian, people are always asking me…”How can I lose weight?”… “How can I get rid of cellulite?”… “How can I have more energy?” Well, I have an answer…eat clean and be lean! The reality is that Americans eat processed food after processed food. Everything comes in a package, a box, or better yet…a package inside a package. We have more “healthy” and “diet” food on the market than ever before and yet 65% of America is overweight. Hmmm…are we missing the big picture?

Take a look at our genes…our ancestors did not have a weight problem…so let’s look at their lives. They hunted food (buffalo, bison, deer, chicken, fish). They gathered food (fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains). And they walked to do all of it (exercise!). Nothing they ate came in a package, a box, a container or had a list of ingredients attached. Hmmm…they ate single foods…foods that each had one ingredient…itself.

So, if you are trying to improve your health, lose weight and feel better…I have a challenge for you…Go with “single foods”! Try a single food breakfast (hard boiled egg, bowl of fresh fruit and some raw almonds with an espresso), a single food salad for lunch (lettuce, veggies, pecans, avocado, corn, and berries), a single foods dinner (grilled salmon, sweet potato, roasted broccoli and cauliflower) and supplement with single food snacks during the day (apple & natural almond butter, a Lara Bar, raw veggies with a banana and a few walnuts). Yep…sounds hard doesn’t it? But like I always say…if it were easy, everybody would be doing it!
Photo credit: Glen E. Ellman