Whole Food Resources?

I am looking to switch my entire family ( myself, my husband, and two teen boys)over to whole foods... which means no processed foods, no additives and so on. Does anyone know where to find resources for this which are focused on no red meat, very low on gluten, and very low in fats. With the primary focus on whole grains, pulses, and fruits and vegs. The foodnetwork.com is not a great resource for this, nor is typical online recipe sites I have already checked them. I am looking for information on doing it right along with recipes. Thanks so much for you help. :)

We just did this a few months ago! I've been eating whole foods now for a couple of years but for my husband and 4 kids, this has been a slow process. I did South Beach diet for awhile, then decided to go dairy free so this book wasn't much help to me. I go to google and do searches for healthy meals all the time and have found some great recipes, if your interested I could e-mail several to you.

I've found that eating whole foods is much easier, and I make up a lot of my own things. Breakfast are easy, things like oatmeal, eggs and toast (my own homemade bread), blender pancakes with many different grains other than just wheat. Lunches are lettuce wraps with baked chicken (I bake chicken and will freeze it for easy use). Dinners are lots of soups and stews, baked chicken with lots of different veggies and steamed grains like barley, amaranth, millet, brown rice, etc.

Anyway, it's sooooo possible and not too hard. I also find many sites, like the ones listed by another person who posted here for vegetarian sites and these are great but I didn't want to go vegetarian, because I think eating hormone free meat is essential in MY diet (again, this is just me, everyone is different, I've tried vegetarianism and it isn't for me). We eat only chicken, fish, turkey and stay away from red meat, pork and any processed meats.

E-mail me if your interested in recipes.

www.vrg.com
www.vegfamily.com
http://www.vegsource.com/
www.vrg.org
www.veggieboards.com I've not been there in awhile, but it is generally filled with people who know their stuff and are willing to help and share.

http://www.pcrm.org/

Also, a search such as "vegetarian health", "vegan health", "vegetarian cooking" "vegan cooking" "vegetarian recipes", "vegan recipes".

Also, don't overly discount processed foods, just read the labels. My veggie "meat" is technically processed, but does not contain additives, artificial anything, high fructose corn sryup, corn syrup, etc. I also don't buy anything that is white flour or contains partially or fully hydrogenated oils.

I hope I've been of some help. I just finished lunch (pre-made hummus and a whole wheat pita from TraderJoe's, a chain of natrual grocery stores with plenty of store brand items that are cheap) and I want to try and start some dishes before my daughter wakes up.

If you're a family on the go, you may still end up eating processed foods...but, look for the kinds with no preservatives, low in sugar/fat/carbs, and lots of plant concentrates. Nutrilite and Trim Advantage are great private brands (available online only on arcebal.com) that use plant concentrates and hardly any artificial ingredients in their food, drinks, and supplements. They taste great, and they're very good for you! They are usually high in B vitamins, omega-3s, fiber, soy or whey protein, antioxidants from blueberries, acai, acerola cherry (4 times vitamin C of an orange), etc. For a free sample of food bars and drinks, go to www.simplynutrilite.com. For more information on the Nutrilite brand and its supplements and food products, go to www.nutrilite.com.

There's great recipes on trimbodysystem.com. They also have an awesome 'Trim Body System' binder with recipes, exercises, and proposed 30-day schedule of nutrition and activities.

Check it out! Then, contact me if you have any questions. =)

Heres gluten free info, that's my area of knowledge!

www.csaceliacs.org
www.celiac.com
www.celiac.org
www.glutenfree.com
www.glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com
www.glutenfreebythebay.blogspot.com