Whole foods. Sure, many of the recent news reports, publications, and books maintain that a whole foods diet is the way to go. But for some, fear and reservation still loom.

"But what if my 'whole food' has too much cholesterol, too many carbohydrates, or too much sugar?"

Have you noticed consumers are still buying low-fat dressings, popping the yolks out of hard boiled eggs, and avoiding apples, bananas, and pineapple? Then we spend our money on processed, fragmented, and denatured foods - all in the name of health!

When did this get so turned around?

Many of us have experienced, as we fill our bodies with low-fat, fat-free, sugar-free, cholesterol-free, low-carb foods, that we become less and less satisfied and are amazed by the amount of time we end up fantasizing about rich desserts, creamy sauces, and carbohydrate-rich snacks.

Don't get me wrong. There were days when I craved sweets and desperately tried to convince myself that a 10-calorie sugar-free jello cup with non-fat Cool Whip would do the trick. Four Jello cups and a ton of cool whip later, I had some chocolate anyway!

Your body is a brilliant machine. It can tell the difference between a fragmented food and a whole food. (In the end, it really can!) And trust me, if you are taking the yolks out of every single egg you eat, buying only fat free dressings, and low-carbohydrate breads, don't be amazed when your body searches for the missing fragment of food, often desperately (i.e., sugar/fat/carbohydrate binge)

One of the easiest ways to check-in with your body's needs is to listen to your cravings.

- Are you craving fatty foods? 
- Are you craving salty foods? 
- Are you craving cookies, crackers, and dry cereal? 
- Are you craving chocolate, candy, and other sweets?

When we replace natural whole sources of food that can pacify these cravings, with fragmented foods, our body will soon begin the scavenger hunt to find the missing pieces.

Listen Up

If your body has been sending you clear signals, "this food does not work for me!" kudos to you, as you are listening to the right source. But if your choices are based solely on external information, often designed to tap into a fear of weight gain, we experience a disconnect between our bodies and food, and internalize a message that our body can no longer be trusted to guide us. Even some of the most intelligent and successful people begin to make choices with food based on intellect rather than internal knowing.

Ask the bigger questions around your choices with food and come home to your body. Whole foods are nothing to fear!