I had a reader recently tell me that she was intimidated by some of the ingredients I use in my recipes. I thought a post like this was in order.
I can understand how that reader felt. I, as well, had those same fears when I first started using whole food ingredients. I just picked 1 new thing a week and that helped me not feel so overwhelmed. You can read all about my start under the “about” section of the blog. Here is a list of foods I never used, and some I never heard of, in my first 35 years of life.
1. Coconut Oil – I avoided anything coconut like the plaque. First, I hated the taste, and second, I knew it contained a lot of saturated fat. At the time, I thought fats were bad. I have since learned otherwise.
2. Rolled Oats – My impression of eating oatmeal was getting the Quaker microwavable packets. I honestly thought they were healthy at the time. Now, rolled oats are a staple since I use them to make my homemade granola and my overnight oats.
3. Raw Honey – Since I was so used to processed sugar, I never really liked the taste of honey. I had actually never even heard of raw honey. Raw honey helps with seasonal allergies, so we always keep it on hand now. Just make sure you get a locally made one to insure you are getting all the benefits.
4. Chia Seeds – When I heard about chia seeds
5. Pure Maple Syrup – I must admit, in the past, my idea of maple syrup was getting a bottle of Aunt Jamima.(I know!) Just trying to be honest. Now I only buy pure maple syrup. When I first made the switch, I didn’t really like it. But as my body became less dependent on processed sugar, I started to notice that it was actually very sweet. Now I use it often in baking.
6. Quinoa – I am not much of a rice fan, but my husband is. So we always had white or brown rice in the house. I had heard of quinoa, but never really bought it. We started to eat it once we learned it was a complete protein. Now we use it often, in place of rice.
7. Black Rice – I had no idea that black rice even existed until I took a close look at the bulk bins at Whole Foods! Now it is one of my favorite kinds of rice. We almost never even use brown rice anymore.
8. Medjool Dates – I have to be honest, when I first started to see recipes that called for medjool dates
Please do not feel intimidated by any of my recipes. We are all on different paths and some are just starting out. I think it’s good to remember we all felt like that in the beginning. 🙂
46 thoughts to “Whole Foods I Never Bought Before Eating Clean”