Before making a lifestyle change, remember to think it through. It's also important to introduce changes gradually so that your body can adapt. If you want to remove animal products and free fats from your diet, make sure to replace them with acceptable alternative foods, prepared in such a way that taste is not sacrificed.

Any new diet must allow for flexibility, because everyone is different. For example, people tending towards obesity have to limit fatty foods, whereas the opposite is true for people with a low body mass index (BMI).

Free fats and oils and all animal products have been omitted from the recipes on our site, but taste is not sacrificed. Eating, after all, is one of the pleasures of life, and healthy food should not be synonymous with bland food.

Practical, Healthful, Delicious

The omission of free fats calls for creativity, but that fried taste can still be obtained by employing different techniques.

Some of the recipes described here are designed to meet the demands of a Western lifestyle without the associated pitfalls, and may require the use of some basic household equipment or even some sophisticated appliances. Whole food cooking can, however, be very simple, requiring the minimum in terms of equipment.

As well, some of the more expensive ingredients, such as nuts, can be replaced by cheaper alternatives such as seeds and certain legumes.

This simple lifestyle makes even camping and hiking a lot easier—there will be no more fuss about keeping perishables frozen. Besides, what can be more pleasant, satisfying, and nutritious than a freshly-baked pot bread baked in the campfire eaten together with a rich pot-casserole? You only need a pan or even a flat iron sheet to bake flapjacks and other interesting foods over the coals.

The recipes are, wherever possible, quick and easy to prepare. Some of the criticisms against healthful cooking practices are that they are expensive and time-consuming. It must be remembered that some of the more expensive items such as the nuts are used to replace equally expensive animal products.

Moreover, the nutritional value of nuts on a weight-for-weight basis exceeds that of animal products. A small quantity of nuts will make a large quantity of nut milk or sauce, and the overall expense of cooking with whole foods will indeed be considerably less than that of conventional cooking.

Here are some helpful items to have in the kitchen:

• A good blender
• A heavy-base or non-stick frying pan
• Waterless cookware
• A waffle iron
• A food processor (flat blade variety)

Finding Ingredients

Unfortunately, healthy foods are not always readily available in supermarkets and conventional stores and some health shops can be very expensive. Don't despair, but do some detective work. Middle Eastern and Eastern communities often have stores where whole foods can be bought in bulk at very reasonable prices. Look for these shops in your city.

Moreover, many farming cooperatives and farm outlets supply many of the foods required, and it is also possible to purchase some foods directly from processing factories or factory outlets. Fortunately, the tide is turning, and more and more supermarkets are catering for whole food shoppers as public demand increases.

Here are some important ingredients for healthy cooking:

• Stone-ground wheat flour
• Other whole-ground flours, such as rye, millet, barley, corn, soy, garbanzo (chick pea), rice (small quantities)
• Whole grains: barley, millet (dehusked), brown rice, groats (dehusked whole oats) and also rolled oats, cracked wheat (bulgur)
• Legumes: soy beans, chick peas, mung beans (for stews and sprouts), lentils, other varieties of beans, split peas, peanuts
• Seeds: sesame, sunflower, alfalfa (for sprouting), linseed, poppy seed
• Nuts: cashew (pieces are cheaper), macadamia (for butter), almonds, pecan (find a wholesale supplier)
• Dried fruit: raisins, sun-dried prunes, peaches, apricots, pears, apples, dates
• Shredded coconut
• Carob powder
• Honey/raw sugar/molasses
• Healthy peanut butter (with no additives), tahini (sesame butter), and nut butters
• Agar-agar as a gelatin substitute
• Concentrated fruit juice (if available)
• Active yeast and nutritional yeast (find at health shops, not the same as brewer's yeast or torula yeast)
• Soy Sauce (without preservatives or other additives)
• Herbs, fresh and dried
• Spices, such as coriander, cayenne pepper, paprika, cardamom, turmeric, cumin, aniseed, onion powder
• Tinned tomato paste or puree for sauces
• Olives (in brine, not vinegar)
• Garlic (powder and fresh)
• Gluten flour
• Fresh fruits especially avocados, bananas, and lemons
• Fresh vegetables
• Tofu

Read How to Stock your Pantry or return to the Recipe Menu