Eat a Whole Foods Diet for Longevity and Improved Quality of Life

Ali Segersten Jan 07, 2025
fruits and veggies banner-1

Your body is composed of over 30 trillion cells, each of which is continually listening and responding to environmental signals. Your cells have antennas embedded in their cellular membranes. This is how your cells listen, relay messages to your DNA, and respond to your environment by activating biochemical processes. The food you eat carries information, which the antennas sense and then tell your cells how to behave. You either turn on your anti-aging, disease-prevention, and anti-inflammatory pathways or you turn on your inflammatory, aging, and disease pathways with every bite of food.

For each individual, the foods that prevent disease or turn it on may be different, however, a foundational place for anyone to begin is to remove all processed foods from one's diet and consume a whole foods diet. Removing processed foods and consuming a whole foods diet is one of the most powerful core principles of health and longevity that everyone can benefit from.

Research indicates that over 80% of chronic disease is preventable through dietary changes, moderate exercise, maintenance of a healthy weight, and tobacco cessation. This may seem so simple, however, currently in the United States, more than 50% of all calories consumed are coming from ultra-processed foods!

Improve the quality of your food to improve the quality of your life. 

Highly processed foods generally contain fat and sugar in high amounts, combined with flavor enhancers to make them incredibly addictive. This can trigger a surge of dopamine in the brain after consumption, making it very difficult to stop eating them. This is why the re-wiring process can take time; you are actually re-wiring this circuitry in your brain. Sleep, exercise, alcohol reduction, nutrient repletion, gut healing, and a whole foods diet will gradually balance dopamine to reduce and eliminate cravings for unhealthy foods or habits. 

Image
QUOTE LAO TZU

The best antidote to a processed foods diet is to simply cook your meals at home using whole food ingredients! Cooking nearly all of your meals from scratch at home takes time and practice. Create realistic meal plans starting with two to three whole-food-based meals, and build from there. Starting your day with a high-quality breakfast based on protein, fiber, and healthy fats is one of the best ways to begin to transform your health. A meal like this will reduce cravings and change the messages being sent to your cells for the rest of the day! 

It's the things you do daily that have the most impact on your health. The food you eat, the water you drink, the air you breathe, and the thoughts you think all send signals to your DNA to change how your body functions. Additionally, the types of microbes that live in your gut are messengers that tell your cells how to behave. The food you eat feeds these microbes, which either creates a calm, anti-inflammatory environment or turns on inflammatory pathways that can lead to disease. Since food is something you can control, then you can start to reprogram every cell in your body by changing your food. 

What is the best diet to start with?

If you are ready to transform your relationship with food and begin a healthy eating plan that can carry you through life, there are several foundational diet plans that can get you there. The easiest and most basic whole-food-based diets that include a wide variety of foods are the Clean Eating Diet and IFM Core Food Plan. Both of these diets will lay a strong foundation for health and teach you to cook with a wide variety of whole foods. Remember, diet diversity is a key component to health and longevity. 

Two other diets to begin with that include a wide-variety of whole foods are the Mediterranean Diet and the Paleo Diet. The Mediterranean Diet leans towards eating more plant-based meals, while the Paleo Diet is focused on more animal-based meals. You might find that a balance of the two suits you bestsome days more plant-based, and some days more animal-based. As you become more in-tune with your body and what it needs, the type of diet becomes less important. As long as you are consuming whole foods, learning to listen to what you need on a daily basis will be a key aspect to your health and wellness journey. 

Here's how to set up your kitchen for success:

  1. Go through your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator and remove all types of highly processed and packaged foods
  2. Remove all refined oils from your kitchen such as vegetable oil, canola oil, and peanut oil. Stock your kitchen with healthy fats and oils such as extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and organic butter or ghee.
  3. Go to your local health food store and buy several varieties of whole grains and dried beans, such as black rice, brown rice, quinoa, rolled oats, black beans, chickpeas, and lentils (store these in glass jars in your pantry). Canned, organic beans are great to have on hand as well! I always keep organic, canned black beans, chickpeas, and refried beans on hand for quick meals!
  4. Fill your freezer with organic or pasture-raised meat and poultry, as well as wild-caught fish.
  5. Go to the bulk bins at your local health food store and buy a few different varieties of raw nuts and seeds and store them in glass jars in your refrigerator or freezer. Raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds are all excellent choices.
  6. Create a medicinal spice cabinet or drawer! Stock up on small jars of organic herbs and spices and keep them organized so they are easier to use. 
  7. Replace sugar and corn syrup with low-glycemic coconut sugar and pure maple syrup.
  8. Fill your freezer with frozen organic berries and other organic fruits for smoothies, snacking, and healthy baking recipes. 
  9. Stock up on fresh, organic fruits and vegetables regularly.
  10. Use healthy, minimally processed foods to keep you on track with healthy eating. Organic rice cakes, almond flour crackers, sprouted corn tortillas, organic preservative-free dried fruits, and dry-roasted macadamia nuts all make healthy, quick snacks! 
  11. Add healthy condiments to your refrigerator and pantry such as dijon mustard, coconut aminos, wheat-free tamari, raw apple cider vinegar, organic balsamic vinegar, brown rice vinegar, and white wine vinegar. 

The 12 Gifts of Health

To learn more about the process of transforming your health, visit our 12 Gifts of Health page! Remember, lasting change and transformation takes time. Start where you are and focus on manageable steps that you can begin to incorporate into your life.

Letting go of whatever habit or food that you know is causing issues for you clears the way for more health, vitality, and abundance to flow into your life. Restoring nourishment is about letting go of what isn't in alignment with your highest self, while also adding in the consistent nourishing practices that will bring about real change. Every time you let go of what isn't serving you anymore, you give yourself the self-love and validation that you are worthy of change.

With each new action, you build momentum on a new trajectory of your life. Real, consistent change takes practice. You can start today by cooking a meal from scratch using simple, whole food ingredients. Our membership portal offers meal planning tools and nourishing recipes to support you with dietary change and health transformations. 

ALI-2023-PHOTO-VERTICAL-2

About the Author

Alissa Segersten, MS, CN

Alissa Segersten, MS, CN, is the founder of Nourishing Meals®, an online meal-planning membership with over 1,800 nourishing recipes and tools to support dietary change and better health. As a functional nutritionist, professional recipe developer, and author of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, Nourishing Meals, and co-author of The Elimination Diet, she helps people overcome health challenges through food. A mother of five, Alissa understands the importance of creating nutrient-dense meals for the whole family. Rooted in science and deep nourishment, her work makes healthy eating accessible, empowering thousands to transform their well-being through food.

See More

Nourishing Meals Newsletter

Email updates.

Add Comment

Related Posts

BLUEBERRIES STRAWBERRIES MINT-12
Apr 22, 2025

How to Use the Low-FODMAP Diet to Relieve IBS and Calm Gut Inflammation

Some of us don’t just feel digestive distress—we feel like our bodies have become unpredictable strangers. When every bite becomes a question mark, how do we find our way back to trust, ease, and belonging in our own skin? For those living with persistent digestive issues, eating is rarely simple. Even healthy foods like garlic, onions, apples, and lentils can set off a cascade of symptoms. The gut becomes a battleground. The joy of food disappears. And we’re left asking: Will I ever feel normal again? In the remove and replace phase of healing, we eliminate problematic foods and replace them with nourishing alternatives—foods that calm inflammation, soothe the digestive tract, and help regulate immune function. This is the part of the journey where rebuilding begins.

Read More
LAVENDER FIELDS SUNSET-1
Apr 18, 2025

How to Leave the Known and Rewire Your Brain for Lasting Change

There comes a moment, often disguised as discomfort, when you know it’s time to change. Time to stop shrinking into old patterns that once kept you safe, but now keep you stuck. Time to step over the edge of the known and into the luminous unknown where real change begins. But if you’ve ever tried to shift your diet, a habit, a thought loop, or a way of being that feels like second nature, you know how hard it can be. Your mind may long for transformation, but your nervous system clings to the familiar—even when it no longer serves. This isn’t weakness. It’s biology. Your brain is wired to protect you—to favor what’s known, what feels safe, what conserves energy. It stores habits—of thought, behavior, even self-talk—like well-worn trails in the forest. Walking a new path requires effort, repetition, and, most of all, self-love.

Read More
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET FOOD-2
Apr 14, 2025

How to Do an Anti-Inflammatory Diet to Calm Inflammation

Our bodies are always speaking to us. And at some point, the signs become too loud to ignore. We wake up tired. Our digestion feels off. We are holding on to extra weight. Our skin flares, our moods swing, and we barely recognize the energy we once had. We know we aren’t eating the way we should—but we also don’t know where to begin. It all feels overwhelming, so we keep putting it off. And eventually, we begin to wonder...“Is this just how I’m supposed to feel now?” When your body feels inflamed, tired, bloated, or foggy—despite your best efforts to eat well—it may be a sign of hidden inflammation quietly impacting your energy, digestion, and clarity. Through a therapeutic, whole foods-based approach, the Anti-Inflammatory Diet offers a powerful path to restore balance by removing common food triggers, calming the immune system, and nourishing your body at a cellular level.

Read More
YELLOW MUG OF HOT TEA
Apr 07, 2025

Digestive Health, Food Sensitivities, and the Role of the Nervous System

Every day, millions of people walk through life carrying symptoms they’ve come to normalize: bloating after meals, fatigue that never lifts, skin rashes, joint pain, brain fog, chronic sinus issues, or relentless anxiety. They reach for antacids, pain relievers, or other quick fixes—attempting to silence the body’s signals instead of pausing to ask what those symptoms are truly trying to reveal. Every symptom is a doorway into reclaiming your health and your life. They are not signs that your body is broken—they are signs that your body is speaking. That something within you is asking to be witnessed, nourished, and healed. Meet your symptoms as an ally to your growth and healing. Food sensitivities are not merely about "cutting out the wrong foods." They are a sign that the inner terrain—the gut, the immune system, the nervous system—is asking for restoration.

Read More
GLUTEN-FREE CHERRY-ALMOND MUFFINS-22
Apr 03, 2025

Swap This for That: A Guide to Healthy Food Sensitivity Alternatives

If you're walking the path of healing, there's a moment when you begin to see that what you remove from your diet isn’t just about restriction—it’s about making space for deeper nourishment. With each new nourishing food choice, you are rewriting old patterns. You are actively reshaping the story of your health. You are rewiring your body and brain toward the state of vitality and well-being you desire. So as you begin to explore new food swaps for old, familiar favorites, remember that with every bite, you are powerfully shifting your internal chemistry. You are turning down inflammatory pathways. You are turning on healing and anti-aging pathways. And you are creating a future self who feels more vibrant, resilient, and at home in your body.

Read More
sacred pause candle-1
Mar 28, 2025

The Sacred Pause: How to Begin Healing by Letting Go of What’s Holding You Back

Sometimes the deepest healing doesn’t come from adding more—but from letting go. When we release what no longer serves us, we create the space our body needs to restore balance and begin to heal. The remove phase of the elimination diet process invites us into a rare and sacred moment: a pause. Not just from inflammatory foods, but from the unconscious patterns and loops that have kept our bodies in distress and our minds disconnected from our inner knowing. This isn't about lack or restriction. It’s about reverence. The kind that allows us to create space for healing, listening, and nourishing ourselves on every level. Letting go can stir up more than just cravings. It can awaken grief, uncertainty, even identity questions. You may find yourself asking: Who am I without my morning coffee? Without that glass of wine to unwind? Without the comforting foods I reach for when life feels overwhelming?

Read More