Wholefood

Wholefood

Noun · /ˈhəʊlˌfuːd/ · food processed or refined as little as possible, retaining its natural nutrients

Definition

Wholefood — sometimes written as two words, whole food — refers to food in as natural and unrefined a state as possible. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds form its core. The defining principle is minimal intervention between field and plate: no stripping of fibre, no concentration of sugars, no artificial additives to replace flavour lost in processing.

Etymology

A compound of whole (Old English hāl: sound, complete, healthy) and food (Old English fōda: nourishment). Together they describe nourishment in its complete, unbroken form. The dietary concept became prominent in the mid-twentieth century, gaining cultural momentum through the natural food movements of the 1960s and 70s — a direct response to industrial food production and ultra-processed products.