Clean Eating

 The soul of
clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as
possible. It is not a diet; it’s a lifestyle approach to food and its
preparation, leading to an improved life – one meal at a time. Remember, 80 % of your weight loss is dependent upon the food you eat.  If you workout every day and eat unhealthy, you cannot expect to get great results.  Your results come from the time, energy, and dedication you put into exercise and eating! 

Why Eat
Clean?

  • Feel good about
    yourself

  • Reduce your
    risk of heart disease and diabetes, and many other diseases

  • Have more
    energy

  • Reduce the
    large percentage of obesity

  • Save money on
    fad diets that do not keep your weight off

  • Live a longer
    life for your husband, children, significant other, and family

When they say you are what you eat, it is not a joke.  It is really something to think about.  If you eat cheeseburgers every day, your body is going to look and feel like one.  If you fill your body with vegetables, your going to most likely feel good, have energy, an look thinner as well!! 

How to Eat
Clean:

  • Drink at least
    two liters of water a day (8 cups). 
    Also, limit your alcohol intake to one glass of antioxidant-rich red
    wine a day.Eat five to six
    times a day- Eat every 2-3 hours.  Three
    meals and two to three small snacks. Include a lean protein, plenty of fresh
    fruit and vegetables, and a complex carbohydrate with each meal. This keeps
    your body energized and burning calories efficiently all day long.

  • NEVER miss a
    meal, ESPECIALLY breakfast!!

  • Carry a cooler
    loaded with clean-eating foods to get you through the day (if you have the food
    handy, no excuse for stopping at fast food, pop machine/candy machine or eating
    other unhealthy food).

  • Get label
    savvy- Clean foods contain just one or two ingredients. Any product with a long
    ingredient list is human-made and not considered clean.

  • Avoid processed
    and refined foods- This includes white flour, sugar, bread and pasta. Enjoy
    complex carbohydrates such as whole grains instead.

  • Know thy
    enemies- Steer clear of anything high in saturated and trans fats, anything
    fried or anything high in sugar.

  • Avoid
    calorie-dense food that has no nutritional value

  • Shop with a
    conscience- Consume humanely raised and local meats.

  • Depend on fresh
    fruits and veggies for fiber, vitamins, and enzymes

  • Consume healthy
    fats- Try to have essential fatty acids, or EFAs, every day.

  • Learn about
    portion sizes- Work towards eating within them.

  • Reduce your
    carbon footprint- Eat produce that is seasonal and local. It is less taxing on
    your wallet and our environment.

  • Slow down and
    savor- Never rush through a meal. Food tastes best when savored. Enjoy every
    bite!

  • Make it a
    family affair- Food is a social glue that should be shared with loved ones.
    Improve the quality of your family’s life along with your own.

Portions

  1. Proteins– You should have a protein in each meal.  Your body can handle 25 grams of protein with each meal.
  1. Carbohydrates– You should have between 2-4 servings of complex carbs from grains, bread, and starches per day.  When it comes to complex carbs such as fruits and veges, you should have one serving with each meal, which comes out to 6 servings per day



  1. Fats– Your diet should include 20-30% of fats from your daily food intake.  Avoid trans fats completely.  Saturated fats is not completely bad for you and should have 30 grams or less per day.




Going grocery shopping can be a challenge.  It is important to make a list so you know what your looking for and only get what is one your list.  You save money this way.  Also, there is nothing wrong with buying the off brand food- it is still the same thing!! Frozen is also fine to use, just do not go for canned food! High is sodium and other additives!!

Sometimes, it
may seem difficult to eat clean, but having cookbooks handy, such as “The Eat-Clean
Diet Cookbook” by Tosca Reno or “The Best of Clean Eating” from the Clean
Eating Magazine, are some great books with amazing recipes for you and the
family!!

Healthy/Clean Snack Ideas!

Water is
another big factor that plays a part of your weight loss.  Water helps with suppressing your appetite,
helps with digestion and relieving the “bloating” feeling people get
quite often, flushes the toxins out of your body, and also helps with those
cravings!  If you take your weight and
divide by 2, you should be drinking that in ounces each day.  Now that does not count if you are pop or
coffee drinkers, then you will need additional!!  But why bother putting all that caffeine and
artificial flavors/sweeteners when you are trying to flush the toxins out of
your body?  Try to stick to just water…
it helps tremendously.. and if you are use to caffeine intake and need more
energy, try using lemon water, especially first thing in the morning and can be
drank through out the day.  Also, using
green tea is awesome to help with your cravings (especially at night) and is
made of all natural ingredients!  I
promise you, if you get rid of the coffee and pop, or even cut down at least in
half, you will notice a big difference with your feelings of bloat and cravings
for more caffeine and junk!! In taking artificial sweeteners only makes you
crave more, so get rid of it all together!!

  1. Matthew T. Browning

    January 10, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    Wow, what great info. Drinking all the water is sometimes a tough one for me, especially with the additional water needed for workouts. Thanks Deidra!

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