What is Eating Clean?
I describe this a couple of different ways. One is to think about how our grandparents ate and what was available to them. They didn’t have all the convenience food we have now. They didn’t have frozen meals to microwave and boxes of stuff to add a couple of your own ingredients. They didn’t have fast food places to go for a quick bite. They had whole, natural food. My grandmother taught me how to make my own noodles because that’s what they used to do.
The other way I think about it is that if the food can go bad it’s good for you. If it can never go bad it’s bad for you
Pretty simple right? Eat a variety of whole, nutritious, natural food along with lean protein and complex carbs from fruits, veggies and whole grains. Drink a lot of water instead of other beverages and you are ready to go!!
There are no shortcuts or magic pills to get you the body you want. To look and feel your absolute best! Sure, there are some programs and drops and pills you can take to lose weight fast but then what do you do? Have you learned how to eat for a lifetime? Have you learned how to eat healthy, delicious food without gaining that weight back? Have you learned how to add fitness into your life? Have you learned how to incorporate a nutrition and fitness plan into the lifestyle you have? No way! The most important thing to remember is that this is a lifestyle and not a diet. It’s not a quick fix. It’s a way of life.
Very important things to remember about eating clean
Everyone has their own version of eating clean. Some people will be more restrictive than others depending on their goals and their preferences, some will make room for certain items in their diet because they love it so much and this is all perfectly fine. Everyone is different and we all need to make the choices that work for us and for our body. The bottom line is, as long as you are making healthier choices you are doing the right thing.
Remove the word perfect from your vocabulary. You will never have a perfect diet or a perfect body. We are always continuing to learn and grow and tweak and adjust our diets as we learn more, as we try new things and hear tips from others. You may feel overwhelmed at first, but you will come to find your nitch and what works for you, your family and your lifestyle.
Indulgences are just fine, just plan for them. My personal rule is that I eat clean at least 80% of the time. I have a very fun social life and we host parties, attend parties, go out for dinner, run around with the kids and their sports and I know there are indulgences. I just plan for them. I know on weekends I’ll enjoy some wine or cocktails. I may be going out for dinner. I do all of these things and enjoy them. I take the guilt out. I know I’ve taken great care of my body and this one event or evening or even weekend isn’t going to ruin it all. I just step right back on the track with the very next meal and the very next choice I can make.
Helpful tips
Try this for at least one week and see how you feel. Yes, eating this way takes a bit more prep and thinking ahead, but it’s worth it.
• Prep your food. Cut up your veggies, wash your fruit, put things in grab and go bags and containers to make it easy to run out the door. Make it just as easy to grab healthy food as it is to open up the pantry and grab a bag of chips. Plan for success. Take away the excuse that you are in a hurry and don’t have time.
• Plan out your meals for the week and write out a grocery list.
• Eat every 2-3 hours. Eat a lean protein and a complex carb at each meal. This will keep your metabolism revving high.
• Schedule your workouts in your calendar and know what workouts you are going to do each day. Take the guess work out of it or going with the “see how I feel and what I want to do” scenario. If you plan in advance you are more likely to do that tough workout you may not feel like doing if you were just deciding that moment.
• Read the ingredient label and nutrition facts on everything. Anything over 5 ingredients or ingredients you can’t pronounce shouldn’t go home with you.
• Water, water and then some more water! You should be drinking at least ½ your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weighed 100 pounds, ½ of that is 50 so you should drink at least 50 ounces of water.
• Get a great cooler type lunch bag and plan for your entire day away from the house the night before.
• Visit the Eat Clean Diet website for tons of recipes and advice. You will see that I get a lot of stuff from here. I’ve learned so much from Tosca Reno’s books and website: http://www.eatcleandiet.com/#2
I’ll be sharing much, much more about all of this and go into greater detail but hopefully this gives you some tips to get started.
Remember, this is not a diet it’s a lifestyle. Just try this out. Try it for a week and see how you feel. Take this one day, one meal at a time. Make it happen! This is not a shortcut or magic pill. This takes time and effort. You will get off track sometimes and that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and jump right back on the right track.
You’ve got this!!
Happy Clean Eating!!
P.S. Below is a grocery list to get you started
Don't forget! For daily inspiration you can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also email me at ahappyfitlife@comcast.net.
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