How to "Eat Clean"

If you're like me, you've heard of about a million different diets. However, if you've read my recent post, you'd discover that I am not an advocate of dieting. "Clean eating" is what I promote- eating whole, healthy foods with minimal processing. This type of eating is much better than counting calories or ingesting any diet pill, and can ultimately help you lose weight (in addition to lowering blood pressure, etc). Here are some of my quick, simple rules for cleaning up your diet.

1. Think ahead. That may mean packing some food in your purse or car so you aren’t tempted to eat crappy food, or it may also mean planning your meals. I sit down every Saturday with several cookbooks, map out my meals for the week, and write out my grocery list. This prevents me from buying unnecessary foods and ultimately, I don't end up tossing foods that have gone bad.

2. Stay on the outer perimeters…of the grocery store! Really the only things I go in the grocery store for are produce, protein, and some Greek yogurt. Rarely do I go down an aisle. I do for boxed almond milk and oatmeal, but that’s it. And know where they’re at! Otherwise, if you wander down the aisles you’ll be more likely to grab chips, cookies, etc.

3. Fill up your plate with veggies first, then the protein (lean, not fatty!), and then if you must, some whole grain carbs. I try to stay away from them, but that’s mainly because gluten bloats me. And no refined grains!

4. Walk away from the sugar. If you’re like me, you have a terrible sweet tooth. I’ve learned to get around this with a daily glass of Shakeology and a small little square of dark chocolate (86%) or a mug cake in the evening. Sugar is a drug. Google it…studies show that it’s quite addictive and harmful to your body.

5. Find recipes. Experiment. There are a ton of great clean eating books and magazines out there with quick + easy recipes. Also, Pinterest is another fantastic resource for finding recipes.

6. Drink water!! Lots of it. Drink a glass of water before each meal/snack. I try to get 8 glasses a day. I find that I don’t get as hungry, and boy…my skin looks great.

7. Cut out the alcohol. Especially the sugary drinks and calorie filled beer. A glass of red wine is good every so often, but I really try to eliminate it all together.

8. Look at what you’re cooking with. Is it vegetable oil? Butter? Pam? Make an easy switch- olive or coconut oil. Coconut oil is personally my favorite substitute. It adds great flavor and you won’t miss the saturated fat.

9. Eating a Lean Cuisine for lunch? Can you even pronounce the ingredients in them? Or tell me what they are? Really your food should be as natural as possible. If it wasn’t alive at one time, it’s probably not the best option. Make your food as natural as possible and I promise you won’t get as bloated and will have more energy.

10. And finally, my new fave…switch a cup of coffee for a cup of green tea. It still has caffeine but won’t cause the crash, isn’t addictive, and has more health benefits. If you must have a cup of java, make it just that- coffee. Lattes, mochas and all of those other Starbucks drinks are LOADED with calories and sugar.

Happy healthy eating!