Welcome back to part two of our Clean Eating edition. Today is all about setting you up to successfully experience clean eating. Our goal is to provide the proper information to make sure you are completely prepared when making the change to your lifestyle. We will also go the benefits of clean eating for you and your family’s health.
The Pep Talk
From personal experience and outside research, I can attest that getting started is a bit overwhelming. In order to embrace this adjustment to your life you must be open minded, organized and start small. In theory throwing out every processed bag of chips and snacks from your pantry sounds like a great idea; however, I would advise taking baby steps.
Since most of us have been fed processed foods over a long period of time our taste buds and bodies have become partial to the sodium levels and artificial flavoring. Because our taste buds are so used to enhanced flavoring, clean eating may taste very bland when first starting out. Look at it like breaking an addiction, begin small and take things day by day. Your buds will adapt over time!
So now that we have had a little pep talk let’s get started!
Preparation & Organization: Clean eating requires a little prep, below are our best tips on how to stay organized while making the transition.
Combining the right amount of fats, carbohydrates, sugars, fiber and proteins is essential when creating meal plans. Later in the article we will go over the things you will need to avoid.
Fats– Healthy fats are good to incorporate into your diet such as avocados, nuts, fish and oils. Fats are necessary for digestion, tissue repair and maintaining blood sugar levels among other things. Polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats should be integrated, which will help with cholesterol levels and body fat percentages.
Carbs– Fuse complex carbohydrates and lean proteins when creating meals. This will help sustain your energy levels and keep your metabolism going.
Sugars & Sodium– Choose honey, agave nectar and maple syrup to naturally flavor your food. Start an herb garden or pick up herbs at the store. Rosemary, red pepper, cumin, turmeric, garlic plus many more will add to the flavor as well.
-Get ready to prepare most meals and snacks
-Set a budget this will and make a grocery/menu list for the week to help structure your meals and expenses
-Shop the perimeter of the grocery store; most items you will need are located on the outside isles
-Stick with mainly organic produce and locally raised meat & poultry
-Keep healthy snacks on hand such as carrots, apples, unsalted nuts, etc.
-Begin reading labels, ingredients list should be minimal and typically if you can’t pronounce it don’t buy it
-Choose 100% whole wheat or grain, say no to white flour
-Consume 5-6 small meals a day this includes snacks and use portion control
Things to Avoid: Temptation will be an issue as your taste buds slowly evolve but remember to try and avoid food items with “empty calories.”
-Processed boxed and bagged foods
-White/enriched white flour products
-Low in fiber high in sugar and carbs
-Low in protein high in fat
-Refined sugars! Cut out all artificial sweeteners, sodas, juices, etc. Juice needs to be 100% but watch out for the sugar content
Advantages to Clean Eating
How can clean eating improve your quality of life?
-Consuming foods with added hormones, preservatives; chemically altered flavors can lead to health complications in the future for you and your family
-Gain essential nutrients from organic foods to help boost your immune system and aid overall health/growth
-Weight loss, more energy, feeling better in general
-Decrease in mood swings due to elimination of sugar filled foods that cause spikes and drops in glucose levels
-Healthcare costs in the future can be diminished due to a healthier lifestyle
-A lot of the time meals can be reused or frozen and eaten at a later date
Set your own pace during the changeover to clean eating. Start out slowly by incorporating veggies and fruits into each meal. Gradually progress and eliminate bad foods week by week. Once your body begins to adapt to its new routine you will really start to feel the benefits. Remember if the food was not picked or acquired from a garden/field/farm then don’t go in that direction. The key to clean eating is feeding from what has always been, the Earth.
Hopefully our guide has shed some light on the “clean eating trend” and provided a useful resource to help get you on the right track. At Healthe Trim we strive to yield up to date knowledge on natural weight loss to help you reach your goals! Our products are designed to burn fat, increase energy levels, boost metabolism and suppress your appetite with 100% natural ingredients. For more info click here and be sure to visit our Pinterest site for great nutritional recipes and much more! Cheers!
Leave A Comment