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Introduction to Clean Eating

Clean eating is about eating whole foods, or “real” foods, that are un- or minimally processed, refined, and handled. Basically, we weren’t meant to eat out of a box!  Shopping the perimeter of the grocery store is a great start, then when you’ve ventured into the aisles check out the ingredients list, make sure it’s short and you recognize all of the ingredients.

 

Basic principles of eating clean

  1. Eat whole foods

  2. Avoid processed foods

  3. Eliminate refined sugar

  4. Eat five to six small meals a day

  5. Cook your own meals

  6. Combine protein with carbs

 

Simple start
Swap out the pantry! For heaven's sake, don't throw any of your current food away, but as you run out of your staples, you can just swap it out for something on the list below. I’m giving you a huge variety of items, to push it even further you can splurge for organic! 

 

  • Regular yogurt to Plain Greek yogurt (you can sweeten it with honey or maple syrup)

  • Regular peanut butter to Natural peanut butter (make sure it's just peanuts or peanuts and salt, I love Smucker’s Natural)

  • White rice to Brown rice or Cauliflower rice

  • Vegetable oil to Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

  • Milk chocolate to Dark chocolate

  • Cow's milk to Unsweetened Almond Milk

  • White sugar or Artificial Sweeteners to Stevia or Erythritol (Truvia and Swerve are the brands we buy)

  • White bread to Whole Wheat bread (we buy Nature’s Own 100% Whole Grain Sugar Free and David's Killer Bread, ever try Ezekiel bread in the freezer section?)

  • Regular pasta to Whole Wheat or Whole Grain pasta

  • Mayo to Avocado (my egg salads will never be made with Mayo ever again!)

  • White flour to Whole Wheat flour (I love baking cookies with Almond Flour and Oat Flour)

  • Table Salt to Himalayan Pink Salt

  • Margarine to real butter or grass-fed real butter (Kerrygold is a great choice)

  • Imitation maple syrup to 100% maple syrup

  • Bisquick pancakes to Whole Wheat pancakes (if you don’t want to make your own, I buy Kodiak brand at the grocery)

  • Sugary cereal to Original Oatmeal that is 100% Whole Grain (you can sweeten with honey, maple syrup and add cinnamon)

 

Eating clean lifts your mood, gives your brain clarity and focus, boosts creativity, and gives you more energy. Not to mention, fuels your body correctly to turn fat into muscle. Artificial sweeteners actually make you crave more sugary foods that are high in calories. Artificial dyes and sodium benzoate have been proven to increase hyperactivity in children, and junk food has been linked to depression.

 

For me, the best part about eating clean is I have energy, feel full and I can eat more calories! Not all calories are created equal, check out my “Fueling your body” post! I’m currently eating between 1500-1800 calories a day with a 30 minute daily workout and changing the way my body looks and feels. What you eat and how you train matter to your body composition and effects how you feel, see my side by side below. 

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I realize I have barely touched the surface, but those swaps above are a great way to get you started.

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If you are interested in jumping head first into clean eating I highly suggest our “Portion Fix” program. It was my crash course in clean eating and portion control. Now add 30 minutes of exercise and you've just completely changed your lifestyle! This is a lifestyle change for the better, you’re body will thank you for eating REAL food!

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