Clean Eating is consuming foods that are as close to their natural state as possible without additives, sugars, chemicals, and preservatives.
Benefits of Clean Eating
- Increased energy
- Improved mental wellbeing
- Improved skin
- Reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, and many other diseases
- Lower your BMI
- Cost effective when compared to other fad diets that are temporary solutions
- Best overall health for yourself and family
- Improved sleep
What to Eat
Lean Proteins: 5-6 servings a day. You should aim for each meal to have protein
Examples of lean proteins: ground turkey, cottage cheese, almond milk, egg whites, peanut butter, almond butter, chicken breast, and Greek yogurt.
Carbohydrates: starchy carbs - 2-4 servings a day from starchy carbs and 5-6 servings a day from carbs including fruits and veggies.
Examples of complex (good) carbs: brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, whole grain pasta, bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, beans (black, kidney, pinto, etc), apples, cucumbers, onion, spinach, broccoli.
Healthy Fats: 2-3 servings a day
Examples of healthy fats: olive oil, peanut butter, almond butter, raw almonds, avocados.
Key Points to Clean Eating:
Eat small meals every 2-3 hours: Eating clean more frequently will prevent the desire to snack and have fewer cravings because your blood sugar will not have a chance to bottom out.
Never Skip Meals and Keep Clean Foods handy: This will maintain a healthy blood sugar and prevent you from snacking on the wrong foods. Finding wholesome food on the go is not always possible.
Portion Control:
Many people have a distorted perception of proper portion control, especially Americans. We are used to the large portions that are served in restaurants and we take that perception home with us. Remember smaller portions and more frequent meals.
Avoid Processed Foods: Processed foods have refined sugars, chemicals, additives, and other refined ingredients. These types of foods are empty-calories that your body is unable to convert to fuel so then it is stored as fat. Read your labels, if you can't pronounce the ingredients than you probably should not eat it.
Consume Good Fats: Limiting saturated fats and avoid trans fat. You need good fat to maintain fatty acids which are important for your cardiovascular health.
Lean Proteins: 5-6 servings a day. You should aim for each meal to have protein
Examples of lean proteins: ground turkey, cottage cheese, almond milk, egg whites, peanut butter, almond butter, chicken breast, and Greek yogurt.
Carbohydrates: starchy carbs - 2-4 servings a day from starchy carbs and 5-6 servings a day from carbs including fruits and veggies.
Examples of complex (good) carbs: brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, whole grain pasta, bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, beans (black, kidney, pinto, etc), apples, cucumbers, onion, spinach, broccoli.
Healthy Fats: 2-3 servings a day
Examples of healthy fats: olive oil, peanut butter, almond butter, raw almonds, avocados.
Key Points to Clean Eating:
Eat small meals every 2-3 hours: Eating clean more frequently will prevent the desire to snack and have fewer cravings because your blood sugar will not have a chance to bottom out.
Never Skip Meals and Keep Clean Foods handy: This will maintain a healthy blood sugar and prevent you from snacking on the wrong foods. Finding wholesome food on the go is not always possible.
Portion Control:
Many people have a distorted perception of proper portion control, especially Americans. We are used to the large portions that are served in restaurants and we take that perception home with us. Remember smaller portions and more frequent meals.
Avoid Processed Foods: Processed foods have refined sugars, chemicals, additives, and other refined ingredients. These types of foods are empty-calories that your body is unable to convert to fuel so then it is stored as fat. Read your labels, if you can't pronounce the ingredients than you probably should not eat it.
Consume Good Fats: Limiting saturated fats and avoid trans fat. You need good fat to maintain fatty acids which are important for your cardiovascular health.
- Avoid refined foods: white flour, white sugar, white breads or white pastas. Try carbohydrates such as whole grains instead.
- No artificial sweeteners. some alternatives may include: liquid stevia, honey, and organic maple syrup
- No frozen meals filled with preservatives, excess sodium and harmful chemicals. Healthy Choice are not good for you! No boxed meals (Hamburger helper, Pasta Sides) and avoid canned meals (Chef Boyardee,etc). Anything that can sit on the shelf for months is not a good choice.
- Try and shop at a local trusted butcher for your meats
- Be mindful of the listed ingredients when shopping. If you are unable to pronounce or recognize what it is, skip it. The fewer ingredients the better
- Do not be fooled by the "Food Marketing Translations." I was the queen of fat free or low fat options and I was fooled into thinking they were a better option. Think again…
No comments:
Post a Comment