What is clean eating? How
much am I allowed to eat? WHAT do I eat?
How often?
These are questions I had
when I first heard about clean eating.
The primary
principle of eating clean is to replace processed foods with fresh and natural
foods. To me, this means foods that haven't had anything added to them, and
haven't had anything valuable taken away. So for ex:
instead of a banana nut muffin, eat a banana and some nuts!
Here are the Clean Eating Principles: ( Cooking Light Magazine does a great job of summarizing this. You can
check out more info here)
1.
Choose whole, natural foods and seek to eliminate or minimize processed foods.
Processed foods are anything in a box, bag, can, or package, and although there
are always a few exceptions to the rule (like a bag of fresh green beans), the
majority of your foods should be fresh.
2.
Choose unrefined over refined foods.
While it may not be possible all the times, you can up your intake of whole
grains like brown rice, millet, amaranth, and quinoa. Beans and legumes are
also important. Clean sugars include honey, maple syrup, and dehydrated sugar
cane juice.
3.
Include some protein, carbohydrate and fat at every meal.
Most of us typically do well with carbohydrates and fat, but we often lack
protein, especially in the early part of the day, like at breakfast and lunch.
Protein is an important muscle-builder, and it can also help curb your
appetite. When eaten throughout the day, it keeps us feeling full longer. Be
aware of the kinds of meals you put together and space out your protein.
4.
Watch out for fat, salt, and sugar.
This is easier than you think, particularly if you’ve cut out processed foods,
which are responsible for most of our excess calories and high levels of fat,
sugar, and salt. Clean foods are usually naturally low in all of these
ingredients.
5. Eat
five to six small meals throughout the day.
This usually pans out into three main meals and two or three hefty snacks.
Eating this way prevents you from skipping meals and overeating. It also keeps
your blood sugar levels steady so energy doesn’t lag.
6.
Don’t drink your calories.
High calorie drinks like specialty coffees and soft drinks, on average, tack on
an extra 400 to 500 calories a day. Choose water first, or my personal
favorite, unsweetened tea (any flavor). Other clean drinks: low-fat or skim
milk and 100 percent fruit juice diluted with sparkling water.
7. Get
moving.
Regular physical activity is a must for many reasons. Not only does it decrease
fat, strengthen and build muscle, and help you burn more energy at rest, it
keeps your heart, lungs, and bones healthy and strong.
What are the proper
portion sizes you ask?
Below
is a great way to think about portion sizes.
OR:
 |
| I like this way because you always have your hand with you :-) |
So what DO I eat?
Protein: 6 portions a
day.
- Boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast
- Egg Whites
- Fish such as salmon and tuna
- Protein Powder
- Tofu
- Turkey Bacon
- Nuts such as unsalted cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts
- Hummus
- Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- Greek Yogurt plain with no fruit on the bottom
- Almond butter
- All natural peanut butter
- Beans of all kinds
- Avocado
Complex Carbs: 6 portions a day.
An appropriate serving of complex carbs would be
would be two cupped handfuls.
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Green Beans
- Peas
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Apples
- Bananas
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Oranges
- Pineapple
- Pears
- Raspberries and blackberries
- Mushrooms
- Peppers
- Brussels Sprouts
- Leafy Greens
- Spinach
Starchy Carbs:
These are carbs that are essential to keeping your
metabolism up but also can be very dangerous if you don't use in moderation or
follow the correct portion sizes. A portion of starchy carbs is one
handful.
- whole grain bread
- oatmeal
- whole grain pasta
- brown rice
- couscous
- quinoa
- whole grain tortilla
- amaranth
Let’s not forget our
water!!!!!
What to avoid? (the basics)
- ·
All over-processed
foods, especially white flour and sugar
- ·
Artificial sugars
- ·
Processed cheese
slices
- ·
Saturated and
trans fats
- ·
Sugar loaded beverages
( cola, juices, etc)
- ·
Limit alcohol
intake
In addition to knowing what foods
to eat and what foods to avoid it is imperative that you pre-plan your meal. The
biggest mistake people face is NOT planning in advance. Whether it is for a
week, or a few days at a time – you NEED to be ready. You have to know what
your meals are and what you are eating so that you do not fall into the trap of “I’m
hungry now, let me grab some junk food to get me through the next few hours”. Instead, take some time on Sunday, or any day that you know you will have time to devote to meal planning. Figure out what you will eat and prep your snacks, your veggies, and your meat for the week. It will save you time and you will not sabotage your efforts!
I promise you. Clean eating
works!!! If you stick to it and exercise
regularly, you WILL lose weight!
If you would like to join my next Clean Eating Challenge, please fill out the application.
I will contact you within 24 hours.
Feel free to ask me any
questions!
