Eating clean is a great way to improve your health and fitness level, regardless of whether you are an athlete looking to perform at peak levels or a mom looking to shed a few extra pounds. The truth is that the wrong kinds of food can cause nutritional stress, which is defined as “stress created by food because of its unhealthy properties”. Your body NEEDS natural and unprocessed foods that are free of preservatives and rich in vitamins and minerals. Of course, changing how you eat is challenging for just about everyone. Here are some clean eating tips to get you started!
Planning is Key
We all start off with good intentions, but the reality is that life gets in the way. Suddenly you find yourself beyond starving with nothing in the house but a flyer for your local pizza joint. Sure, you can order and eat just one piece. But, since you are starving what are the chances of that happening?
It is far wiser to plan your meals and snacks a week in advance. Not only should you make sure you have all the ingredients on hand, you should also ensure that you have a few meals prepped and frozen for those times when something unexpected comes up and you are too tired to cook.
Be Realistic about What You Will Eat
Telling yourself you are going to eat oatmeal every day for breakfast is great – unless you hate oatmeal. The truth is that half the battle is finding healthy foods that you also enjoy. The problem with planning to eat something that you don’t like is that while you may do this for a short time, very few people have the will power to sustain this.
Eat Frequently
I’m sure you have heard this before, but I’ll mention it again. You need to eat at least five times a day. Going for hours without food is setting yourself up for failure.
Eat , Well – Clean
This is the most important of all clean eating tips. Just because something is “sugar free” or “low fat” doesn’t mean that it is good for you. Pick whole foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients. If an ingredient is something your grandmother wouldn’t have recognized as food or that your 3rd grader can’t pronounce, skip it! If you are buying packaged foods, choose ones that have as few ingredients as possible.
Stay Away from GMO
Genetically modified foods have quite literally had their genetic code modified. Typically, this is done by implanting DNA that contains genetic instructions from a different species for purposes of creating a desired characteristic. At present, many plants including papayas, corn, sugar beets and soybeans are available that have been modified. In fact, 93% of all soybean and 70% of all corn farmland in the US are crops that have been genetically engineered to resist herbicides. While the health risks of GMO’s are debated, evidence suggests that they can cause everything from fertility issues, to impaired liver function and immune disorders. “The current generation of GMOs is not sufficiently safe to use in the food supply or even to release out-of-doors. It’s a self-propagating contamination of the gene pool,” according to Jeffrey M. Smith, author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette.
Don’t Skip Meals
This may seem redundant to the “eat frequently” but it is absolutely critical that you not skip meals – especially breakfast. While you may not believe it, starving yourself is the worst thing you can do when you are trying to lose weight. 78% of people in the National Weight Control Registry who maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds for a year or more eat breakfast each day.
Avoid These Things
Processed foods, white carbohydrates (think pasta and white bread), preservatives, sugar, saturated and trans fats, anti-foods that are loaded with calories and devoid of nutrition.
Improve Your Water
You may think you are doing a good thing by drinking filtered or bottled water and while this is certainly true, you can take things a step water. According to Oxygen Magazine, water will “stick” better in the body if you up its electrolyte value. To do this, add a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Stomach Issues? Try Apple Cider Vinegar
When you make the shift to clean eating, chances are you are going to experience some stomach distress thanks to all the added fiber in your diet. Try adding a tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar to a glass of water 20 minutes before meals to ease digestion.
Try Whey Protein
If you are thinking of adding protein powder to your clean eating meal plan, why not try whey protein? Studies show that people who have high levels of the amino acid leucine in their system have lower body fat and more muscle that those who have lower levels. Whey protein is a great source of leucine and is an ideal post work out snack.
