Eat clean!

If you would have asked me a year ago what clean eating was I probably would have said it was when you licked your plate clean. And up until about 6 months ago I would have told you that I ate well, at least I thought I did. I chose low fat and no fat foods, drank iced tea instead of pop, ate rice crackers for snacks because they were low in calories...and so on, because that's healthy—right?!

Fact, "lite" foods often contain almost as many calories as the original versions because they usually add more sugar to make them taste better. Just because it's low fat or "Lite" doesn't mean you can eat twice as much but that's usually what happens. These foods can also be less satisfying which in the end leaves you wanting more. Personally I'd rather have a little bit of "the real thing" and be satisfied which is why I only eat things now that have a purpose.

Food plays an important role in our lives, if you are trying to lose weight or just get healthy. Even if you don’t exercise, you could still lose weight by simply changing some of your eating habits. And if you've been exercising and you find yourself hitting a plateau you should take a good hard look at what you're putting in your mouth and calling food.

Some of the most popular diet plans tell us we should cut out entire food groups or eat things like rice cakes and crackers because they'll make us feel full with little calories...the best one I ever heard was "if you're hungry just drink carbonated water, the bubbles will make you feel full", that water by the way, is FULL of aspartame which is a whole other topic of it's own.

So what's clean eating?

Clean eating is about eating food in it's most natural state or as close to possible. Clean Eating is not a diet, it's a lifestyle.

I no longer eat food just to feel full, I eat because I want my body to function better and I make sure that the stuff I'm putting into my body serves a purpose. In other words, I've given up munching away and drinking up empty calories. Think of your body like a car, if you fill it up with crappy fuel it's not going to run very well.

If you're planning on making Clean Eating part of your lifestyle, here are some things you should try and stay clear of:

• Overly processed, refined foods
• Refined flour and sugar
• Saturated and trans fats
• Anything fried
• Sugary pop and juices
• Alcohol
  

Having sad that, no one is perfect all of the time. I try to eat clean 90% of the time and I treat myself the other 10%. I love movie popcorn, chips and cookies so I have them once in awhile...but I also know that I workout enough during the week that I can have them without feeling guilty.

My basic clean eating guidlines:

• If it has more than 5 grams of sugar (refined) — I don't eat it.
• If it's processed, comes in a box or you can boil it right in the bag it's packaged in—I don't eat it!
  
• If I can't pronounce the ingredients — I think twice about eating it.
• If it's made with white flour or "enriched" flour — I don't eat it.
• If it leaves a grease mark on the paper it was sitting on — I for sure don't eat it
• Just because it says “low fat” or “made with Turkey” doesn’t mean it’s the best choice.
  
• Margarine freaks me out — I prefer butter. (Scientists invented margarine, butter comes from cows, cows are natural)
• I rarely drink alcohol anymore. (Alcohol inhibits fat burning)
  
• If it's after 8:00 pm—I don't usually eat it. (I try not to eat anything at least 2 hours before I go to bed)
• I LOVE movie popcorn, chips and homemade cookies, so I eat them once in awhile!

If you stop and take a moment to actually pay attention to what you are eating you'll be amazed at how quickly you start to feel better. I still crave poor quality deep fried foods sometimes, but once you have eliminated them from your body and then you eat them suddenly...you're body lets you know that it's not happy. You'll start to crave healthy food, clean food, nutritious food!

Start by making small changes, cut out the pop and the juice which is loaded with sugar. Instead of white pasta switch to whole grain or brown rice pasta. Get rid of the Enriched "Wonder Bread" and swap in some whole grains.

If you try to clean up your eating in one step, chances are you will get frustrated and fall of the wagon. Make small changes and you'll have sustainable results!