I know we have all heard the buzz word of “clean eating” but what does that really mean. Does it mean we all need to become Vegan, Vegetarian,  grow our own grain and sprouts…ok now I might be getting carried away but there are a lot of opinions out there with what clean eating looks like, which can lead to a ton of confusion.

As you may know I am a mother of 3 young children that are 7 and under, we need simple, efficient, time and money- saving ideas in all areas of our lives not just in health and nutrition.

For me clean eating can be broken down by the following:

• Eat Whole Foods – WE can NEVER eat TOO Many Veggies and Fruits and they are excellent examples of whole foods
  • Instead of eating the fruit bar that has a shelf life for eternity eat the whole piece of fruit
  • Instead of packaged frozen dinners with chicken, veggies and rice make your own quick stir fry without any of the freezer burn

• Avoid processed foods
  • These snack or meal foods have a lot of hidden ingredients in them, if it sounds like it was made in a lab I would steer clear.

• Avoid packaged foods with more than 5 ingredients
  • There are healthy clean foods that come in a package, greens, nuts or yogurt are great examples.

• Watch your Sodium
  • The standard American eats out at restaurants or eat processed food for many meals; their sodium intake is more than 1,000mg higher than what is recommended for your health – help your heart and keep your blood pressure stable by limiting your sodium intake.
  • Cook from scratch more often, then eating out. By cooking your own food you know exactly what is going into your meals.
  • Limit the amount of salt you add by being creative with spices and citrus (lemons and limes) are wonderful additions to bring out the natural flavors of food.

• Choose Whole Grains
  • Avoid the processed non-nutritional white enriched breads or rice, instead choose whole grains such as steel-cut oats for breakfast, add quinoa to your lunch salad and include wild, black or brown rice at dinner. The added fiber will not only help with your intestinal health, but you will feel satisfied longer which leads to less overeating.

Look at your current eating habits and determine what your current level of “clean eating” is. Next identify areas that you could do better at (is it adding fresh lemon juice to your chicken instead of salt, is it cooking at home 1 or 2 more nights a week, is it ordering a salad at lunch with lean protein and healthy fats instead of eating your standard processed meal) start making slow, sustainable changes and I believe you start to crave more clean eating and it will become what you do. I recently had an old client drop me a note, asking who she was and what I had done with her, since she was enjoying her quinoa and kale salad at lunch and was loving every bite of it. I truly believe once you start nourishing your body and fuelling it with what it truly desires, you will see the benefit and continue down the path of healthy clean eating.  

Stay tuned for my next blog that discusses how we can get our kitchen and pantry ready for summer eating.

If you would like more personalized coaching please contact me at 4pillarscoaching@gmail.com to set up a complimentary consultation session.

In Good Health!

 Be Fit…Be Healthy…Be Mindful…Be Inspired