Clean Eating? Is that where you wash your food before eating?!

What is clean eating may you ask?!

Its more than just making sure you clean your fruit and veggies before eating. Its the kind of foods we put into our mouth which then in turn go into our bodies.

It really is simple! It is clean, whole, non-processed foods. Basically foods that are in their natural element and not packaged!  In today’s society it is so challenging to shop for healthy foods. We are surrounded by pre-packaged, overly processed foods full of sodium and sugar. They seriously put sugar aka high fructose corn syrup in EVERYTHING. Its terrible and if you aren’t careful about what you put in your body it will start to catch up!

Did you know that more than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese. One-Third!!! And the rates of childhood obesity are increasing due to all the sugar that is hidden in our foods.

I think the hardest part about know that statistic is the fact that obesity can be prevented! It is all about knowing, learning and taking charge of your health.

That of course is the hardest step for many people. So hopefully this article will help you out!

Clean Eating. It is simple and not complicated once you understand the nuts and bolts.

1. Eat only WHOLE foods; so instead of that muffin or prepackaged granola bar, eat fresh berries on oats, or yogurt. IF you do end up buying something pre-packaged READ THE LABEL! If there are things in there you can’t pronounce or if sugar is listed in the first 5 ingredients, ditch it!
2. Keep ingredients SIMPLE! You don’t need to add sauces and heavy creams to dishes to make them enjoyable. Enjoy food in its natural state with a few spices and/or herbs to make it tasty, and better for your body. Just be sure to include a lean protein, whole grains and healthy fat at each meal. Example, chicken or shrimp stir fry with veggies served with a side of brown rice.Easy to whip up and cheaper than take out.
3. Listen to your body! Nourish it with healthy foods every 3-4 hours and you will feel satisfied longer. If you feel hungry eat, but make sure you are putting quality ingredients in! The more quality you put in, the more quality you get out. When you are full stop eating. No need to stuff yourself at every meal.
4. Portions, watch your portion sizes! Seriously this was a HUGE eye opener for me. I always focused on eating clean, healthy foods but if your portions are not in check, your body won’t look or feel in check. Once you understand how many portions and what a portion size is it is SO simple to eat the right amount. This allows you to feel better and have the energy you need to get through your day.
5. And lastly its all about PLANNING! If you plan your meals and snacks out for the week you will be so much more inclined to stick to that plan and eat healthier meals.  You will be less tempted to buy fast food at the store or order take out. If you already have  a plan of what you’re going to eat each night, it takes a lot of the headache out of your busy day.

So basically if you are eating CLEAN you should be avoiding;

• Over-processed foods such as white flour and sugar
• Foods with artificial sweeteners
• Preservatives
• Saturated and Trans-fat
• Sugary drinks like soda, fruit juices and energy drinks
• Calorie dense food with little nutritional value
• Super-sized portions

You SHOULD be eating at each meal or snack a complex carb from a fruit or vegetable, complex starches and lean proteins.

What the heck are these you may ask?!

Complex Carbs from fruit  & Veggies(5-6 servings a day)

A portion is:

• 1 cupped handful or a piece of fruit such as berries, grapes, melon, apples and mangoes.
• 2 cupped handfuls of vegetables including broth based/vegetable puree soups.

Complex carbs from whole grains (2-4 servings a day)

A portion is:

• ¾ a cup of high-protein, sugar-free cold cereals, such as clean muesli or granola.
• 1 handful of cooked cereal
• 1 piece of whole grain bread or wrap (Sante Fe tortilla wraps from Costco are a great option)
• 1 handful sized serving of sweet potato, yam, corn, brown rice or quinoa

Lean Protein (4-6 servings a day)

A portion is:

• 1 cup or handful of dairy products such as low fat soy, almond, hemp, rice, or skim milk, cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt cheese or plain fat free sugar free yogurt.
• ¼ cup of of raw, unsalted nuts (also a healthy fat)
• 2 tablespoons of all natural nut butters such as almond or peanut butter (also a healthy fat).
• 1 palm sized portion of lean meats-chicken, shrimp, ground beef, turkey etc
• good quality, sugar- and chemical- free protein powder (hemp, soy or whey).

As for beverages you should stick with WATER, herbal teas, coffee is fine as long as you hold the creamer and sugar! Sugar substitutes are a big No-No, stick to natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup or agave nectar.

I hope that helps and makes clean eating less overwhelming. It really isn’t that hard once you understand the nuts and bolts! For more tips and daily support head on over to my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kaitlinlangelier  or send me an e-mail!