Clean Eating "Rules"

Clean Eating Rules to follow:

1) Eat six small meals a day; breakfast, lunch, dinner and three snacks. Try to eat every few hours to curb hunger and promote a higher metabolism.

2) Choose whole grains and complex carbohydrates to give you more energy and keep you feeling fuller longer. Remember that whole wheat is not necessarily whole grain. Look for breads, rice and pasta that are not just brown, but also made with 100% whole grains. One serving is about the size of your closed fist.

3) Leave calorie-filled, non-nutritional "junk food' at the grocery store. If you buy fresh foods, you will eat fresh foods.

4) Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want. Try to add one serving, about a handful, of each per meal. Fruits also make great snacks because they are full of natural sugar and can help fight those afternoon sugar cravings.

5) Eat lean meats, chicken and fish whenever possible, staying away from processed and fatty meats. This will give you much needed protein with little fat. One serving is about the size of your palm.

6) Read labels. Look at calorie counts but also look at nutritional value and ingredients. Try to avoid foods with white flour, sugar substitutes, saturated fats and trans-fats.

7) Take small bags of unsalted almonds, cashews and walnuts with you to work so you don't get tempted by vending machines and break room junk food.

8) Check internet sites, libraries and bookstores for recipes to keep your new lifestyle fresh and flavorful.
 - I have a pinterest FULL of clean eating ideas!! Go check it out!

9) Give yourself a "cheat day" but remember not to go overboard. Allow yourself a meal out with friends or a special food, but try not to undo all your hard work from the rest of the week. Enjoy being healthy!

Eating clean means eating healthfully and consuming foods that are as natural as possible, according to "Clean Eating" magazine. Clean goods have no added chemicals or preservatives, are most often organic and contain lower levels of salt, fats, sugar and other additives. Clean foods are fresh fruits and vegetables instead of canned; whole grains instead of processed white flours; water instead of soda; and lean proteins instead of heavier proteins.

What is Clean Eating?

WHAT IS CLEAN EATING?

Eating "clean" will make life easy for your body, it it wasn't around thousands of years ago, chances are your body has no idea how to break it down and use it for energy.

Keep your diet full of food that your body is deigned to eat. As soon as you add processed foods, sugars, and chemicals to your diet, your body has no idea how to break them down so it just stores them as body fat/toxins. When it does try to break them down, it can't so your energy will become depleted and your skin will begin to show the stress from your digestive system and your body will store the food that it doesn't know how to process as body fat.

Food is fuel for your body, so the best thing you can do is switch your thoughts, think of the food you are eating as the gas you put in your car. If you slow down and get tired and grumpy after eating, that there is telling you it's the wrong foods. After eating, you should be motivated, energized and ready to rock and roll!

 There is no fitness goal which you can achieve without first cleaning up your diet. Changing your diet is one of the biggest challenges when faced with improving one's health. A majority of people are used to eating highly processed foods on a regular basis and breaking away from that can be difficult. The good news is, it isn't impossible once you make it a habit to eat clean, it becomes part of your life.

In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates. IT also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.). These types of foods include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white-bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."

If you are going to embrace this health challenge, then the boxed goods, canned goods and plastic shrink wrapped packages ... have to go!

Sunday Funday

Today I am getting started on setting up my FIRST blog.

Am I excited? YES

Am I nervous? VERY!

I've never blogged before, but since joining Beachbody 6 months ago, I have SO much to share and I think that this is the perfect place to share my thoughts, ideas, worries, happiness, family, FUN and SO much more!!!

I will try to post a few times a week. Bare with me, as this is something new for me!!