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You’ve heard the term before but are you still left wondering what your trainer is talking about when he/she says you need to clean up your eating? It is a pretty simple process that will definitely help with your weight loss plan.

Clean eating refers to cleaning up your diet by getting rid of all the JUNK that is in it. Food today is very processed and full of sodium and sugar. Look at the back of the box of crackers in your closet–how many of those ingredients do you recognize? How many of them can you pronounce? Is one of the main ingredients high fructose corn syrup–which is just a fancy way of saying SUGAR!?
This is the JUNK in our diets and it needs to go!

When you think about clean eating, you need to bring everything back to basics. Choose foods that are closest to their natural state such as fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes (beans), and lean meat.
Avoid foods that are processed and fried.
Still confused?

Here are some tips for a “cleaner” diet:

• When it comes to grains, think brown. Switch to brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, etc.
  Whole grains are better sources of fiber and other important nutrients. Make sure to check that the label says “whole wheat“. If it only says “wheat” bread, then put it back on the shelf because it is an imposter!
• Get rid of the processed snacks such as crackers, chips, pretzels, etc. Snack on fresh fruit and vegetables instead. Carrots and celery are just as crunchy as chips and pretzels!!
• Keep a bowl of fresh fruit available for when hunger strikes. The same with fresh vegetables. Have them cut up and ready to eat in your refrigerator.
• Say NO to fruit juice, eat the fruit instead. It has more fiber, less calories and no added sugar. Again, stick with the source rather than the man-made alternative.
• Get rid of soda, both regular and diet. Drink water instead. Soda is full of chemicals and has no nutritional benefit whatsoever.
• Always eat the skin of fresh apples, pears, and peaches, etc. This is where a lot of the fiber can be found.
• Choose lean cuts of meat and poultry
• Instead of regular nuts, make the switch to soy nuts. You will cut out 1/2 the fat.
• Drink skim milk and choose low fat cheeses.

These are just a few ideas on how you can make your diet “cleaner” and remember—you don’t have to change everything all at once. Make small changes and work toward a lifestyle change.

It’s worth it–I promise!

Written on Thursday, October 4th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Filed under nutrition.
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