Getting Used To The Clean Eating Lifestyle

Making the decision to eat healthy and exercise is a great decision to make, but you don't want to be overwhelmed.  If this happens you are more likely to stop what you are doing and revert back to your old ways.  So you may be wondering where to begin.  Make some of the following changes to introduce your body to the clean eating lifestyle.  This is Tosca Reno's Cooler Plan #3.  Very quickly, by making these changes, you should start to understand and experience the way eating clean can positively effect your body.

Eat Clean Principles:
- Eat 5 or 6 small meals everyday (this ensures you are never starving, keeps your metabolism up, helps to curb cravings and help you to not overeat)
- Eat every 3 hours
- Combine lean protein and complex carbs at every meal (helps keep your blood sugar stable and prolongs digestion, keeping you full)
- Consume healthy fats each day
- Drink appx half your bodyweight in ounces of water each day
- Never miss a meal, especially breakfast (the most important meal of the day)
- Carry a cooler with your snacks during the day
- Avoid over processed, refined foods, especially white flour and sugar
- Avoid chemicals, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners
- Avoid saturated, trans fats and partially hydrogenated fats
- Avoid soda and juice
- Avoid alcohol (here and there is ok)
- Avoid calorie dense food that contains no nutrition (i.e. processed foods)
- Depend on fresh fruits and veggies for fiber, vitamins and enzymes
- Stick to proper portion sizes

Eat:
-Oatmeal or another whole grain, cooked with water or milk - sweeten with unsweetened applesauce or other types of fruit, and a little bit of honey or real maple syrup
- Homemade soups and stews - broth based
- Plenty of fruits and veggies*****
- Lean cuts of meat, baked, broiled or grilled
- Part skim cheese and plain Geek yogurt (again, sweeten it yourself with raw honey or real maple syrup)
- egg whites (I use one egg, then egg whites, but one yolk is enough)
- Healthy fats - olive oil, natural or organic nut butters
- clear, herbal tea, green or black tea, black coffee, a lot of water, water with frozen fruit or mint leaves

Avoid:
- Unhealthy fats - butter, margarine, lard, cream, ice cream, fatty salad dressings, sauces and meats
- White/processed table sugar and flour
- Refined and processed foods (things that come in a package from a factory)
- Fried, junk and fast foods
- Excessive salt and sodium
- Excessive alcohol

Make sure you portion out your snacks and pack a cooler of your new, clean foods to take to work with you.  Packing a cooler is a safeguard against unhealthy food choices.