Healthy FOODS

Friends are always asking, "What do you eat?" and "How can I make that?" Before I get on my rant, I have to say that I am, by no means, a clean-eating expert, but with the help of Tosca Reno, author of the Eat-Diet Series, I have began to make better food choices. But to be completely honest, I would say that I eat "clean" 85% of the time, and leave the other 15% to eat whatever I want! Although my eating habits aren't perfect, I strive to follow a clean-eating regimen. Notice how I didn't call it a diet! I'm not on a diet! I'm eating healthy! There is no diet that can do what healthy eating can do for your body (Wish I said that, but you know I couldn't come up with that)! But on a real note (yes I brought that back), changing your eating habits, will help you, not only shed pounds, but help you feel so much better about yourselves. Nutrition is 80% of the battle!

SO, WHAT EXACTLY IS CLEAN-EATING?

• Eating more-six small meals a day
• It's a lot easier than you think and keeps your metabolism working all day long!
• Making sure to eat breakfast EVERYDAY

• Jump starts your metabolism!                             

• Make sure to eat lean protein and complex carbs at every meal 
• LEAN PROTEIN-chicken, lean beef, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy, beans, nuts 
• COMPLEX CARBS-brown rice, whole-grain pasta, oatmeal, quinoa, beans, veggies, and fruits                 
• EAT FAT...healthy fat that is!
• Yes, we need fat! Some healthy fats come from nuts, cold-water fish, nut butters (almond butter), olive oil

• Drink TONS OF WATER
• I strive for 2 to 3 liters a day, but lately I've been carrying a gallon of water around, striving to drink the whole thing before dinner! 

• Eat lots of fruits and veggies

• Your plate should be filled with at least 50% of vegetables
• Anytime I'm hungry or "think" I'm hungry, I grab an apple, carrots, or drink some water. One of those will satisfy my hunger or boredom (because we all know that we eat out of boredom!)                         

• Watch your portion control
• Have you ever looked at what your portions should look like? A typical person eats double, sometimes triple, the amount of what they really should eat.                              
• Keep clean foods on hand at all times
• I come to realize, I eat crappy, when I don't plan in advance. A ton of people would say that they don't have time to plan their food, but honestly, if you take a couple hours on your day off and plan your meals for the week, eating clean will be easy breezy! 
• Here's how I PLAN MY WEEK! 

With this menu, the hubby can see what we're having and can even help out around the kitchen! Check out my DIY Kitchen Menu! The detailed menu is to keep myself accountable throughout the week! I print this out and keep it on my fridge!

WHAT TO AVOID

• Processed food (white flour, white pasta, sugar)
• Chemically charged food
• Foods containing preservatives
• Artificial sugars (Splenda, Aspartame, Sucrulose)
• Artificial foods (processed cheese slices)
• Saturated and trans fats
• AVOID ALL SUGAR (sodas, juices, alcohol, etc.)
• AVOID super sizing your meals
• Avoid calorie dense foods that have little to no nutritional value

A FEW SIMPLE RULES I LIKE TO FOLLOW

• If it can go bad within a week or two, it's good for you. If it can last a few years before going bad, it's probably not good for you.  
• When grocery shopping, I try to stay on the outer aisles. The inner aisles, are generally, where you find all of the processed, artificial, and bad-for-you foods! So stick with buying foods that are on the outer aisles that are natural, whole grain, and organic.
•  Look at the nutritional label...if you can't understand or read the ingredients, then don't buy it. For example, a lot of people tend to buy "sugar-free" products because they have heard it was better for you, but the product still has "something" to give it that sweet taste. So it is technically free of sugar, but now it has artificial sugar, which is even worse for you!