Eating Clean Can Be Easy!!!

When I first started my health/fitness journey, I thought I could eat what ever I wanted as long as I worked out. BOY WAS I WRONG! That worked for about 3 weeks and then my body realized what I was doing to it. Then when I found Insanity, I decided to start eating clean. Now, I did not jump head first and change everything in one day! This is how people "relapse" into bad habits because they took too much on at one time. I took baby steps, changing something each week. A majority of clean eaters eat 80% and 20% not, which means including cheat or "yolo" meals into their diet. This is actually good, not only for your soul and sanity but for you metabolism since you trick it into having to work a little harder with that processed meal.

Now what is clean eating?? It is simply eating less "CRAP" (Carbonated drinks, Refined sugars, Artificial sweeteners and colors and Processed foods) and eating more "FOOD" (Fruits and veggies, Organic lean protein, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, and Drink Water). It is all about eating foods that are natural, fresh and not processed with soo many ingredients that it could be a book. If you great great great grandmother wouldn't eat it, then neither should you!

This might seem like alot to change all at once and IT IS! That is why if you choose to take this lifestyle change (and to make it work, it can't be a diet, it must be a lifestyle). Start by cutting out your soda (this includes diet!!) then go to your fast food and so on. And when you cut foods out, add foods in, more veggies and fruits and lean meats. I started with soda and Splenda and worked my way to cutting out the rest. BUT cheat meals you can have anything. So if you want to go out and have pizza, eat pizza! Just don't make it an every day thing and eat it in moderation.

So what kinds of foods can you eat while eating clean?? I like to say that if it is grown in the ground and not made by man, it is good. But I have some excepts to keep me sane and because I am a busy, on the go girl. I included a shopping list below with a list of foods that I have on my regular shopping list. I would like to add that I do get some foods that would be considered "processed" but have minimal ingredients in them. This is another key point of clean eating, if you can pronounce the ingredient or the ingredient list is sooooooooo long, don't eat it. I LOVE Nature Valley bars because they are easy when I am on the go, have very few, simple ingredients and are delicious. I will have a post on different packaged foods I like that I consider healthy as long as eaten in moderation.

If you found this useful or would like more information on clean eating, please post below or go to my facebook page (www.facebook.com/bbckristie)

Have an amazing, happy and healthy day <3
Kristie