Do You Still Think Eating Clean Is A Fad Diet?
Today’s modern diet, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is wreaking havoc on our bodies, our minds and spirit. Not only do we eat too many processed foods filled with trans fats, sugar, and processed sodium, but we also are very removed from where our food comes from; so much of our food comes to us in boxes, covered in pesticides and toxic chemicals and loaded with growth hormones. The evidence is growing that this type of diet is not sustainable, and actually shortening the average American’s lifespan.
Clean eating is NOT a fad; it is a necessity, and it is growing in popularity. Clean eating benefits your body in so many ways, from better digestive function to better energy and brain performance. It helps promote a strong immune system and reduces your risk of illness and disease. Clean eating is important, and it's not going anywhere!
Let’s Get Into the Clean Eating Basics
Eating healthy food helps in a myriad of ways. It’s very simple. Just eat real food. Including more fruits and vegetables in your daily diet can help you lose weight, improve your immune system, and maintain an overall healthy lifestyle. Here are some basics of clean eating:
1. Start by planning a healthy balanced daily diet. This should include a limited amount of good quality carbohydrates that are easily utilized in your body; you want to avoid the insulin surge from overloading on carbs. Include some complex carbs for sustained energy. These can be found in gluten free whole grains, brown rice, leafy vegetables, and sweet potatoes. These foods are packed with vitamins and minerals!
2. Protein is essential to stay healthy, so find good sources of clean, organic, lean meat such as fish, chicken, and grass fed & finished beef and pork. You can also get plant based protein from legumes, beans, and nuts.
3. Know the difference between good and bad fats. Monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids are the good fats that do not contribute to increased cholesterol levels, and actually decrease inflammation. These are found in fish, nuts, avocado, olive oil and in many other seeds as well. Trans fats and polyunsaturated fats are the bad fats found in processed food that can raise your cholesterol level, cause inflammation, and cause heart disease, so avoid them as much as possible. These are sunflower, cottonseed and sesame seed oils.
4. Increase your consumption of superfoods that pack a big punch of fulfilling nutrients in just a few items. These are foods like wheatgrass, blueberries, maca, matcha, goji berries, kale and many more. To learn more about superfoods check out this blog post.
5. Manage your portions. Just because you are eating healthily does not mean you need to consume excess calories. A good general rule to follow is that a portion of protein should be about the size of your palm. So, load up on all the leafy greens, broccoli, and other veggies you want, but keep your protein portions in check. Because any protein not used right away by your body will be stored as fat.
6. Drink plenty of water! I can’t say this enough. Dehydration often presents itself to us as hunger. So if your feeling hungry, but you just ate, try drinking a couple glasses of water. Check back in to see how you feel before reaching straight for that healthy snack (that i know you prepared ahead of time).
Clean eating is a lifestyle. It is a way of eating every day. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the more you practice clean eating, the easier it will get and the better you will feel. You will eventually get to a point where all those old foods you used to eat make you cringe. Remember to use all your tools…plan your grocery list, prep your food for the week (including snacks), clear your pantry of all the temptations. After only one or two weeks of clean eating you will just call it eating.
If you are feeling called to take the next step, contact me to set up a clarity call. Together we will discuss your healing journey, and make an action plan to get you to your goal.
If one-on-one coaching isn’t your thing, but you are ready to make a change, I have a super easy & approachable 14 day course, that will help you create healthy habits, and rid your body of toxicity and inflammation in a safe and natural way. For the price of 1 meal at a restaurant you can start changing your life, step-by-step at your own pace over a 2 week period. Check out the 14 Days to Vibrant Health Course here.
Namaste,
- Dr. Lara
P.S.
Don’t forget! Join me on my Facebook page,facebook.com/drlaramay, as well as Instagram & Twitter @drlaramay. Also, be sure to tune into my podcast on your favorite platform, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean or Anchor.Fm @Light Body Radio to get all the juicy info coming your way in a easily digestible format. I look forward to hearing your feedback, comments and suggestions.
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