You always hear me talk of eating clean, but what does it mean?
Eating Clean is not about deprivation. It’s not about giving up one food group or another. Eating Clean is about giving your body what it needs to thrive. You have only one body. It’s yours for life. If your body spends all its time trying to rid itself of the garbage you put into it, how will it perform optimally? What you put into it dictates every moment of every day. It dictates whether you are lean, overweight, or obese. It dictates whether you have energy to spare or find yourself falling asleep at your desk. When you give your body everything it needs, it will run along so smoothly you won’t even give it a second thought… that is, until you catch a glimpse of yourself in a window and think about how amazing you look.
Making the decision to eat clean is momentous. The promise of what’s to come – a fabulous body, loads of energy and improved health – is exhilarating. So where do you begin? To make room for the fabulous fat-burning clean foods you’ll eat from now on, you need to clear out the junk food hiding in your kitchen cupboards, fridge and pantry – otherwise, if you allow them to lurk around, you’ll find them when you are tempted to cheat. Be honest and ruthless. Toss it all – cookies, chips, Tostitos, Doritos, crackers, sugary cereals, doughnuts, pastries, cake mixes and any other hidden goodies stashed away.
Shop Yourself Strong
Your success with clean eating depends on you, the shopper. Whatever you toss in your cart eventually ends up in your stomach, so it’s best to make good choices right off the bat. Let your good choices include an array of fresh produce. Select a rainbow of colors for full nutritional benefits. Greens are important for maintaining a healthy pH balance in the body and providing fiber, bulk and phytochemicals. Reds, oranges and yellows contain important cancer-fighting agents, along with enzymes and fiber. Whenever possible, buy locally grown, in-season produce.
When you’re searching for protein sources, look for lean turkey breast, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, beef tenderloin, buffalo or bison, as these are the leanest cuts of meat. If you like venison or caribou, they too, are excellent sources. Exchange ground beef for ground turkey, chicken or bison. Make sure the mix is 100 percent ground meat, with no skin or fat. Unsure? Have your butcher grind lean cuts of meat so you know for sure that there is no extra fat.
If you have the option to buy meat in portion sizes, do so, and look for five- to six-ounce servings because this is the amount recommended for each clean-eating meal. Or buy family packs of meat because they are usually cheaper. They are a time-saver too, because instead of buying and grilling one chicken breast, for example, you can grill several and have planned leftovers.
Salmon, halibut, snapper, tilapia, cod, mackerel, water-packed tuna and sole are super sources of lean fish protein. Protein from fish is easily digestible and contains essential omega-3 fatty acids.
Versatile and inexpensive, eggs are the perfect complete protein. If you consider the whole package, there is one slight flaw: egg yolks contain cholesterol, so keep your consumption to two egg yolks a week. Otherwise, egg whites can be eaten every day in countless versatile ways.
Vegetable proteins like legumes, soybeans, lentils, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, quinoa and tofu are great options three to four times a week. These alternatives are less expensive than meat and taste delicious.
Since nutrition labeling is now available on most packaged foods, learn to pinpoint everything you could be eating. Look for and avoid hidden sugars, including corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, molasses, maple syrup, maltose, sucrose and artificial sweeteners.
While you’re at it, look for fats. The nutrition labels will list grams of total fat per serving, along with the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol. Watch for and avoid palm and palm kernel oil, shortening, butter, chocolate, milk chocolate, cocoa butter, egg and egg yolk solids, lard, tallow, suet, whole milk solids, glycerol esters, monoglycerides or diglycerides.
Remember to avoid trans fats at all cost. According to Lee Labrada, author of The Lean Body Promise: Burn Away Fat and Release the Leaner, Stronger Body Inside You (Collins, 2005), trans fats “are the worst artery-clogging, cancer-causing substances you can put in your body.”
Also, try to avoid products that claim to be “reduced fat.” According to Dr. David Katz, author of The Way to Eat: A Six-Step Path to Lifelong Weight Control (Sourcebooks, 2004), “If a product is labeled ‘reduced fat,’ you can be sure that it’s not low in fat, or it would say so. Reduced-fat products are often still high in fat – they’re just lower than the standard version of the particular product.” Stick to healthy fats like nuts, nut butters and olive oil. And always look for the highest fiber-content products – especially in breads and cereals.
Now that your cart is full of clean-eating foods, you can head toward the cash register, excited about the positive changes coming your way. But while waiting in line, you see chocolate bars, chips and soda – these products are placed there to tempt you – and you think, what is one little chocolate bar? Just before you reach for the little devil, remember that this shopping trip and every other one after it is about you and your health. Proudly ignore the winking chocolate and push forward to pay for all of your fresh finds. Your body will thank you.
- Ground chicken
- Fresh fruit
- Egg whites
- Turkey or chicken breast (not processed, fresh)
- Skim milk or low-fat soy milk (Horizon Organic Milk is best!)
- low fat cheese, cottage cheese or goat cheese
- Low-fat or nonfat unsweetened plain yogurt
- Clear or broth-based soups or broths (low sodium)
- Unsalted raw nuts
- unsalted air-popped popcorn
- Sliced chicken or turkey breast or fish
- Flatbreads, pitas, brown rice or corn sprouted/wheat sprouted tortillas or Ezekiel bread (sprouted unprocessed breads are best — get at Nature’s Medicine)
- Muesli, whole grains or shredded wheat
- Extra Virgin Olive oils (put some in a spray bottle as an alternative to cooking spray)
- Lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
- Brown, black or mahogany rice
Check out Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Cookbook for recipe ideas and her Eat Clean Diet Family and Kids .
Your tummy will get amazingly flat just by eating clean for a week and your energy levels will soar! Trust me! Keep a very detailed food journal while eating clean and you will learn quickly what foods cause problems for you. In my journey I found dairy cheese gives me migraines and processed breads containing preservatives cause me to feel depressed, sluggish and tired. By eliminating these two things, it is amazing how much better I feel! It is amazing how what we eat can cause not only weight gain and physical problems, but emotional as well.
Krista Johnson is the owner of Fit By Faith Fitness Center which was established in October of 2006.
She is the mother of 4 children ages 18, 13, 10 and 6 and has a passion for helping others get in shape from the inside out. Krista is a walking testimony having lost over 100lbs and has successfully kept it off .
During her weight loss, she had a vision of creating Fit By Faith.
She believed she was to change the atmosphere of the gym and create a different environment for people to work out in. Krista is a former High School Theater Arts teacher and is currently attending college to obtain her B.A in Sports Medicine.
She holds certifications as Personal Trainer with the International Sports Science Association Tae Bo® fitness instructor (Certified by the creator Billy Blanks) Group Fitness Instructor for Adults, Children and Seniors SilverSneakers® Muscle Strength & Range of Motion for Seniors Black Belt 1st Dan in the art of Tae Bo Kwon.
She maintains her certifications annually through continuing education classes and training camps and requires all her instructors at Fit By Faith to do the same. She also competes in races and other competitions regularly.
Krista has appeared in 3 Tae Bo® infomercials on national TV Shape, Collage Video, Looking Good Now and Christian Living Magazines Several times in the Brownwood Bulletin Newspaper.
She has also been featured on several websites such as The Fitness Zone, The Biggest Loser, ivillage as well as the Billy Blanks Website. Krista has been a motivational speaker at many churches and radio stations.
Krista and her husband John, who is co-owner of Fit By Faith, both have hearts to help others to feel good, to be healthy and strive everyday to serve more people in this manner.
