One thing that annoys me in life is dieting, or more so the people who are always dieting and complaining about it! These people never seem to be able to lose much weight or keep it off and are miserable in the process. Why? Because dieting doesn’t work. Not in the long-term.
You don’t have to be miserable and hungry to lose weight or tone up.
Yes it’s true that 80% of body transformation comes from your diet, there is no point slogging it out at the gym if you are eating crap most of the time. Eating healthy shouldn’t be a diet, it’s a balanced lifestyle change that you can enjoy.
There are so many diets and points of view out there that it has become so confusing! Some say eat only protein, others say cut back on protein, some say eat raw, other’s say raw is bad for your digestion, don’t eat carbs, eat carbs, eat breakfast, don’t eat breakfast…….. Arggghh! Most people yoyo between all these diets, trying everything they hear about without much success. Most of these diets are just marketed to create fear and make you feel crap so that you buy their books or programmes! (sorry was that a controversal thing to say!?)
There is a small amount of truth in most diets, but what they do have in common is that they tell you to cut out the crap and promote clean eating.
When you cut out crap and eat clean, you will never be hungry, you may actually enjoy your food! It’s as simple as that. With clean eating you may even choose to have a cheat meal once a week or fortnightly. If you live by the 80/20 rule you will be healthy and happy!
So what does clean eating look like?
- No processed/packaged food
- No junk food
- Reduce sugar
- Reduce white flour
So basically cut the crap. Common sense really!
When you eat crap you feel like crap! So many of the foods above contain harmful preservatives and chemicals not to mention the high fructose (sugar) and sodium content. These can play havoc on your immune system, nervous system, moods and overall health.
Want to feel energised, have skin that glows and have fewer colds and flu? Then eat clean.
I know some of you may look at the things that you can’t eat and say this is still a diet, but if you take it at your own pace and slowly start reducing these things, then before long you won’t miss them.
Sure there will be a detox period and it might be hard at first, but persevere. I went from eating a diet full of junk and processed packaged foods to eating clean 90% of the time and I actually really enjoy it. I don’t miss the junk and I really enjoy my food now! I have noticed a change in my body. I was always very thin, but had developed a fair amount of fat around my middle. Within a few weeks of eating clean my stomach became completely flat with a little definition, and I have noticed my arms are becoming more toned and sculpted. The best thing is that my skin is really clear, and I have so much more energy. I wish everyone could feel this good!
Sticking to a healthy eating plan can be achievable if you set your intention to be healthy. See it as a lifestyle change for better health not a diet because you feel fat. Your attitude towards food and your body makes all the difference.
Rather than list all the foods that you can eat I want to show you an average day of eating for me on the eating clean plan. Please note that most of my food is organic and if it’s from a packed it doesn’t contain preservatives and nothing is processed.
8.30am Breakfast– Green Smoothie followed by organic raw oats, with chai seeds, rice milk, banana and coconut flesh
10.30am – Snack – handful raw almonds and cashews, 2 piece of fruit
12.30 – Lunch – A Large salad with variety of vegetables, nuts, quinoa and chicken, with a wholemeal bread roll
2.30 – Snack – handful raw almonds and cashews, piece of fruit, dark organic chocolate (85% cacao – very little sugar)
4.30 – Snack – Spelt toast with coconut butter and cinnamon
8pm – Dinner – Salmon or steak with raw broccoli, carrots, beans (quantity of vegies takes up ¾ of my plate)
8.30pm – Organic Pea isolate protein powder (no additives or preservatives)
9pm – Desert – berries with chai seeds
Top tips
- Eat regularly – when you’re hungry you crave crap.
- Make small changes. It may help to give up one thing at a time. Start with sugar, when you are coping with that, reduce the white bread and then start cutting out the packaged foods.
- Read the labels on food if it is packaged. The longer the list of ingredients, the worse it is for you.
- Cook! So many people eat crap out of convenience but that’s just plain lazy. I get home after 8.30pm most nights and still find the time to make dinner. It doesn’t have to be hard. Bake a piece of fish in the oven for 15 mins and cut up some raw vegies. That’s only 7 more minutes than a microwaved Lean Cuisine!
For a great book on eating Clean I highly recommend James Duigan Clean & Lean Diet and Cookbook. This go into more details on what you can eat and contains great recipes. Here’s one that I love:
Lemon Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
1 medium chicken
1 lemon, cut in half and zested
3 garlic cloves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
200g brown rice
275ml organic chicken or vegetable stock
300g kale, shredded
1 avocado, sliced
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.
2. Stuff the chicken with the lemon and garlic cloves and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the skin with the olive oil and season well all over.
3. Roast the chicken for approximately 11/2 hours.
4. Boil the brown rice in chicken or vegetable stock and steam the kale over a pan of boiling water. 5. Serve the chicken on a plate with the kale and rice and a scattering of avocado and lemon zest.
Tags: clean and lean diet, eat-clean, food, health, nutrition, sugar-free, weight-loss
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