By now you probably have heard about clean eating but do you know that you can lose weight eating clean?
Deep down you probably want to develop sustainable, clean eating habits. We all know that diet influences the quality of our life. Energy level, mood, sleep, and definitely attempts to lose weight can be improved by cleaning up your diet. Yes, you can lose weight eating clean.
Many weight loss diets advocate eating one food or food group such as: soup, grapefruit, or salad. While these plans may promote weight loss initially, this way of eating sets you up for long term failure. Eating clean offers balance with healthy, toxin-free, low-calorie, whole food.
There is not consensus when it comes to food, nutrition, and which diet works. When it comes to achieving optimal health, and, yes, weight loss, there is one common ingredient – eating clean, whole food.
3 easy steps will get you started on the road to lose weight eating clean:
Step 1
Pick 1 or 2 days each week to organize and plan ahead as much as possible. Gather recipes and plan a menu. A good place to find easy, clean eating recipes is http://pinterest.com/brandywinenutrition These recipes include only clean, whole foods. Use these recipes to plan a weekly menu. This will help you avoid the nightly “what can I have for dinner” rant. It will also help you avoid grabbing fast, high calorie, unhealthy foods.
Step 2:
Using your recipes and menu as a guide, make a shopping list. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store to find most of the clean eating foods. This is where you will find organic fresh fruits & vegetables, raw nuts & seeds, whole grains, free-range, grass-fed animal products, and healthy fats. If you venture to the center of the store, read the ingredient labels! This is where most of the foods containing preservatives live. Preservatives are usually chemicals – big words difficult to pronounce – but sugar, salt, and vinegar are also used as preservatives. Some preservatives are more harmful than others.
Step 3:
After you do the shopping and organize your refrigerator and pantry with the new healthy clean foods, you can prep and cook ahead whatever possible. Spending as little as one hour in the kitchen each week can help set up a week’s worth of meals.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Wash, peel and chop fresh fruits and vegetables. You can chop like ingredients all at once and divide them for different recipes.
- Cook up a big batch of brown rice, quinoa, or beans to eat throughout the week.
- Marinate meats/poultry or cook in slow cooker with some broth fro easy shredding or chopping later.
- Pre-cook vegetables (roasted potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant) or protein (fish, chicken, hard-cooked eggs) for great brown bag lunches or quick dinners after an extra busy day.
- Label containers and food storage bags with the recipe name or day of the week you pan to cook it.
To lose weight eating clean it must become second nature, not a temporary struggle. Be patient. Big changes take consistent effort.
If you have any questions please contact Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Donna Hugues
Grab my free tips: How To Succeed On a Clean Eating Plan