At any given time, more than 2/3 of Americans are “on a diet”, but only 5% will experience long lasting weight loss. We’re a nation on a continual diet, yet America continues to lead the world in obesity, heart disease, Type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Even though American’s are “dieting” more, we’re getting fatter each day.
Creating a New Norm is about focusing on “clean eating”, a simple, common-sense approach to diet and nutrition. Avoiding the single-food focus of the worst fad diets, steering clear of the impractical notion of “Detox Diets” and instead emphasizing sensible, nutritious eating.
In other words read this article to learn more about how to Eat Clean and you’ll be less hungry, more satisfied, and healthier… for good!
Clean Eating is the ultimate “un-fad” diet. Just like anything new, it will take some time to adjust, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll never be able to imagine that you thought eating cabbage soup everyday was the key to getting lean.
What is Clean Eating? Eating clean is about “returning back to earth”, meaning trying to choose foods that are in their form close to when they popped out of the ground. This means choosing the least processed, most nutrient-dense foods. This means avoiding fast food, shopping in the outer aisles of the grocery store, and choosing fresh foods over boxed alternatives. In some ways clean eating is what eating was always about.
A clean diet focuses on choosing foods that are high in fiber, low in fat, and loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. Eating the least processed foods helps control blood sugar, stabilizes energy, and provides your body with sufficient amounts of fiber to help with digestion.
Benefits of Eating Clean • Improves Digestion: Unlike processed foods, clean foods are loaded with natural enzymes that help with digestion, decrease inflammation, and improve circulation, which aid the body in removing waste. Also, these foods are high in fiber, which is important in maintaining a healthy digestive system. • Increased Energy: Minimally processed, fiber rich carbohydrates found in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits are referred to as low glycemic index carbohydrates. The glucose (sugar) found in these types of carbohydrates are released slowly, which helps you regulate blood sugar levels and maintain energy. • Weight Loss: A healthy diet based on eating clean can boost your metabolism and help you lose weight. A combination of high-fiber whole grains, vegetables, and fruits will help you feel fuller longer and provide you with essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to function at its optimal state. Replacing unhealthy, processed foods can help you eat less calories overall and increase your fiber intake. Additionally, research has shown that people who consumed an additional 14g of fiber per day ate 10 percent less throughout the day.
Tips for Eating Clean • Shop Smarter: Create a plan before you go to the store to insure you’ll fill your cart with healthy, nutrient-dense foods. Use these tips to shop smarter. • Eat a healthy snack before you go shopping. • Make a list. Plan your meals for the week and make a healthy food list. This will help you go in and get what you need and help you avoid unhealthy food options. • Shop the outer aisles. The healthiest and freshest foods are located along the outer areas of the store, aside from dairy, natural foods, and grains aisles.
• Buy Local: Shopping at the farmer’s market is a great way to find fresh, locally grown, in-season foods. You will also be supporting the local farmers and help the environment by shopping at the farmer’s market. • Keep it Simple: Processed and packaged products are filled with chemicals and hard-to-pronounce ingredients. Simple rule: if you can’t interpret the ingredients, don’t buy it! • Track What You Eat: Tracking what you eat will keep you motivated to eat well and you’ll see better results. A simple way is to keep a food journal or use a digital tracking tool (My Fitness Pal, Lose It, Calorie Count…).
Bottom Line: Eating clean is not a fad, but a way of life. Remember, the shorter the ingredient list, the better. No specific food is off-limits as long as it’s a real, honest-to-goodness food. Eat on a regular schedule and listen to your body; stop eating when you’re full. Most importantly, realize that you only have one body and it’s important you take care of it and nourish it with foods that will help it thrive.
You can contact Michelle at Michelle@tonycress.com for all your nutrition questions, and needs.