Clean Eating Tips

When people want to lose weight they are usually looking for a quick fix, a magic pill or a fancy gadget from an infomercial but the truth is that the only way to lose it AND keep it off is to make a lifestyle change. The first and most efficient lifestyle change that I’ve made is clean eating! I immediately stopped eating processed, boxed or frozen foods that were full of sodium, and ingredients that looked like they belonged in a science lab not on my food label. Clean eating is centered around natural, nutrient-dense foods that let your body run the way it’s supposed to.  Here are a few tips that are guaranteed to change both the way you feel and the way you look!

Don’t skip breakfast. The word itself tells you what its meant for…BREAK – FAST. Your body needs to start reving up for the day. You need to put fuel in your “car” if you want it to work for you all day. You need to set the tone for your metabolism. If you don’t feed it you’re basically telling it that you don’t need it to work too hard today and it wont!

Combine lean protein and complex carbs at each meal and eat 5-6 times a day. By combining these you are helping your body to maintain energy levels and decrease spikes in your blood sugar. This also helps you to stay fuller longer between meals and you’ll be less likely to continue snacking mindlessly on empty calories.  Some ideas might be an apple and 14 almonds, or veggies and hummus. Need a heavier meal? Try a stir fry using some low sodium chicken broth, veggies (carbs) and chicken (protein)! By eating every 2-3 hours you are also keeping your metabolism at a steady running state…you don’t want it dipping too low for too long which may cause you to overeat at your next meal because you’re starving!!

Keep clean snacks on hand. We ALL have crazy, crazy schedules. Whether it’s a work day and you’re tied to your desk all day or it’s the weekend and you’re running to the grocery store, kids sports and the dry cleaners you should always be prepared. Bring along a small cooler or just throw some things into your purse like a 100 calorie pack of almonds, an apple and low fat string cheese, a bottle of water and Shakeology in your shaker cup. Whatever you do just DON’T hit the drive thru!!

Drink. Water folks, I’m talking about WATER!! You should drink half of your weight in number of ounces each day…For example if you weigh 180 pounds you should be drinking AT LEAST 90 ounces of water each day. Is water not your thing? Try adding lemons, strawberries or other fruits. This will give it some flavor and you’ll also get the vitamins from the fruit!! If you’re feeling hungry mid-day, chug a big glass of water and see if that helps. Most times we think we’re hungry we’re really just thirsty.  

If you’re going to be drinking alcohol, make sure you have it scheduled in your meal plan. Alcohol packs on the calories but provides absolutely no nutritional value. It also causes you to make poor food choices later after you’ve had a few too many.

 

Make a weekly meal plan This has been a life saver for me and one of the fail proof methods to staying on track. I take some time out of my day on Sunday to create my meal plan for the week. This is for the whole family, I’m not running a restaurant. But the best part is that they usually don’t even know that these meals are “clean” because they are packed with flavor!! So once I have all my meals planed for the week I start my grocery list and head to the store. Once I’m home I get to work washing, chopping and prepping as many snacks and meals as I can so that during the week I can just grab and go. It’s a no brainer!! This also helps me when I get an urge to much on something. If I have my snacks already portioned, washed and ready to eat its so much more likely that I’ll grab that than some chips or cookies.

Watch your portions. Even if you’re eating very healthy and clean meals you can still over indulge. All food has calories and too many calories is still too many calories no matter what it is. So be mindful of your portion sizes, eat slow, drink water and really listen to your body. Are you REALLY hungry for seconds or is that just something you’re used to doing? Wait about 15 minutes, enjoy your company and then see. If you still need more, start with extra veggies.

Making a lifestyle change can be challenging but it’s definitely possible. And the best thing about it is that you don’t have to go it alone. I am here for you! I can help you make food choices that YOU like. You don’t have to eat something just because I do…there are SO many choices, the possibilities are endless. You can also make clean eating and meal planning a family affair rather easily. Most traditional “family dinners” have already been converted to a “clean recipe” somewhere and if we can’t find one then I’ll help you clean up your grandmas old family favorites!!  Get the family involved in the planning, shopping and prepping. The more you strike their curiosity and interest the more likely they’ll be willing to try!!

I would like to personally invite you to my next clean eating and Shakeology 30 day support group starting on October 21^st. Join me in a closed group of other individuals who are looking to get on the right track with their food and nutrition. Get help with meal planning, meal and snack ideas, healthy recipes that are family friendly and quick and easy to prepare. And heck, even lose a few pounds before Thanksgiving!! If you are interested in the details of this group and would like to get signed up please send me a friend request on Facebook and shoot me a message that you’d like to join!!

Clean Eating Tips That Worked for Me

 It seems as though exercising is a fairly easy task to accomplish but eating the correct amount of foods and what exactly to eat are the most difficult things for people to master.  So in an effort to ensure that everyone in my challenge groups has all the tools they need to succeed I decided to share some great info!

First and foremost, if you do not own a copy of "Eat Clean Recharged" by Tosca Reno go out and get your copy now.  It not only tells you exactly how to get started eating clean but it really gives you the history behind why eating clean is the most beneficial for your body.  There are so many areas that Tosca touches upon in the book that were like "ah ha" moments for me!

Portion sizes- Tosca's strategy does not count calories or points.  Instead you are guided by simply following correct portion sizes and pairing the correct foods together.  So it is very easy to stick to the correct plan because you don't need any fancy sliders to figure out your calories or scales to measure your food.  A serving of protein is the palm of your hand.  A serving of complex carbohydrates such as apples, oranges, veggies is 2 cupped handfuls and a serving of starchy carbs is the size of 1 cupped handful.

If you follow the correct portion sizes you will stay on track and are less likely to over indulge.  I literally measure out my blueberries in the morning for my oatmeal by scooping out 2 hanfuls and tossing into the oatmeal.

Drink a large glass of warm lemon water when you first wake up before you eat breakfast.  Lemon water is a natural detox and it also jump starts your metabolism in the am.  I use a lemon squeezer and squeeze an entire lemon into my cup and fill to the top with warm tap water.  Then, I do not allow myself to eat breakfast until the entire glass of water is gone. 

Tip:  Lemons tend to go bad quickly so to get the most out of your lemons, squeeze all of the juice into ice cube trays and then just pop them out and go each morning!

Get a lunch tote- Target sells these great lunch totes that are perfect for packing healthy snacks and meals.  On Sunday I always sit down and plan out my meals for the week.  I make my grocery list and then I cut up fruits and veggies and portion into serving sizes for the week.  I measure out hummus, all natural PB and nuts as my proteins to pair with my fruits and veggies.  Then, if I am out doing errands I always pack a snack and even an extra one!  I always throw in my shaker cup and shakeology because you can always find water somewhere!  Then, I am never stranded and starving!  I will never let myself get to the ravenous stage where I eat everything in sight!  This has been my saving grace when there were no healthy alternatives at a funtion as well.

Carry a refillable bottle with water everywhere you go.  You can add lime, lemon, cucumber and strawberries to your water to give it flavor.  NO SODA OR JUICE!  I'm telling you that it's full of empty calories and you are not going to lose the weight if you drink soda or juice!  Just WATER!

Drink green tea when you are hungry, I noticed that it helps with my cravings especially in the late afternoon or evening!

Are you the type of person that needs something sweet after dinner?  I always grew up needing to have dessert following my meal.  For dinner I will cut up a bowl of fruit and leave it on the table for something sweet after dinner for the rest of the family.  I usually don’t eat it unless I can’t resist.

Buy in bulk, I go to Costco and buy their 10lb bag of chicken and cut it up into palm size pieces and freeze.  It is better to buy fresh produce than frozen.  Especially in chicken they infuse it with salt water as a preservative.  So instead, buy the 10lbs bags when they are on sale and then portion out palm size pieces for your entire family freeze and voila you have no additives chicken for later!

Another thing that I do all the time is cook extra chicken for lunches on Sunday or whatever day you are going to use as your prep day.  That way you can slice it up and put it in a tupperware and pull out for salads or wraps for the rest of the week.

Also, cook extra for dinner and place in containers for lunches throughout the week.

You can replace any foods so long as you replace a complex carb with another complex carb ect.  So if you don't like banana's replace them with an apple.  If you don't like almonds replace with all natural pb!

BODY BEAUTIFUL/BODY HEALTH FORMULA

80% nutrition + 10% exercise + 10% genetics = body beautiful/body health

EAT CLEAN PRINCIPLES

1.      Eat six small meals a day.  Eat every two-and-a-half to three hours.  I literally set the timer on my watch to remind me when to eat!  Now that I have been doing it for so long my body just tells me that its time to eat!  My husband always jokes that I eat non stop all day long!  And I DO!!! 
2.      Eat breakfast everyday, within an hour of rising.  So give or take when you exercise.  I exercise first thing in the morning and I don't eat before hand.  I workout, drink my results and recovery drink, grab a shower and then make breakfast.  I always have a warm glass of lemon water each morning as my wake up and detox!  I squeeze 1/2 or a whole lemon into a glass of warm water.  I make it a rule that I cannot eat my breakfast until I drink the entire glass of water.
3.      Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal.  A lean protein would be your plain unsalted nuts, almond butter, all natural peanut butter, white meat such as chicken and fish.  A complex carb is your fruits and veggies such as bananas, apples, oranges, cucumbers, carrots, tomoatoes just to name a few. 
4.      Eat sufficient (two or three servings) of healthy fats every day (evoo, avocado)
5.      Drink two to three liters of water each day.  I make this a MUST!  If you want to lose weight then you must drink a lot of water each and everyday.  If you do not drink enough water you body actually holds onto water weight.  Drinking water speeds up your metabolism and helps you lose weight.
6.      Carry a cooler packed with clean foods.  I seriously cannot leave the house without my cooler bag.  Even if I am pretty certain that I am going to be home before my next snack or meal I still throw in an apple and a handful of unsalted almonds and a bottle of water.  It is super easy to throw in a packet of shakeology and your shaker cup.  Then you are never left scrounging for a meal or a drive through to go to.  you always have a healthy snack or meal to hold you over! 
7.      Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.  Limit your starchy complex carbs to two to four servings each day.  I suggest not relying to heavily on juices.  I would aim to get your servings of fruits and veggies each day from actulaly eating them.  This way you get the added fiber from the skins of the fruits!  Juices more often than not have added sugars and additives that our bodies do not need.
8.      Adhere to proper portion sizes.

PORTION SIZES

Protein:  palm of one hand
Starchy complex carbohydrates:  What can fit into one cupped hand

Complex Carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables:  What can fit into two cupped hands together
Healthy Fats:  One scant handful of nuts, 1 to 2 tbsp of oil.

TOP 10 THINGS TO AVOID
1.       Sugar, white flour and over processed foods.  Bread at the bread table when you are out to eat.  Especially when I was trying to lose the weight I would avoid bread at all costs.  I even avoided ezekiel bread or most starchy carbs.
2.      Artificial sugars- NO STEVIA OR EQUAL OR SWEET N LOW ARE NOT GOOD FOR YOU!  I reccomend Agave nectar and honey if you need to sweeten something.  Even then I still think you should use it sparingly.  Again, sugar is addictive and the more you have the more your body will crave it!
3.      Sugar-loaded beverages such as soda and juice- NONE, ZILCH ZERO!!
4.      Super sizing your  meals or portions- If you are at a restaurant always ask for a box and take half of it home!  Restaurants are known for their oversized portions.  Even if it's a healthy meal that does not give you permission to throw your rules out the window!  You can eat the right kinds of foods and have too much and still not see results.
5.      Alcohol, try your best to limit.  My rule of thumb is for every alcoholic drink that you consume you must have 1 full glass of water! 
Alcohol is full of sugar and empty calories so you need to ask yourself,  is this short term sacrifice of drinking worth the long term results of me feeling amazing in my body and having the confidence to put myself out there!
6.      Chemically charged foods- So this mean smart ones, lean cuisines or any other processed meals.  Take a look at the labels on your food.  If there are more than 3 ingredients and you don't understand what they are then you probally shouldn't buy it!
7.      Foods containing preservatives
8.      Artificial foods such as processed cheese slices- I very rarely eat a piece of cheese.  I tend to choose feta cheese if I go that route!  Once again your body holds onto bad fats!
9.      Saturated and trans fats
10.  Anti foods, calorie dense foods with no nutritional value.

TOP 5 WAYS TO MAKE EATING CLEAN EASIER FOR YOU
1.       Pack a cooler everyday
2.      Carry a water bottle everywhere 
3.      Make a shopping list and stick to it- I grocery shop for 2 weeks at a time.  I sit down with my white board, grocery list and recipes and plan out my meals so that my entire family can follow the same eating schedule.  It works and we are all happy!
4.      Prepare planned leftovers
5.      Keep your pantry stocked with staples.  Staples in my pantry are plain unsalted rice cakes, all natural peanut butter, almonds, cashews, raisins, flaxseed, and olive oil!  If I run out of fresh fruits and veggies I turn to rice cakes with peanut butter and raisins!

TOP FIVE EXERCISE TIPS
1.       Set realistic goals for yourself-weekly, monthly and yearly.
2.      Train all of your major muscle groups, arms shoulders, chest, back, legs and abs.
3.      Challenge yourself-vary your routine every few weeks.
4.      Keep cardio fun-try new activities
5.      Stay focused-put your mind into your muscle.

EATING OUT TIPS
McDonalds
Garden fresh salad with warm grilled chicken and balsamic vinaigrette and water.
McDonalds chicken fajita, apple slices without Carmel dipping sauce and water
Burger King flame broiled hamburger and BK side salad with no croutons or dressing and water.
Wendy’s home style chicken go wrap, plain baked potato and water
Subway 6 inch turkey breast or ham sub, apple slices and water.  No dressing or cheese on sandwich!


If you would like more information on how you can transform your lifestyle with eating clean please message me at mel_svale@hotmail.com or go to www.teambeachbody.com/mrsbez and create a free account and together we can reach your health and fitness goals one day at a time!