Are you looking for a way to change up your everyday fueling plan? A new route to achieve your health and fitness goals, whether it’s to maintain, lose or gain weight? When you think about what you have eaten or drank for the day, how many of those foods/beverages have come from a restaurant, a bag, a box or a can?
If you are like most people, caught in the tug-of-war of life, trying to balance work, relaxation, family, friends and your own health – then the convenience of all of the above options probably plays a large role in keeping you fueled throughout the day. Granted, some of the convenient choices can still be healthy choices, but to change up your routine I recommend making a goal of one clean day per week. Ideally, the more days the better, but start with one and build from there.
What exactly is a clean day (clean eating) and why should you try it? Basically, clean eating means choosing foods in their most natural form possible. It’s eating whole, natural foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins (think skinless chicken breast instead of processed deli-meats), healthy fats (like nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil) and complex carbohydrates instead of pre-packaged, processed and fast foods. When you are eating clean, you are eating that food or combination of foods, without any extra additives, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or artificial coloring. Why try this? First of all, it gets you to plan in advance, to spend a little extra time in the grocery and in the kitchen! Also, it helps you to know what is going into your body and the quality of it, too! Try this for a few consecutive days and you will most likely feel a difference in your body.
When you are shopping, stay around the perimeter of the grocery store. You may have noticed that this is where you will find your fresh produce, poultry/fish/meat and often your whole grains. The more you get into the aisles, the more processed options there are! When buying your poultry and meat, if possible go for an All-Natural option that guarantees there are no hormones or antibiotics. If not found in bins, most nuts or whole grains are found in a box or bag of some sort – but checkout the ingredients and make sure its the only one on the ingredient list.
Examples of some items: Quinoa, Brown Rice, Raw Almonds, Natural Peanut Butter (peanut butter and salt), Olive Oil.
Changing your nutrition plan and lifestyle surrounding it is one of the biggest challenges to overcome and adapt to when working on health and fitness goals. But everyday there are people that are successfully doing it, and you can, too! For the days you are not going for 100% clean eating, still look at the ingredient label – see how many words you recognize and go for the items with fewer ingredients! Now, start with one goal, one step forward and keep building from there!
A “clean day” made from home can be simple – but fresh and portable!
Of course, feel free to get creative!
Breakfast:
Egg whites scrambled with onions, asparagus and a little olive or hazelnut oil
Old fashioned Oats – Oatmeal
Snack:
Banana and Raw Almonds
Lunch:
Cooked Quinoa
Grilled Chicken
Mixed greens with mushrooms, basil, cucumbers, tomatoes and olive oil/vinegar
Snack:
Apple and Raw Cashews
Dinner:
Brown Rice
Grilled Salmon
Sauteed asparagus with garlic
Find some great recipes here!
Kale Chips – An alternative to your normal selection!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Directions
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
- Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.
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