Eating Clean Made Simple: Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle
Eating clean is all about making conscious decisions about what you put into your body. It means avoiding or extremely limiting processed and refined foods and choosing whole, natural options when possible. But eating clean isn’t just about eating healthy; it’s also about nourishing your body and mind. If you’re looking for ways to make the switch to a cleaner lifestyle easier, here are some tips to get you started.
Plan Ahead
One of the best ways to ensure you’re eating clean is to plan. This can be as simple as meal prepping for the week or taking the time on Sunday night to figure out what meals you want to make for the next few days. Planning will help you stay organized and ensure that your meals are nutritious and balanced. It will also save you time in the long run because you won’t have to scramble during the week trying to figure out what to eat each day.
Shop Smart
Shopping smart is another crucial component of eating clean. This means reading labels, researching brands, and understanding ingredients so that you can make informed decisions when purchasing food items at the grocery store or ordering takeout from restaurants. Try to buy locally sourced organic, hormone-free, pesticide-free, additive-free foods so that you know exactly where your food is coming from and how it was grown or produced.
Eat Whole Foods
In addition to shopping smartly, try to focus on eating whole foods rather than processed foods whenever possible. Whole foods are nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds/grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (e.g., olive oil). These foods provide essential vitamins and minerals that keep our bodies functioning properly and help us maintain a healthy lifestyle. Processed foods often contain added sugars, unhealthy fats/oils (e.g., trans fats), artificial flavors/colors/preservatives, etc., which can lead to weight gain and other health issues over time if consumed excessively or too frequently.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking plenty of water helps flush toxins from your system, keeps your energy levels up throughout the day, and aids digestion after meals. Aim for half of your body weight in ounces of water per day -- so, for example, if you are 150lbs, you will aim for 75oz.
Eating clean doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming – with a little bit of planning & shopping smartly paired with an emphasis on whole foods rather than processed options – it can become second nature.