Simple Rules for Eating Clean

I talk about ‘eating clean’ a lot and often forget that a lot of people don’t know what it really means.  It’s not a diet, it’s not a gimmick, and it’s not some arbitrary set of do’s and don’t’s some crack pot expert came up with, unless you consider nature a crack pot expert.  Eating clean is simply only eating foods that are whole, healthy, real, and have only positive effects on your body and health.

So how exactly does one eat clean?  I often find it hard to explain without launching into the dangers of processed, fake, artificial and just plain junk foods on the market, which is when people’s eyes glaze over and nod accordingly.  So imagine my pleasure when I read this month’s Oxygen magazine to find the perfect summary.

Oxygen is my bible.  Women, if you are into fitness or what to learn how to workout and eat right to lose weight and get buff without having to wade through the crap gimmicks, and the pages and pages of beauty and fashion tips in most women’s magazines, pick up Oxygen.  I mean it.

Anyway, in the article How To Eat Clean (10 Easy Ways) clean eating expert (and super fit 50+ year old) Tosca Reno explains just how to eat a clean diet in 10 simplified steps.

1. Reject refined sugar in all its forms immediately.
2. Season foods with herbs and spices.
3. Don’t skip meals.
4. Fill half your plate with vegetables.
5. Banish all processed goods.
6. Become a flexitarian (a term for fair weathered vegetarians, in this case, meaning get your protein from a variety of sources, not just meat.)
7. Eyeball your portions (to keep them in check)
8. Choose quality over quantity (meaning quit buying foods that are unhealthy because they are cheaper and you get more.  The quality of your food is what is important.)
9. Make broth based soups a habit.
10. Eat a balanced breakfast.

No calorie restrictions, no eliminating food groups, and meal plans, yet everything you need to eat a clean diet, and maintain it, is all in there.  A clean diet isn’t just about eating fewer calories to drop weight, it’s about eating the right types of food to keep your body strong and at it’s peak, which, yes, will melt those pounds.

In Good Health,

Kelly Turner

Kelly Turner is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and health and fitness writer from Seattle, WA.  Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines, and she currently blogs for Breathe Magazine, is the Health and Fitness Expert for Twirlit.com and feature fitness writer for FitPeeps.com.  To contact Kelly with any questions, you email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.