"Clean Eating"
Basic Principles
- Eat protein every meal (lean proteins = chicken, fish, pork tenderloin, wild game, lean beef - and: eggs, low fat dairy, nuts)
- 9 servings of fruit & vegetables daily
- Eat every 2-3 hours (combo of meals & snacks)
- Have water w/ you at all times: Drink 1 quart for every 50 lbs. of body weight - per day (round up)
- 80/20 Rule: 80% of time you are being balanced, eating primarily protein, fruits & vegetables and drinking your water 20% of time - Enjoy what you like!
- Look at your labels! Stay away from any ingredients that include, especially in the first five ingredients:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Partially Hydrogenated Oil
- Enriched flour (look for whole wheat flour as the first ingredient)
- Aspartame
- Sugar Stick mainly with protein, fruit, nuts & vegetables
- Reduce grains: cereal, breads & pasta (2 pieces max/day whole grain bread)
Breakfast Ideas
- Low fat cottage cheese & fruit
- Chicken (Amy's) sausage w/cottage cheese & fruit
- Veggie sausage with cottage cheese & fruit
- Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt or Okios Greek yogurt- add fruit (grapes or pineapple are my favorite) & walnuts
- Oatmeal w/ walnuts & grapes
- Scrambled eggs w/ lowfat mozzarella cheese & walnuts; or w/ onions, veggies; fruit
- Omelets w/ same as above
- 1 slice Ezekiel sprouted bread w/ natural peanut butter
- 1/2 sprouted English muffin w/ peanut butter or w/ sausage & fruit
- Leftovers from last night's dinner (protein and veggie)
Snacks
- Apple & string cheese
- Grapes or Apple with handful of almonds (Tamari almonds are my favorite)
- 2% Fage Yogurt (add your own fruit to sweeten - grapes are easy)
- Natural peanut butter on celery, or an apple
- 1 slice sprouted bread (Ezekiel brand) cinnamon & raisin: if you like, add peanut butter/almond butter
- Cut up frozen banana w/ some nuts
- Protein fruit shake (see recipe below)
- Raw veggies (cut up in advance) dipped in lowfat ranch or hummus
- Hummus & carrots / snap peas / celery, cauliflower / broccoli
- Handful of nuts (raw or dry roasted w/o salt is best) w/ fruit - Tamari almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pistachios, raw almonds from the freezer are good
- Natural peanut butter on 1/2 of a whole wheat tortilla (warmed in microwave for 8 sec)
Lunch
- Salad w/ roasted chicken (buy a rotisserie chicken just for you for the week) - add avocado, crumbled cheese, cut up grapes, walnuts and vinegar & oil dressing (see recipe below)
- 1/2 sandwich on whole wheat; nitrate-free lunchmeat (or other lean protein: chicken, fish, lean pork or beef), low fat cheese; lettuce, tomato using 1 slice whole wheat bread; load up on the lettuce
- Cole slaw (raw) in a bag - makes quick salad with feta, avocado, walnuts, lean protein & vinaigrette dressing
- Lunchmeat rolled up; lowfat cheese rolled or string cheese; with a veggie you like
- Turkey/ham wrap in a whole wheat tortilla - add sprouts, romaine or other veggies you like
- Sushi with a salad
- Out for lunch? A green salad with a lean protein, with vinaigrette dressing
- Spinach salad w/ feta, toasted pine nuts, tomatoes w/ balsamic vinaigrette
- Protein fruit shake
Dinner (ideally before 7pm)
- Grilled chicken & grilled asparagus w/ green salad and homemade vinaigrette
- Grilled fish w/ grilled onions and a salad
- Green salad w/ grilled chicken/steak/fish w/ gorgonzola, walnuts & avocado (or use veggies patties, chicken sausages or frozen meatballs for your protein)
- Lean protein w/ green salad made w/ pear, walnuts & gorgonzola
- Stir fry w/ veggies (garlic, onion, peapods, red pepper) - add flavored chicken sausages w/ ½ cup serving of brown rice
- Great summer appetizer: Tomato, mozzarella, avocado - Alternate them in rows, then sprinkle w/ fresh chopped basil & red onions; pour on Good Seasons Italian dressing (make from dry mix) – it’s the only time I used store bought dressings!
- Grilled fish or chicken w/ steamed broccoli or green beans w/ butter, ½ cups brown rice (can substitute tofu as protein)
- Chili made with garlic, onion, tomatoes, ground turkey or lean beef – serve w/ salad
- Spaghetti sauce served with ½ cup whole wheat pasta and a green salad
Protein Shake Recipe:
- 1/2 - 1 cup of ice
- 4 oz. - 6oz. Milk or Soymilk or Water
- 1 banana
- 1/2 c. - 1 cup frozen strawberries (use fresh fruit in season - frozen strawberries are just convenient)
- 2 scoops of vanilla whey protein powder (get at Whole Foods or GNC, etc)
- add Flax seed too! (good source of protein & omega 3's and 6's)
- Makes 2+ servings
Home Made Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 TBL. water
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Are You Drinking Enough Water?
Probably not, given that 80% of people are dehydrated. If you wait until you are thirsty, you are probably already dehydrated. The body NEEDS water to function well. How much water is ideal? 1 quart for every 50 lbs. of body weight. That's 3-4 quarts of water per day for the majority of us. Always round up. Water makes up 60% of the human body. That’s 70% in the brain, 82% in the blood and 90% in the lungs. With such high ratios, the importance of drinking high quality water cannot be underestimated. Scientists report that a 2% reduction of water levels in the body can correspond to a loss of 20% in both physical and mental productivity. This is important because, the thirst reflex does not become active until the body has already reached a state of dehydration. Low energy, acne, wrinkles, fatigue, bad breath, headaches all can be signs of dehydration. Remember, don't leave the house without a bottle of water. You'll be a great model for your family & co-workers too!
What's Your Afternoon Pick-Me-Up?
Many people like to go to Starbucks for a little energy boost to carry them through until dinnertime. A plain coffee is one thing, but a vanilla soy latte or another sweet drink can lead to unnecessary weight gain. Did you know an additional 100 calories a day, leads to an extra 10 lbs. per year? An additional 300 calories a day, is an extra 30 lbs. per year! Know your nutrition! A Grande, Skim Vanilla Latte is 250 calories. A Tall Skim Mocha Frappuccino w/ whip is 280 calories! Know the nutrition facts of your favorite drinks.
Keep your energy up throughout the day by eating every 2-3 hours. Have small, healthy snacks between meals, such as nuts & fruit. This can go a long way to keep your blood sugar even & avoid that late afternoon slump.
Examples of Healthy Snacks: (think, unprocessed!)
1/4 c. raw nuts (cashews, almonds & walnuts) and an apple
2 percent Fage yogurt w/ grapes
1 Tbs. natural peanut butter on one slice of whole wheat toast
Grapes or Apple & 1 serving mozzarella string cheese
Raw veggies & hummus or string cheese
Examples of Non-Healthy Snacks:
chips
crackers
candy bars
candy
cereal/granola
cereal/granola bars
fruit juice/soda/Gatorade
muffins
sweetened yogurt
Look at ingredients and avoid:
Sugar
Enriched wheat flour
Partially hydrogenated oils
Aspartame
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Shop ahead of time & be prepared when you leave the house w/ a lean protein & low-fat snack. Make it part of your routine! Planning + preparation = progress!
Interval Training
Did you know interval training is one of the best ways to burn fat & improve your overall cardiovascular fitness? More studies are confirming this and athletes have know about it for decades. Short bursts of high-intensity exercise, followed by easy recovery, once or twice a week, will dramatically improve your endurance and your body's fat burning abilities. If you are a jogger, try adding 5-6, 30 second sprints on your next run. If you are a walker, try 30 seconds of super fast power walking or jogging, 5 or 6 times during your walk. Allow yourself time to catch your breath & recover before each set of intervals. After several weeks of interval training you'll end up burning more fat in your continuous cardio workouts and you'll improve your heart & lung capacity!
A Good Night's Sleep
Did you know you're at risk for weight gain if you're sleeping less than 7-8 hours a night? Sleep loss can increase hunger for more calorie dense, high carbohydrate foods. Ghrelin, Cortisol and Leptin are hormones that get disrupted from lack of sleep, and cause an increase appetite & promote fat storage. Sleep is very important to your overall health & wellness. Make it a priority to get to bed early!
