Think back to the days past before; microwaving and instant potatoes, when the food came directly from the farm to the market to the table. Sure it took a bit longer to prepare a meal, but we knew exactly who grew or raised the food and the only “process” it went through was either butchering or harvesting. And the families of generations then were more able to maintain a healthier weight. They ate clean everyday not by choice but by circumstance, but they were also better for it.
It is getting harder and harder to maintain a healthy weight today. Try as we might lose weight, and keep it off; many of us fall into the yo-yo diet trap. There is a reason for this and it mainly stems from the types of foods we are eating, and less the cause of the quantity of food consumed.
Here’s How to Eat Clean:
1. Eat foods that are in their natural state. Select foods that have not been processed and are considered whole foods. Think of it this way, when reading the label all the ingredients should be a natural food source and not a chemical.
2. Keep the furnace stoked, which means keep your metabolism running by continuously feeding it well-portioned meals a minimum of six times a day. This will require breaking out your 1500 calorie daily allowance throughout the day, usually done by eating 400 calories meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and three 100 calorie snacks.
3. Meals should contain lean protein, complex carbohydrates and good healthy fats. Lean proteins include foods like skinless chicken breast, fish and egg whites. Complex carbohydrates include whole grain bread and pasta; avoid eating white flours and sugars. Labels that read-enriched flour should be left on the shelf. Healthy fats are foods such as avocado and olive oil; a good test is if you heat the oil it should remain liquid once it has cooled.
4. Flush the system, now that you’re eating all these healthy whole foods your body is going to begin to release toxins. Drinking plenty of water will help to not only keep your body well hydrated; plenty of water will also flush those toxins from your liver and fat cells.
5. Stay away from alcohol and liquor, although some of these are low in calorie they turn to sugar during the digestion process which in turn becomes fat. Alcohol also dehydrates the body and that is counterproductive to flushing away toxins.
6. Keep active, eating clean is the foundation to good health, but you will also want to get active. 30 minutes of exercise per day is the recommended minimum for a healthy heart and weight management program. Whatever it’s something as simple as walking, running, weightlifting or a sport you’ve got to get up, move and break a sweat.
These steps are really not that difficult, but in the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, we tend to eat that which is quick to prepare. The reason some foods are so quick to prepare is that they have been beaten from their valuable nutrition and then enriched to add a small portion of it back to meet FDA requirements. Do not shortchange yourself “Eat to live, do not live to eat”.
Featured Image: How To Find Healthy Food Sources of Protein Diet Food
Featured Image: Cosmo
Source by Deborah Freeman