Today we are going to give you 4 easy steps to start your clean eating journey.
It can be overwhelming to look at your pantry or refrigerator and realize that everything you’ve been taught about food and eating “healthy” has been completely misleading. Media campaigns, school lectures, and magazines completely devoted to healthy information, try to instruct us on what it means to eat healthy. The good news is that, living in the age we do, there is a wealth of information out there about what eating healthy really means. The bad news is that there is a lot of information that is deceptive and agenda-driven. The agenda is to protect the modern farming industry. Now more than ever we need these 4 easy steps to switch to a clean journey.
Here at www.iamacleaneater.com we are offering a completely unbiased, fact based, informational community to help you get on the right track. We want to help guide you along whether you eat out every single meal, or you are a health food junkie who lives in the gym. We have some great tips for you no matter where you are in your journey. In today’s post we are going to focus on 4 easy steps to help you feel great, all while keeping you very comfortable in your zone!
Here are 4 easy steps:
1. Switch your cooking oil to something like Coconut, Avocado or Ghee!
All of these oils have a high smoke point and are NOT high in omega 6’s. They taste great and even better they are great for you. We love olive oil too but mostly as a finishing oil.
We all have one or more types of oils in our cupboards, but do you know which are better for cooking? Unfortunately there are some pretty bad oils out there. Because their molecular structure doesn’t change when heated to high temperatures they are being marketed as better oils. Even though we do not want our oil to transform into a bad fat, we also do not want to consume oils that are highly inflammatory to our system. Some oils that can cause problems even at room temperature are canola oil, sunflower and safflower oil, and vegetable oil. They are made from grain byproducts and are highly inflammatory. Simply switching the fats you use when cooking can substantially lower the inflammation levels in your body. Some great switches are coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, and of course any animal fats (grass fed butter, clarified butter/ghee). This is super easy to do with very little effort.
2. Invest in a few great seasonings.
When eating clean, the bulk of what you consume are vegetables and protein. Adding flavor with organic seasonings is an easy way to stay on track and liven up your foods. Many spice companies add things to their spices in order to make them more shelf stable and keep them from clumping together. These additives include sugar, corn starch, maltodextrin, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), among other things. They can be causing more problems than you think, even in small doses. Purchasing flavor packed spices with no additives can be a giant step in the right direction, again with very minimal effort. Your likelihood of staying on a clean diet will improve because your foods will taste incredible!
3. Know how to snack.
As a society we are constantly on the go. More and more foods are being created to allow us to be mobile. The options for snacking when we can’t get a proper meal are larger than ever. This has become a serious problem which can result in digestive issues, obesity, and (surprisingly) mal-nutrition. Our bodies are not getting the nutrients they need to thrive. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to sit, eat and enjoy the meal! But we know this isn’t always a realistic expectation. So, here are a few tips for snacking.
- Make sure when you snack it is because you are actually hungry and not just bored. If you are really hungry then make it a meal and save snack time for later.
- Get comfortable packing snacks for yourself so you will not be tempted to eat what is provided around you or what is easy.
- If you know you like something sweet at 8:00 P.M. then make sure you have a good clean alternative to what you might usually eat. For example, most chocolate is filled with a lot of bad ingredients such as soy lecithin (which is a no!). Pick something like Hu chocolate instead.
- If you know you like salt and crunch at 3:00 pm then arm yourself with safe options such as Jilz crackers or Jackson’s honest chips. Some other favorites are Cassava chips, Pili nuts, olives, rolled up turkey meat with avocado, prosciutto and dates.
4. Buy great vinegars.
Apple cider vinegar, fire cider tonic, coconut vinegar and balsamic vinegar are all the rage right now because of the amazing health benefits. They also add a power pack of flavor! Vinegar can do amazing things for you. Throw a little on some salad, or some fresh tomatoes and mozzarella and have a wonder snack or side dish. However you decide to do it, just get some in your body each day.
The most important thing about moving towards clean eating is to not be afraid of change. You do not need to do everything all at once. You can start small and work your way up. These 4 easy steps to clean eating are a great starting point and can give you an extra leg up on your journey.
At I Am A Clean Eater we want to help support you wherever you are on your journey. The message is about understanding what’s at the end of your fork and making the best, most informed decisions for you and your lifestyle!
If you would like more information please see our youtube video on this topic for further explanation:
