I recently stumbled upon a “healthy eating” challenge called “Clean Eating in 14 Steps” where you are asked to swap out a behavior for a cleaner eating version each week.
I wanted to not only challenge myself and see if I could clean up my own diet but also to blog about each week and give my own suggestions on how you can make these changes, too!
So, what is clean eating anyways?
Well, first of all, I like to think of it more as a lifestyle than a strict dietary regimen. It’s about every time you are going to put food into your body, you go through a little mental checklist of things such as (and these are only examples as everyone’s vary based on their personal preferences):
- Is this food in its whole, natural state?
- If not, are there fewer than 5 ingredients, all of which I can pronounce, on the label?
- Is it all-natural and/or organic?
- If not, is it on a lower pesticide list?
- If it’s a protein- are the animals fed an appropriate diet and given an appropriate environment?
- Is it local?
- And so much more depending on each person’s preferences.
The general idea, though, is to eat food as close to it’s natural, whole, and ‘clean’ form.
What do you have to look forward to in my coming blogs?
Each week I will focus on at least one aspect of the 14 week challenge that I found here!
I love that they kept the weekly objectives short and simple but I’m going to take each week and give it my own twist and offer suggestions and resources that you might find beneficial.
The breakdown will be similar to
- Real fruits and vegetables at each meal
- Real beverages
- Protein choices
- Fast food or deep-fried foods
- Trying new foods
- Fat
- Whole grains
- Feeling full
- Sweeteners
- Oils
- Artificial foods
- Simple and fewer ingredients
I know, it’s only 12 weeks. I’m sure I can come up with something else interesting to throw into my own version.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is for informational purposes only, and is educational in nature. Statements made here have not been evaluated by the FDA. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please discuss with your own, qualified health care provider before adding in supplements or making any changes in your diet or exercise routine.
Planted in Nutrition 