Clean Living

Last blog, I spoke about improving mind, body and spirit...

I saw a very good article in Kansas City's very cool magazine, 435 South.

Check it out. Very informative and truly provides some ways to make all our communities healthier.
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Wellness Wisdom by Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD

Have you ever heard you should “eat clean” but didn’t really understand exactly what it meant? Simply put, clean eating is to eat food as close to nature as possible. It means you avoid artificial ingredients (colors, flavors, and sweeteners) and highly processed foods. By eating clean, you will improve your energy levels and get leaner. Here are my top tips for eating and living clean.

1. Drink ½ your body weight in water. Take your body weight in pounds and divide by two. This number is how many ounces of water you should be drinking each day. If you want to add a little flavor squeeze a lemon into your water.

2. Slow it down and savor. Eating should be an enjoyable part of life. Take your time to embrace the slow food movement by savoring the flavors of your meal while enjoying a good glass of wine. Most importantly, allow yourself time to relax and be fully present to spend time with your family and friends.

3. Eat healthy fats. Most people have heard that trans fats are the worst type of fats for your body and you should aim for a consumption of ZERO trans fats. You want to focus on eating more foods with omega-3 fats such as salmon, halibut and walnuts.

4. Avoid artificial ingredients in your foods. Aim to eat clean, real foods with simple ingredients that are easy to pronounce. The shorter the list the better. Reading an ingredient label shouldn’t feel like you are taking a chemistry test.

5. Pack it up. Make some meals like black bean soup or clean chili and pack it up for a clean lunch the following day. This helps you to eat clean and also save money.

6. Avoid the clean plate syndrome. Do you always clean your plate? If so, I’m giving you permission to leave food on your plate. In fact, I’m encouraging it! Unfortunately, you aren’t helping the starving children of the world by stuffing yourself at mealtime. Please stop eating when you feel satisfied; not full, stuffed or sick. This saves calories and helps you feel better.

7. Avoid drinking calories. Calories from soda, juice, and high calorie coffee drinks can sabotage your weight loss efforts and don’t satisfy your appetite. Did you know drinking an extra 150 calories a day can pack on an extra 15 pounds per year?

8. Eat a source of protein at every meal. Protein keeps you satisfied and helps prevent food cravings from sabotaging your diet. Aim to get at least 20 grams at breakfast and 30 grams at lunch and dinner.

9. Start lifting. I’m definitely an advocate of weight training and that is for all the ladies, too! Aim to do about 10-30 minutes of weight training three times per week. You can buy some inexpensive dumbbells at Wal-Mart or Target.

10. Avoid eating after dinner. This one is HUGE and has helped countless numbers of my clients to successfully lose weight. By avoiding these extra calories you will promote a weight loss. Which would you rather be doing while sleeping: burning fat or digesting a meal? If you want to burn fat then skip the after-dinner eating.

11. Get moving! Alternate jogging and walking with a goal of eventually building up to 30 minutes four to five days per week. Aim to sprint for 15 seconds and then walk for 45 seconds while gradually adding more minutes. (Always talk to your doctor first prior to starting an exercise program).

12. Out with the white, in with the whole grains. No more buying white pasta, white bread, white rice, etc. Instead, choose whole wheat pitas, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, etc.

13. Record your food intake daily. Research shows that people who lose weight and maintain the weight loss are more likely to log their food intake. Food logging keeps them accountable. If you have an iPhone check out the Lose It application which allows you to log your food intake and track your weight loss.

14. Aim to eat at least one plant-based meal each day. We know that eating more plants is good for you. This will also save you money and is good for the environment. Just make sure even when you are eating plant-based that you still include foods like beans or quinoa.

15. Remove five highly processed foods from your diet. You want to eat fewer packaged and processed foods so write down five processed foods that you are throwing out of your refrigerator and pantry RIGHT NOW!

Thanks 435 South...

I look forward to hearing some other health & fitness tips you'd like to share.