Eat-Clean Principles....

Eat Clean! I have been hearing that a lot lately. Eat clean or I ate clean today. Any variation of that is posted a lot on the Beachbody msg boards. How do you eat clean? Wash the food? Wash your hands and face? No. Eating clean means to eat foods that are not processed, refined, hydrogenated, artificially sweetened, dyed or anything similar to that.

Processed foods, convenience foods, fast foods and basically anything that didn't have a momma or grow naturally in the ground should be avoided. Now as a general rule this will work, but I will list some principles from the book The Eat-Clean Diet For Men that you can use as a guide. We all have slip ups. We all cheat from time to time. If you make a concerted effort to follow these principles, you can have success within your own nutritional battle. Doing this one day at a time and not focusing on any day but today, you can win the daily battle. One day at a time, then a week passes. Three weeks pass, 21 days, and you create a habit. To create the habit of eating clean could be the best habit you have and one you wont want to kick.

Eat-Clean Principles
1. Eat 5 or 6 small meals a day.
2. Eat every 2 to 3 hours.
3. Combine lean protein and complex carbohydrates at every meal.
4. Drink at least 2 liters, or 8 cups, of water per day, more if you are active.
5. Never miss a meal, especially breakfast.
6. Carry a cooler loaded with Clean-Eating foods to get through the day.
7. Avoid all over-processed, refined foods, especially flour and sugar.
8. Avoid artificial sugars.
9. Avoid all preservatives, colors and other chemicals.
10. Avoid all saturated and trans fats.
11. Avoid sugar-loaded colas and juices.
12. Consume adequate good fats (EFAs) each day.
13. Avoid alcohol - another form of sugar.
14. Avoid all calorie-dense foods containing no nutritional value.
15. Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins and enzymes.
16. Stick to proper portion sizes - give up the super sizing!

I know... not always some of the more popular ideas there, especially for us who have been on the opposite side of the nutritional spectrum. Commit to it, and you will see good things happen.