Did you know that 80% of your weight loss comes from the food you eat and only 20% is from exercise?
But if you want to change up your diet, where do you start? There’s clean eating, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, low fat, low carb, and a million other food philosophies.
Let’s cut through the clutter and decide on YOUR food philosophy.
Most health nuts agree that whole, unprocessed foods are best. So let’s start there. Clean up your eating by choosing foods that come in their most natural state. I used to say that I could only cook dinner if the directions were on the box! Things have changed, and we follow a cleanER food philosophy.
Here are some benefits of clean eating:
Good for environment
- Whole foods, less processed
- Buy locally
- Reusable bags
Saves Money
- Fewer restaurants
- Meal planning (start small, plan 3 main meals a week-save rest for leftovers)
- Garden (freeze for winter)
Focus on Quality not Quantity of Food
- Foods taste better when focusing on natural foods
- Simple, unprocessed, unrefined
- Know your portion sizes
- Take time to enjoy your food-SAVOR
Improves Health
- Low fat
- Low sugar
- Low sodium
- High fiber
- High processed and refined foods and linked to abdominal obesity lead to type 2, stroke, or heart attach.
- Reduce inflammation
My favorite thing about Eating “clean” (whole, natural, unprocessed foods) is that I can focus on the quality of food, rather than the quantity – that means less tracking and calorie counting.
Start by doing your research and learning more about clean eating. Perfection equals paralysis, so don’t worry about getting it all right. Just get started. I’m not a 100% clean eater. We’ve cleaned up our diet, but I still don’t like to cook. So if I’m going to cook, it has to be EASY!
When you clean up your eating, you’ll have more energy, feel healthier, and your body will shed unnecessary stored fat. What do you think? Can you start small and “clean up” a few things today?