Want a Clean Bill of Physical and Mental Health?......Eat Clean!!

What is Eating Clean?

There is no fitness mental or physical health goal which you can achieve without first cleaning up your diet.  Changing your diet is one of the biggest challenges when faced with improving ones health.  A majority of people are used to eating highly processed foods on a regular basis and breaking away from that can be difficult.  The good news is, it isn't impossible and once you make it a habit to eat clean, it becomes a part of your life.

In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."

A person that eats clean generally practices the following:

    Eliminates refined sugar

    Cooks healthy meals

    Packs healthy meals

    Makes healthy choices when dining out

    Drinks a lot of water

    Eats 5-6 small meals per day

    Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)

    Always eats breakfast

Eating clean can be a major transition for a majority of people due to addictions to sugar, white bread, and fast food. It takes discipline in order to make eating clean a habit but it is possible and has so many long-term health benefits.

Examples; 1. Apples

1st Choice (Natural State): Apple (Clean)

2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Applesauce Limit (Highly Processed): Apple toaster pastry.

Shopping Tip: While applesauce is a healthy choice, it has fewer nutrients than a whole apple.

2. Oranges

1st Choice (Natural State): Orange (Clean)

2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): 100% orange juice

Limit (Highly Processed): Orange drink

Shopping Tip: Many fruit drinks contain high fructose corn syrup and little real juice.

3. Strawberries

1st Choice (Natural State): Fresh strawberries (Clean)

2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Strawberry preserves

Limit (Highly Processed): Strawberry gelatin dessert

Shopping Tip: Gelatin desserts usually contain artificial strawberry flavor, not real fruit.

Corn

1st Choice (Natural State): Corn on the cob

2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Corn tortilla chips

Limit (Highly Processed): Cornflakes

Shopping Tip: Buy tortilla chips with just three ingredients: whole corn, oil, and salt — and eat in moderation.

Read more: http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/healthy-eating-23-ways-eat-clean/3-strawberries#ixzz23zpjgYHo