Be Supported
First things first…
7th May 2015
0

First things first, what does it mean to ‘eat clean’?

Well, primarily this means eating nutritionally dense foods, full of flavour and colour, vitamins and minerals, all of which are free from additives, refined sugars, gluten and in most cases dairy free and grain free. This is an opportunity for you to start afresh with your nutrition and give your body the nutrients and balance of fats, proteins and complex carbohydrates it really needs.

The rules for eating clean are really simple:

  • Eat as much as you can in it’s ‘raw’ state- this doesn’t mean eating crunchy veg and bloody steak but it does mean carrots look like carrots and the steak isn’t the ends of worms* moulded into a burger shape. *No worms were harmed.
  • Learn to read the packaging on food. Items are listed in order of quantity. If you can’t spell it, never heard of it or it sounds like it came from your chemistry GCSE you don’t need it in your body. If there are more than say five ingredients, you probably don’t need that either- keep it simple.
  • When supermarket shopping the outside aisles are your friend- here we find fresh fruit and vegetables, usually a butcher or a fishmonger. Avoid the ready meals, pre packed snacks and confectionary and make your shopping trolley look full of colour.

More specifically my clean eating plan has some adaptations to what may be considered mainstream ‘clean’:

  • Gluten, grains, starchy carbs and refined sugars are all significantly reduced, so is caffeine and alcohol. Why? Because your body doesn’t need these things to be super amazing, so let’s stick with the basics and make them immensely tasty instead.

Is it hard?

  • Advanced nano technology is hard, giving birth upside down is hard, this is not hard. It does however, require some effort. The good news is once you put the effort in, you get results.

Secondly- good fats and bad fats…. Which is which?

You will notice I always use full fat ingredients. There will be butter not margarine, full fat Greek yoghurt not low fat, olive oil rather than vegetable or sunflower spray oils, coconut oil and ghee (clarified butter).

Full fat ingredients are full of flavour- in fact in order to ensure that flavour is retained in ‘low fat’ or ‘low calorie’ alternatives, did you know that sugar is added? Yep, that’s right, sugar! And what does our body inefficiently process? Yep, here we are again… sugar. So if in doubt always choose full fat over low fat and you will feel satiated and notice a big difference.

How am I going to fit this into my already busy lifestyle?

Well, I’m pretty busy too so I have had to make this work around my lifestyle as well- around two babies and a full time job, so it has had to be relatively straightforward and not turn each evening into an episode of Masterchef.

Preparation is the key to making this work. If you can get a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, or when your children are asleep, then this is the time to get cooking. By focusing on cooking several meals in one hit, you set yourself up for the week ahead and make life simpler and make clean eating accessible. Most meals are freezer-friendly or can be popped into a Tupperware and kept in the fridge for the next day. Breakfasts are quick and easy and snacks can always be available. There is no need to get stressed or feel hungry when you eat clean.

Is it expensive?

The programme has been formed around the results of a survey which showed that most families spend approximately £30 per person per week on food. Some spend less, some spend more. On that basis I have worked around this budget, but depending on where you shop, if you buy local or online, if you use organic or not, it will be affordable.

I will always encourage you to spend the most you can afford on the produce you buy. Remember what you buy in the supermarket is what goes into your body, makes you feel full of energy, affects your skin, bone growth, ability to fight illness. It might sound an odd thing to say but up until now you may have been eating things which after this month you would never dream of buying again. Or at least that is the aim!

Treats

I recommend you stick to 85% dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate, a glass or red wine rather than white, cauliflower crust pizza rather than takeaway. Soon you will discover that by omitting refined sugars, sweeteners and regular alcohol that your body stops craving it- you just need to break the cycle.

Write your comment here ...

Leave a Reply