I think back to three years ago… back when I was working out consistently, running 25 miles per week, and thinking I was doing the “right things” for my body and for weight loss. But the scale never budged. My clothes didn’t get smaller. I could hear the little voice in the back of my mind telling me there was more to it…. that I really needed to buckle down on my eating.

See I was still stuck in the mindset of eating less. Period. I never was good with food. The year I turned 21, I dropped WAY too much weight but simply not eating. I didn’t think it was a problem then. In fact, I thought it was awesome that I was able to just stop eating and drop from a size 10 to a 0 within a month or so. I didn’t label it then. But I suffered from anorexia. After some very serious health complications that arose because of anorexia… I swung in the opposite direction, gaining it all back and then some over the course of a few years.

I never had a good relationship with food. Until three years ago. I started doing research on “clean eating”… it seemed like it was a fad diet or something. It seemed foreign to me, and to be honest, completely and utterly OVERWHELMING.

I am here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be. The books I found about clean eating and the blog posts and the Pinterest pins scared me away, until I just… broke it down.

It wasn’t scary or overwhelming at that point. I took the simplest version of clean eating and applied it to my diet and was rewarded with a 30 pound weight loss. After realizing that so many other people also suffered from feeling overwhelmed, I wrote a short and sweet Clean Eating 101 book about it. It really doesn’t have to be complicated!

Today, I am condensing that book even further for you, our Fit Fixins’ readers. Taken from my book, here are the 10 most basic principles and “rules” of clean eating.

The soul of clean eating is consuming food in it’s most natural state, or as close to it as possible. maybe some of you have heard of this simply as eating WHOLE foods. Let’s be clear on one thing, “clean eating” is not a diet. This is a lifestyle approach to food and it’s preparation, leading to an improved life, one meal at a time. It isn’t hard, and once you really grasp an understanding about clean eating, it just becomes a way of life and, hopefully, you never look back!

 

 

Rule #1 — Eat five to six times a day.

Say what?! Yes, you read that right. There is this misconception that when it comes to losing weight, you have to starve yourself. Yikes! Don’t do that. I did, once, a long time ago. And what happened as a result landed me in the hospital. So, let’s not do that. EAT MORE FOOD! This should be three meals and two to three small snack, per day. Include a lean protein, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a complex carbohydrate with each meal. This keeps your body energized and burning calories efficiently all day long.

Say this with me, “Eat to live, don’t live to eat.” — My life motto!

 

Rule #2 — Drink at least two liters of water per day.

Throughout life, school, nutrition classes… I have heard many different amounts of water we ‘should’ be consuming on a daily basis. Some people say to use an equation to figure it out, others say it is half of your body weight in ounces. For me, what is easiest, is to say I am going to drink two liters per day. Done.

I hope that I don’t need to tell you that sodas and juices are full of sugar and processed, and are just extremely bad for you. But, I want to talk a little about this, because I know that giving up soda is really hard for some people. And there are others who simply just do not like to drink plain water. Try flavoring your water with fresh fruits and veggies, or if you need that carbonation, try a sparkling water like La Croix.

Now, to make sure you are getting the necessary amount of water in your day, the easiest thing to do is get a large cup with ounce markers to track your water. I use a 24 oz Tervis Tumbler that I typically fill up 5-6 times per day. Make it fun, put a water tracker in your phone (there are a lot of great applications out there) and see if you can reach your goal each and every day. And, ditch those sodas and sports drinks, forever.

 

Rule #3 — Get Label Savvy

When you grab an item and turn it over to look at the label, are you looking at the calorie content or the ingredient list?

The answer here should be that you are looking at the ingredient list. “Clean foods” contain short ingredient lists. Any product with a long ingredient list made up of things you cannot pronounce, is typically considered “un-clean.”

With clean eating, we are trying to avoid all processed foods. I know that this is hard to do, but it is something I really try to stick to. Also, avoid refined foods such as white flour, white sugar (and other sugars like high fructose corn syrup too), breads, pasta, etc. Enjoy complex carbohydrates such as whole grains instead.

So, check those labels… but change what you are looking at. Remember, we are focusing more on the quality of the food we are consuming and not at that caloric number.

 

Rule #4 — Know Thy Enemies

This kind of goes along with the previous rule so I will keep it short and sweet:

Steer clear of anything:
High in Trans Fat
Fried
High in sugar (even natural sugars like honey and maple syrup need to be eaten in moderation.)

 

Rule #5 — Eat Healthy Fats

Yay! Remember that “low fat/no fat” diet fad? Well, you know what? Your body still needs healthy fats, especially if you are trying to watch you weight. We need these fats so that our (amazing) human bodies can absorb certain vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, D, E and K, the fat soluble vitamins. Fats are also used by our bodies for energy, for brain growth and development, and to help maintain healthy skin and tissues. Healthy fats are very important to our diets.

You can consume these fats in foods such as:
Avocados
Hummus
Raw Nuts
Goat cheese
Feta cheese
Fish
Shellfish
Flax seed
Olive oil
And more!

 

Rule #6 — Learn About Portion Sizes

This is super important. Just because we are eating clean, and eating more frequently, does not mean we can eat humongous portions. We still need to watch how much we put on our plates.

The best advice I can give you here is to try Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix workout program, because the program comes with a meal plan and portion control containers. It truly takes the guess work out of eating healthy portion sizes. If you would like more information, please visit my site www.fitmomjoslin.com (use Coach ID# 308183 when choosing your coach) and sign up for your free account!

But if you don’t want to go that route, there are lots of resources online about what your specific needs are with portion sizes. Everyone has different intake needs. For example, my husband is currently lifting heavy weights and needs a lot more protein in his diet, so I have adjusted his portion size to fit his needs. He is still eating clean and eating all his daily needs but he is eating a LOT more protein.

 

Rule #7 — Try To Eat Local Produce

I realize that this may be hard for a lot of people who don’t live in a climate that is conducive to year round farmer’s markets or produce stands. Fortunately, I do and I take advantage of having local produce all year.

For the most part though, when available, try to eat local produce. It will be at peak freshness due to the least amount of time from picking to eating.

Or, take it one step further and grow your own produce! I have a brown thumb, so this option is no good for me. My mom on the other hand, had a greenhouse when I was growing up and during the winter months would grow citrus and herbs and other easy to care for edible plants. In the summer, we always had produce from our garden… now if only all of that could have rubbed off on me.

 

Rule #8 — Slow Down and Savor

Never rush through a meal.

I am sure you may have heard this before, but it takes longer for your brain to recognize the sensation of being full before your eyes and your mouth do! Take your time. Enjoy your food. I think you may be surprised at how little your body actually needs before you are full. Let your body catch up with you.

 

Rule #9 — Take It To Go

This is really important, because most of us live very busy lives and it is so easy to just go through the drive-thru… am I right? We do not want to do that. So when you know you are going to be out of the house, whether that is to go to work every day, PTA meetings, soccer tournaments, running errands.. take it to go. I know that if I don’t pack my food I will be more likely to stick to my clean eating.

Pack a cooler! Plan your meals out for the week and even take it a step further and prep all meals ahead of time so they are ready to go in the cooler when the time comes to leave the house.

 

Rule #10 — Make It a Family Affair

I wasn’t always a clean eater. And I never looked at the labels to see what we were eating. I just assumed if the calories were low and it was on the shelf at the grocery store, that it was safe and healthy to eat. I was wrong.

Sadly, a lot of the groceries we have on our shelves are really bad for our health. I knew that when we made this change in 2013, that it was all or nothing. So, I got my husband on board (well he didn’t really have a choice) but I also included my kids. And why wouldn’t I? I want my kids to have a long and healthy life and I want to set the example. I want them to look to us and know that we are healthy. I don’t want to raise them on drive-thru food and processed sugar. My kids get excited now when I make grilled chicken… just plain grilled chicken. And my youngest absolutely loves quinoa.

Food is a social glue that should be shared with loved ones. Improve the quality of your family’s life along with your own and instill this behavior in your children now. Get your family involved.

My kids? They don’t even miss all that junk they were eating before. They come home from school asking for apples and veggies. They want the whole, clean foods. And for me and my family, we are going to try and eat as healthy as we can and I hope that you will too. If you think it may be a struggle to get your family on board, start small. Convert one meal at a time to clean eating. I think you might be surprised at how well it will be received.

 

If you would like more information about my book and how it can help you, please leave a comment below! Or you can check it out for yourself here — http://www.lulu.com/shop/joslin-winters/fit-mom-joslin-clean-eating-101/paperback/product-22169311.html

I hope that this helps you, as it did for me and so many others. Changing your diet for weight loss can definitely be daunting, but like I said, it really doesn’t have to be! Now get out there and eat to live!

~ Thanks for reading, Joslin

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