If you really want to start clean eating, you have to get your mind right. Before you start down the road to a healthier eating lifestyle, you have to commit to it mentally and physically. It’s not easy to just stop eating the unhealthy foods that you’ve been used to shoving in your mouth – your whole life. It really isn’t that difficult to start eating clean. In fact, it’s very easy, you just have to want it.
Just remember one thing, you’re now eating to live and not living to eat. With your new diet, you’ll feel way better than normal. No more crashes and you’ll have plenty of energy throughout the day by eating clean, and you’ll look better. Now that you’re ready to start your journey, you have to complete step one. That is, cleaning out your fridge, freezer and pantry.
You have to get the bad processed food out of your house. Don’t throw it away – donate it. Don’t donate last nights spaghetti. Get the pizzas, breaded chicken strips, corn dogs and chips out of your house. Take them to your local food pantry, and feed a family. The second step is to not get crazy and dive in feet first. Plan your meals with common sense.
You don’t have to start all natural and organic all-day-everyday. Going cold turkey and eating clean 100% of the time, in the beginning, can be overwhelming. Sit down and plan your meals. Scour the internet for clean eating recipes. Do what works for you. If eating clean throughout the day and a cheat meal at night works for you, then do it.
As long as you’re on the right track and putting one foot forward, kudos to you. Gradually make changes to your diet by adding cleaner foods each week. Before you know it, eating clean will be a part of your life – second nature. You’ll also find that after you stop eating the processed foods, the cravings will go away. After I started eating clean, the old foods no longer appealed to me – at least not that often.
When I eat a cheat meal of the things I used to eat (fried chicken, lasagna and cheese fries), they don’t taste the same. And because the foods taste different or strange, I either don’t eat them or – eat less.
How to start clean eating: Getting the family involved
Don’t do it alone – get your family eating clean, also. There are several ways you can get your kids to adopt the healthy lifestyle. I found that you just have to encourage them. My three daughters loved running track, volleyball, basketball and eating clean. Kids are very influential and you just have to be a good salesman. Yes, they love pizza, but they would also eat their veggies.
They understood that your body needs nutrition. All of them were athletes and loved to compete and they knew that food was fuel. The better the food the higher the octane. There are thousands of healthy kid recipes online. My girls love cauliflower mash and they embraced getting involved with the prep and cooking. Give them tasks and let them help prepare the healthy meal. They will want to eat what they fixed.
Plan your meals ahead and prep ahead. This makes it easy to stay on track. If you wait to eat whey you’re starving, you’ll make bad choices. It’s easy to get side tracked when you haven’t eaten for hours and see a double cheeseburger. Get rid of the sugar. Did you know there is roughly 10 teaspoons of sugar in a can of soda? Imagine eating 10 teaspoons of sugar – straight.
If you’re ready to start eating clean and make healthier choices – do it. Start gradually by eating whole foods and resist temptation. Don’t be afraid to have an occasional cheat meal. Plan your cheat meal and then you won’t feel like you cheated. That is how to start clean eating. Do it and don’t look back.