Clean Eating for Beginners: Your Quick Start Guide

Clean Eating: What does it mean?? And 10 tips to get you started…

I’ve been learning a lot on my clean eating journey and thought I would share some of it here with you all. After all, you are probably here for some of the same reasons as me. 

Like you, I want and NEED to feel good and be healthy, not just for me but for my children and my family. Let’s face it, I’m not getting any younger. I’m starting to feel the aches and pains, the exhaustion… but I’m too young for that. Something has to change. I see people all around me who are getting sick at too young of an age. Honestly, it scares me & I want to know why. Of course there are many reasons why someone may become ill and sometimes it’s not because of anything they did or didn’t do, it just happens. I want to live a long, healthy blessed life… and I want that for you, my friends. 

My goal is to do as much as I reasonably can to be proactive and prevent illness now to keep my body in the condition God created it to be. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

I’m not a perfect eater. I like ice cream. I like fries (love them). It’s a day by day thing. But I don’t beat myself up when I mess up. I’m trying to live the 80/20 rule… And I’m finding the more I eat clean the less I crave those things. 

So what does clean eating mean then? Well, it can have a different meaning for each of us, depending on specific needs. Some may have food allergies or an illness in which case there will be certain foods you will want to eliminate for a while or permanently. But basically, clean eating means eating foods that are as close to their natural form as possible, are minimally processed with no added nutrients, i.e. do not choose foods with ingredients that say “fortified” or “enriched” and choose organic whenever you can.

Some people suggest eating multiple small meals a day, you can do that but I DON’T. It’s a personal thing. I prefer to give my body a rest to regenerate and heal… more on that later but I’m referring to intermittent fasting. That said, what works for me may be different for you. The goal is to consume healthy, healing foods.

Clean Eating shouldn’t be complicated or overwhelming it is just a change to what you’re used to. Try to eat at least 80% clean every day and drink plenty of water. If you’re a beginner you will need to train yourself to read labels at first and get familiar with some new recipes but once you get the hang of it you will see it can be a much simpler way of eating and of course, so much healthier!

Here are 10 tips to start eating clean today:

1. CLEAN OUT YOUR PANTRY AND REFRIGERATOR OF ANY FOOD THAT IS NOT CLEAN. IF YOU KEEP IT YOU MAY BE TEMPTED TO EAT IT SO JUST GET RID OF IT.

2. MAKE A LIST OF SOME CLEAN EATING RECIPES YOU WANT TO TRY. (WE HAVE A LOT TO CHOOSE FROM!)

3. PLAN OUT YOUR MEALS FOR THE NEXT WEEK SO THAT YOU ARE PREPARED AND KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE.

4. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO COOK EACH DAY, MEAL PREP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

5. KEEP SOME HEALTHY SNACKS ON HAND.

6. DRINK WATER, BLACK COFFEE OR TEA, I.E. DO NOT DRINK YOUR CALORIES UNLESS YOU ARE JUICING (NOT STORE BOUGHT JUICE)

7. GO GROCERY SHOPPING FOR THE INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR THE MEALS YOU’VE PLANNED. DON’T FORGET THE SNACKS.

8. CONTROL YOUR PORTIONS.

9. DO NOT EAT OUT MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK – IT’S NOT CLEAN.(THIS SAVES MONEY TOO)

10. KNOW YOUR WHY. OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU WANT OR NEED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES IN YOUR LIFESTYLE. YOU HAVE A HEALTH GOAL, WHAT IS IT? AND WHY?

Bonus Tips: Do something to get your body moving every day (walk, dance, lift weights… whatever you enjoy). Just do it without thinking about it. Exercise is important to flush out toxins, lose weight or maintain weight and it actually keeps your mind positive and healthy!

Laugh.  Engage in something funny. Laughter is the best medicine!