When I started working out with a trainer in 2008 she constantly told me I should eat clean. In other words I needed to clean up my diet. Honestly – I had no idea what she was talking about. I thought I was eating healthily. I mean my diet consisted of eating fruit at the bottom yogurt, orange juice not from concentrate and grapes or some other fruit. That sounds pretty healthy right?
Well I was overloading on sugar. The orange juice alone had about 26 grams of sugar which is 1 gram of sugar over the recommended daily amount (RDA) for adult women). YIKES!
My friend also trained with the same trainer and thought she was eating healthily and learned the mini frozen pancakes, packaged grape juice from concentrate and fruit punch was highly processed and sugar ladened.
In order to cinch an inch after this month’s challenge proper exercise, sleep and DIET are key. Here’s a quick cheat sheet of some alternatives to help get you in the right direction.
Snack options:
Regular kernel popcorn popped on the stove with coconut butter (no butter), roasted almonds, sliced apples with almond butter, celery and all-natural peanut butter (nothing but peanuts), carrot sticks with hummus
Breakfast options:
Scrambled egg whites with sautéed fresh vegetables, turkey bacon, homemade granola, steel cut oatmeal, green smoothie with fresh fruit and vegetables, water, almond milk, 6oz of fresh squeezed orange juice, cottage cheese, lite and fit yogurt, hard-boiled egg, fresh fruit
Lunch options:
Baked chicken breast, green salad with oil and vinegar, tuna fish packed in water, vegetable soup
Dinner options:
Ground turkey chili, baked salmon, baked chicken, steamed vegetables, brown rice, 3-bean soup, gumbo, black bean burritos, vegetable stir fry, shrimp creole
Beverage options:
Water, unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened green tea, fresh squeezed fruit and vegetable juice
Seasonings:
Ms. Dash, pink Himalayan salt to taste, black pepper, yellow mustard, Worcershire sauce, curry powder, raw honey
These are just some delicious diet options. Get creative and read labels. You would be surprised how many diet sabatoges are “snuck” into our food. Also eat fresh whenever possible vs. packaged food which is typically the dumping ground for preservatives, artificial food coloring, fat, sugar and salt – all big no no’s if you want to cinch that inch.
Photo credit: daily hiit
What is the latest “clean” meal you have eaten recently?
9 Replies to "D is for Diet"
becca112971
Twitter: _Everyday_Life_
April 4, 2014 (7:52 am)
thank you for the cheat sheet seems i thought i was eating healthy but from the looks of it I wasn’t.
o
DSTPRL April 4, 2014 (9:13 am)
Becca it can be tricky so I am glad this is helpful.
Lisa M April 4, 2014 (7:05 pm)
We find whatever veggies that are on special at our local whole food store and stir fry with skinless chicken breast. Very little oil in the pan and lots of flavor from ginger and low sodium soy and orange zest and garlic. Yum. Sadly, not all of our meals are that clean. Feeling inspired by your A to Z
o
DSTPRL April 4, 2014 (7:29 pm)
Thank you and eating clean can be a struggle for many of us so I try my best and keep it moving. Thanks for stopping by.
o
Brittany April 4, 2014 (11:52 pm)
As a vegan, it’s easy to make ALL my meals clean. When I deviate even the slightest my body rebels HARD! It totally keeps me in check!
DSTPRL April 5, 2014 (4:00 am)
Now that is one way to do it Brittany. Thanks for stopping by – how have you been?
o
Amanda H April 5, 2014 (12:18 am)
Yum thanks for this! It’s always good to get a reminder that there are lots of healthy AND tasty options out there 🙂
o
DSTPRL April 5, 2014 (4:01 am)
There are so many options we just have to consciously choose the healthy one. Vending machines make it easy to make poor choices we pay for later but with a little effort we can be on our way making better choices and having more energy.
o
EVL Nutrition ENGN Pre Workout Fruit Punch May 26, 2015 (9:42 pm)
Don’t just rely on workout supplements though. You have to work out too.