A Clean Eating Series: What Is It?

Last April, I knew that our little family needed to make a change in our food choices.

Since making that change, I've seen significant amounts of benefits to eating healthier.

I've had a lot of thoughts floating around in my head that I've been wanting to share when it comes to eating "clean."

When the term "eating clean" came out over a year ago, I rolled my eyes every time that I heard it.

I still had a "weight watchers mentality."

That mentality was that I could eat anything that I wanted within moderation.

I'm not saying that it is a bad mentality at all...because many people have found that it works.

I just had a change of heart in the end.

I started modifying our recipes to include more fruits and veggies.

I knew that as long as I was working out that I would lose weight.

That's what happened in college.

I started working out and I lost a few pounds...but nothing like I had before.

I was stuck at a plateau for 6 weeks, so I finally did some research and decided to try eating clean.

Many people have very many views of what eating clean means.
I had to figure out what worked for our family and our lifestyle.
First and foremost, it's NOT a diet.
*I really hate the word diet.*
"Diet," as defined by dictionary.com is "such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight."

I am not limiting the amount of food that I eat.

I am simply learning what foods that I should consume to be healthy.

I am changing the way that I eat...it is now my lifestyle.

**You can't get healthy without eating healthy.**

Some people feel very opinionated to be only eating fruits and veggies that are organic.
Others feel that they should be eating minimal processed foods while others won't eat anything that is processed.
Some say they only eat gluten free while others think that you shouldn't eat gluten free if you don't have a reason to (celiac/gluten intolerance).
There are SO many opinions about what it means to eat clean.

For us, it was starting out slow...
I stopped buying some processed foods, but others I thought were fine.
I figured as long as I was eating "healthy" processed foods that I would be okay.

Then I read an article and found that I had 5 of 10 symptoms that I could possibly be gluten intolerant.  Whoa.
I did a bit more research to make sure that it wasn't just that article that said those things...and it wasn't.
So I purchased this food plan to help me out with a gluten sensitivity test.
I completed 4 weeks of being gluten free, and added some foods with gluten back into my diet.
I found that it made me sick. Blech.
I also found that I felt WAY better and could think clearly when I was eating real, whole foods.
Oh and I also got off that dang plateau.

I really love this quote from Chalene Johnson (creator of TurboFire) regarding whole foods:

"Whole foods are foods in their natural state, foods that are unadulterated.  If you can pick it from a tree or vine, if you can pull up or pinch off a vegetable from a plant in the ground, you are looking at a whole food.  Food in this state is food that hasn't been altered.
Whole food has its enzymes available for health because it is a whole food.  Whole foods contain all the enzymes and nutrients in the proportion nature intended for our health.  If you consume whole foods your body feels whole and nourished.  Whole foods diminish cravings, swelling, chronic pain, arthritic symptoms, digestive issues, and make weight loss and weight management easier."

So for me, eating clean means eating real food.
I have eliminated {almost completely} all processed foods from my pantry.
I avoid gluten, specifically wheat, at all cost.
And what I really love is a juicy steak and some yummy grilled veggies. :)

The best thing I could have done for myself is to really research all the different components to eating healthy (gluten, clean eating, whole foods, etc) before I made a decision on what I was going to do.  I like to be informed before I make a decision, so I feel like I have made the best decision for myself.

Questions?
Leave them in the comments!