Cleanin' It Up

Yes, I'm in one of those health freak modes. I know, I know, not again. If you've been around me during one of these "phases," then you know I can get a little extreme. This time however, I don't want to be extreme, I want to be practical and I think I've finally figured out the formula that works for us! Eric and I have always tried to eat pretty healthy, but then we get lazy and our eating values go out the window. We are now back on the wagon, so to speak.
My current new-found plan is called "Eat-Clean," and it is AMAZING. We started clean about 4 weeks ago now and I am loving how great I've been feeling (energy), not to mention the fact that I've lost 10 pounds! Not to mention that I can also fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans! This, above all things, makes me SO HAPPY!
You're probably asking what this Eat-Clean diet is all about, if you want to call it a diet you can, I like to refer to it as a lifestyle.
It's actually very simple, which is why I am a fan of it. Here are the basic principles:

- Eat 5-6 small meals a day
- Eat every 2 to 3 hours
- Combine lean proteins with complex carbs at every meal
- Drink 8 cups of water each day
- Avoid all over-processed, refined foods, especially white flour and sugar
- Avoid chemicals, preservatives, and artificial sugars
- Avoid saturated and trans fats
- No sodas

Might seem like a lot, but if you really break it down, it's not hard. I love the challenge of creating clean foods for my family and haven't had any cravings of the stuff we no longer eat.
One of my very recent addictions is wheat germ. (and excellent source of vitamin E and Folic Acid). I put wheat germ in almost everything without my family even knowing it. It goes in oatmeal, I roll it in chicken breast before baking, sprinkle some in turkey meat loaf, and add it to yogurt...just to name a few.

Eating Clean is also dependent on two other factors beside nutrition. The basic formula for a beautiful body is: 80% nutrition, 10% training (exercise & weights) and 10% genetics. Notice how important nutrition is? For some reason, this makes a lot of sense to me and it is making it easier to avoid the damaging foods. I personally have not found a way to work in weights, but I do have a treadmill now which I've only gotten to turn on a couple times due to all the sickness we've been dealing with. So basically, I've lost 10 pounds just by changing what I eat. Isn't that encouraging? What's going to happen when I can start incorporating exercise and maybe some light weights? Okay, that makes me excited!!

Here is an example of what we ate for dinner last night.
Turkey Taco Wraps.
Lean turkey burger, with 1 cup salsa and 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce and half a can of reduced sodium black beans. Served in a whole wheat soft taco shell and topped with lettuce, red pepper and avocado.
As a side I served a fruit salad consisting of strawberries, banana, 1 apple and a tablespoon of walnuts. I mixed in a couple tablespoons of low-fat vanilla yogurt and a teaspoon of wheat germ (of course). Probably one of the best meals I've eaten in a long time. The beautiful thing is that Kaleb loved this meal as well.

If you are interested in this Clean-Eating plan, I would love to talk to you about it. I have a book that explains it all and has a lot of helpful tips. This is just the beginning of a great change for our family, but hopefully a lifestyle change that sticks in our household for many years! Here's to healthy eating, while still enjoying food...because if there's one thing I love, it is food!