Cleaner food choices can help you lose weight.

Weight Loss Tip 195 – Eat cleaner

clean eating

I know you have used the excuse that it is a weekend or holiday so you partake in foods you would normally avoid.  If you keep holiday and weekend meals from turning into an all-you-can-eat buffet, you will be more successful at losing or keep the weight off.  Face it, making a conscious effort to eat better; cleaner foods will make a positive impact on your health and weight.

What is Cleaner Eating?

It is the exact opposite of the foods we usually reach for on weekends.  You know which ones I am talking about: the bread, rolls, pizza, cakes, dessert of all types (outside of fresh fruit), gravies, and just about any other food high in processed fats, sugars, and salt.  Clean eating is a diet (not necessarily weight loss), or a way of eating that lends itself to improving your health and well-being and may even lead to weight loss.

Clean eating principles:

1. Eat more whole foods.  Less processed and more foods as they are found in nature.  These types of foods have less added sugar, salt, and processed fats.  
2. Eat more plants.  Eating more plants have shown to keep you full longer and people who eat 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables tend to be thinner.  
3. Eat plenty of whole grains. Whole grains like quinoa, barley, bulgur, buckwheat, and farro can keep you full all day long.  They tend to have plenty of fiber and some protein.  Given them a try.  
4. Eat regularly but only when you are hungry.  Eat well-balanced meals spaced throughout the day will help keep you full and prevent energy dips throughout the day.  
5. Exercise can clean up your mind.  Make sure you get 30-minutes of exercise 5 days a week or 150 minutes per week.  It will clean the mind and lower your stress level.  
6. Get a full night sleep every night.  Although not a true part of clean-eating, it shoudl be.  Sleep is the key to keeping your metabolism revving and your stress levels lower.  

Cleaner eating is simply eating whole foods that are less processed and fresher.  You may need to change your spice use, but you will find the flavors every bit as fulfilling and  tasty at the unprocessed version you have grown to tically cut out the sketchy additives and preservatives found in many love.  The key to success is not to complete ban all the less healthy choices, but to reduce them and swap some with the healthier ones with spices to add flavor.

Since the Whole Foods are less processed, it takes longer to digest and absorb them.  They are typically higher in fiber and Lower in sugar.  These differences add up to longer satiety and fewer calories and this increase weight loss.  

The bottom line: Cleaner eating tastes great and is more filling.  It can help you lose weight and keep it off, so reach for those unprocessed or less processed options and drive off those extra pounds.  Although clean eating is not a magical way of losing weight, it can help keep you full longer.