What's it mean to EAT CLEAN?

If you're trying to get fit, lose weight, or just become more healthy, there are two parts to the equation. Diet and exercise. You need both to achieve your goals!

Eating Clean has been in the spotlight for awhile, as you've surely seen in magazines and on tv. Oxygen magazine, my fav, stars Tosca Reno every month. She has many books out about eating clean, cookbooks, etc. She's a fantastic writer, breaks things down so it's easy to understand and inspires you to be healthy. She looks amazing, living proof of what a healthy lifestyle can do for you! This book helped me when I started down my current path & I recommend it highly!

As usual with changing trends in diet and exercise, some people are left wondering what it means to eat clean, so here it is! In a nutshell...

Basically eating clean is eating whole, natural food. For instance: fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbs. You fill your diet with these clean foods, leaving no room for processed junk that unfortunately makes up a large percentage of the American Diet. These foods would include (bad) hydrogenated & trans-fats, white bread, preservatives, man-made sugar, & other unecessary ingredients.

Like Michael Pollan said in his book Food Rules - Eat Food. Mostly Plants. Not too much. (another great book!)

Here's some guidelines a person who eats clean generally follows:
Eliminates refined sugar

Cooks healthy meals

Packs healthy meals

Makes healthy choices when dining out

Drinks a lot of water

Eats 5-6 small meals per day

Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)

Always eats breakfast


Am I a clean eater? yes and no. I try to eat healthy for the most part but there's nothing that I forbid myself to eat. Everything in moderation and portion control seem to be what works best for me. I love food, all kinds, even the bad stuff now & again.
When I was in the bahamas with my boyfriend last month I had a bologne sandwich on white bread with American cheese and mayonaise. THAT was a treat for me! haha

So for those of you who were curious what it means to eat clean - now you know!