The Eat-Clean Diet emphasizes eating unprocessed whole foods and avoiding foods laden with sugar and fat. The idea is to shun the “diet” mentality and instead seek a lifelong change in eating that moves toward complex carbohydrates, clean protein sources and produce. Tosca Reno, a fitness model and contributor to "Oxygen Magazine," created the diet after her remarkable 70-pound weight loss at the age of 40. Reno, previously more than 200 pounds, transformed her life by abolishing processed carbs and junk food and creating a way of eating that she labeled “clean eating.” The Eat-Clean Diet involves specific strategies to minimize hunger and replace less than healthy food choices with natural whole meals. Although this eating plan provides healthy recommendations, it may be challenging to follow at all times.
Instructions
1. Eat small meals frequently. Ideally people who are “eating clean” will eat five to six small meals (200-300 calories each) per day. These meals should be spaced every two to three hours. The frequency of meals helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and minimize hunger.
2. Prepare meals with a mixture of complex carbs and lean protein. Complex carbohydrates are those that take longer to digest and generally contain more fiber, vitamins and minerals. A few examples of complex carbs are whole-grain bread, vegetables and lentils. Protein choices should be low in fat and high in protein; for instance, chicken breast, egg whites and salmon.
3. Do not skip meals. It is very important to eat each meal throughout the day. This is especially important for breakfast. According to WebMD, 90 percent of people in the National Weight Registry (which means they have lost and maintained a 30-pound loss or more) eat breakfast most days of the week.
4. Do not eat overprocessed foods, including white flour and sugar. White flour and sugar are examples of simple carbohydrates, which spike insulin levels and may lead to increased cravings and binges. Many processed grocery items will contain these items, including but not limited to, white bread, cookies, chips, crackers, juice, soda, ice cream and most things considered “junk food.”
5. Eat healthy fats, but avoid saturated and trans fats. Healthy fats include monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids. Examples of foods with these fats include avocados, flaxseed oil, olives and a variety of other vegetable oils, nuts and some fish. Saturated and trans fats can lower good cholesterol (known as HDL) and increase bad cholesterol (known as LDL).
6. Consume proper portion sizes. Small portion sizes are imperative to eating clean. Generally a single portion of a starch is a ½ cup and a single portion of a protein is 2 oz. It is important to become familiar with the approximate amount of calories in a portion of food. In the beginning of the “eat clean” diet, measuring portions and watching calories may be a good idea. This is especially important when consuming fats, which have very high calories for very small portions.
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