One of my goals for 2015 was eating clean. It was near the bottom of the list, but, it has been the biggest one in my head for a few weeks now. After lots of internet research and nights perusing Pinterest for detox recipes, I decided to just come up with my own guide for eating clean. Then, I stumbled upon a new book from Martha Stewart's team of writers called Clean State. If you are hoping to detox your system, change your eating habits, or simply just looking for some good, clean, recipes, then this book is for you. It helped me organize my goals for getting healthy. Not necessarily losing weight, but just eating and feeling good. I'm tired of feeling tired, groggy and sore all the time. And what better time than 2015 to do something about it? My goals are simple, as well as obtainable, and you can do it too!
Detox Water
It's a well known tip that if you drink warm water with lemon every morning it helps boost your digestive system, so I've been doing that as well as drinking 40-60 oz of infused water a day. I've been switching it up from lemon/orange water and lime/cucumber/mint. If you have any good detox water recipes I'd love to hear them!
Breakfast Smoothies
I've always been one of those people who skip breakfast every morning, and then eat a carb and starch filled lunch to fill myself up. No more of that! I have been having a smoothie every morning for breakfast, switching it up from a good detox smoothie to one that is full of antioxidants.
Light Lunches
I've been keeping my lunches to fruit, veggies and maybe an egg every once in awhile. I have started eating more eggs since cutting out a lot of my meat intake, for protein. I usually stick to a salad, or a few pieces of fruit.
Portion Dinner Better
There's a tip in Clean Slate that says if you use a smaller plate for dinner, you trick your mind into eating less. The portions are the same but they look a lot bigger on a smaller plate. It's actually been working pretty well, and I don't feel hungry after I eat. I'm still eating dinners that are high in fat and carbs but that's a step that is proving to be a little bit harder than anything else.
No Red Meat
Now, no where in any clean eating book does it say to completely cut out red meat, just eat it rarely, in small portions. But, I have vowed to cut it out of my diet entirely. Which means no more bacon. Womp womp.
Limited Dairy
Not that I ever had that much dairy to begin with, but now I stick to just a little 2% milk a day and if I need to, one slice of cheese. Other than that, the only dairy I eat is non fat yogurt. My digestive system already thanks me.
Try New Things
I'm the first to admit, I do not like trying new things. However, if I'm going to cut out all the bad things from my diet, I need to try new good things. Or eating things I'm not a huge fan of, even though I know they are good for me, such as avocados and kale.
Exercise Daily
I already walk everywhere, so this is not a hard goal to obtain in the non winter months. For now I've been stretching and keeping busy around the house. Eventually I will have a 30 min exercise plan for every morning. If you have any good tips for quick work outs, comment below.
Remove All Junk Food
This has been, and still remains, the hardest thing to do. But, surprisingly, I have been doing a good job! We went through all the cupboards and the fridge and threw out everything, to start out fresh with a new grocery list. Now our pantry and fridge is full of fruits, veggies, legumes and whole grains. I still cave the odd time, but the worst I've done was a home made strawberry milkshake, or peanut butter on flax seed toast. I'd say that's better than a liter of Coke and a bag of Doritos! I have successfully avoided convenient stores, fast food, sugars and caffeine for one week. Here's hoping I can kick the habit once and for all!
Ultimately, my prime goal is to take my diet of 80% meat and junk food, 15% fruit/veggies, 5% dairy, and turn it into 80% fruits, veggies, legumes, 15% whole grains, 5% dairy and 0% junk food. And hey, if I reach my goal of losing 60lbs, then that's spectacular! But, if not, at least I'm clean and healthy. And that's all I can hope for.
You will be able to follow my journey to health on my blog, I'll update weekly! You can also take a look at my
Eating Clean board on Pinterest for recipe inspirations. Or pick up some informative books such as Clean Slate. In the meantime, I'd love to know: What are your plans for eating better and getting fit in the new year?
xo Amber
This post was in no way sponsored by Martha Stewart and her team (pfft, I wish), I just truly love and stand by this book! All opinions are my own.
