Michele Maroldo

As you may have already guessed, I’m not a big fan of “diets”, a diet is something you go off of. I hate counting calories and I don’t have time to measure food before it’s consumed. What you need to do is to develop a healthy eating plan that you can follow for the rest of your life. An eating plan that would allow for “cheat” days, going to restaurants, going on vacation, and hosting and attending social gatherings.

So what should you eat? Eating clean means eating foods in their purest form. Fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken and turkey breast, and whole grains to name just a few. I’m confident when I say that our bodies were not created to live off all the junk food we put in it. And by junk food I mean food that has been overly processed and full of preservatives, artificial colors, and artificial flavors. These just take over our bodies and build up toxins making it harder to function, not to mention lose weight. The problem is, these foods usually taste really good. But that doesn’t mean you can’t de-program your taste buds and develop a longing for the basics. To me there is nothing like a bowl of fresh vegetables that have been slightly steamed and seasoned with nothing, I mean absolutely nothing. You can really taste the full flavors when there is an absence of butter, salt, sauces, etc. If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, it wasn’t always appealing to me either. It takes time for your body and pallet to adjust to a healthy menu, you just have to give it the sufficient time. To give you an example, if you’re a heavy salt user and you begin to use less and less until finally you can live without salt on your food and after some time passes you have something with some salt on it, it will seem extremely salty.

How do you begin? There are two ways to attack this, you could go “cold turkey” and just do it or start slowly and make changes over time. Going cold turkey is better for those who do not like to be tempted by certain foods, sometimes just having a taste can do more damage than good. Those who prefer a slow and gradual start might have more willpower to resist food temptations and overeating. Personally, going cold turkey has always been much more successful for me.

If you’re going to start slowly, begin to gradually add healthier foods to your menu on a daily basis. Each week try to increase the portion of healthier foods and decrease the foods you normally eat that are not so healthy. Start incorporating more fruits and vegetables at every meal and start snacking on them between meals.

To start cold turkey, clean out the refrigerator and pantry so that you always have good and healthy choices on hand and get rid of all the unhealthy foods. Your first trip to the supermarket may be a long one but in time you’ll know what to eat and what not to eat without having to read every label. Be sure to have a substitute for your snacks. If you have a sweet tooth and you get rid of all your candy, make sure you stock up on plenty of fruit. There is sugar in fruit but it’s fructose and not the same as the sugar used in candy and other treats. Your body is much more familiar with fructose and is able to metabolize it much easier. Fruit is also naturally low in calories and packed with fiber and vitamins.

Handling the occasional “cheat”. If there’s something you just can’t live without be it a special snack, a certain meal, or a few drinks don’t despair. Remember, this is an eating lifestyle, a plan for real-life situations and a plan you can follow the rest of your life. Save your “cheat” for a special day of the week or a special occasion. If you get right back on track your goal will not be sabotaged. The trick is not to let your “cheat” take over the rest of the day or the rest of the week. Also, as an example, if your cheat food is ice cream, consider a lower fat or fat free version of your favorite flavor. Learn how to make your favorite snacks and cheats more healthy, lower in fat and calories. You’ll still be getting your special treat but your waist line will be thankful of the change. If you find that you cannot live without your daily fix of chocolate or some other daily indulgence, consider eating a very small portion of this food. Sometimes a few Tootsie Rolls or two Hershey’s Kisses is enough to keep a chocoholic at bay.

Eating clean at restaurants. More and more restaurants are getting on the healthy eating bandwagon. If you don’t see anything healthy, low fat, and low calorie on the menu don’t be afraid to ask your server if something can be prepared for you. They may already have chicken on the menu but instead of it being fried or drowned in butter or sauce, ask to have it prepared grilled or roasted without the sauce. Ask for vegetables to be prepared without the butter. Fish and seafood are both good choices but they tend to be prepared with a lot of butter. You can ask to have the butter left out of the dish and remember to tell them not to even put it on the plate, this way you won’t be tempted to dip!

Eating healthy in a social situation. If you’ve been invited to someone’s home for a meal, you might ask if you can bring your own. I must add that this should be done in the most tactful way. Explain to your host that you’re trying to follow a special eating plan and you know their meals are always prepared so deliciously but you would like to stay on track. Your host may even offer to make something for you. If you want to take them up on this, keep it simple. Explain you would be happy with just a salad or if they’re going to prepare a certain meat or vegetable, maybe yours could be kept aside and prepared in a different way. If it’s easier to bring your own, be sure to bring enough for everyone so that you can offer a taste of your dish. Keep it simple, a salad tossed with vegetables and sliced chicken breast is a perfect healthy and easy dish. You could also eat whatever they’re eating and bring a nice healthy fruit salad for dessert. While your dinner meal may serve to be your “cheat”, you’ll be staying on track with something sweet and low calorie for dessert. In a similar way, when hosting your own dinner party be sure to serve at least one healthy meal low in fat and calories for yourself and your guests to eat. The same would go for dessert, serve at least one dessert low in fat and calories so you won’t be tempted to eat something rich and fattening.

In conclusion, eating “clean” isn’t very complicated. It will adapt to most every day situations and lifestyles. It will be easy to stick to, once you’ve adapted a taste for it. Knowing that you’re eating healthier should be a good motivation, besides the fact that you will lose weight, if that’s your goal. For healthy eating suggestions on what to eat at meals, please see the article “A Menu of Clean Healthy Foods”.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 at 11:33 am and is filed under nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.