What’s Clean Eating?
Eat clean means eating foods without added preservatives, sugar, salt and other chemicals. By preparing our food at home, we know what is going into the food we eat and what we are putting in our bodies. By eating foods that come from the earth, we are eating more naturally and nourishing our body with key vitamins and minerals. Packaged foods can be full of harmful chemicals that can eventually lead to cancer, disease and/or pre-mature aging. Eating a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein and good fats we can maintain a healthy weight, as well as prevent cancer, disease and aging. Not only will eating clean help our bodies perform better and healthier, but it will help us look better. So let’s all start to eat clean to live a longer, stronger life and achieve our best body from the inside out!
This plan includes 3 meals and 2 snacks, plus an optional night time snack. It is important to get your larger meals and snacks in earlier in the day to prevent over eating later, keep energy levels high and fuel your metabolism for daily activities.
*Important base of your plan: limit packaged foods/fast foods, added sugars &fat, and drink MORE water!
The time and types of foods you eat is very important! Carbohydrates are needed for
energy, therefore we want to intake higher carb meals in the morning or after workouts. There
is no hard and fast rules for specific ‘times’ since everyone’s lifestyle is different, but if you are
not working out after lunch, keep carbs lower to get better results (higher carbs at lunch vs.
dinner). You want to stick to complex carbohydrates that will keep you full and that are high in
fibre (oats, rice, potatoes).Simple carbohydrates like fruit will be paired with healthy fats to maintain blood sugar levels. There will be fats incorporated into your program, but only healthy fats (unsaturated, polyunsaturated, omegas etc). You want to stay away from fried, rich foods with saturated and trans fats. The ‘bad’ fats are sometimes hidden in ‘healthy’ foods like grain products and sauces, so read the labels. Good fats will keep you feeling full and maintain blood sugar levels when paired with the right foods, as mentioned. The good fats are also important for getting rid of the bad fat in our system. *Avoid cooking with butter, try an oil (olive, coconut) or spray oil for frying.
Protein in your plan is very important due to the extra activity you are involved in.
Protein should be a part of every meal to support lean muscle tissue, metabolism and feeling full
after a meal. You want to choose lean sources of meats, fish and/or dairy products, protein
powder. It is especially important after a workout to replenish your muscles with a good protein
source.Beverages Drink lots of water! Try to get in at least 2L/day of water. Avoid juices or anything with
extra sugar. Tea is great since it has no calories and can help with suppressing appetite and cravings. Coffee has no calories on its own so it is best if you can use milk instead of cream and sugar. Milk does offer many great nutrients, but adds up in calories and sugars quickly as a drink. Unsweetened almond milk is much lower in calories, so feel free to use that!
Cheat Meals
It is important to keep treats or cheat meals as a part of your diet. This does not mean a binge day, but one cheat meal a week. This can been anything you ‘crave’ like chocolate, chips, cake, a glass of wine etc. Keep the BIG CHEATS that would count for more than one meal as a once a month occurrence like a wedding or birthday. Using cheat meals as a tool for motivation and keeping you on track 80% of the time is a very effective strategy!
***drink 1-2 cups of water will every meal to reach 2-3L of water per day!
Day 1
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Day 2
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Day 3
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Day 4 (weekend)
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Breakfast
(7-8am)
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-½ cup oats
-1/4 cup fruit
-1 tbsp flaxseed
-coffee with milk or almond milk creamer
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-2 pieces whole grain (gluten-free option) toast
-2 tbsp natural peanut butter (nut or seed butter)
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-greek yogurt parfait: ¾ cup plain greek yogurt, ½
cup blueberries, 2 tbsp granola
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-smoothie: 1/2 frozen banana or 1 cup berries, 3/4
cup low-fat yogurt, ice *bonus-add handful of greens
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Morning Snack
(10-11am)
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-20 almonds
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-3/4 cup yogurt
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-1 apple with 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
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-2 rice cakes with natural nut butter
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Lunch
(12-1pm)
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-Mixed Greens salad (2 cups)
-grilled chicken or salmon
-1/2 avocado
-light dressing or salsa
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-1 Whole wheat/gluten-free tortilla wrap with: grilled chicken
breast, spinach, peppers, low-fat mayo
-1 small fruit (apple/plum/peach/ strawberries)
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-1/2 cup brown rice
-grilled chicken or canned tuna - 1/2 cup mushrooms, peppers, broccoli/zucchini -light dressing/hot sauce |
-omelette: 2 eggs, 1 egg white, ½ cup veggies,
topped with salsa
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Pre-workout
Snack
(3-4pm)
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-Protein Bar or Whole grain/low sugar granola bar
(I have a few recipes!) |
-1 banana
-1 cup unsweetened almond milk
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-1/4 cup mixed nuts/seeds mixture (pumpkin,
sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, peanuts etc)
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-1 apple
-8-10 walnuts
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Dinner
(6-7pm)
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- 100 grams lean meat/ground turkey or beef
-1/2 cup sweet potato
-1 cup green beans/broccoli
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-100 grams lean meat/fish
-1/2 cup brown rice pasta
-tomato based sauce
mushrooms/peppers
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-100 grams lean meat
-1/2 cup cooked quinoa
-10 spears steamed asparagus or 1 cup veggies
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-Stir Fry: grilled chicken, mixed veggies (1 cup),
low-sugar /calorie sauce
-1/2 cup rice
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Snack (9pm/1 hr before bed)
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-1 cup veggies & hummus
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- protein shake or ‘protein ice cream’
(check out my "night-time snacks") |
-few squares of dark chocolate *treat night!
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-one night try just having an herbal tea J
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