Transitioning to the Clean Eating Lifestyle

Switching from a diet filled with Big Macs, french fries, chips, soda, candy and super-sized portions to a diet made up of fruits and vegetables, lean cuts of meat, and sensible portions can sometimes be difficult. The benefits of eating clean are definitely worth making the switch, but where should you start? Here are a few places in your diet you can make some changes to get started on your clean eating lifestyle:

Kick the soda habit. Speaking from personal experience, giving up soda was the best thing I ever did. I could not believe how much energy I had just by giving up soda. I know that sounds crazy because soda has caffeine; however, soda contains tons of sugar. So while I would get an initial energy boost, I would crash soon after. Then I would need another soda to get that boost in energy again, and then I would crash again. It’s a vicious cycle. I replaced soda with ice water, but I know some people can’t stand the taste of water. If you hate the taste of water, try adding fresh lemon slices. If that doesn’t do the trick, try drinking tea.

Eat mini meals. One principle of the clean eating lifestyle is eating smaller meals throughout the day. This keeps your metabolism going strong, your energy up, and you’re less likely to wind up hungry and reaching for a quick unhealthy snack. A mini meal should consist of a lean protein and complex carbs and total about 300 to 400 calories. Calorie-counting is not required, but until you get a good idea of how many calories are in what you’re eating, you should probably count calories.