5 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Diet

Clean eating can get a bad rap sometimes it seems. Eating of course is something very vital and essential in our daily lives, so people are naturally going to have an opinion about it, and have strong habits formed in their lives around what and how they eat.

No matter which way you dice it, eating as a whole in America has gone downhill. A lot of food is heavily processed, laden with extra sugar, filled with chemicals and refined flours and ingredients. There’s not a lot of natural, whole food that is in the average person’s diet these days.

But, the good news is that there is hope, and a better way to eat without breaking the bank. There’s a way to cut back on the processed food, sugars and refined flours without taking away from the good foods you eat (in fact you’ll improve them), get more nutrients and most importantly feel better because you are eating better.

You don’t have to go cold turkey with entering clean eating. Of course you can, but it can be easy to get frustrated and give up that way the first time you are offered a delicious, cheesy, greasy pizza. Finding small, simple substitutions and slowly adding things into your diet will help you clean up your eating.

1.    Start adding in a new vegetable. Whether it is carrots, red bell peppers with hummus, or spinach in your morning omelet, find ways to add in just one more serving of veggies a day. It is so important to get your veggies, so start just by adding one more serving a day.

(Get a serving of veggies in with a fun recipe like cauliflower tots...watch out for the recipe soon!)

2.    Switch your regular pasta with Whole Wheat pasta. It’s a simple switch, and still can sometimes be tricky, but whole wheat pasta is going to be better for you than pasta made with refined white flour.

3.    Make a smoothie! Whether it’s for breakfast or a snack, or dessert, try adding smoothies into your diet! It’s a great way to get your fruit (and even veggie) servings in every day, and it can help with your sweet tooth.

4.    Try a veggie substitution recipe. By that I mean try making spaghetti squash instead of noodles (so good!), or making a cauliflower crust for your pizza, or making baked eggplant lasagna instead of traditional lasagna. There are a ton of recipes out there that show you how to incorporate veggies into your diet.

5.    Stay away from sugar. It may be hard, but it will help your diet so much. The less you have it, the less you will crave it, and the more energy you will have over time! Look at the labels of food you are eating before you buy it and stay away from things with added sugar.

These are just a very few simple ways you can start cleaning up your diet! Consistent effort and work at looking at what you are eating will help you in so many ways. You will have more energy, tone up, and just feel better! Your body will start to crave the good stuff, and it turns into a great cycle for your life.

What’s your favorite way to clean up your diet?