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The biggest hurdle most people have to clean eating isn’t the food. Fresh, homemade, organic food is delicious! It isn’t giving up those ‘unclean’ junk foods. There may be that one or two items you really just can’t let go of, but that isn’t the issue either. The issue is often the initial cost! When you try to switch over to clean, organic, GMO-free food, and hit the checkout line for the first time, many people I talk to say they almost faint when the total comes up. Yep, I've been there too! I can definitely relate! And if you're trying to start eating clean around any holiday, you'll feel it even more! But the good news is, eating clean doesn't have to hurt your wallet! You can AVOID the high cost hit many people stumble upon with a few key tricks that I'd like to share with you here! There is DEFINITELY a way to eat clean on a budget and I want to share my trade secrets with you that I learned along the way! If you've ever considered buying organic items, or GMO-free or both, maybe you didn’t even make it as far as the checkout line. Maybe you picked up the package of organic flour and took one look at the tag on the shelf and walked the other way thinking, ‘How do people afford to eat this way?’ I can tell you, unless you have a whole lot of discretionary income, changing over your way of eating and shopping doesn’t usually happen overnight. We all make small changes and keep looking for ways to eat clean on our budget and find ways to funnel more money over to the food line. It's truly an investment, but I can tell you that it is one worth making, even if it takes you months or more to swap over all your pantry items. To help you out, here are my top 7 tips for eating clean on a budget:
Do you have any local resources to share or any tips that can help save a buck? Leave a comment below. Because living a healthy life shouldn't have to be complicated!
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Who would have thought Chia seeds were so healthy? This recipe is not only delicious, but so easy to make it’s almost too good to be true! For 1-2 servings:
Mix all the ingredients together and let them sit in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Stir after a few minutes, as the chia is “gelling” into a pudding-like consistency. Let it sit in the refrigerator about 20 minutes or until ready to eat. If you find the pudding too thick, you can add more milk or a little water. If you find the pudding too thin, add more chia or any of the other ingredients to make it thicker. You really can’t go wrong with chia pudding, which is why I love making it so much. Now, let’s talk about the health benefits of chia. It's a superfood, for sure! According to Dr. Andrew Weil, chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids and provides fiber as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc. Another great benefit of chia seeds is that they are good for travel. Pack them in your suitcase and have them readily available to make chia pudding for breakfast or a snack in your hotel room. You can also pack travel size containers of almond milk (if checking luggage), as well as nuts and just pick up fresh fruit in your destination city. Enjoy! xo It's 3pm, and you're already yawning and feeling exhausted. Put that double expresso and muffin down - they aren’t going to get you through!! Who hasn't experienced that drained feeling halfway through the afternoon, when making it through the day seems impossible? According to the National Sleep Foundation, nearly half of us report an afternoon slump where energy and concentration are challenged. One of the most common reasons for afternoon fatigue is fluctuating blood sugar levels. If too much sugar is released into the body at once, by either waiting too long to eat between meals or high carbohydrate or fatty foods, too much insulin is released to balance the sugar levels. This causes your blood sugar levels to rise and fall rapidly, leading to a quick burst of energy followed by a deep crash. And therein lays the afternoon energy slump... yawn!!! Enter SNACKS. So, why are they such an important part of your day? Snacks bridge the gap between meals and stop that rumbling stomach when lunch and dinner are hours away. They keep your blood sugar stable and your hunger in check so that you are not tempted to grab a cookie or candy bar from the nearest coffee shop or gorging everything in sight at your next meal. Snacks will fuel your AM workout if there is no time for a proper meal and will replenish your glycogen stores after you have finished that run and strength session. Snacks are also a great way to get in extra whole foods to ensure that you are getting in the correct nutrients for the day. It’s important to pick the right snack at the right time though, to help keep energy levels up and bridge the gap properly. A snack made up of a complex carb, a healthy fat, and clean protein will increase your energy levels for a longer period of time. So, back to that 3pm slump. It’s the time of day when another cup of coffee or quick sugary snack seems like the perfect way to carry you to the end of the day. Hold that thought though! With this snack list in hand, and a little planning, you can easily push through and run to the finish line. Don’t let that 3pm slump take control of you; you have the power to take control of it! Below is a list of my top ten snacks to beat that slump, so arm yourself with the ingredients and knowledge that you have the power to keep your hunger and energy in check all day! TEN TOP SNACKS TO PREVENT THE AFTERNOON SLUMP
You've got this!! Go show's how it's done!! :D As a Health Coach I encourage just about everyone I meet to incorporate more whole foods into their diet. Many of the recipes I post are based around clean eating, so I wanted to share with you a basic overview of what clean eating is really all about. In a nutshell, clean eating is a way of life that focuses on consuming primarily whole, unprocessed food. Clean eating has come far from its origins in the 60s, and is now more individualistic than ever, meaning different things to different people. This is where I feel much of the uncertainty I see derives from. However, followers of this approach, such as myself, agree that processed foods are not included. Eating clean revolves around maintaining a balanced and personalized diet of fresh, unprocessed food including fruits, vegetables, grains, some meats and fish, healthy fats and some dairy. So what’s the point of eating clean? Besides the moral and mental boost the words evoke, many advocates are seeking clearer skin, weight loss, increased energy, stronger hair and nails, improved mental health and better sleep. Rather than simply going on diets, these individuals are often making sustainable lifestyle shifts when they choose to eat clean. The Basic Principles of Eating Clean: 1. Keep It Whole Stick to whole foods – this means foods that occur in nature and don’t go through a lab or other manufacturing unit. Examples include fresh fruits and vegetables, grass-fed and free-range meats, dairy, whole grains, nuts and seeds. 2. Get In The Kitchen When you cook for yourself, you’re almost guaranteed to up the nutritional value of your food. Restaurant food is more processed, less fresh and often over-seasoned. Keep it simple and then build your kitchen repertoire as you learn more. 3. Eliminate Refined Sugar & Carbohydrates You want to remove white foods (like white sugar and white flour) from your diet if you’re aiming to eat clean. This includes all standard desserts containing white sugar as well as white pasta, rice, bread and pastries. 4. Maintain Blood Sugar Keeping your blood sugar stable greatly contributes to healthy food choices. When you wait too long between meals or eat processed foods that spike blood sugar – leading to a crash in energy – you’re more likely to reach for sugar, fat, or caffeine to keep your energy up. If you continue this cycle, you’ll always feel irritable and exhausted. If you ensure you eat whole foods every 3-4 hours, your blood sugar and mentality will remain stable. 5. Remember The Magic Combination of Protein, Fat & Complex Carbs You should aim to get a serving from each group at every meal. This will create optimal blood sugar levels and stave off your cravings and brain fog. Some examples of great protein sources include grass-fed meat, fish, tempeh and tofu. Top-notch fat options are avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds. When reaching for complex carbs, try quinoa, brown rice or sweet potatoes. The clean eating approach emphasizes quality over quantity – not all calories are equal. When you stick to whole foods you’re much more likely to keep your caloric intake at an appropriate level for your body and maintain a healthy weight as a result. It’s easy to eat your way through an entire bag of potato chips, but more than one or two apples would be laborious – see the difference? Whole foods actually fill you up and fuel you, whereas empty calories – like those found in candy and chips – fill a mental craving but don’t physically fill you up. Your mindset will improve when you switch over to whole foods since it’s hard to feel guilty after filling up on genuine nutrients. Whole foods also regulate cholesterol levels and ward off cancer, dementia and a plethora of other conditions. In addition, the high fiber content of fruits, vegetables and grains keeps the digestive system in tip-top shape, which is essential to optimal health. Eating whole foods ensuring you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients and minerals like vitamin B12, magnesium, calcium and more. Whole foods boast incredible nutrition profiles and it’s best to eat a wide range of all the recommended foods to ensure any nutritional void is filled. Sure, you could pop vitamins in pill form all day, but nutrients are much more available to you – and more readily absorbed – when consumed through food. The way you do one thing is the way you do everything. If you take care of yourself by feeding yourself beautiful food, you’re much more likely to engage in self-care such as exercise, meditation, baths, messages and other techniques that make your life rich and vibrant. When you feel great, you’re able to move through your days with joy and ease, creating and nurturing supportive relationships and a career you love. Eating cleaner is probably a principle that everyone could employ in some sense. How you define it personally is up to you as a bio-individual. Please note that this handout serves as an overview of clean eating in a broad sense. It can mean many different things depending on your eating style and goals. For example, clean eating will vary for vegans versus followers of the Paleo approach and some may choose to remove coffee while others consider organic coffee to be clean. Getting Started with Eating Clean
Here's a 3-Day Sample Clean Eating Menu to try out: DAY 1: Breakfast – Oatmeal with fresh fruit, chia seeds and a teaspoon of pure maple syrup. Tea or Coffee. Lunch – Brown rice salad with spinach, grilled tofu, extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and basil. 1 oz. dark chocolate. Water with lemon. Snack – Whole grain bread with nut butter and sliced banana. Fresh green juice. Dinner – Grilled salmon, medium baked sweet potato with coconut oil and sea salt, sautéed kale with onions and garlic. 1 glass of red wine (optional). DAY 2: Breakfast – Poached eggs over whole grain toast with sliced avocado and tomato, sea salt and olive oil. Tea or Coffee. Lunch – Turkey wrap with hummus, cucumbers, lettuce and hot sauce. Apple. Water with lemon. Snack – Tortilla chips with salsa. Dinner – Grilled grass-fed steak, peppers and onions with massaged kale salad. 1 oz. dark chocolate. DAY 3: Breakfast – Clean waffles with fresh fruit, nut butter and pure maple syrup. Tea or coffee. Lunch – Spinach salad with grilled salmon, quinoa, red onion, sliced almonds, olive oil and vinegar. Water with lemon. Snack – Whole grain toast with nut butter and raw honey. Dinner – Grilled chicken marinated in herbs and balsamic vinegar, lentils sautéed with spinach, onions and garlic. 1 glass red wine (optional). Buon Appetit! |