Eat Clean Principles

Once again, I’ve read a book I think I could have written. (I told you about another one here.) If you take every Fitness Friday post ever written, take out the humor, add some really great pictures, better abs, and a few more statistics and recipes, you have the contents of the following book.

For the record, “Tosca Reno” is the most awesomnest name ever given to a woman.

Tosca (don’t you just love saying it?) is also the author of the wildly popular Eat Clean Diet. I’m not sure if she coined the term “eat clean” but I like it. It’s so descriptive, is it not? Just like the word “circumspect.” As in

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16 KJV)

Which has absolutely nothing to do with this post or fitness, but just happens to be a descriptive word and scripture of which I am quite fond.

So, in this book that I could have written, she has a list of Eat Clean Principles, of which I am also quite fond. I, Fitness Friday Girl, would modify them just a bit, however. And I will. Right now. For you.
So, without further adieu, I give you…

Fitness Friday Girl’s Eat Clean Principles (or Eating Circumspectly, by Fitness Friday Girl)

1. Eat 4 to 6 small meals a day in reasonable portion sizes.
2. Eat every 2 to 3 hours.
3. Eat a combination of lean proteins and complex carbohydrates at every meal.
4. Depend on fresh fruit for your “complex carbohydrate” often.
5. The rest of your complex carbs should come from whole grains.
6. Lean protein should come from poultry, fish, soy products, beans, and non-fat or low fat dairy.
7. Add a serving of vegetables to as many meals as possible, especially the dark and brightly colored ones.
8. Eat healthy fats every day from fish, healthy oils (like olive oil), nuts, seeds and grain.
9. Always eat breakfast.
10. Drink filtered water all day long.
11. Choose foods in their purest form (whole foods).
12. Choose organic foods whenever available and affordable.

Avoid

1. Overly-processed, refined foods
2. Chemicals and preservatives (which will never be in organic foods.)
3. Most white flour (choose whole grain flour when possible).
4. Most white sugar (stevia, agave nectar and honey are great alternatives.)
5. Artificial sugars (Splenda, Nutrasweet, Sweet n Low)
6. Trans fat (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils) and most saturated fat (found in high fat animal products like red meat and dairy and in oils like palm oil and cottonseed oil.)
7. Most alcohol.
8. Empty calories (food with no nutritional value like sodas and packaged snacks)
9. Most fast food.
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Are you eating clean? When you browse through this list, what jumps out at you as something you need to implement into or eliminate from your diet? For me, it’s probably sugar. I like sugar. Let’s chat about this!