How Do You Eat Clean And Healthy?

To eat clean and healthy isn’t as hard as it looks. After all, aside from nutrition, eating is all about flavors. There are 6 main tastes that we all share:

1. Sweet
2. Sour
3. Salty
4. Bitter
5. Pungent (sharp taste, like onions)
6. Astringent (slightly acidic or bitter)

If you can identify the flavors you’re craving, it’ll make it easier to eat clean and healthy since you can simply replace a processed flavor profile with an unprocessed identical flavor profile. Most people choose combinations such as:

• Sweet, sour, salty
• Sweet, bitter, astringent
• Pungent, bitter, and astringent

These flavor profiles listed in the order you taste the flavors are important. Other arrangements of food can be repulsive or gross. If you keep these flavor profiles in mind as you create your dishes you’ll keep the flavors balanced and satisfying. The most fabulous part of natural eating is that you can change your eating habits without sacrificing taste. With that in mind, here are 10 ways to eat clean and healthy.

10 Ways To Eat Clean And Healthy

1.Substitute Natural Items for Processed Items

Natural food is always better than processed. It doesn’t matter how natural the label says it is, fresh is your first choice. Sometimes you’re going to be put into situations where you are required to choose a poor choice, but you can combine one poor choice with other better choices to help reduce the harm.

For example, instead of having an apple strudel, choose to make something fresh with apples. Think of the flavors that are in an apple strudel and find substitutions that work. Combine chopped apples, chopped dates, raisins, lemon zest, lemon juice and raw pecans, with a touch of cinnamon and honey to get the same flavor profile as apple strudel for less fat, calories and chemicals. You can eat this raw, or cooked without worrying about harming your body.

2. Prepare Food in Advance

If you prepare in advance by cutting up veggies and ingredients before hand, you can quickly prepare dishes on work days by just putting it together. For instance, if you’re craving a savory soup it doesn’t take long to throw some fresh veggies together with broth, and some left over organic roasted turkey, chicken or other cooked meat to make a delightful, almost from scratch soup, that will beat the heck out of canned soup any day. Almost anything you can buy already prepared will be better when prepared fresh, in taste and nutrition level.

3. Add in Veggies Where You Can

Wherever you can add in veggies, do so. You can add many different types of veggies to various dishes by shredding them. Lasagna is great with added shredded zucchini as is spaghetti sauce. You can also add shredded carrot instead of the sugar recommended in your grandma’s tomato sauce recipe. In fact, for almost all dishes that you make that are casserole based there’s a way to make it healthier by choosing the flavors that are as close to nature as possible instead of the already prepared version.

4. Eat Clean And Healthy With More Raw Plant-Based Food

There are tons of recipes out there using only plant-based natural foods that you can use to replace your favorite foods including snacks.

You can make a delicious Red Pepper Hummus that has no oil by blending drained canned chick peas, (or make your own in the Instant Pot, to make it even better) chopped red bell peppers, add a bit of lime, a couple teaspoons tahini, some nutritional yeast and a pinch or two of sea salt with your food processor. Eat with slices of carrots, cucumber, broccoli and cauliflower.

5. Ensure You’re Eating Enough

You might be shocked to realize how much you can eat when eating naturally. Some people who suffer from cravings and fall off the wagon can trace it directly to not eating enough calories. There are many online applications that allow you to track and check your diet to ensure that you’re eating enough calories to maintain the weight you wish to be.

6. Eat The Nutrition You Need

You need to eat the right levels of nutrition for your desired results. Some people who are eating organically eat a Paleo diet, some choose a high-carb diet, yet others choose a vegetarian or vegan diet. But, mostly we all need the same nutrients. It’s just how you get them, and what levels you need, that might differ. As long as you’re eating an unprocessed diet, void of empty calories, and high in plants in the right caloric level, you won’t usually have a problem.

7. Avoid or Drastically Cut Down on Dairy Products

While it may be of some contention to many, eating dairy can be a problem for most adults. If you can’t do without it entirely by using plant based milk substitutes, then ensure that you only eat organic, non GMO, hormone and antibiotic free brands. For most adults, dairy products cause bloating, indigestion, acne and phlegm. If you have any of these problems try cutting out dairy or drastically limiting it to no more than 5% of your calories and you will notice a big difference in your results.

8. Watch Your Sodium Additions

A lot of food has a natural amount of sodium. Your body needs sodium, but most people get many times more than their daily requirements of 115 mg. to 500 mg. depending on the climate you live in. If you live in a hotter climate you’ll need more. You don’t need to go that low though, as those are minimum daily requirements. You can eat up to 2,300 mg per day along with 4,700 mg of potassium to stay balanced. If you are eating more, gradually cut down cooking with salt adding it only at the table. In addition, watch the amount of sodium in many condiments.

9. Stay Hydrated

Many people are chronically dehydrated and don’t even realize it. Do note, however, that if you’re eating a diet high in plants, especially raw veggies and fruit, you’ll not need to drink as much water as you may be accustomed to. But if you’re eating a Paleo diet, a high protein diet, or one with more dehydrated foods (cooked) where the water has been removed, be sure to drink more water.

10. Give Your Digestive System a Break

While you can eat all day when incorporating a natural eating plan, due to the high volume of fruits and veggies you can eat, you shouldn’t. It’s better to give your digestive system a break. If you stop eating three hours before bed, and try not to eat at least three hours between meals you’ll find that you suffer less digestive troubles and sleep better at night. Of course, if you’re truly hungry, have a healthy snack.

But, if you get used to eating when you’re hungry, meaning your mouth is watering, and your tummy is growling, and then eating until you’re satiated, you’ll experience more satisfaction and success.

What To Eat Before & After Your Workouts

Your body also needs a certain kind of nutrition in each stage of an exercise workout. People are often amazed at how small dietary changes can reap huge results with their fitness goals. Whether you want to build muscle or improve your cardio performance, this free report, 15 Foods To Eat Before & After Your Workout provides details on the foods you should eat to help you achieve better nutrition and a new personal best.