Kickstart to clean eating

This is part 1 of a series I am doing on clean eating.


As summertime approaches, some of you may be thinking about getting a kickstart on clean eating.  The winter months bring us the holidays with an overload of buffet style meals and unnecessary fats and carbs.  And not to mention, unwanted pounds.
When I decided to change my eating habits, I went on a detox.  A detox is when you remove the foods that can be toxic to your body such as dairy, caffeine, soy, sugar,  processed, and allergen foods (like peanuts, wheat, and gluten) and replace it with alternatives like brown rice, whole & natural foods (think fruits and veggies), organic, and almond, coconut, or rice milk.
Now, not everybody may want to go that extreme.  You may ask, 'where do I start'?  You can start by removing processed foods and sugars since they are usually stored as fat and bring no nutritional value to your body anyway.  Read labels carefully as even fat free products are loaded with tons of sugar to replace the flavor fat gives food.  And don't forget the healthy fats (found in nuts and olive or coconut oil)

When eating a typical meal, make sure your plate has a lean protein (fish, boneless/skinless chicken, lean beef), a fibrous carb like brown rice, and mostly veggies (sans butter and oil).  And don't forget the healthy fats (found in nuts and olive or coconut oil).  Eating between 5-6 small meals a day is ideal to keep your metabolism going and prevent hunger and splurges.
A kickstart to clean eating may not be easy at first, but with time and determination, the benefits of this change in eating will result in more energy and unwanted pounds coming off.  Coupled with regular exercise, you will see weight come off quicker and start to feel different about yourself.

http://www.answerfitness.com/204/clean-eating-eating-clean-answer-fitness/