{This is a Feel Good Post}
Where Do I Start? Your Road Map to Clean Eating
When you are juggling 10,000 balls in the air at any given moment – whether it be building/managing a business, kids, travel, or all of the above, it’s easy to let your health and nutrition be the first to slip through the cracks.
Not helping matters are the often conflicting, misguided messages we’re fed from the mainstream media on what it means to eat healthy. Even if you’re motivated to do it right, you can end up feeling like you’re driving on the wrong side of the street.
I’d like to offer some assistance, if you’ll have me.
In this post and in the next one to come, I will help separate the truth from the hype and provide you with information you can take action on today to build good health from the inside out. Think of this as your guide to cleaning up your diet, and gaining the much needed energy and momentum you need to support you on your journey to the top.
Please note: these are VERY GENERAL recommendations. It’s important to keep in mind that this information – diet and supplementation – does not replace the individualized guidance you should seek out from a qualified practitioner.
- Eat organic whenever possible.
This will significantly limit your consumption of genetically modified ingredients and pesticides. Both have been shown to cause systemic damage to your body. At a minimum, use the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” guides from the Environmental Working Group [link to: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/] to shop.
- Clean up your water and salt.
Water: Since you drink about eight glasses a day (right?), it makes sense to make sure it is from a good source. Drink filtered water (either purchase a quality water filter or buy outside filtered water). Avoid tap water that can contain arsenic, aluminum or traces of discarded medications. And avoid BPA plastic bottled water (it might just be tap water you’re paying for).
Salt: Switch out your chemical-laden, over-processed, aluminum-containing table salt for sea salt. Unlike table salt, sea salt retains many vital minerals, like magnesium and potassium, which balance the level of sodium. So, when you choose the better, unrefined source, salt is no longer the enemy to run from, it is actually a healthful, essential part of your diet. Make sure you are choosing a Himalayan or Celtic sea salt or choose an iodine-fortified brand (like Hain) if appropriate, as iodine plays a big role in thyroid function.
- Eat more dark green veggies.
Steam them, smoothie them up, eat or drink them raw – but get these verdant vitals down the hatch.
This class of vegetables is a nutritional powerhouse, providing many essential vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin E (a potent inflammation-fighter), B-vitamins, disease-fighting phytonutrients, and calcium (a great source, especially if you are dairy-free).
If eating your greens doesn’t come easy for you – logistically or just out of pure distaste – I feel your pain. FULL DISCLOSURE: This self-diagnosed “super taster” had a previous aversion to any green vegetable and didn’t try a tomato until college.
Yeah, I know.
That said, here are a few tried and true ways to sneak the green into your diet:
- Kale & fruit smoothies (you don’t taste the kale, really). Kids freaked out by the color? Buy some opaque cups, lids and straws.
- Cold-pressed green juices. If you gag on the taste, try sucking it down with a straw. (I speak from experience.)
- A supplement you can add to non-dairy milk like Amazing Grass Green Superfood Drink.They also make some kid-specific flavors. This is not an official endorsement, but I’ve tried many and this is one that, ironically (and thankfully), doesn’t taste like grass.
- Choose wisely when eating off the farm.
If you consume meat and/or dairy, there are some guidelines you can follow to keep it clean. Labeling is a big can of worms, but in the name of simplicity, I’m going to usher everyone on the farm under this umbrella statement:
Choose “organic” and/or “grass-fed”, “pastured” or “pasture-raised” beef, bison, poultry, dairy and eggs.
“Organic” ensures no pesticide or genetically-modified feed is getting into the animal. “Grass-fed” or “pasture-raised” means the animals are eating high Omega-3, inflammation-fighting grass (instead of corn), have the most room to roam, and have higher levels of the important, fat-soluble Vitamins A & D in their system (which means you will, too).
- Eat organic, cold-pressed, extra-virgin, unprocessed fats (and use them at their correct temperatures).
Yep, I said it. You should eat fat.
Listen, you’re ready to give salt a chance…now it’s time to welcome another new friend into your life. You can do this. Here’s how:
Instead of using chemically processed, possibly genetically modified fats (think, canola, corn, soy or vegetable oil and partially hydrogenated margarines), opt for oils and fats that are pesticide- and GMO-free and minimally processed. This eliminates the use of toxic chemicals and helps them retain their vital nutrients and delicate flavors. And remember to pay attention to limits on smoke points (should be listed on the bottle) to avoid free-radical forming oxidation.
Some examples of good choices:
Liquid: Organic, Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin Olive, Macadamia, Flax, and Avocado Oils
Solid: Coconut Oil, Organic/Grass-Fed Ghee or Butter (only if you can tolerate casein), and pastured sources of animal fats.
If you’re sticking to the above guidelines, you’re doing your body a huge favor. But the better news is that now you can stop freaking out about consuming too much fat. Because guess what?
Eating the right kind of fat aids in brain and eye development, regulates blood sugar, promotes tissue healing, is critical for Vitamin D synthesis, promotes proper immune function, and carries and delivers to your body fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) and nutrients like phytonutrients (believed to play a role in cancer prevention and serve as anti-inflammatories).
This should be enough to get you started.
For some of you, this may have already shaken things up enough for one week. To recap what’s causing the tremors: Don’t worry about restricting (the right kinds of) salt. Bring good fat into your life. Switch up your default oils for some new, beneficial ones.
We will dig in deeper in Part 2 ( NEXT Friday) but why don’t we let these five principles marinate for a bit before moving on.
Shelly Malone
A conventionally-trained, progressive-minded nutrition consultant, Shelly has spent over 20 years working in the health and nutrition industry. She holds a B.S. in Nutritional Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and a MPH from UCLA, with a concentration in Nutrition. Shelly has practiced as registered dietitian (R.D.) in critical, acute and outpatient care settings and is the founder of Clean Cravings, a natural food company. She is a Foundational Member of the Bioindividual Nutrition Institute and a Certified Bioindividual Nutrition Practitioner (CBNP).
