Clean Eating and Weight Loss Go Hand in Hand
I’ve always been of the mind that when we practice a clean eating lifestyle focused on fresh, local food and we give up our addiction to processed foods full of fat, salt and sugar, weight loss becomes exponentially easier.
I’m not suggesting that simply eating more clean foods alone will make you lose weight in an instant. Needless to say, it does take more effort than that, but when you increase your awareness about what you’re eating, focus on fresh food and combine that with the right kind of exercise, you can find a clean eating-weight loss zone that feels great…and doesn’t have to be so hard.
I just have to focus my gaze in the direction of my husband Bruce to know that there’s something to this idea. Bruce has been itching to lose some weight yet he didn’t want to take the calorie counting road (he always falls off the wagon), follow a diet like Atkins (they never work) or eat packaged food like NutriSystems (that’s definitely not clean eating). But in our simple efforts to practice clean eating, he’s realized great results with weight loss (15 pounds so far) but in a way that hasn’t been hard or felt like deprivation at all.
Why such an easy transition to a clean eating lifestyle? Simply put, clean foods that are fresh taste good and are more satisfying. When food is locally grown and fresh picked, it has lots of flavor and is bursting with nutrients. Buying fresh produce at your local grocery store chain, however, can be iffy because you don’t know how long it’s been there or from where it’s come.
When you eat clean food that tastes good, you don’t need as much to satisfy you. In this country, we’re obsessed with large portions and mindless eating, the philosophy being the more, the better. But clean eating is about just the opposite. High quality ingredients with healthy fat, natural sweeteners if any at all, and food that supports the local economy and environment. Just take a look at some of the recipes I post, like my quinoa southwestern stew and butternut squash soup, and you’ll have an idea for what I mean by clean eating with simple, fresh ingredients.
I think Bruce has also been successful because he’s replaced his mindless snacking with a combination of cleaner, healthier snacks and he’s paying greater attention to what he puts in his body and how much. And the fact that we’re back in our exercise routine and loving it, sure helps with the weight loss too.
The last key to our success has been copious amounts of meal planning. As you know, healthy food doesn’t just arrive on our plates, it takes some effort. And for us, all the clean foods we’re eating have everything to do with planning them into well balanced and tasty meals that are satisfying. So my weekly meal planning efforts, and prepping food beforehand, have everything to do with the healthy weight loss results he’s been realizing.
What have you discovered about the connection between clean eating and weight loss? How does eating fresh, clean food help you lose weight or maintain what you’ve already lost?
Filed under: Healthy Meals, Meal Planning, Weight loss, clean eating
Wendy, this is so simple and effective. Thanks. I will try your butternut squash soup. I love gourd vegetables for their high niacin and clean carb content. You’re an inspiration.
Rhonda Kuykendall-Jabari´s last blog ..The International Day of Peace is September 21st
Really I have only been eating clean for 5 days. I started because I was gaining weight but even worse than that I felt awful! I was sluggish and tired – way too many processed carbs, and sugar. Even after only 5 days I can already feel a boost in my energy levels.
Great article! I’m reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle right now, and I’m really getting into the idea of locally grown foods. Question: does meal preparation with “clean” foods take a lot longer?
Thanks,
Lily
Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by to comment! You’re so right, a few days of cleaner eating and our bodies are thanking us! I love that you’ve been feeling a difference Kelly.
Lily, meal preparation really doesn’t have to take a lot longer with clean foods. For example, I cook quinoa, my favorite whole grain, in 20 minutes. Sometimes I make a quinoa tabouli by adding lemon juice, tomatoes and fresh parsley. The whole dish is ready in 30 minutes and we eat it over several days as a side dish — quick, healthy and easy. Check out my blog for lots of quickly and healthy recipes that are clean.
Keep up your great work with clean eating!
Inspirational article, to be sure, but inspiration fails without execution. Do you have any insight on how best to PLAN the meals? Keep up the inspiring work!
Sean,
The reason we eat so clean is that I spend copious amounts of time meal planning, to your point about execution. Without a plan, I’m lost and can easily fall into the trap of less than clean eating.
I keep on track my carving time out to make a weekly meal plan, spending time at the store and farmers’ market and then spending part of my Sunday afternoon focused on cooking and meal prep. That is what makes all the difference in meeting our weight loss and maintenance goals.
I also have a meal planning blog that you can check out: http://MoneySavingMealPlanningBlog.com for more ideas.
Here’s to meal planning AND clean eating!
I love organic foods, they just taste so much better! Their natural and more healthier.
I have so much energy and these types of food really help with my work because, I have to use my brain a lot.
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