Eat Clean Diet Principles

1. Eat more! Eat six small meals each day, spaced at 2 1/2 to 3-hour intervals.
*Six meals at regularly spaced intervals
*Smaller portion sizes
*Turns body into a calorie burning, fat-blasting machine
*Every meal is an event that fuels your metabolism and pushes you forward on the
path to your best health.
*Every meal is an opportunity to do something good for yourself both health-
and weight-wise.

2. Eat breakfast everyday, within an your of rising.
* As soon as you take your first bite of healthy breakfast, your body awakens and your metabolism starts making use of the energy it gets from food.
* Make the most of your morning workout by eating 30 minutes before you go and your second mini meal when you return. After a night of fasting, you will have a weaker workout if you don't provide fuel for your body.

3. Make your last meal three hours before bed.
* Learn to recognize true hunger: a growling stomach, irritability, inability to concentrate.
* Do your best to distinguish between real physical hunger and emotional hunger.
* Drink a tall glass of water before reaching for food. Thirst can be mistaken for hunger!
* Dinner is ususally the biggest meal of the day in North America, but it doesn't make sense to fill yourself up with energy that you won't have time to burn off after dinner.
Sidebar: I'm a little confused...this rule is to make your last meal three hours before bed, but then Tosca says she has her evening/sixth meal between 9 and 10 pm. Does this mean she doesn't go to bed until 1 am??

4. Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal.
* When you choose high-grade foods as your fuel of preference (instead of high-fat, sugar-laden "anti" foods) you are rewarded with increased energy levels and a sense that you are doing right by your body.
* A combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal will slow down the carb-to-fat conversion in your body, keeping you satiated between meals.

PROTEIN- the lean bodybuilding food, 5 to 6 servings of protein each day (one with each meal), primarily found in meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, vegetable, and grain sources

Allowable Protein Sources: egg whites, lean turkey, chicken and pork, beans and legumes (in moderation), lean fish, shrimp, clams, mussels, bison and other game meats, hummus (also a healthy fat), quinoa, spirulina, sea vegetables, protein powder, tofu, and tempeh.

Complex Carbohydrates-
Simple-white flour and sugar (known as sugars), break down easily, send blood-sugar levels out of control. AVOID SIMPLE CARBS except fruit!
Fruit contains fiber, which slows its digestion; fruit also contains vital nutrients and minerals.
Complex-high in fiber, improve digestion, provide energy, keeps you satiated between meals, stabilized blood-sugar levels. Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are all complex carbs.

Starchy Complex carbs (2 servings per day): sweet potatoes, potatoes, radishes, beans and legumes (also a protein), oats, brown rice, bananas, carrots, parsnips, bulgar wheat, teff, and farro.

High-water Complex carbs (5-6 servings per day): apples, plums, berries, pears, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, asparagus, beets, leeks, dark leafy greens, brussels sprouts, grreen beans, onions, sprouts, celery, watermelon, cherries, zucchini, fennel, oranges, limes, lemons, and garlic.

5. Eat sufficient healthy fats every day.
* Consuming only low-fat or fat-free products does not solve anyone's fat problem.
* Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats keep cells in a fat-burning or thermogenic state

Allowable fats include: flaxseed, nuts (almonds, walnuts), pumpkin seeds (in moderation), nut butters, hummus (also a protein), avocados, oils (flaxseed, coconut, olive, hazelnut, walnut, and fish).

6. Drink 2 to 3 liters of water every day.
* Water is second only to oxygen in the level of importance it has to the body.
* Roughly 75% of your body is water, the bulk of which is stored in the largest organ, your skin!
* Water regulates body temperature, keeps joints mobile, maintains tissue health...you need water to survive.
* Your metabolic rate increases by 30% when you drink cold water.
* Drink water to prevent thirst.
* Signs of dehydration: irritability, headache, tiredness, hunger
* Drink 2 cups of water with every meal. Staying hydrated reduces food cravings and suppresses appetite.

7. Carry a cooler packed with clean foods everyday.
* You can never be sure about how food is prepared unless you take your own with you!
* Be prepared! If you work a 9 to 5 job, you'll eat your first clean meal at home and your next three meals out of the house! If you are prepared, you will be less likely to reach for an unhealthy choice.
* Make extra food with each meal so that you can easily tote leftovers in your cooler for the next day.

8. Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients, and enzymes.
* Allowable vegetables include: sweet and regular potatoes, radishes, carrots, parsnips, cucumber, broccoli, asparagus, beets, leeks, leafy greens, Brussel sprouts, green beans, onions, sprouts, celery, zucchini, fennel, and garlic.
* Allowable fruits include: bananas, apples, plums, berries, watermelon, cherries, oranges, tomatoes, limes, and lemons.

9. Adhere to proper portion sizes.
* Use the palm of your hands to determine the proper amount of food for your body.
*Protein- measured by what fits in the palm of one hand
*Starch Complex Carbohydrates-measured by what fits into one cupped hand
*Carbs from Fruits and Vegetables- measured by what fits into two hands cupped together
*Healthy fats-measured by one scant handful of nuts or one to two tablespoons of healthy oil or nut butter

10. Eat only foods that have not been overly processed or doused in chemicals, saturated and trans fats, and/or toxins.
*Real foods are those found in nature, often have one ingredient, not altered in any way, nothing is added to make them taste better
*Anti foods-foods that have been altered or overly processed, contain added sugars, trans fats, or made with processed white grains and flours, cause insulin spikes, slows metabolism,
* It is common to feel hungry after eating "anti" foods because they don't contain enough nutrients to make your body feel satiated!
*The fewer ingredients on the label, the better. Foods with one ingredient are your top choice. If a food contains ingredients you can't pronounce, leave it on the shelf.