Clean eating

I'm the first to admit that I'm not the best at this clean eating business.  I LOVE food and I really don't want to think too hard about it.  If it's delicious, I want to eat it.  Also, I'm not a nutrition expert by any means; I've never counted calories (pretty sure, I would have failed miserably); and meal prep is not my specialty either (hoping to get better at it though). 

Probably not what you want to hear from a Beachbody Coach.  However, everything I've learned regarding food and nutrition, I have stumbled upon during my fitness journey.  I want to fuel my body with the proper nutrition for energy, and to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.  So now I am mindful of what I eat, and what I feed to my three little musketeers.  With that out in the open, I want share some of what I've learned thus far.

I never thought any of quick fix pills or fad diets were safe, effective or fun!  However, a calorie in, is not a calorie out.  A serving of almonds is going to process and fuel your body as oppose to a serving of soda, which is going to make your organs work harder to process the sugars. 

I am a firm believer that you have to work for what you want.  The 21 Day Fix fitness program incorporates a nutrition plan that is in my opinion the best, bar none.  Autumn Calabrese has made eating health easier with her color coded portion control containers and approved grocery list of items.   There is nothing processed and everything is natural.  Makes sense and sounds delicious; it is! 

I haven't given up everything that's bad for me, but I have made huge improvements on my eating habits.  I introduce health substitutes to my family, and sometimes they work, some times not so much.  There is a 'cheat week' between my challenge groups ;)  But I think that starting good habits, replacing bad habits, and moderation on things that I haven't given up yet is a good balance for me.

My goal for my September Challenge group is to track my containers better.  Instead of eating too much or the wrong things, I tend to sell myself short and not eat enough.  I am also testing new recipes from FIXATE, the new cookbook by Autumn, which has 101 clean eating recipes!  Wish me luck!