By A clean diet refers to a plan that tips the scales towards natural, unprocessed foods that will nourish the body properly. This, in turn, produces fat loss, health and longevity results.
As appealing as this sounds, and however one looks at this, it’s not actually the key to leading the best life. Just think of a lifetime where you don’t allow yourself anything so-called “naughty” to eat or drink. It’s not really that appealing and leaves you open to binge eating and dissatisfaction.
When I was dieting for my bodybuilding shows, I had to become a certain body fat percentage to classify for a particular category. During my prep, there was one stage that my body was resisting everything – and I wasn’t allowed to eat anything indulgent. This went on for three to four months, and although it wasn’t hard or bad at all, it definitely wasn’t that exciting. Sometimes even the healthiest of us would like to indulge in something out of the ordinary. It’s just human nature.
In many of my posts regarding cheat meals, one bad meal won’t break a good quality diet plan. It’s all about balance and only allowing that one meal – not a whole day of indulgent eating.
However, you take this advice will depend entirely on what your goals are. Do you want to lose weight or build muscle? Perhaps you want to get back to health, or maybe include some healthier alternatives without having to sacrifice the foods you love. These are all wonderful goals, and you ought to choose the one that makes you the happiest and can stick to the long term. I always make it a priority to mention that healthy eating is something you must think of as a lifestyle plan – not a quick fix. If you lead a healthy lifestyle whilst allowing some indulgences, you will lead the best life possible.
If you intend to stick to clean eating, please do not feel guilty when you want to have a burger or some scoops of ice cream. It’s important that we always put our health first, and of course, I always recommend eating a clean diet. But in saying that, it’s also recommended you allow yourself something indulgent once in a while. And with that, do not feel guilty – enjoy it and then get back to your peak lifestyle plan when it’s time to eat your next meal.
In the meantime, here are my top 4 clean foods that I eat regularly and love. They don’t break the bank, and you can eat them during any kind of season. I wanted to make this simple, and pick things we can all eat in whatever part of the world we live in.
Four top clean foods that won’t break the bank
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Eggs. These are truly the best sources of clean protein you can have, and they also have the highest grade of vitamins around. I love that they are portable, and you can have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m positive you could make hundreds of meals with eggs in them. I like mine scrambled or boiled. They go well with fresh raw salads and even cooked veggies.
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Green veggies. These are a must for any diet, and they contain phytonutrients, fibre, magnesium, calcium and potassium. They even contain folate and protein. These veggies are fantastic because they are lower in carbs. This is great news for anyone on a keto or watching their carb intake. The beauty of green veggies is they keep you full for longer periods of time due to their fibre and water content. You should definitely include green veggies in your diet every single day.
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Berries. In some parts of the world, berries can be a little expensive, and I would recommend buying yours frozen and organic when possible. Berries are filled with antioxidants and taste delicious in smoothies or as a snack during the day what I love most about berries because they reduce oxidative stress, which is great news for anyone trying to get back to health after suffering from metabolic disease. These little wonders can help turn your health around or prevent you from developing the disease.
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Yoghurt. If you can tolerate dairy, go ahead and eat full-fat yogurt for anyone like me who cannot take on your coconut or nut-based yogurt instead. Opt for one that has probiotics to help bring in some good bacteria and aid in digestion. Yogurt is one of the cheapest clean foods around, and you can add anything to them: banana, berries, oats, nuts – anything. I even like to put yogurt in my protein muffins. Best of all, you can eat it as is with your protein sources, a bit of salt and olive oil. This is how my daughter loves to eat her coconut yogurt! Yummy!
I hope this helps you somewhat. Feel free to upvote this if you found it helpful in any way. You’re welcome to join me on my various social platforms, and do go ahead and download your Empowering habit changer guide. I’m also on Instagram.