Clean Eating

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I’ll be the first to tell you I used to eat eat like crap. Seriously. I would have a constant sweet tooth and craving for soda (Pepsi and Coke will forever have my heart though). I would feel like I had to have a dessert after every dinner or else I wouldn’t feel full or satisfied. I felt like I was drowning if I tried to drink more than a sip of water every now and then…. The list just goes on and on. I hadn’t been listening to what my body NEEDED but had instead focused on what I thought I “wanted” and that needed to change.

Before I continue you should definitely understand that I have NO IDEA what I’m doing. I’m not a nutritionist. I don’t have a lot of knowledge on food.

But I’m learning.

I don’t want to go through and tell you what I eat on a day to day basis, I don’t want to advise you to eat this and not that… I’m just not qualified to do those things! What I can tell you, is that I’m opting to make the change and these are a couple particular things that I am enjoying.

  1. Warm Lemon Water (first thing in the morning)

    From what I have read in studies and opinions, warm lemon water on an empty stomach can have LOTS of health benefits. It can stimulate your gastrointestinal tract so that your body can better absorb nutrients, help with bloating, help control your cravings, and lots more. Now I’m not entirely sure how true all of this is and I’m sure there are plenty of studies that say lemon water isn’t all that, but so far, I have really been enjoying it. And honestly by mornings feel 10x better when I start with it.

  2. Granola Nut & Fruit Mix

    The possibilities with these mixes are endless. You can eat them straight as a little snack, bake them into snack bars, pour some in a bowl along with some milk for a healthy cereal and more. The cereal one is my favorite. Growing up we would always have cereal as our breakfast and loved it. Kix, Cheerios, and Honey Bunches of Oats just to name a few. These aren’t terrible options by any means but I have been enjoying my healthy granola nut and fruit mix “cereal” quite a bit!

  3. Almond Milk

    If you know me at all you know that I love milk almost as much as I love my husband… Haha. No but seriously. My family used to tease me that I was the milk guzzler of the house and it was so true. Any chance I got I would have a glass of milk. Heck I would even just go get a glass of milk as a snack. 1% or 2% was what we normally had in the fridge. Milk is definitely healthy and if what they say is true I must have strong bones… but there’s got to be a point where its just too much. I never really noticed anything was “wrong” or off until I read somewhere that milk can make you feel bloated. I was definitely feeling that so I decided to do a little experiment and substitute my cereal milk with almond milk and cut back on all the glasses of milk I had throughout the day. I definitely feel a difference. I still drink plenty of regular milk but since substituting almond milk and I feel a lot better.

  4. Smoothies

    Who doesn’t love a smoothie? Also want to know a trick? You can often add in vegetables too and you won’t even taste them! Kale is a great option. Add it in with berries, bananas, peaches… really any tasty fruits and you can thank me later! Another favorite of mine is a simple banana smoothie like the one in the picture above. Milk, one sliced banana, a cup of ice cubes and blend it all up. So so good. You can also get protein powders and such to add in for an extra boost.

There are so many healthy options to substitute or add into your diet that can make you feel better almost instantly. Now that I have started I feel like I am more in tune with my body and what it needs (A LOT MORE WATER. *cough cough) and I feel amazing.

What are your favorite clean eating hacks or recipes? I would love to try them out!

xoxo

-McKenna