Clean Eating Grocery List

What You Should Not Buy

• No refined grains

• White flour and foods made with them

• White starches, like pasta, rice or breads

• No refined sugars

• Table sugar

• Sweets, like cakes cookies, ice cream, soda etc.

• Nothing that comes in a bag, box, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients, preferably less than 4, and none of those should be sugar, or trans fats

• Nothing deep fried foods

• No fast food junk

What You Should Buy

• Whole Grains

• 100% whole wheat flour (must way whole wheat not just wheat)

• 100% whole wheat or whole-grain bread, tortillas, hot and hamburger buns, etc.

• Ezekiel bread

• 100% whole wheat pasta

• Bob’s Red Mill™ offers very clean flour varieties, including almond flour, coconut flour, soy flour and many others

• Amaranth

• Barley

• Brown rice

• Wild rice

• Buckwheat

• Bulgur

• Quinoa

• Rye

• Spelt

• Steel cut oats (no added sugar)

Fats 

• Grass fed butter

• Avocados

• Walnuts

• Olive oil

• Avocado oil

• Nut oils

• Grapeseed oil

• For desserts choose whole whipping cream versus manufactured stuff like cool whip

Produce

• All fresh vegetables

• All fresh fruits

Meats and Poultry

• Grass fed, pasture raised, or organic meat is always best as it is devoid of antibiotics and growth hormones fed to traditionally farmed animals

• Fresh red meat (steaks, hamburger, ribs and roasts)

• Fresh pork (steaks and roasts)

• Fresh chicken

• Bison or venison

• Fresh turkey

Fish and Seafood

• All fresh fish and seafood, preferably wild caught versus farm raised

Dairy

• Eggs (pasture raised/grass fed or organic)

• Organic milk or milk from grass fed cows

• Nut milks (without added sugar)

• Soy milks (without added sugar)

• Organic Greek yogurt

• Organic soy yogurt

• Cottage cheese

• Sour cream

• Block cheeses (shredded adds a chemical to keep the cheese separated)

Beans & Legumes 

Dry beans are best, canned is okay as long as there is no added sugar or salt

• Adzuki beans

• Black beans

• Chickpeas

• Kidney beans

• Lentils

• Navy beans

• Pinto beans

• Split peas

• White beans

Canned Items

Look for cans that are BPA free

Should have the “Non-GMO Project Verified” Seal

• Vegetables packed in water without sugar and low sodium

• Canned beans with no added sugar and little to no added sodium

• Pure coconut milk

• Marinara sauce with no added sugar and little to no added sodium

• Olives

• Tomato sauce or paste (no added sugar)

• Tuna (packed in water)

• Chicken (packed in water)

• Fruit packed only in water (no added sugar)

• Stocks and broths without sugar, dextrose and low sodium

• Pickles (in moderation due to salt)

Sweeteners

• Stevia 

• Raw honey (in moderation)

• Sucanat (in moderation)

• Organic evaporated cane juice (in moderation)

Condiments and Spices

• Vinegar

• Mustard with no added sugar

• Sugar free ketchup

• All fresh and dried herbs and spices

• Tahini

• Hummus

• Relish (must not have added sugar)

• Pico De Gallo

• Fresh salsa

• Kimchi

• Sauerkraut

• Low sodium soy sauce

Packaged and Snack Foods

Should have the “Non-GMO Project Verified” Seal

There are many healthy snack choices that are made with whole food, check labels

Stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are good places to find many whole food/clean eating packaged items

• Sun-dried tomatoes

• KIND™ Snacks

• LARA Bars

• These snack bars list their very simple whole ingredients right on front of the package in big bold print

• Organic 100% Pure Nut Butters - peanut, almond and others are available in brands where the ingredients list is the nut and nothing else

• Air popped popcorn (check ingredients for anything else added)

• Raisins, prunes and all dried fruit (as long as nothing else is added, especially sugar, dried fruit is also very high in fruit sugars and should be eaten in moderation, fresh is better)

• All nuts (plain, raw and unflavored)

• All seeds (plain, raw and unflavored)

• 60% + Cacao dark chocolate

• Unsweetened cocoa powder

• Vegetable chips – a new trend in healthy snacking, you can find green bean, kale, beet and carrot chips, the best ones will have two ingredients, the vegetable and oil. You can also make your own.

Beverages

• Water

• Milk and nut milks

• Naturally sweetened coffee & tea

• Freshly squeezed juices (fruit and vegetable)

• Seltzers/Club Soda (without added sugar)

• 100% pure coconut milk (high in calories, use in moderation)

6 Superfoods You Should Know About

What makes a superfood super? 

In my opinion, it must have many health benefits, be delicious (of course), and versatile.  Here are 6 of my favorites:

Spinach

Remember being told to eat your spinach? It’s not an old wives’ tale, it’s true! Spinach leaves (and all dark, green leafy vegetables really), are the king of vegetables. Packed with water-soluble vitamins (C, B1, B2, B3, B6), fat-soluble vitamins (K, A, E), minerals (potassium, zinc, folate, magnesium) and other less common nutrients (chlorophyll and alpha-lipoic acid amongst others), makes spinach an extremely nutritious and health-balancing food.

It is delicious and versatile too, raw, cooked or wilted in salads, added to smoothies and casseroles, for taste, color and nutrition. Some of the benefits associated with spinach include, diabetes management, bone, skin and hair health, cancer and asthma prevention and lowering blood pressure (MedicalNewsToday.com).

Salmon

Eat your salmon, it is a great source of Omega 3. We’ve all heard that. But, is that what salmon is really all about? A 4oz slice of good-quality, wild salmon contains, 236% of your daily B12, 128% of your vitamin D, 78% selenium, 52% phosphorous and 21% of your daily iodine, amongst so many more (WHFoods.com). Salmon is also an extremely versatile fish, it can be cooked, broiled, baked, grilled, ground and used from a can. So many ways to include it in your diet and grab some of those wonderful nutrients! Dinner tonight, anyone?

Raw Honey

Sometimes we think Nature’s foods are all gloom and doom. Can we ever satisfy our sweet tooth naturally? The answer is a resounding yes! Raw honey is Nature’s sweetener.  Not only is it sweeter than sugar, but it’s good for you! It has a lower Glycaemic Index than sugar, meaning that the sugar is absorbed slowly in our digestive tracts, not causing a high (and unhealthy) insulin response. It also contains decent amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, making it a great choice of sweetener (BenefitsofHoney.com)

Blueberries

Convenient, just eat them by the handful, and delicious, add them to smoothies, fruit salads and muffins (mmmm…), these are the queen of fruits! High in antioxidants, like resveratrol, these can make you live longer. They also contain many anti-inflammatory nutrient benefits (WHFoods.com).

Chia seeds

Chia seeds are well known for their Omega-3, fiber and iron content. They also contain antioxidants, calcium and a fair amount of protein.  Fiber content can help increase bowel regularity, as well as aid in heart and cardiovascular health (in combination with Omega-3s). They can substitute for eggs in vegan cooking when mixed with water, sprinkled over salads, added to granolas, trail mixes and baked goods and made into a pudding (MedicalNewsToday.com).

Coconut

No list of healthy foods would be considered complete without coconut. Step into any grocery store today and you will find shelves lined with coconut products.  Coconut butter, oil, flour and sugar, dried and desiccated coconut, coconut milk, water, cream and coconut aminos. Of course, there’s the fruit too.  Extremely versatile, and with a delightful flavor, coconut is any health nut’s dream. 

Each product has its own uses and nutritional benefits.  From the anti-bacterial and cholesterol-lowering properties of coconut oil, to the hydrating and electrolyte balancing benefits of coconut water, to the protein, potassium, iron and protein source of the coconut itself, coconut is a powerhouse of nutritional benefits, that can be enjoyed in so many varying ways (MedicalNewsToday.com, WebMD.com, onegreenplanet.org).

10 Benefits Of Whole Food

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding whole foods as they’ve become more popular. From what actually qualifies as whole foods to how beneficial they are to your overall health, the many misconceptions surrounding the topic of whole foods certainly makes it difficult to find reliable research.

What are whole foods?

Whole food is food that is eaten in its natural state without any processing.

According to Tara Gidus, RD, whole foods are foods “in [their] natural state” that are “intact, with all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are in the food.” WebMD simplifies it with a helpful example: “it’s the difference between an apple and apple juice, or a baked potato and mashed potatoes.” Switching to a diet comprised of mostly actual whole foods can improve your overall health.

Benefits

1) Improve your mood

Beyond just affecting weight, eating highly processed foods or those with trans fats can have negative effects on your energy, mood, and the functionality of your brain.

Eating a diet primarily composed of these foods can cause you to lose energy and become stressed, irritable, or angry.

Cutting these foods out and replacing them with whole foods can help to provide you with more energy and improve mood.

2) Lower your risk of heart disease

Replacing highly processed foods in your diet with whole foods can lower your risk of heart disease.

By consuming more vegetables, whole grains and fruit, you can introduce more fiber in your diet, which researchers have found to greatly reduce your risk of heart disease.

3) Lower your risk of developing diabetes

A diet rich in grains, fruit, and vegetables can help lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which is at epidemic levels and primarily caused by poor diet and obesity.

In addition to that, eating whole foods can help those who already have Type 2 Diabetes manage their blood sugar.

4) Strengthen your bones

Your body needs vitamin K, calcium, and magnesium to help nurture your bones. And those found in whole vegetables absorb into the body faster and enter your system quicker.

Vegetables high in these minerals are also a good option for vegetarians that choose not to eat the meat containing these minerals.

5) Easier to eat a balanced diet

Eating a diet rich in whole food makes it easy to eat well-balanced diet, which promotes good health and vitality.

6) Healthy weight management

Eating a diet rich in whole food eliminates processed and junk food that is loaded with added fat, sugar and calories.

Eating clean with whole food allows you to enjoy lots of nutrient dense foods versus energy dense foods (high calorie) and therefore manage your weight, lose weight and eat better.

7) Improve your sleep

Eating highly-processed foods can make it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, and actually get quality rest.

Introducing more whole foods into your diet can help you achieve quality sleep each night and wake up feeling well-rested and ready to face your day.

8) Improve skin health

Highly-processed foods and foods high in grease, fats, or sugars can cause your complexion to worsen and can actually cause you to break out more frequently.

Introducing more whole foods provides you with key nutrients for all-natural skin health.

9) Increase your energy

Whole foods have all the nutrients you need to thrive and have loads of physical and mental energy throughout your busy days.

10) Live a Healthier Life

Highly-processed foods harm your health, cause obesity and various diet related chronic diseases.

Introducing more whole foods into your diet can help to improve your life by improving your nutritional profile and therefore greatly improving your health.

Top 10 Tips To Eating Clean For Women

These 10 tips will help you on your journey to optimal physical and mental health. Being healthy requires several factors such as:

• Exercise

• Breathing

• Sleep

• Stress

• Attitude

• Lifestyle

• Diet

The last one may be the most important of all. What we eat has the power to change everything for the better, or if our diet is filled with processed junk food, for the worse.

Develop a healthy attitude towards food by looking at it as a way of fueling your body, instead of something to be craved, and you will lessen the power food has over you.

Follow these 10 tips to adopt a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle and enjoy a positive relationship with food.

1. Eat Whole Foods

Eliminate processed and junk food from your diet and choose whole foods with every meal and snack. Whole food is unprocessed and eaten in its natural state, it is highly nutrient dense and should be the center of every meal. Decrease the amounts of salt, oils and unhealthy fats, and sugars in each meal, or avoid using them altogether by replacing them with healthier substitutes.

2. Eat in Moderation 

Too much or too little of anything is not healthy, even with foods that are good for you. Moderation is what’s important. Keeping a food diary helps you be mindful of what types of food you usually eat. Then, after a week you’ll be able to recognize which foods keep you full longer and which foods spike up your blood sugar levels, leaving you sluggish and unable to focus.

3. Choose Nutrient-Rich Foods 

Everything we eat provides us with some form of nutrition, depending on its nutrient composition and the amount consumed. Looking at food as a way to fuel our bodies and minds, rather as just something that fills our stomachs, will give you more clarity. It will also allow you to start respecting your body, and, hence, what you put into it.

4. Stop Counting Calories 

You are not just a series of calories, nutritional values or a number on a scale. You are so much more than that. Learn to value yourself and boost your self-esteem by establishing healthy eating habits. Instead of beating yourself up for eating something you feel you shouldn’t have, adopt the following attitude: ‘Today, I paid attention to what my body needed so I ate when I felt hungry and stopped before I felt completely full. I had a healthy lunch then followed it with a couple of cookies.’

5. Choose Healthy Fats

Fat is an essential macronutrient which we can’t live without, the key is choosing the right fats in the right amounts. Whole foods like nuts, seeds, avocados and olive oil are all great fat choices.

6. Stop Dieting and Start Living

To enjoy a healthy lifestyle, you have to be smart about the choices you make. Don’t follow a ‘diet’ for several weeks, only to regain the weight you lost, instead choose to follow a clean eating lifestyle, not another diet.

7. Start Strong

Start each meal with foods lowest in calories which will make you eat less of foods higher in calories. Salads, soups and fruit are all good choices.

8.Eat from the 5 Major Food Groups

·  Dairy

·  Fruit

·  Grains

·  Lean meats: poultry, beans, fish, eggs, tofu, seeds and nuts

·  Vegetables

A well-balanced lifestyle means eating from a variety of whole foods from each group.

9.  Practice Mindful Eating

Eating in a rush usually means we end up eating far more than we should. So, focus on your food, how it tastes, how it smells, and how it makes you feel.

10.  Enjoy Your Food

Enjoy healthy eating, be aware of how good it feels to treat your body right and fill it only with real, whole and highly nutritious food.

15 Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety

1. Learn Visualization

Visualization can help you increase productivity and also help you reach your goals.

Imagine a goal: Picture yourself as having reached the goal already.

Imagine in as much detail as you can the positive outcome you desire.

Science shows that visualization causes you to act in ways that increase your chances of achieving your anticipated outcome.

2. Try Acupuncture

Acupuncture works by balancing the body’s energy system.

Imbalance in the energy system is believed to bring about a state of “dis-ease.”

It can make you feel deeply relaxed and is an excellent way to release stress.

3. Reflexology

According to the ancient art of reflexology, or therapeutic foot massage, the soles of the feet contain a map of the body.

By pressing different points on the feet, the body’s energy system can be brought into balance.

It’s very relaxing and refreshing.

4. Create a Sleep Routine

A good night’s sleep leaves you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Turn off technology an hour before you put the lights out.

Read a book to help you fall asleep.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends.

Your body will appreciate the regular rhythm and will sleep better for it.

5. Try Something new

Doing something completely new shakes you out of your old routine and stimulates the brain.

Doing something different will take you out of yourself, help you gain a new perspective, and challenge you in a positive way.

6. Do More Of What Works

When you find that place of flow, the trick is to find ways to experience it more often.

Figure out what brings you joy, and then go get more of it!

7.Have Fun

Life without fun is no life at all. If you are working all the time, chances are you are not having enough fun.

And if you are not having enough fun, you will likely feel unhappy, unfulfilled, and stressed.

Having fun is key to mental wellness.

8. Take Up A Hobby

Taking up a hobby is one way to have fun, engage the brain, experience flow, stay present, find possible purpose and fulfillment, and enjoy yourself.

The list of hobbies is endless.

What appeals to you?

Try different things and find an activity that sticks. Then, stick with it.

9. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Lie down in a quiet place.

Breathe.

Clench your toes and feet as you breathe in.

On the out breath, let everything go.

Work through all the muscle groups in your body in this way, from toes to head.

10. Smile

When you smile, your brain is tricked into believing you must be happy and starts making “happiness hormones” for you.

So smile, even if you don’t feel like it.

It will make you happy!

Smiling also relaxes the muscles in your face and helps you release tension that way.

11. Avoid Stimulants

Stimulants such as sugar have been shown to keep your adrenals overactive and your stress levels high.

Your sleep will suffer and you will experience fatigue, so you then find yourself taking more stimulants to stay alert and the cycle continues. 

12. Green Tea

Green tea is loaded with antioxidants and lots of nutrients.

Even though green tea contains some caffeine, it will not give you the jitters, and it has a compound in it, which reduces anxiety levels.

Some studies have found if you drink up to five cups of green tea per day, you may reduce your stress levels, significantly.

13. Supplements

Many supplements can reduce stress.

These include:

Magnesium, a muscle relaxant.

Melatonin, to help you with sleep cycles.

Valerian for anxiety and

B-complex for improving mood.

14. Be Flexible

Often we have a plan in our heads about the way things should go.

Often, life has a different idea.

Things don’t always go according to plan.

Being able to adapt, or go with the flow, is a skill worth cultivating.

Embrace unexpected change graciously.

15. Manage Your Time

Print off a weekly schedule and organize each day.

Leave ten minutes earlier.

Prioritize.

Make lists.

Cross off each item when completed.

Delegate.

Know your limits and learn to say, No.