Eating Clean

So clearly I take it for granted that people should know that

a) Golfing is NOT exercise, it's an activity
b) Cardio and strength training are two completely different things and
c) just because it's “low fat” does not mean you can eat more.

But what really floored me earlier today is when I met a new client and she gave me a blank stare when I said the term Eating Clean. I was aghast.

Eating clean isn't rocket science (none of it is really); it's just basic common sense. Eating food in its most natural state i.e. an apple off the tree as opposed to apple sauce gives you the biggest bang for your buck when it comes the way nature intended. Once you start messing with it, you also change the nutritional breakdown as well as your body's ability to absorb it. Bet you didn't know that an apple turned into apple sauce loses approximately 50% of its fibre. Turn it into juice and there's practically nothing left. I once heard on a weight loss show that juice was just “pop with vitamins”.

Well said.

If your food comes out of a box, through a drive up window or is delivered to your door, there is a pretty good chance (99.9%) that it's not clean. More “dirty” in that it is filled with stabilizers, chemicals, toxins and all the other lovely things that cause our children to not only bounce off walls (and one another) but have also been linked to other health related conditions, diseases and learning disorders. Colours, texturizers and other fillers are all used to improve the look and appeal of food. This is great if you want to look like a big orange pumpkin and feel like a marshmallow. Doesn't sound very “appealing” to me.

Tosca Reno, the creator of the Eating Clean books and lifestyle is a result of her own words. A 40 year old overweight, unhappy, divorced mom, she knew she had to do something but she loved food too much. So instead of depriving or starving herself, she decided to go back to the “roots” of food – literally. Making all of her own food, growing it in her backyard but enjoying her food all the same. The result? Well after adding exercise to her life and taking control, the young 52 year old is an award winning fitness competitor, author and speaker.

Now you may not want to be a fitness model or write a series of books but I bet you want to feel and look better to a certain degree. It all goes back to the same old saying, “you are what you eat” because you actually are. There's a reason why you feel bloated and tired after a Big Mac and fries. You put crap in and all you'll get is crap coming out.

Nuff said.