White Rice

White rice is created by removing the bran and germ portions of brown rice. The consequence of the refining process includes loss of fiber, vitamins, magnesium and other minerals. More than 70% of rice eaten in the U.S. is white. White rice has a higher glycemic index than brown rice creating spikes in blood glucose levels. Clean up your diet by consuming whole grains rather than refined carbohydrates such as white rice.

Too Much Sugar

According to consumer reports Americans today consume 15 percent more added sugars than they did 25 or so years ago. Over that same time, the percentage of overweight or obese adults has grown from 47 to 66 percent. Maybe we're starting to see a trend here.

Refined Sugar

Refined sugar added to our diets has caused weight gain in the American population. According to the American Heart Association, soft drinks are the largest source of added sugars. If you want to lose weight, cut out added sugars by not drinking liquid calories and avoid sweetened food products like candy, sweetened cereals, and cookies. Sugar(s) may be our biggest enemy in the fight against obesity!

Low Fat - No Fat Bull Crap

On every grocery store shelf you see "no fat" and "low fat" on most of the products. But are we gaining weight or losing weight? I won't bore you with the obvious answer to that question. So maybe the problem is not the fat in the food we eat, maybe the problem is the extra sugar and sodium used to make that low fat/no fat food taste better. America - we are deceiving ourselves and our waistlines are proof.

Eating Clean

We are not just about Eating Clean. A lot of sites promote eating clean. We are also about Eating Lean. You can eat clean and still gain weight. Many people consider what they eat as "healthy" and it probably is. But they still gain weight. Eating "healthy" doesn't necessarily mean you are eating "lean". More to come . .

Breakfast

According to the nutrition label of a popular breakfast cereal for kids, a cup and a half serving contains the equivalent of 5 teaspoons of sugar and 400 mg of sodium. Processed, sweet cereal is quick and easy but in 10 minutes or less you could scramble an egg, toast a piece of whole wheat bread and fix hot oats. Add some fruit and they have a healthy breakfast that will stick with them until lunch.

It Works

It's working for me and it can work for you. I started Eating Clean Eating Lean at 225 and have dropped below 200 for the first time in many, many years. 199 and heading down to my ideal weight of 195. Join the movement and change the diet you're on. Together we can whittle Americans down to the size they need to be without hunger,diets and heat stroke causing work-outs.

YOU CAN DO IT

You can lose 1-2 lbs every week or so by changing your diet and doing some physical activity each day. Eat fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats like chicken and turkey along with fish. For snacks eat nuts, seeds and fruit. Avoid processed food. Eat at least 5 times a day in reasonable quantities. You don't have to join a gym, but you do need to walk, bike, swim, or at least work in your yard each day. YOU CAN DO IT!

Train Your Children to Eat Well

You can train a child to eat the right things and establish a pattern that will keep them healthy throughout their lives. Don't give in to fast food because it's convenient for you. Make a sandwich with whole wheat bread and lean chicken or turkey breast. Keep sunflower seeds, nuts, and fruit handy for munching. Parents need to provide nutritional direction, not give in because you don't have the time to be healthy.

Hungry?

A diet that leaves you hungry is destined to fail. Hunger is one of our strongest drives. We cannot do without food. Our bodies store calories as fat when it experiences constant hunger. When we are hungry we crave and eat the wrong things. Look around you, America; diets obviously don't work. Don't be on a diet, change the diet you're on. If you eat the right things you don't need to be hungry.

Eating Clean

The key to eating clean - eating lean is to eat more than three meals a day. Being hungry causes you to let your guard down and eat things that are not healthy. By eating good meals of lean protein and complex carbohydrates and snacks including fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts you stay full longer and empower your body to perform at the highest level.

Digestive disorders?

Digestive disorders? Not a very nice subject to talk about but many of those issues can be resolved with the proper eating habits. No laxatives or other functional enhancers should be necessary when eating a diet that includes plenty fresh fruit and veggies. Your body will work naturally if you provide the fuel it needs to function properly. Eat clean - rid your body of the toxins from processed foods and chemicals.

Subway

Best bet for a quick sandwich for lunch - Subway: The 6-inch oven-roasted chicken, turkey breast, and ham sandwiches have about 300 calories and less than 5 grams of fat. Skip the chips and soda.

Granola

Granola is tricky. Although the name is practically synonymous with healthy, some types contain a startling amount of sugar and sodium per serving. Don't assume everything "granola" is healthy. Be sure to read the nutrition information on the package AND take into consideration the serving size.

Whole Grain Bread - Or Not?

Are you buying whole grain bread and thinking you are eating healthy? While “whole grain” sounds good, some breads don't have nearly the amount of heart-healthy whole grains as others. Look for labels that say “100% whole grain.” Be sure to read the label carefully and not be duped by slick marketing tactics.

Biking

Biking for as little as five minutes a day can help women minimize weight gain as they enter middle age, especially if they're overweight to begin with, a new study suggests.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/28/study.biking.weight/index.html

Have A Sandwich

Everyone enjoys a good sandwich. Pick whole-wheat (a 6-inch roll or the equivalent, or a wrap), then add lean turkey or grilled chicken, and as many vegetable toppings as you can pile on without the whole thing collapsing. Be sure to skip the high fat mayonnaise--just one little packet of mayo adds about 80 calories and 9 grams of fat; add tangy oil and vinegar or spicy mustard instead.

Farmer's Harvest

This is the absolute perfect time of year to Eat Clean Eat Lean. Fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available locally and in season. Blueberries are great on your bran cereal or steel cut oats in the mornings. Fresh corn, on and off the cob, fresh butter beans, peas and string beans are abundant this year. Great year for the farmers and great time for all those that like to Eat Clean Eat Lean.

Salads

Keep in mind that just because something's called a "salad" doesn't mean it's clean or lean. Salads piled high with fried chicken, globs of creamy dressing, croûtons and cheese can pack as many calories as a Whopper or Big Mac. Stay with lean meats like grilled chicken, tuna, or turkey in your salad and take your low-fat dressing on the side to save some of those unnecessary calories.

Gotta have pizza?

At least go for fresh veggies (broccoli, peppers, extra tomatoes, onions, olives) ONE large slice of a New York-style pizza can have more than 500 calories and 20 grams of fat. Ask for the pie to be sliced into 16 small slices, rather than 8 large ones. And skip the pepperoni, sausage, and meatball toppings, which can add gobs of sodium and saturated fat.

Beetroot Juice

Need to reduce your blood pressure? A study, published online in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, found that blood pressure was lowered within 24 hours in people who drank beetroot juice. According to the study, beetroot juice and nitrate capsules are equally effective in lowering blood pressure indicating that it is the nitrate content of beetroot juice that underlies its potential to reduce blood pressure.

Who would call this coffee?

Starbucks' Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Creme with whipped cream - One 16-ounce Grande: 510 calories; 19g fat, 11g saturated; 59g sugar; 300mg sodium. Your best bet is a regular cup of coffee without all the bells and whistles.

Pop-Tarts

Pop-Tarts, a convenient breakfast food, report nutrition information for one serving, but each package contains two—and is impossible to reseal. Eat both in the package of the brown sugar cinnamon variety, and this breakfast delivers a quarter of your daily limit for fat, and more than half your added sugar for the day. Two pastries: 420 calories, 16g fat, 26g sugar, 66g carbs.

Nutrition Information

Many food packagers use the old trick in which the nutrition information on the label is based on a serving size, but the container contains multiple servings-leaving you to do the math. VitaminWater is a good example - each bottle contains 2.5 servings of the sugar-sweetened water, so a whole bottle delivers 33 grams of sugar (almost as much as a can of Coke). That’s a lot of calories when plain water could do the trick. One bottle (2.5 servings) of the Charge flavor: 125 calories, 32.5g sugar.

Sweeteners

People continually ask about "healthy" sweeteners. There really is no such thing. Here is a link to a nutrition blog about Agave Nectar which we use because it supposedly has less of a glycemic impact. The best choice as far as sweeteners go - avoid them if you want to lose weight.



http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2009/04/agave-hype.html

Breakfast

Breakfast - you need it to get your metabolism in high gear. Try steel cut oats topped with blueberries (now in season) or other seasonal fruit along with a piece of whole wheat toast. The most important breakfast decision you can make - eat clean at home before leaving and skip the fast food drive-though.

Quick Fruit Salad

Concentrate on all the good things you can eat to keep your weight in check, not the things you shouldn't eat. Fresh fruits in season are a great snack and addition to your meals. Cut up some fresh grapes, bananas, and an apple and mix a few sunflower seeds in a bowl. Add a touch of low-cal mayo or just orange juice for a delicious, easy to make fruit salad.

Calories

Calories are not necessarily a bad thing. A calorie is simply a measurement of the energy value in food. You need calories to fuel your body's systems. However, calories not burned for fuel may be stored as fat, causing you to gain weight. So a balanced intake of calories versus the amount of calories you expend on a daily basis is necessary.

Exercise

"We don't quit exercising because we grow old, we grow old because we quit exercising." Dr. Kenneth Cooper

Sugar Consumption

Americans consume an average of 22 teaspoons of sugar per day by the consumption of many sugar filled foods and drinks. If you could cut that amount in half or more, you will lose weight!