6 ways to clean up your plate, improve your health and take back your life!
Want to clean up your diet and improve your health, but don’t know where to start? Try these easy tips to help you take ownership of your plate and your life!
The industries and companies making the majority of the foods we eat are focused more on their bottom line than they are your health. And so much of the food we’re sold is riddled with chemicals, pesticides, GMOs, hormones and unhealthy fats - all of which sends our bodies into overdrive, leading to weight gain, acne, inflammation, leaky gut, autoimmune issues and a myriad of chronic diseases.
If you’re experiencing any of these (or want to avoid them), it's time to take control of what's on your plate.
Here are six simple and easy ways to get there:
Buy Organic (At Least Some Of The Time). Pesticides and chemicals significantly increase your toxic load intake and can have seriously adverse health effects. If you can’t buy organic 100% of the time, don't worry - simply start by eliminating the EWG’s dirty dozen, a selection of twelve fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticides.
Buy Quality Meat (Or None At All). If you're going to eat meat, go grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic-free and limit your intake to just 1-2 times a week. If buying quality meat isn't an option, the next easiest option is to ditch it all together. There are plenty of clean protein options available on a plant-based diet.
Ditch Processed Foods. Highly processed foods so often contain unhealthy levels of added sugar, sodium and fat. Sure, these ingredients make food taste better, but consuming them can lead to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. These foods are also totally lacking in nutritional value.
Eat (Way) More Greens. At least half of your plate, at every meal, should be filled with fiber, and vitamin / mineral-rich vegetables - especially green ones, which have the highest amounts of iron, protein and antioxidants.
Say ‘No’ To Sugar. If there’s one thing we can all live (and thrive) without, it’s sugar. All sorts of diseases feed on it and it causes terrible inflammation throughout the body that damages virtually all of our organs. Every single one of us should be limiting our sugar intake to unrefined sugars only and less than 20-25 grams a day.
Get Interested In Getting Healthy. Educate yourself about adopting a healthy lifestyle - read blogs, try recipes, set intentions and goals. Like everything in life, the more interest you take in something, the more you will enjoy doing it.
Here’s what I love about this list:
First, it’s relatively easy to do. Even if you start with just one or two of these ideas, you’re doing a lot of great things for your health.
Each and every one of us also has the ability to get better as we continue on our journey and build on our good habits -
For instance, you may start by cutting out meat and exploring ways to get healthier. As you go, you may discover that you’re very capable of reducing or cutting out processed foods, so that may be what you do next.
Another thing I love about this list? It’s not rocket science. There should be no mystery in understanding what it is you have to do to get healthy! I’m not suggesting you count macros or calories, get your hands on hard-to-find ingredients, adhere to a particular diet or anything like that. These ideas are really simple, and most health experts agree that doing them will absolutely lead to more positive outcomes as they relate to your health.
Finally, if you can do these things, it won’t just help you avoid a life of discomfort and illness, but allow you to enjoy and benefit from having more energy, good gut health and greater immunity. It will also lead to a healthy body weight and image, higher levels of self-confidence and so much more. All the more reason to start taking more ownership of your plate… and your life.
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