Clean Eating- A Modern Diet With Old Wisdom !

Clean Eating

Clean Eating- A Modern Diet With Old Wisdom !

Clean Eating- A Modern diet with old wisdom!

Met an old friend on a Friday night bash!

My friend:- Oh! I have eaten a lot today, no workout too! I may have to skip my lunch tomorrow. Else how can I make up for this indulgence? “

I wondered and laughed in my heart that she had almost forgotten about the number of glasses she had poured in. I also thought that according to her logic if she counts those then she can’t eat food for the whole next day to compensate for the sin, she has committed.

I gave her peck for her innocence and yes this post is dedicated to other fitternity members who should know what to eat and how to eat. It is a known fact that “30 % of the gym and 70 % of diet”.

“Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.”

Weight loss is a word which is very close to my heart. This is my second journey towards the same goal, now of course it is the postpartum weight!Thanks to my all day home(read as study and TV) and  no play attitude in my childhood days! I am blessed with a metabolism of a buffalo and to speed it up yes! I exercise. It is indeed my way of life today. I miss cycling as I never enjoyed the ride in my high school days. I want to relive my childhood back again by an hour of outdoor activity. Sounds like a child!? I know but I love to.

Many people suggest fad diets and yes the internet mommies like me are very vulnerable to those illusions. GM diet, Keto Diet, Whole thirty, Paleo, many more fantastic names to enlist here. I have tried a few only to realise that I was in great health when I was eating from my mother’s kitchen. Infact, when I read about “CLEAN EATING” I was about to close the window until I realised that it is the same way of living which our mother and grandmother fed us with. Not digging too deep  into the subject but I outline the basics of Clean Eating!

Eating clean is not something to be defined but here are a few basics.It is a change in lifestyle which can itself yield a transformation.

So let us know what are those simple sustainable changes:-

  1. Do not fall prey to shortcuts diets while you are on the making of fitter selves.Don’t lose faith as the results take time.
  2. Eat frequent small meals:- The idea is not to starve yourself and then fall into the trap of bigger portion to satisfy the loud hunger. Three big meals and two-three small fillers are great to go. Frequent eating also boosts up your metabolism.
  3. Balanced diet and Portion Control:- A balanced diet means incorporating the goodness of carbohydrates(the complex the better), the lean protein , the good fat (Yes! Fat is good to mobilise other fat from the body) and the fibres in correct proportion, in addition to the various vitamins and minerals. Portion control comes with mindful eating. Curb the distractions while you take your food.
  4. Avoid processed and refined foods:- However tempting and easy it may look. Always bank on the whole grains, nuts, legumes and pulses instead.
  5. Patch up with good fat:- It is a misconception that fat is all bad. Good fat is essential for the body as much as any other nutrients.
  6. Drink two-three litres of water every day:- We humans often confuse thirst with hunger and then gulp on those extras.

Remember the more consistent you are, the more consistent are the results. A journey to a fitter world can’t be achieved without consistency and sustainable changes.

 

Snehal Joshi
mugdhaaa@gmail.com

Snehal is a Certified Nutrition Coach by National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is writing about her persuits of Nutrition Science since last 4 years.

25 Comments
  • Shipra Trivedi
    Posted at 14:31h, 03 April

    Very insightful post. Shortcuts never work and without mindfulness, we can’t have a healthy eating habit. Please check my ‘C’ post here (Theme-Indian Spices): http://www.vibhuandme.com/2018/04/c-for-cinnamon-god-of-spices.html

    • admin
      Posted at 14:50h, 03 April

      Thank you shilpa.

  • Snehalata jain
    Posted at 15:54h, 03 April

    So me too after eating in marriage feels the same but being a foodie i cant stop binging on food

    • admin
      Posted at 05:42h, 04 April

      Hope you choose wisely. That is what clean eating all about.

  • Susanne Matthews
    Posted at 19:00h, 03 April

    Great post. Sadly, almost all diets rely on nuts as a protein and I’m deadly allergic to all nuts and legumes, especially peanuts. I try but it’s always one step forward, two steps back.

    • admin
      Posted at 05:44h, 04 April

      You can also try lentils. If you are a non-vegetarian then you have plenty of options. 🙂

    • admin
      Posted at 05:45h, 04 April

      If you are a non-vegetarian then you have plenty of options. But yes vegetarians and vegan people have limited options.

  • Roy A. Ackerman, PhD, EA
    Posted at 19:15h, 03 April

    Good luck on your journey.
    I’m off to swim a mile. (That’s part of mine.)

    • admin
      Posted at 20:50h, 03 April

      Wow! I envy you. I don;t know to swim 🙂 Would love to know your journey too.

  • Barb
    Posted at 19:28h, 03 April

    A well written post that sounds like a conversation around the (Easter/Passover) table! You mentioned good fats. Can you give some examples or recommendations here.

    • admin
      Posted at 20:48h, 03 April

      Hey Barb!

      Yes any celebration is always associated with food! Thanks for reading between the lines… Good fat means the goodness of ghee/clarified butter and the crunchy groundnuts, the sunflower seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds etc.. More about it in the upcoming blogs.

  • Tammy Fuller
    Posted at 22:29h, 03 April

    A good reminder to eat natural whole foods.

    • admin
      Posted at 05:50h, 04 April

      Thank you Tammy. It is the way we all grew up.

  • Jeanine Byers
    Posted at 01:41h, 04 April

    Good advice about how to eat clean! It does remind me of the way I ate growing up, for the most part. I need to get back to smaller meals. Doing that was transformational. But tbh, that would mean getting up earlier, and eating 2 dinners instead of one. Breakfast & lunch are easier to eat light, for some reason. but our big meal is dinner. I am not sure I could handle a second dishwashing extravaganza.

    • admin
      Posted at 05:47h, 04 April

      Heavier dinner is the way of life in India for most of the people. That is the time when we are back home and together. Can have food leisurely. 2 hours before going to bed is the best option for having dinner in case you don’t want to have 2 dinners. 🙂

  • Cheryl Sterling
    Posted at 04:51h, 04 April

    There are no shortcuts to good health. We are i a 97% plant based lifestyle (we still like some chicken and fish, but no more than once a week. We feel good and have no illnesses. I wish more people would stop looking for a magic pill and use common sense in their diet.

    • admin
      Posted at 05:50h, 04 April

      Wow! 97% that is great. So nice to know. No illness is the cherry on the cake. 🙂 Thank you Cheryl

  • Kristin Lohmeyer
    Posted at 05:53h, 04 April

    I’m working on cutting out a majority of processed foods from our diet and eating smaller, more frequent meals. Definitely a good reminder that you can shortcut your way to losing weight…it’s going to come back and bite you in the end haha. Very good advice – thanks for this post!

    • admin
      Posted at 06:26h, 04 April

      Thank you for dropping by and commenting.:)

  • Elisa
    Posted at 06:52h, 04 April

    I’m really enjoying your posts and I think that at some point I’m going to get motivated enough to try something new to my routine. My NY resolution was to be a healthier me – but the whole process is very overwhelming to me. You just might be what I’ve been looking for. Keep up the good work! 🙂

    • admin
      Posted at 06:54h, 05 April

      Thank you so much Elisa. I hope to motivate you further.

  • Shelly Maynard
    Posted at 08:23h, 04 April

    Great post and tips! I have started working on drinking more water and trying not to skip meals. During the summer and winter, we do really well eating regularly and choosing good foods. Everything goes downhill when we get busy with sports with the kids.

    • admin
      Posted at 10:40h, 04 April

      I understand and the story is the same here. I have to super plan to keep things in place when there are events, exams or family functions. It is tough though.

  • Martha
    Posted at 06:43h, 05 April

    Great advice, while I don’t need to diet, I am trying to eat more healthy. I need to plan my meals a bit different so I will at least know what to prepare ahead of time.

    • admin
      Posted at 06:55h, 05 April

      Thank you, Martha, for dropping by. You really do not need to diet, just paying attention to what we are eating is more than enough. I am sure you are doing great. 🙂