What I Learned From a Month of Clean Eating
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you choose to click through and make a purchase. All comments and suggestions are my own. Since I am not a healthcare professional, please make sure to always seek the advice of your doctor before following a new diet or workout regimen.
“Health is not about the weight you lose. It’s about the life you gain.” -Anonymous
The Story
I think most of us can say that at some point in our lives, we made the decision to be healthier. Whether it was a New Year’s resolution or we pulled out our favorite jeans from our dresser only to realize they were WAY tighter than you remember, we have all been there, sweet friend. And time and time again, I would start a workout plan with all the great intentions only to find myself falling off with feelings of shame and regret.
For most of us, 2020 was a year full of stress, unknowns, and chaos. And we all jumped in on the proclamation that 2021 would not be anything like its predecessor. So when I decided that I would formulate a “healthier living” plan for the new year, I had no clue that in January I would contract COVID-19 and ALL of my plans would be, in a word, delayed.
In the past, if things didn’t go 100% as planned, I would have bailed. I would have easily chalked it up to bad timing or an excuse for me to try again next month when my life was less busy. But I honestly felt like this time, God was telling me that I had no other choice. It was time to change my lifestyle.
You see before I was stuck at home in quarantine, I was browsing books at my local library a couple of weeks prior. I came across a table labeled, “New Arrivals.” Normally I pass this table without a thought. But as I was hurriedly moved past it with an already armful of books, something caught my eye: The Clean Plate: Eat, Rest, Heal by Gwyneth Paltrow.
Clean eating? Yeah, that doesn’t sound fun.
The idea of “clean eating” sounded daunting. But still. If you know anything about me, I have a very hard time saying no to a shiny new book, so I added it to my pile and headed toward the checkout line.
Fast forward, I was feeling horrible and down for the count. COVID knocked me on my butt and zapped every bit of energy within me. I had no clue what extreme fatigue and shortness of breath really felt like until I was on day 10 and I was struggling to do common tasks around the house. It worried me. Like, REALLY worried me. I began thinking, ‘How long will I be this way?’ So many of us hear horror stories of people taking months to recover. And I just felt that I didn’t want that to be my situation. Or my story.
But before anxiety overwhelmed me, I saw it there on my bedroom floor. The cookbook that I casually picked up at my library. And I felt it. Wait, let me be honest here. I HEARD it. God was telling me it was time. It was right there on the cover. ‘Eat, Reset, HEAL.’ I wanted to heal. I didn’t care about how many calories I was eating a day or whether or not I could look as skinny as I was in my 20s (good luck, right?). I just wanted to feel stronger, have the energy I desperately needed to keep up with my business and my sweet family, and just feel really good.
So I talked it over with the hubby. I let him know that I was planning on doing one of the cleanses from the cookbook and I just wanted to see if this was the change I needed to feel better. And to my surprise, my “meat, dairy, and bread-loving” hubby was all on board for giving it a go.
The Plan
After doing a bit of research, I formulated a plan that I wanted to execute for at least a week. Just a quick reset to get my body feeling good again.
The plan included the following:
I would remove gluten, dairy, red meat, coffee, refined sugars, nightshades (e.g. eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes), and alcohol from my diet.
I would plan our meals on Saturday night and then place our grocery delivery order (thank goodness for Instacart) to be delivered on Sunday. Groceries would come in and I would prep snacks, cut veggies, make cleaner salsas/condiments, and prepare chicken stock for the entire week.
I made a plan to work out (PiYo workouts, which are a combination of pilates and yoga) 6 days a week.
Water and tea would be my beverages of choice.
And, my favorite part, I would not count a SINGLE CALORIE. I would not cut out carbs or natural sugars. But I would be wiser at where the source of those carbs, sugars, fats, and caffeine were coming from.
Lessons Learned
The plan was for one week. But one week turned into two. Two weeks to three. And three weeks to four. And before I knew it an entire month had passed and I had no intentions of stopping.
In short, I felt absolutely amazing. I began to realize that light exercise on a regular basis and eating cleaner, wholesome, organic foods that were less refined had COMPLETELY transformed my body. I was lighter (7 lbs down) and had more energy than I have ever had in the past 7 years of my life. I was also experiencing fewer mood swings and my cravings for multiple cups of coffee, sweets, junk food, and bread were pretty much non-existent.
Here are some lessons I have learned from the past month of clean eating:
It is much easier to follow a healthier lifestyle the more you educate yourself. The more I knew about what food replacements that I could eat, the more excited I was to get creative in the kitchen. My love for cooking was back!
Dates are my secret weapon to fight sweet tooth cravings. I put them in everything: smoothies, oatmeal, my fruit, and snacks.
Organic foods just looked and tasted better than the others. It is said that we eat with our eyes and if that is the case, then organic is definitely the way to go. But since the bill can be rough on our wallets, we made the decision to be a bit choosy. For us, I always went with organic chicken and fresh fruits, veggies, and herbs.
Tea is my best friend for fighting the coffee kick. And since there are an endless amount of tea combinations out there with varying levels of caffeine, you can for sure find one that fits your tastebuds and gives you the benefits you are looking for. My faves are matcha green, ginger-turmeric, and black bee pollen teas.
Fitting in more water consumption is a pain in my rear end. Frequent bathroom trips make errands and busy days difficult.
Eating out right now is quite the challenge. Frequently, I would struggle to find items on the menu that would fit my needs, but still pack a flavor punch. The one or two times I did eat out, I still ended up coming home and craving something that I made from the fridge.
tips for success
Are you ready for a healthier lifestyle? Here are some of my personal tips for you:
Get both an exercise plan and a cookbook that you love! Let me just say this. I am not the kind of gal who loves to do any high-energy jumps or pump iron. It’s just not my thing to workout to the point of sheer exhaustion. So I knew that PiYo would work best for me. And when it came to food, Gwenyth Paltrow’s cookbook was such a good fit, because so many of its recipes were easy to follow and were amazingly flavorful. The perfect combination for a busy mama and a family of food lovers.
If you choose to eliminate things from your diet, focus on what you can have and not what you cannot. The key to this one is finding out what your food weaknesses are and researching healthier substitutions. For example, the first week I was craving sweets pretty bad. But having a batch of the Cacao Date Truffles from Paltrow’s book in the fridge saved me. Throughout the week if I wanted something sweet, I would grab a truffle. And since I was also eliminating coffee, a latte made with dandelion tea, almond milk, coconut oil, and cacoa powder is super helpful for those who are trying to kick their “cup of joe” habits.
Have an accountability partner or get your family in on it. The rule in the house is that no one has to follow the strict eliminations that I am (the hubby chooses to keep his coffee but follows me on everything else) BUT they do have to at least try out what I am making for dinner. Now, I know what you are thinking. There is no way my family or kids would ever be down for cleaner eats. Well, are you 100% sure about that? And who says you have to tell them what is really in that taco they’re eating (*cough* beets *cough, cough*)?
In our house, we have something called the “three-bite rule” (inspired by our little one’s favorite children’s book character, Pete the Cat). When you are faced with something new, you must try it three times before you can proclaim that you do not like it. And would you believe that after a full month of clean eating dinners every night, there was only ONE dish that my 4-year-old was not down with? But you better believe he had three bites before he called it quits. After that, he was rewarded with a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Just check out the pictures from all of the great eats I have made this past month and tell me that those don’t look yummy?!
And lastly…
Your “why” must be much deeper than what you see on the surface. Let’s be real. If you are reading this with the sole purpose of making the numbers on the scale go down, then your chances of sticking to a plan are slim. For me, it had more to do with gaining energy and putting forth the effort at being the best mom, wife, friend, and business owner I could possibly be. It meant taking the time to take care of the body that GOD GAVE ME. This vessel was on loan with the sole purpose to live out God’s plan for me and those I loved most. And for so long I squandered and took my body for granted. So, I promised Him, this time, I just wouldn’t. I would see it as He sees it. Precious and worth taking care of.
So sweet friend, I want to close out by saying this. Please understand that I am not perfect. I will not follow this new healthier lifestyle 100% of the time. I can already foresee that I will crave a slice of pepperoni pizza or a chocolate chip cookie in my future. And if I want to bring back dairy or gluten every now and then, I will. Is it bad for me to be kind to myself, display a bit of grace, and just eat a slice of cake? No way! But what I do know is that the way I feel now has been the best I have felt in a very long time. And that feeling and sense of empowerment that comes from taking care of the body that God gave me, completely trumps any thoughts of returning back to what my unhealthy habits once were. So yes, eat the cake. And yes, enjoy food. But just remember that food was meant to energize, heal, and nourish. It was never meant to fill voids in ourselves that only the Lord can truly fill.
Here’s to you. And cheers to a journey to a healthier lifestyle!
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