I've adopted the phrase Eating Clean from Tosca Reno who I greatly admire. It was while reading an article written by her in the Costco Connection that things clicked in my head and I knew I had to change. I guess you could say it was my "Aha moment." The following is an excerpt from the article that I read. These words were the inspiration to our lifestyle change.
"We live in a go, go, go world where time and money are often valued more than health and happiness. More than two-thirds of us are overweight or obese, and that number is growing. We are the first generation whose children have shorter life expectancies than our parents.
We need to change the way we eat. At my lowest point, I knew I needed to take back control of my own life. It wasn't easy, but I lost my extra weight and found a new love in weight training. Through the instruction of my coach (who is now my husband), I started eating clean.
Eating clean is eating the way nature intended us to by choosing foods that are whole, fresh, and naturally free from chemicals, preservatives, unhealthy fats and additives. It's eating foods that our bodies evolved to thrive on: lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. This combination can keep you slim, energetic and beautiful, on the outside and the inside....
You can start eating clean by taking inventory of what's in your kitchen and pantry. Processed foods, snacks and sweets, juices, soft drinks, bear and white foods such as white pasta, bread and rice have all got to go. These should be replaced by lean proteins such as chicken, beans, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains such as oatmeal and brown rice, and whole grain wraps and pitas."
In other words Nature does not intend for us to eat most of the foods we're eating today. Before reading this article, I honestly had never thought of that before. I was just trying to feed my family. Suddenly I was dying to get rid of all the crap in my kitchen and load up on foods God would want me to eat.
