The hardest part of eating clean is getting started. The second hardest part is the first grocery trip. I hope that the following tips and tricks will enable you to have a smoother first experience at the store. Remember to allow extra time to shop the first few times you go to the store after beginning a clean lifestyle. It is uber important that you read every nutrition label thoroughly. Click here for my tips to reading nutrition labels to determine if a food is clean.
Remember to first make a meal plan and shop only for the items on your list. You will save both time and money! Don’t be lead astray by the pretty packaging and fancy advertisements in the store. They are there to lead you astray! Stick to your plan and you’ll be on your way to a leaner and healthier body!
The base of a clean, whole foods diet are fruits and vegetables. Most of my time at the supermarket is spent in the Produce department. I just love the wide array of colors, flavors and smells. Delish! Remember that no clean meal is complete without at least one variety of fruit or vegetable.
Although, it’s best to have fruits and vegetables in your diet, wether they are conventional or organic. The following items enable you to get the best organic bang for your buck, as they are either on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen List or full of preservatives.
- Apple
- Celery
- Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries
- Peaches
- Leafy greens: Spinach, lettuce, kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, etc.
- Green Beans
- Nectarines
- Grapes
- Sweet bell peppers
- Potatoes
- Bananas
- Citrus fruits (lemons, oranges, grapefruits, etc.)
- Bottled lemon and lime juice (without additives, preservatives or sugar)
To keep you satisfied and your metabolism revving, couple a lean protein with a complex carbohydrate from fruits/veggies and/or starches.
- Pastured, local and/or organic poultry: skinless chicken breast, organic ground chicken breast, organic skinless turkey breast, organic skinless turkey tenderloin, organic ground turkey breast, whole chicken
- Wild or sustainably farmed fish: wild salmon, tilapia, cod, mahi mahi, ahi tuna, shrimp (not from Thailand)
- Game: elk and bison
- Organic grass-fed beef
- Organic egg whites + eggs
- Organic full fat dairy (preferably local and/or grass-fed): cottage cheese, full fat greek yogurt, kefir, milk, butter
- Unsweetened nondairy milk: almond, soy, hemp (avoid carageenan)
- Organic soy protein: organic sprouted tofu, gluten-free tempeh
- Natural, unsweetened protein powder
- Beans and legumes: adzuki, black, kidney, great northern, garbanzo/chickpeas, lentils, etc.
Whole grains and starchy carbs add bulk to your meals while giving your body loads of energy to perform your daily tasks and workouts. We pick up our whole grains in the bulk bins at Whole Foods or our local co-op, you can also find great deals online at Amazon, Azure Standard, iHerb and Vitacost.
- Oats*, gluten-free if necessary (groats, steel cut, bran and rolled/old fashioned)
- Buckwheat
- Quinoa (a great source of plant-based protein!)
- Teff
- Farro*
- Whole grain barley*
- Whole grain couscous*
- Whole grain cream of wheat*
- Wheat Germ*
- Millet
- Starches: sweet potatoes, organic potatoes, corn, squash
- Beans and legumes: black, kidney, great northern, garbanzo/chickpeas, lentils
*items are not gluten-free
Essential Fatty Acids will make your skin, hair and nails glow along with keeping you satisfied for longer. Do not fear healthy fats, I enjoy a serving at least 3 times per day.
- Wild salmon, grass-fed beef, game meats, organic chicken thighs and legs
- Extra virgin olive oil, unfiltered and cold pressed flax oil, cold pressed hemp oil
- Coconut butter, organic extra virgin coconut oil
- Raw, unsalted nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, macadamias, walnuts, pumpkin, sunflower, etc.)
- Nut and seed butter that is free of oil, sugar and salt (almond, sunflower, cashew, etc.)
- Avocado
- Ground flaxseed meal, chia seeds