Grocery List

Ah the infamous grocery list... It's honestly necessary if you want to go to the store and not sabotage your diet. Even better though, a meal plan with a grocery list.

If you are looking for an easy, comprehensive, and totally doable meal plan, I seriously urge you to check out the Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno. She has so many great books on Amazon, and I follow the Eat Clean Diet Recharged! It's the back to the basics when it comes to nutrition.

Clean Eating

• Food consumed in its most natural state, or close to it--wholesome! From mother earth 
• Which means nothing processed.
• Fruits and veggies.
• Nuts, legumes, natural nut butters, nut oils. (no additives)
• Whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice. 
• Lean proteins. (chicken, ground turkey, fish, lean beef) Meats should be grass fed, free range! Free of chemicals and hormones. 
  

General rule of thumb for clean eating: If your great, great grandparents didn't eat it, you shouldn't either!

Complex Carbs

  Steel Cut Oats/Oatmeal

 Sweet Potatoes 

  Black Beans

  Kidney Beans

  Lentils

Ezekiel Bread --sprouted grain bread is always best

Ezekiel brand pasta and tortillas 

  Wild rice

  Brown rice

  Wehani rice

 Whole wheat orzo & couscous

  Quinoa

Quinoa flour

  Wheat germ

Flax seed &flax oil

Cracked wheat

  Rye flakes

Vegetables

lettuce

  Broccoli

  Asparagus

Green beans

  Spinach

Bell peppers

Brussels sprouts

  Cauliflower

  Celery

  Mushrooms (Shiitake)

  Pickles

  Cabbage

  Sprouts--MMM great on sandwiches 

  Cucumber

  Green and Red pepper

  Onions (green, red, yellow)

  Garlic

  Tomatoes

  Zucchini

  Squash

  Spaghetti Squash

  Pumpkin (fresh & canned)

  Sundried tomatoes 

  Okra

  Parnsips

  Cilantro

  Chives

  Kale

  Dried Split Peas

  Corn--organic and in moderation

  Edammame (frozen)

  Canned chickpeas

  Miso

  Leeks

Fruits

  Blueberries

  Raspberries

  Lime & lemon juice

  Apples

  Grapes

  Clementines

  Watermelon

pineapple

1/2 a banana a day

Melons 

Cantaloupe 

strawberries

frozen fruit for quick snacks 

Healthy Fats

  Natural-style Peanut butter (unsalted) or PB2

  Avocados

  Olive-oil cooking spray

  Pine nuts

  Almonds--moderation

  Walnuts

  Tahini paste

Proteins

  Boneless, skinless chicken breast

Water packed albacore 

  White meat chicken (water packed)

  Salmon

  Shrimp

  Extra lean ground round

  Buffalo steak (lean)

Filet

  Flank Steak (leanest)

  Extra lean ground turkey

  Turkey cutlets

  Bison meat

Turkey jerky

Dairy & Eggs

  Fat-free cottage cheese

  Eggs and/or Egg white Substitute

  Non-fat, plain yogurt

  Greek yogurt

  Fat-free String Cheese

  Almond Milk

  Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese

 Condiments

  Braggs Liquid Amino Acid (sub for soy sauce) 

  Reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce (no corn syrup)

  Balsamic Vinegar

  Balsamic vinaigrette

  Salsa

  Chili Paste

  Tomato Paste (low sugar)

  Stewed tomatoes (low sodium)

  Mustard (yellow or Dijon)

  Vanilla extract

  Almond extract

  Low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth

  Low-sodium, fat-free vegetable broth

  Reduced-sodium tomato sauce & tomatoes

  Worcestershire

  Olive-oil cooking spray

  Sugar-free applesauce

Herbs & Spices

  Chili powder

  Mrs. Dash

  McCormicks

  Cinnamon

  Allspice

  Basil

  Bay Leaf

  Onion Powder

  Garlic Powder

  Dill

  Chicken bouillion

  Ginger

  Sage

  Rosemary

  Paprika

  Thyme

  Oregano

  Curry Powder

  Red Pepper

  Dry Mustard

  Cumin

  Saffron

  Nutmeg

When getting ready for a event Tosca Reno has a stipped meal plan that is very effective in dropping body fat and leaning out.

I have found it most effective in planning my carbohydrates around my activity for the day! Think of food as fuel! I limit my fruit intake to before noon due to the simple sugars in it and at most 20grams of sugar a day! I will have fruit post workout or bb results and recovery formula. The results and recovery is high in carbs because you need simple carbs to start the recovery/myscle growth process. Following a hard workout, your body is severely depleted of glycogen and glucose.It is critical to get the carbs (and protein) to the muscle cells as fast as possible. As well, the elevated insulin levels will help to drive nutrients into the muscle cells. And again, high-glycemic carbs are best for this purpose.

I do not eat any simple or complex carbs after 4p. My body does not need it and it will just be stored as fat. I typically eat 100grams of carbohydrates a day and aim for my protein intake to be 125-150 

Eating for best long-term results

I get so many people who want to eat clean but don't know where to start.  How many servings a day!  What is a complex carb, is Corn a vegetable?  So hopefully this will clear the air just a bit!  Tosca Reno the author of the Eat Clean Diet calls her meal plans, cooler plans!  She has different cooler plans based on the type of results you want to get.  So today I am focusing on Cooler plan #2, which is for steady weight loss and maintenance once you goal weight is reached.  So this is basically the plan I stick to year round at this point!  This will give you a good idea of what to eat and when!

What is it?  This IS EATING CLEAN!  Do this year round for steady, healthy weight loss.  But this plan can also be used for maintenance.  Here's why:  when your body begins to approaching its set point (its genetically predetermined healthy weight) you will find that weight loss will stop or slow.

The occasional treat (glass of wine, piece of chocolate, ect) is permitted in limited amounts.  Unhealthy sugars and fats are not recommended.

How it works:
 Follow the eat clean principles as listed below

What to do:

• Eat more- eat six small meals each day.
• Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising.
• Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbs at each meal
• Eat sufficient (two to three servings) healthy fats every day.
• Carry a cooler packed with clean foods each day.
• Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.
• Adhere to proper portion sizes.

What to Avoid:

• Avoid all over-processed foods, particularly white flour and sugar.
• Avoid all chemically charge foods.
• Avoid foods containing preservatives.
• Avoid artificial sugars.
• Avoid artificial foods such as processed cheese slices.
• Avoid saturated and trans fats.
• Avoid sugar loaded beverages, including colas and juices.
• Avoid or do your best to limit alcohol intake.
• Avoid all calorie dense foods containing little or no nutritional value. I call these anti-foods.
• Avoid super sizing your meals.

Complex Carbohydrates from Fruit and Vegetables:
6 portions each day.  A portion is:

• 1 cupped handful or a piece of fruit such as berries, grapefruit, melon, apples and mangoes.
• 2 cupped handfuls of vegetables including broth based/vegetable puree soups.

Complex Carbohydrates from whole grains and starchy carbohydrates: 
2-4 portions each day.  A portion is:
1 scant handful of high-protein, sugar-free cold cereals, such as clean muesli or granola.
1 handful of cooked cereal
1 piece of whole grain bread or wrap (Sante Fe tortilla wraps from Costco are a great option)
1 handful sized serving of sweet potato, yam, banana, corn, carrots or squash

Lean Protein
6 portions each day.  A portion is:

• 1 cup or handful of dairy products such as low fat soy, almond, hemp, rice, or skim milk, cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt cheese or plain fat free sugar free yogurt.
• 1 scant handful of raw, unsalted nuts (also a healthy fat)
• 2 tablespoons of all natural nut butters such as almond or peanut butter (also a healthy fat).
• 1 palm sized portion of lean meats
• good quality, sugar- and chemical- free protein powder (hemp, soy or whey).

Beverages:

• 2-3 liters per day of fresh water with no sodium
• Clear herbal tea (unsweetened)
• Black coffee in moderation
• Green/Black tea

Sweeteners:  Use in moderation.  Avoid Artificial Sweeteners.

• Agave Nectar 
• Maple Sugar Flakes
• Rapadura Sugar

 

For more tips on what a typical day of eating looks like for me and how I prepare go to my meal planning page! 



Have a great day!


xoxox,

What Is Clean Eating

For those of you who know nothing about the Eat Clean lifestyle, here are the basic principles of the diet.

Here are the Eat Clean Principles:

1. Eat more. Eat six small meals each day. Space out two-and-a half to three-hour intervals.

Protein and complex carb at each meal with a big glass of water!

2. Eat breakfast everyday, within an hour of rising.

3. Make your last meal 3 hours before bed.

This one is personally very hard for me, but so far this week I haven't had my 3rd snack and I'm not starving!

4. Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal.

5. Eat sufficient healthy fats every day.

This is where I was going over board before. I was eating too many nuts and nut butter!

6. Drink two to three liters of water each day.

7. Carry a cooler packed with Clean foods each day.

8. Depend on fresh fruit and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.

9. Adhere to proper portion sizes.

10. Eat only foods that have not been overly processed or doused in chemicals, saturated and trans fats and/or toxins.

If you don't know what the ingredient is, don't eat it!

Portion Sizes

Protein- a proper portion of meat or any other protein is measured by what can fit into the palm of one hand.

Starchy Complex Carbohydrates- A proper portion of starchy carbs is measured by what can fit into one cupped hand.

Carbs from Fruits and Vegetables- A proper portion of complex carbohydrates from fresh produce is measured by what can fit into two hands cupped together.

Healthy Fats- A portion of healthy fats is one scant handful of nuts, or one to two tablespoons of healthy oil or nut butter.

Portion Size Guidelines:

For lean protein: you are allowed one palm sized portion at each meal.

Egg whites, lean turkey and chicken breast, lean pork, beans and legumes (in moderation), lean fish (tuna, salmon, trout, cod, halibut), shrimp, clams, mussels, bison and other game meats, hummus, quinoa, spirulina, sea vegetables, protein powder, tofu and tempeth.

Starchy Complex Carbohydrates: one or two cupped handfuls per day, divided between one or two meals.

Sweet potatoes, potatoes, radishes, beans and legumes, oats, brown rice, bananas, carrots, parsnips, bulgar wheat, teff and farro.

Complex Carbohydrates from Fruits and Vegetables: Two cupped handfuls at eat meal.

Apples, plums, berries, pears, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, asparagus, beets, leeks, spinach and other leafy greens (the darker the better), brussels sprouts, green beans, onions, sprouts, celery, watermelon, cherries, zucchini, fennel, oranges, limes, lemons and garlic.

Healthy Fats: One to two servings per day, divided between one or two meals.

flaxseed, nuts (almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds), natural nut butters, hummus, avocados, oils (sesame, coconut, olive, hazelnut, walnut and fish).

Other Allowable Foods: Coffee (black), caffeine free herbal teas, tamari, unsweetened soy, rice or almond milk, mustard, salsa, herbs and spices.