Whatcha Eating?

A common misconception, I've found, is that folks think that, as a Beachbody Coach, I eat twigs and berries.  They also think I will swat food OUT OF YOUR HAND if it doesn't fit into a particular category---ie. CLEAN eating.  Neither is true.  Nope.  They're not.

What IS true is that I do try my very best to eat as cleanly as possible.  Which, NO, does not mean that I can eat Oreos that fall on the floor if I've scrubbed said floor within the past 30 minutes.  Nice try. 

Before I became a Coach, I really didn't know much about eating clean.  I mean, at least not in the sense that I was aware of exactly what I was doing/striving to do.  But I've learned, over time, what clean eating really means---and, more importantly, why it matters.

These visuals helped me a good bit as I was getting started.  I'd MUCH prefer to see lists of things I can/should eat vs. lists of forbidden items.  Sure, it's helpful now and then to see that other list and make sure I'm avoiding items as much as possible, but I would really rather focus on what I can eat.  Feels less like I'm missing out this way.  Sure, it's mental---but isn't a lot of stuff "all in our heads" anyway?

Working FT for the American Heart Association, I find that I'm working in this type of information on a daily basis.  That's a huge reason why Coaching is so appealing to me; the two fit together quite nicely.  Often, as I work with corporations to establish wellness programs, I discuss the importance of healthy eating habits.  Notice I didn't say DIET>>>deliberately.  Even though the word diet doesn't have to mean starvation etc., again, I prefer to focus on (okay, split hairs!) establishing good, sustainable, healthy eating habits.  Maybe it's even in how we talk and think about things that will drive the changes we so need to make as a society.  But this isn't about getting on a soapbox.  It's about helping to explain and encourage clean eating.


In addition to the 80/20 rule shown on the graphic to the left, there's also evidence that suggests that healthy eating accounts for about 80% of maintaining/achieving a healthy weight.  Exercise making up the other 20%.  Recently, I read a blurb about distance runners often having higher cholesterol than non-runners; the odd finding, researchers suggest, indicates that runners might have the "I can eat whatever/however I want because I run" mentality.  An interesting school of thought...and one we've probably all fallen into from time to time.  "I went to the gym 2 times this week and I'm hitting a spin class tomorrow morning.  Heck yeah I'm going to eat half a pizza!"



I cannot and will not lie; I am probably a little further away from the 80/20 rule than I should be.  And how do I know this?  It's not just about surveying and inventorying my cabinets.  It's about paying very close attention to how I feel when I eat.  Being 37 weeks pregnant, my workouts have been less intense and more sporadic--something that, in and of itself, takes some getting used to--which allows me to invest more energy being aware of the sluggish feeling that kicks in when I overdo it on pretzels.  Or the energy I get when I whip up a fresh fruit smoothie with tons of ice and water.  Too often, we eat when we should be fueling our bodies; I do not believe the two are the same thing.

Another graphic I like is this one.  Again, putting the emphasis on what TO buy rather than what NOT to buy.  Happily, many of these things are/were mainstays on our list anyway. So that's nice reinforcement.  What this list doesn't say, that the next graphic does, is how to properly read labels.  KEY KEY KEY in eating clean.  In a perfect world. most of what you'll buy doesn't have a label (produce, nuts etc.) but when you're choosing, choose wisely.

I hope these two graphics provide some insight as to the proper way to read a label, what to look for, what to avoid, and how to understand what exactly is printed on that product. 

Bottom line, clean eating is a way of life--not a crazy fad that'll leave as quickly as it arrived.  Clean eating is something I strive for and encourage others to as well.  It pays dividends and is immensely helpful in living your healthiest life.  I won't get into too many specifics about how that relates to heart health, but I can assure you, they're more inextricably linked than you might imagine.