5 Simple Tips to Ease Into a Cleaner Diet

5 Simple Tips to Ease Into a Cleaner Diet

"Eat food. Most plants. Not too much." (Michael Pollan, Food Rules, 2009)

1. Cut back on take out. Shop for fresh ingredients and make your own meals. You'll be doing yourself a huge favor! Fast food is full of unhealthy fats, sodium and sugar. There are also preservatives and other chemicals that our bodies can do without.

2. Learn to read labels. "Avoid food products containing ingredients a third grader cannot pronounce" (Michael Pollan, Food Rules, 2009). Skip anything with high fructose corn syrup, flavor enhancers, flavorings or artificial colors. Keep it simple when buying processed food and make sure it has 5 or less ingredients.

3. Stop drinking calories. Sugary drinks, sodas, and juices are full of sugar. They serve no nutritional purpose and they are nothing but empty calories. Reach for water to quench your thirst.

4. Eat more vegetables. Fill up on veggies. Eat them with every meal. Reach for dark leafy greens (organic when possible) like spinach and kale. Eat a rainbow a day. The fiber in these is what makes and keeps you full. Great for digestion too!

5. Stop buying unhealthy food. "Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself" (Michael Pollan, Food Rules, 2009).