Another week to jump into!! Welcome back to more clean eating. Last week we talked about sugar and this week, as promised, I will talk about fat.

Back in the 1980's, fat was a dirty word and many fitness gurus and nutritionists were touting fat as the big bad wolf that was making us all fat. However, when people went to less fat and more carbs, we all starting getting even fatter. How could this be? I'm buying and eating all 'fat free' products therefore I shouldn't be fat. What happened was our bodies started turning all of the carbs into sugar in our system which stores very nicely, thank you. Also, many fat-free products are higher in sugar to enhance the taste (I mentioned this in last week's blog). So, now, we are told fat is good but only certain types. Here we go again!

First of all, run away from ALL margarines. I don't care who says it's 'heart smart' - run away!! Eating margarine is like eating plastic. Your body can't break it down because it's not natural. You are much better off eating butter but only in limited amounts. As most of us know, trans fats are not good for you. In fact, it's been proven that the more of this kind of fat you have, the more you want. It's addictive!

So, what's a good fat? Natural fats that haven't been chemically altered: olive oil, flax oil, nuts and avocados. These are fats that your body can not only easily break down but also use. These fats will  help to lower your cholesterol (LDL - that's the bad one that you want lowered!), aid digestion, good for hair, skin and nails. There are more benefits but I think that what we've seen here is sufficient for now. Another great fat is natural coconut oil. It used to be thought of as bad for us but is now touted as one of the best oils. This oil builds your immune system, has a postive effect on thyroid and blood sugar control. It also helps to increase digestion and aids in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins.

Here's a few ideas for using some of these oils you're not used to using:
I never liked avocados until my daughter lived with us and she was eating them all the time. She suggest I try a bite of her toasts where she used avocado as butter and I quite liked it! Another idea is spread avocado on some nice whole wheat crackers with a little bit of tomato and minced garlic on there - yum!!

Using coconut oil, you can use the oil in muffins or banana bread - it does have a little bit of a flavor but very nice in baked goods. Also, in stir fries, it leave a little bit of a coconutty flavor - very nice.

Try experimenting and go on line - there's all kinds of recipes and ideas out there.

Good Monday morning! Hope you are all ready to jump into your new week looking forward to adventures and finding ways to be in the moment.
Today, as promised last week, we are going to look at sugar. What's the deal there? You read again and again that sugar is bad for you. And yet, it is in almost everything we eat. The average Canadian consumes at least 15 teaspoons of added sugar everyday. 'Added' meaning that's it's already in the product that you are eating. This does not include the sugar that you are putting on your cereal or in your coffee.

So, why is sugar not good for us and why should we cut down? Here's the deal: sugar spikes our blood sugar making want to eat more. And corn syrup (which is added to EVERYTHING!) is addictive. And we wonder why we have so much trouble cutting down. Our food industry doesn't want us cutting out sugar because then we would no longer be lining up for those sugar-laden coffees or those fast food cravings. The words for sugar are many: glucose, fructose, malt syrup (sounds a little healthy, doesn't it? NOT!), corn syrup, dextrose and levulose. Of all of the additives in food, these sugars are the worst because they make us want more. Does that mean that the plain white table sugar is better for us? NO! Still totally stripped of any nutrients at all. If you really crave sweet, how about fruit?  Another alternative is a little unpasteurized honey or pure maple syrup - but just a little! 

Here's a breakfast that I often eat. It's like a decadent dessert but very filling and very sweet.

Donna's Decadent Delight!
I start by pulling out some frozen strawberries from the freezer (1/2 - 1 cup). I microwave them for about a minute. In the meantime, I pull out the oatmeal, greek yogurt and maple syrup. When the strawberries are thawed, I put the oatmeal in the microwave (also for about a minute but that depends on how you like it). While the oatmeal is cooking, I puree' the strawberries. Then when the oatmeal is done, I pour on the strawberries, scoop about 1/2 c of plain Greek yogurt and drizzle over about a tablespoon of pure maple syrup. So delicious!! The creamy goodness with the hot and cold mix - love it!! Not only is it absolutely scrumptious but it's so good for you. With the oatmeal and strawberries, you are getting great fibre and a great hit of protein from the Greek yogurt (18 grams per 3/4 cup!) and even a little bit of sweet with that pure maple syrup.

So the moral of this story, watch out for those bad sugars and wherever possible, avoid them. Remember to watch out for 'low fat' foods as well because they're usually laden with sugar making up for the lack of taste because of lack of fat. Speaking of fat, we'll talk about that next week. Until then, keep eating clean!!

Another Monday and we're jumping into our new week! Hurray!!
How did you all do on drinking more water last week? If you pick only one new thing per week, it definitely makes it more doable. Here's the deal with drinking more water. I have read many different studies on how much water we should drink and why but I think my favorite was a Scottish study that was such common sense, that is the one I go with. This study said that you could include milk, juice and tea in your water intake. Obviously you have to be a little more frugal with the milk and juice because you're also drinking calories with those two. The bottom line - the study was saying that liquid is liquid.

Another study I read said that for some of us, we are drinking too much water and it can actually put a strain on the kidneys.
So, 5 to 8 cups a day is great. Of course, if you're working out and sweating, you need to compensate for that. Also, if you drink a lot of coffee, you also need to drink a little more water. Coffee is dehydrating. (Alcohol is also dehydrating - good rule of thumb there is a glass of water for every drink).

One other thing I do recommend if you are looking to go 'clean' and want to feel better, try putting a little chlorophyll in your water first thing in the morning. Put about a table spoon of liquid chlorophyll in a large glass of water. It's a great cleanser of the blood and also builds the blood up. It also helps to aid digestion. You can buy chlorophyll at most health stores and it usually comes flavored with a bit of mint and is very pleasant to the taste.

So, for this next week, let's start looking at how much sugar we consume - including dressings and condiments. You will probably be surprised! Next week, we'll talk about sugar in the diet, why it's harmful, how much is okay and where we can cut back on it. Until then, keep thinking 'clean'!

Happy Monday to each of you! Here we are jumping into a new year - hopefully with vigor!

Some of you are probably sitting there, staring at your  screen and wondering how I even come up with the word 'vigor' when you feel like laying down and sleeping through January and February until spring and you feel some life flowing though your veins again. I sure hear that! It is difficult once Christmas and the holiidays are over to find your 'get up and go'. For most of us, it got up and went just after the holidays.

So, why is this blog entitled 'Eating Clean'? How is that going to help you to feel that vigor and excitement again? Well, without going into too much detail (because I could write a book on this stuff!), I'm going to talk about how our eating affects SO much of who we are and what we do. Our North American diets are loaded with sugar and white flour and white everything - so much of our food has been totally stripped of its nutrients and health-promoting properties. Can a change in diet change your life? Absolutely!! 

So, here's the deal. From now on and for awhile in my blogs I will be talking about clean eating. What it is and how to do it. I want us all to have a healthy and a happy new year and yes, I would love to hear that you are feeling excited about who you are and about your life.

First step - for this next week, let's just commit to one thing - drinking more water. How about even cutting out a coffee or two and having water instead? Let's get radical!

Next week - more on 'clean eating'. I don't know about you but I feel more invigorated just talking about it!