5 Tips To Easily Clean Up Your Diet

Growing up, my family ate pretty healthy. I was a kid who ate and loved her veggies and have never been a picky eater. When I was in middle school, my dad got a high cholesterol report and didn’t want to take medicine to bring his numbers down. What did that mean? It meant a major clean up of his diet, a lot of research and a lot of changes for him and in turn, our family. This is when I started learning a lot about food and its effects on your body. I eat very healthy almost always but with exceptions for a big bowl of pasta, some M&Ms or a trip to Jeni’s Ice Cream here and there. It’s all about balance, and my attitude towards eating is not to make yourself feel like you’re missing out. So, if some days I really want something like that, I’ll eat it. But overall, I eat extremely clean and have figured out ways to do so without feeling like you’re missing out. The way I look at it is a healthy lifestyle, not a diet. The word diet can seem so daunting. Instead, I feed my body what it feels best with and that happens to be a high protein, high veggie, low carb, no diary “diet”. Now when you read that, you may think, NO THANK YOU… but once I realized how things negatively affected my body, my skin, my energy, etc… it was EASY to let those things go.

My biggest advice when my friends or audience ask me how to “be healthy” is always the same thing: baby steps! Instead of making big goals that aren’t attainable, I always say make small changes to start so that you can celebrate mini goals that are achieved! And this goes for both exercise and healthy eating habits! I wanted to share with you 5 tips that I go by when I want to tone up and overall feel better! These are simple, small changes you can make daily to help you feel better, have more energy, clear up your skin and stay toned!

FILL YOUR SWEET TOOTH SMARTER!

There is always a time to treat yourself (do not put a bag of peanut M&Ms in front of me and tell me I can’t eat them… I will eat them), but cutting added sugars is a HUGE step and a super easy way to clean things up. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat anything sweet, but try having a couple of dates, or a few dark chocolate chips vs. a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, Sour Patch Kids or a piece of cake. I also find that a tea with lemon and honey can fill my sweet tooth after dinner! A trick of mine if you’re trying to totally skip dessert is to brush your teeth right after you finish dinner. At least for me, this totally takes away the option of snacking, and I don’t even miss it. Again, it’s about baby steps instead of a giant leap.

CUT BACK ON CARBS!

This one is always tricky for me, because I LOVE CARBS. Pasta, rice, tortillas, you name it, I love it… but I have to tell you, I almost automatically feel better when I cut out bread! It’s kind of a crazy difference. Less bloating, more energy, clearer skin. These benefits make cutting back on carbs much easier for me. If you’re someone that has a bagel every morning, those calories/sugars/etc can add up quickly! I always try and replace bread with a healthier substitute! A favorite of mine is a rice cake - almost anything you can do with bread you can do with a rice cake (peanut butter and jelly, tuna, turkey slices…) Try to swap sandwiches for salads or lettuce wraps and pastas for zucchini or butternut squash noodles, or one of my favorites, Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi.

SEE YA CREAMER!

Learn to love coffee black! I know, for some of you the taste is just too bitter, but you can definitely try to use less OR use an amazing healthy alternative, like almond milk or oat milk! There are also tons of dairy free creamers available these days, with less sugar too! This will especially be beneficial to the girl who takes a dash of iced coffee with her cream. ;) Eliminating cream and added sugar flavorings in your daily coffee is a great and simple way to clean up your diet. I know it sounds small and silly, but making a small daily change like this can make a big difference!

NO CHEESE PLEASE!

I know, I’m a gal from Wisconsin telling you to steer clear of cheese and dairy - but trust me! While tasty, our bodies don’t need all that saturated fat in dairy and cheese. From my experience, dairy makes me break out, makes me tired and my stomach definitely doesn’t love it. It truly is such an easy thing to “cut” - opt to get a salad without the blue cheese, that Chipotle burrito bowl minus the Cheddar, the turkey burger without the Swiss! There are also a TON of amazing dairy free alternatives which makes this extra easy. I love the Forager vanilla cashew yogurt for breakfast! It tastes SO good and is totally dairy free! Opt for almond or oat milk instead of 2% or skim… Again, it’s about baby steps, so make the small change instead of eliminating the whole meal! I still always order what I want when I’m out, I always just add “without the cheese, please”!

TAKE IT OUT OF THE HOUSE!

This tip is HUGE for me. I have the will power not to buy something in the grocery store… but once it’s in my cabinets, I don’t have the will power to pretend it’s not there. Clear your cabinets of all the unhealthy snacks, and stock up on fruits, veggies, hummus and plenty of healthy things you enjoy eating to snack on! I love shopping at Trader Joe’s for healthy, easy-to-put-together snacks and meals. I love their bag salads for lunch (“veggies & greens” or the “broccoli & kale slaw” being my favorites). Having healthy options for breakfast in the house is so important too! My two favorites that have no B.S. and taste delish are RX bars and Go Macro bars! Such a great thing to have on hand! Lastly, having protein to grab a bite of is super helpful when you need a snack. I love buying rotisserie chickens at Whole Foods or deli turkey for a quick bite when I need a pick me up!

These tips have been super helpful for me to easily clean up my diet and feel better. I try to stick to these all the time, but if you don’t want to make full time changes, these tips can also just be great for a week long body reset or for whenever you choose. Everybody’s body reacts differently to different foods, and the above has been my experience. This is my guide generally for eating, but again, when I want a treat, I’m not going to stop myself. I think finding a healthy balance with food and looking at healthy eating as a lifestyle makes it a lot less daunting than “going on a diet”. Life is all about balance, and that includes a balance in eating.

What are your favorite healthy eating tips and hacks!?

xx Ali