How To Eat Clean Safely

Recently, I've been hearing a lot of people doing colon cleansing and other "cleansing" diets to lose weight. They aren't healthy at ALL. I was reading the July 2009 Self Magazine and came across this article and wanted it to share with my readers.

There are many health benefits to eat clean, but that doesn't mean doing a "cleansing diet" where you consume nasty liquids to lose weight. Eating clean means opting for foods that are naturally free of man-man stuff but full of good for you nutrients that keep your body systems humming along.

If you are interested in doing a one week cleanse, follow these simple rules, to do a naturally and healthy way. You may or may not lose weight, but it's a healthy way to clean out your system.

Skip added sugar:

• White sugars, brown sugar, honey are all sugar pumps, that puts calories into your diet and spikes blood sugar. Consuming too much of it also promotes inflammation, which can increase your risk for heart diseases and certain cancers and make you feel foggy and fatigued. So stay away from foods that list sugar, high fructose corn syrup or dextrose on the ingredient label.

Avoid Bad Fats:

• Saturated and trans fats can clog your arteries and promote inflammation. Nix trans fast by sidestepping fried foods and anything made with hydrogenated vegetable oils(check labels). Limit saturated fats to less then 7 percent of your total daily calories by wiping out high-fat marbled meats and choosing skim or 1 percent fat dairy products instead of full fat ones.

Pump Up Proteins:

• Lean proteins from sources such as chicken and wild salmon preserve your lean body mass, and having some at every meal stabilizes blood sugar levels and helps you feel fuller longer. Divide your body weight in pounds by 2, that's how many grams of protein you should aim to get each day.

Be a Teatotaler:

• Alcohol is taxing on your liver, plus it lowers your inhibitions, making it harder to resist unhealthy foods. Stick to water, seltzer, tea and coffee.

Reach For Fiber:

• Soluble fiber in oats and beans is filling and it helps pull cholesterol out of the bloodstream, moving it through the digestive track.

Chew, Swallow, Repeat:

• Taking in calories at regular intervals keeps your blood sugar stabilized and metabolism revved. Have breakfast with in 90 minutes of waking up, and aim to eat about every four hours.

For a complete one week menu, check out Self.Com.