6/17/13 – Leslie Clem Edmunds from Healthy Hearts Nutrition
Who’s up for a little challenge? Any competitive souls out there?
FLIP is promoting June as Enthusiast Month, and now is a great time to be enthusiastic about eating WHOLE FOODS! 
Perfect timing…. don. don. don.
I’ve been wanting to do a clean eating/whole foods challenge for some time. Swimsuit season is here, fresh produce is abundant…. there’s no better time than now.
So what are whole foods?
Check out my Clean Eating 101 Blog Post for my take on clean-wholefoods.
Your grocery cart should be packed {to the max} with:
- Produce
- Eggs
- Dairy (without added sugars)
- Nuts/Seeds-butters
- Dried fruit
- Lean protein-chicken, beef, pork, turkey, etc.
- Seafood
- Beans/Lentils
- Whole grains
Wikipedia defines whole foods as:
- Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added ingredients, such as salt, carbohydrates, or fat.
SO… Why can’t I just pop a supplement that contains all of these so-called nutrients I need?
- A focus on whole foods offers three main benefits over a reliance on dietary supplements: they provide greater nutrition for being a source of more complex micronutrients, they provide essential dietary fiber and they provide naturally occurring protective substances, such as phytochemicals.
One of the most popular clean eating movements began with 100 Days of Real Food.
100 Days of Real Food is a website/blog that began when a family of four (The Leakes) decided to eliminate processed food for 100 days. Lisa (the mom) began blogging about their clean-eating journey. Their website has become über popular, and their Facebook page has 444, 518 likes! wholy cow!
Their clean eating rules are defined here.
SO… What are the rules of this Healthy Hearts Nutrition Whole Food’s Challenge?
- 14 days of clean, whole foods
- No skipping meals
- Minimum of five servings of fruits and veggies daily
- You must be able to pronounce and identify all ingredients on the label (if it has a food label)
- Clean dairy (milk, eggs, unsweetened yogurt, and cheese)
- 100% whole grains. There should be no enriched, unbleached, etc. etc.
- Lean protein (chicken, beef, pork, seafood, turkey, etc). Extra bonus for locally raised.
- Beans, lentils, nuts/nut butters, and seeds are encouraged
- “Clean” condiments are pretty difficult to find… begin using oils, vinegars, spices and herbs to season foods. There are a few cleaner condiments-message me if you’re interested in what I use.
I understand this is a difficult challenge….but I know you can do it.
{plus} you’ll feel and look better Score!
Let’s do this!!!!
… Stay tuned in and engaged for contests, giveaways and more tips!
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