Eating Clean and Being Creative
By our trainer Zella
The Eat-Clean principle came across my path about 12 years ago when I picked up a book called The Eat-Clean Diet, from Tosca Reno.
In the beginning Eating Clean felt more like a diet, but over the years it just became a healthy way of life.
The Eat-Clean principle is actually quite simple. It’s about creating balance in your meals and eating the right kinds of food. Balanced meals are meals that partner up lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. The right kinds of food refer to products that contain a high nutritional value; they are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibres.
Consistency and creativity is the key
Consistency plays a big part in a healthy lifestyle. We’re all in a challenging situation right now and the gyms are closed but don’t let yourself be demotivated. Not being able to train as you are normally used to means you have to step it up a little more when it comes to creating balance in your meals.
Try to eat clean throughout the whole week and incorporate 1 large (= lunch or dinner) and 1 small (= snack) cheat meal in the weekend. Having a cheat meal once a week is actually considered part of a healthy lifestyle. Just make sure you don’t let a cheat meal turn into a cheat weekend!
Remember…Abs are made in the kitchen. By choosing the right meals this situation should not have to be an excuse to notmaintainyour shape and fitness level.
Yesterday afternoon I went to the grocery store to buy some chicken, because my family and I planned on having that for dinner. Well, turns out that all chicken was gone, except for some chicken casserole.
After checking the label this casserole got my two thumbs up. 20 grams of protein per 100 gram and very low in fat, and a great price as well. On top of that it was quite easy to make, just put it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, slice it up and combine this delicious chicken with some rice, salad and/or green beans. (see photo of my dinner plate above)
Some leftover slices of the chicken casserole is the part where the creativity comes in. They were perfect for an in between easy to make and healthy snack the next day:
Scrambled eggs with 2 whole eggs, 1 egg white, some chopped sweet onion and the chicken!
Zella van der Toorn Vrijthoff
Team Fitness USC Leiden