(The Verge)– Over the last six months or so a friend of mine began something called “Clean Eating.” At first I thought it was just a new diet fad, so of course I watched and asked questions and bothered her about her new diet. But I kept getting the same answer, “its not a diet, it’s a lifestyle.” Being the pessimist that I am, I assumed the “diet” would soon be replaced by another, but as she went about eating in accordance to this new style over the last few months I noticed it wasn’t a diet after all, especially not a diet that was the same for each person, its something completely different.
“For me, clean eating is removing all processed food, food items that contain preservatives and added chemicals as well as a balanced diets of lean proteins, brown carbs such as brown rice whole wheat, quinoa etc. and plenty of veggies. Cooking with good fats such as coconut and olive oil and eating dairy as well as sugar (natural or added) sparingly,” said Toni Fiani, a 21-year-old Senior from Hunter College in New York City.
As she explained her new lifestyle, it seemed less and less like a quick loss diet and more of what she truly felt it was.
Because she is living out her new “clean eating” lifestyle without the help of family and friends, she says it does sometimes get a little difficult when eating with other people, but she has learned how to “fix” her meal so that it can look similar to what everyone else is eating without cheating.
“When I’m eating at home it’s never hard. Pretty much anything you would crave you can make a “clean” version of,” says Toni. “The other night I had pizza for dinner and nachos the night after that. It’s all about knowing your ingredients.”
What I liked most about this way of eating is that it is something anyone can jump right into without too much stress, and Toni agreed.
“I consider this a lifestyle and I enjoy taking recipes that are not clean and tweaking them to make them clean. It’s not hard to eat clean. When people ask me how I lost the weight I lost and I tell them they look at me like I’m an alien. Dieting doesn’t have to be about low carb and stressing yourself out. You’re more likely to succeed if you are happy with how you are eating and I definitely am happy.”
After watching the transformation that I have watched I can tell you that Clean Eating is definitely not just a diet, it truly is a way of life that can help you lose those extra couple of pounds while keeping your body going at its best!
“The most important thing is to listen to your body and stop eating when you are almost full because you probably are full and don’t know it yet,” advises Toni.
Want a delicious “clean” dessert from Toni’s cookbook? Check out how to make her favorite Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins from DashingDish.com!
