Clean Eating - Easier Than It Seems

If you're like me, you've probably picked up one of the many diet and/or cookbooks that advertise clean eating - and then sat it right back on the shelf after looking at some of the ingredients listed in there. Sucanat? Agave Nectar? Flax seed? Wheat germ? What the heck is that and where on Earth do you buy it from?? That was my delimma before I jumped on the clean eating bandwagon. I didn't know what this stuff was, and I wasn't willing to go outside of the comfort of my local grocery store or Walmart to find it.

Well, there is good news: You don't HAVE to buy those things. I survived many months on basic clean food that even a college student could handle in a studio apartment. Fresh veggies: I would just eat them fresh or steam them with salt and pepper. Fresh fruit: can be found in every grocery store. Lean protiens: I ate chicken breast, ground turkey, egg whites, fish, and protien shakes - usually on the grill or on the skillet, nothing fancy. Starches: Minute brown rice and oatmeal were staples for me, followed by the easiest of all - baked potatoes. :) This is all fine, and trust me - you will see results. I did.

But then I got bored. I got tired of eating a lot of the same foods and I became a little jealous of my non-clean-eating friends who got to enjoy yummy meals and sweet desserts. So I started to do my research. I started with dessert since I have a huge sweet tooth. I looked up numerous recipes - most of which had either sucanat or agave nectar in it. I found some other recipes that sounded good, but that had ingredients that I'd never heard of or had seen in the grocery store. So I made a list, and took it down to the local whole foods market here in town. I asked the lady working there what in the heck all these things were, and she helped me find everything I needed, AND explained what they were! (Sucanat is non-refined cane sugar, and agave nectar is a sweetner produced from several species of agave.) I loaded up on these "weird" ingredients, spent about $50, and went home and made some really delicious treats! I just made no-bake cookies this past weekend that taste just like the real thing! But they are good for me!

So, clean eating is easy. There are some daunting ingredients out there, but if you make one trip a month (or less) to the organic section of your grocer or your local whole foods market, you will find everything that you need - and the rest can be found where you usually shop! Don't be scared to try something new - you may be surprised with how good it tastes!

**If you live in Fayetteville, check out The Apple Crate on Reaford Rd. or in Hope Mills. The Food Lion at the Westwood Shopping Center also has a great organic/whole foods section that has all your clean eating needs. :)

Enjoy!