Trend Savvy: Clean Eating

This is the second post in my trend series! {check out my first post on fashion here}

Today we’re talking food.
Now that I have your attention, (because let’s be honest, you know you just perked up when you saw that word. But no judgements here…) let’s get to it!

For the past month, I have been doing my best to change my eating style. I’m at a place in my life where I’m finally feeling settled in this big city and want to start making real lifestyle improvements that will stick. So clean eating has been a priority. As a result, I feel less sluggish and more energized. Combined with a consistent workout routine, I feel better than I ever have before and I am so happy about it!

That being said, there are always new trends in healthy eating popping up here and there and everywhere. One day something is healthy and the next day it’s not. It can be confusing sometimes. But lately a lot of really great trends have been emerging; I found a few highlighted in this article that are not necessarily brand new, but have been gaining massive popularity as of late, so I’ll share them with you now, along with a few ways/recipes to try them out!

1. Diet food is out, real food is in

All those crazy fads and diets that tell you that you can lose weight in a few days or by eating less or fake “healthy” foods are a thing of the past. Or at least it’s catching on that they should be. Eating real food with real nutrients is the way to go; it will keep you full longer, give you energy, and make you feel better in the long run.

My go-to quick healthy meals:
Chicken breast with cooked frozen veggies & quinoa
Turkey burger in a whole wheat Smart Pocket with kale, avocado, + a bit of low-fat dressing
Scrambled eggs with spinach/mushrooms/onion topped with avocado

2.High-carb goes low-carb

Yes, bread and pasta is amazingly delicious, but moderation is important. In order to make this transition easier, many lower-carb recipes are topping the popular Pinterest boards. They still taste amazing, but will leave you with less guilt and more to be proud of.

My favorite low-carb alternatives:
Zuchinni Fritters
(I haven’t actually tried this recipe, but I love these fritters and I’m going to have to try it soon!)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

3 Ingredient Pancakes
(I posted about this recipe a couple months ago, but the recipe is from A Spicy Perspective)

3.Bring on the snacks

Snacking is super important when you are eating healthy. If you just try to eat small portions of low-calorie foods at mealtimes, you may not have energy for the other parts of the day. In the morning especially, I try to have breakfast, a mid-morning snack, and then lunch. I don’t always get to a mid-afternoon snack if work is busy, but when I do it always helps with concentration and energy levels, as well as keeping me from stuffing my face when I get home at late hours of the night. Protein and nutrient rich snacks are smart choices that will keep you satisfied throughout the day.

My favorite healthy snacks:
Trader Joe’s Go Raw Trek Mix
Rawxies
Apple or banana with almond butter or Earth Balance Peanut Butter
That’s It fruit bars

4. Thoughtfully sourced ingredients

Healthy and organic food has been praised for some time now, but since then we have dug even deeper to discover exactly how the growing and production of this food effects the earth and those working to produce it. It’s a whole ordeal, and for good reason.

Check out Fair Trade USA to find out more about how they are supporting these standards. (I did a research paper in college on their work with the cotton industry; it was interesting, and their reach is clearly much broader than just cotton!)

5. Unusual produce makes a debut

We all love our basic well-known healthy foods. You know…carrots, apples, kale, avocado, the usual. But nowadays people are getting crazy with this stuff and finding new produce that has wacky names as well as health benefits. Some examples are the Pummelo, Kumquat, Pitaya (or Dragon fruit), and Romanesco.

For more examples of strange fruits and vegetables, pop over to one of these articles:
10 Weird Fruits and Vegetables from Around the World
13 Weird Fruits and Vegetables: Exotic Produce

And check out these recipes if you want to join in on the obscure-name craze:
Pitaya Breakfast Bowl
Blood Orange & Pummelo Marmelade
Kumquat Oatmeal Bread
Romanesco Cauliflower Mash (another one for that low-carb list!)
Hopefully this inspires you to adopt some clean eating habits in your everyday routine! I cannot stress how much better you will feel in the end. And with these tips and recipes, it doesn’t have to be stressful; you can have fun with it and experiment with new flavors!
It’s a win-win-win situation.

Who doesn’t love winning?

Crazy people, that’s who.

So don’t be crazy.

{Unless it’s crazy healthy…then you have permission}

😉