Eat "clean" by eliminating inflammatory foods

My fitness bootcamp instructor, David Nash, wrote a good post on inflammatory foods and how they can hamper our ability to lose weight and maintain adequate fitness levels.  The most frustrating thing for someone who has committed to a fitness or weight-loss regimen comes when they hit that plateau and despite their best efforts, nothing else happens.  A plateau is a big demotivator and can make it difficult to maintain focus on discipline and desired goals. Plateaus can be either when someone stops losing weight, despite maintaining their fitness routine or diet, or having difficulty recovering physically from a workout and feeling fatigued.

As David says, you have to eat clean.  He learned this back when he was body-building and now advises his clients to do the same.  Inflammatory foods put stress on the digestive system, your immune  and endocrine systems, as well as your blood sugar levels.  They contribute to symptoms such as water retention, bloating, digestive disturbances and fluctuations in energy.  The foods David recommends eliminating below may surprise some of you. (No tomatoes? No whole wheat products?)  However, they are fairly consistent with the Paleo diet, which my husband and I been following for two months now. 

1. Pasteurized dairy products: milk, cheese, yogurt
2. Refined sugar: white sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc:  
3. Processed foods:  foods with white floor, luncheon meats, candies, flavored yogurts, and boxed foods
4. Foods high in sodium: table salt, seasoning salt
5. MSG: is partially found in Chinese food and other fast-foods
6. Red Meat: reduce your red meat intake and choose organic forms of red meat
7. Caffeine: coffee, tea, soda, etc   
8. Alcohol
9. Vegetables in the night shade family: white potatoes, eggplant, and tomatoes
10. Gluten: gluten can be found in grains such as: wheat, barley and rye. Consider going gluten free.

This list may seem daunting to someone who has never done a clean diet.  My husband and I initially decided to try it for a week, and have incorporated it pretty well into our life.  We don't always adhere to it 100%.  Travel, crazy work schedules and special occasions can create situations where compromise may be necessary.  Advocates of the Primal lifestyle, which includes following the Paleo diet, generally recommend the 80/20 rule. That doesn't mean eating great 80% of the day and then pigging out on junk food for the other 20%!  That 20% can sink your ship fast!  It means making reasonable allowances as needed so that incorporating a new way of eating doesn't become a tiresome burden.

Try eating clean for a week!  The first couple of days, you might feel hungrier or a little sluggish as your body adapts to feeding it fewer simple carbs and refined sugar.  Adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals and snacks will provide you with sufficient carbohydrates and fiber, and are nutrient-dense foods.  You might not be able to give up caffeine altogether, but cutting back your daily consumption will help.  After a few more days, see how you feel.  See what the scale says.  You should begin notice a difference, and that may motivate you to continue to incorporate eating clean regularly into your diet.

Photo credit: D. Sharon Pruitt (Pink Sherbet Photography)

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