EATING HABITS REFRESHED

Do you feel like your diet needs a fresh start? When you abandon healthy food in favour of whatever is nearby or comes out of a packet or pouch, it’s time for a ‘clean’ break. It’s easy and the payoffs include skyrocketing energy, weight loss, better control over your appetite, and even better looking skin.

Just follow these five simple rules and try our clean-eating meal ideas:

EAT ONLY WHOLE FOODS

 That means eating oats and blueberries rather than a blueberry muffin. When you eat packaged foods, only buy brands that contain “real food” ingredients — ingredients you easily recognise, can pronounce, and would use to make a “from scratch” version in your own kitchen. If a food contains even one ingredient that makes you think “huh?” skip it, at least during the clean eating challenge.

KEEP MEALS SIMPLE

 Delicious, healthy food doesn’t have to contain a lot of ingredients. Keep your meal ingredients to a minimum; just be sure to include a source of whole grains, lean protein and healthy fat at each meal.

EAT SLOWER

 Put your fork or spoon down between every bite, and focus on the flavours and textures of your food.

EAT ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE

 Try not to let more than about four hours go by between meals or snacks. Steady meal timing helps regulate your digestive system, blood sugar and insulin levels, and appetite.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

 Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full, meaning satisfied, not stuffed. The recipes here intentionally don’t provide amounts. That’s so you get used to relying on your hunger and fullness cues to tell you when to stop and start eating.