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By Jenny Sugar, POPSUGAR
You've heard that eating clean can give you more energy (in life and at the gym) and can help you lose weight and keep it off, but how do you get started? Amanda Meixner (known as meowmeix on Instagram) has over 925,000 followers for good reason! She shares practical, relatable, and simple nutrition tips that make sense and are easy to incorporate into your daily life.
Amanda recently posted about clean eating and wrote in her caption, "While changing your habits is definitely challenging, baby steps in the right direction can really add up!" Whether you're looking to lose weight or are just trying to clean up your diet, here are three simple steps you can begin right now to start eating clean and head in the right direction. To make it easy, here's a two-week clean eating plan to help you incorporate these tips.
Limit Processed Foods
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"Processed food calories add up in the long run and because most products are devoid of sufficient nutrients, your body will still crave more food," Amanda wrote. Plus, who can have just a small handful of chips and not want more? "While it's perfectly OK to add some of these in moderation," Amanda added, when it comes to packaged foods, "try to limit overall or go with trusted brands who have quality ingredients."
Stop Drinking Your Calories
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"Aside from protein shakes and low-sugar kombucha, I steer clear of drinking my calories," Amanda said. "Soda, orange juices and store-bought smoothies are pure sugar bombs and will leave with a sugar crash later. Not to mention it's way easier to drink 11.5oz of something like orange juice but you would most likely not eat 3.5 oranges in one sitting (the calorie equivalent)."
Eat More Whole Foods
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| © Getty / Enrique DÃaz / mikroman6 |
"Limiting the above choices doesn't mean starving yourself. When you make the switch to whole, nutritious foods, you can eat more and still weigh less," Amanda wrote. A good rule of thumb is to choose foods that have just one ingredient. Don't be afraid to pack in those veggies, use fruit as a natural snack to satisfy your sweet tooth, and make sure you're getting a sufficient amount of protein, healthy fats, and carbs.
"Getting healthy doesn't have to be complicated!" Amanda said.
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| © Getty / Enrique DÃaz / 7cero |
