The Simple Slice

How I Stay Healthy

Tips, Tricks, and Tools

If you read my post, “Become a Lean, Mean, CLEAN Machine”, then you know that I have done the “Clean” Cleanse by Dr. Junger twice.  I really believe in this program and recommend the book, and the cleanse as a great way to learn about your body, food and toxicity, take control of your health, and begin a new journey to feeling and looking your best.

Jar salads keep me prepared to eat well.

It’s one thing to do a 21 to 30 day program, but it’s quite another to actually change your lifestyle and have something become a new routine or habit.  I definitely believe in the power of good food and making healthy choices, but I also know how difficult it can be to make these changes and stick with it.  I’m as susceptible as anyone, and can succumb to temptation, laziness and apathy.  Therefore, not only do I have to have my desire to eat healthy, I have to have things in place to ensure that I’ll be successful.

Tips and Tricks:

Edit your kitchen – give your kitchen a make-over; a food make-over.  Go thru your cupboards, pantry and refrigerator and clear out all the junk.  Get rid of as much of the processed foods as you can handle.  Anything in a box is suspect.  My philosophy is, “if it’s not in the kitchen, I can’t eat it”. 

Don’t Buy It – if you don’t have it, you can’t eat it.  Obviously this goes along with editing your kitchen.  After you’ve purged the junk from your kitchen, it would be counterproductive to go to the store and restock it with “bad” stuff.  Stock your fridge and cupboards with food that is going to support your new goals.  Having an idea ahead of time of what you want to prepare, will help you to choose the food you need to have on hand.

Moderation – It’s time to cut back.  Limit alcohol, soda, refined sugar, flour, meat and dairy.  You don’t have to cut it out, but by limiting your intake of less healthy foods, you need to add something to take its place and hopefully that will be more fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, etc., etc.  Another side effect of limiting the aforementioned foods is that by cutting back, you support an improved you and a healthier environment.  Our choices effect the planet, so why not help the animals and the land while you’re getting healthier?  That sounds like a win/win to me.

Go Raw Vegan – try making one meal a day, raw vegan.  My choice is to start my day with a delicious smoothie.  I jam pack mine with all sorts of delicious fruits, nuts, greens and almond or coconut milk.  I can’t believe how easy it is to get a full day’s, worth of fruits and vegetables in one meal; plus it’s easy, fast, portable and delicious.  If you haven’t gotten on the smoothie bandwagon, I urge you to give it a try.  Another easy way to get a raw vegan meal in is to make a large salad.  It’s amazing how many delicious ways you can make a lovely satisfying meal with a salad. 

Change your mind – we have been programmed to think certain ways and to like certain things because delicious alternatives are not readily available; just think about fast-food, convenient stores and the bulk of super markets.  But eating healthy can be wonderfully satisfying.  We just need to be open to the idea that fruits, vegetables and other healthy alternatives can be delicious, hearty and satisfying.  If you have a mindset like, “I hate vegetables”, or “I can’t live without coffee”, or “I could never give up bread”, then maybe it’s time to open your horizons and challenge that mindset.  

Mini Fast – one of the many things I learned from reading “Clean” by Alejandro Junger, is that we won’t starve if we miss a meal.  On the contrary, sometimes it’s beneficial to allow our bodies a break so it can get away from the task of digestion, and get busy cleaning out some of the old junk our body’s store.  So if you’re so inclined, skip a meal and just have tea or maybe fresh juice.  Dr. Junger even advises going all day without food can be beneficial once in a while. 

Tools that I use and recommend:

Blender.  Prior to starting Clean, I was already starting my day with a fruit and veggie smoothie.  It’s delicious.  It’s nutritious.  It’s easy.  It’s filling.  It’s raw.  It’s vegan.  And it travels!  I already had what I needed to smoothie up every day – a blender.  Any blender will do.  If yours works, you’re in business.  But because I use a blender so much, I did splurge on a Blentec Blender; and I really do love it.  

Knives and cutting boards – I use these ALL the time.  So, make sure you’ve got a decent set.  When you start changing the way you eat, you’ll notice that you are slicing and dicing a whole lot more, so invest in some good knives and cutting boards.  My set isn’t the best, but they work and someday I’ll upgrade. 

Food Processor – I just got this bad boy and I sure do love it.  What I lack in the knives department, I make up for with my Cuisinart food processor.  My boyfriend and I like to make jar salads ahead of time for the entire week.  Slicing, dicing, cutting and chopping an entire week’s worth of veggies and fruits for two or three people, is infinitely easier with a food processor.  It can also make salsas, hummus and lots of other healthy snacks.  We are just getting starting with learning what it can do, and I love it.  I also have another small food processor that I use for chopping nuts.  It’s quick and easy and I don’t have to get out the big one.

Juicer – I have a juicer and I love the taste of fresh juice, but I honestly don’t use this very often.  I totally understand and believe in the benefits of juicing and getting those nutrients to your body, so they can be absorbed right in.  Someday I see myself getting more into juicing, probably when I begin composting, (I sure hate wasting all that good fiber).  Mine is a Jack LaLane and it works like a top.  I know there are many to choose from and Youtube will be happy to give you lots of demo’s and pro’s and con’s to each. 

Mason jars – Like I mentioned earlier, I am in the habit of making a week’s worth of salads ahead of time.  Mason jars are the bomb.com.  You prepare everything ahead of time, seal them, and store them in the refrigerator.  When it’s time to eat, you just shake everything out and enjoy.  I remember when I heard the idea for jar salads, I thought it was ingenious and it is. 

Large travel cups – I love my “venti” plastic travel cup from Starbucks.  Yes, it’s plastic and someday I may switch if I find that leeching plastic is a deal breaker, but for now, I put my smoothie in this every morning, and off to work I go.  When finished, I fill it with water and hydrate with smoothie flavored water and later just plain water.  I love the size and sturdiness.  I love drinking out of a straw, I love how much it holds, I love that I can go anywhere with it in tow, so yes, I love my venti cup. 

  

The 3 P’s:

One of the things I realized is that in order to make significant, long-term changes, I need to think ahead in order to be successful and implement what I call the 3 P’s - plan, procure, and prepare.  The 3 P’s for me, are what support my goals and help ensure that I will be successful. 

Plan – think ahead to what you want accomplish.  If it’s a smoothie every morning or a new recipe you want to try, you have to think about what you want and know what you have and what you need.  Plan out what ingredients you need and what tools you’ll need to get you there.  Write them down!

Procure – once you’ve planned out what you’re going to eat, you need to purchase the tools and ingredients to get you going.  With kitchen tools, I say start small and build up, find what works for you and what you’ll really utilize.  With ingredients, I find that it’s helpful to keep it simple and buy the things necessary for a few new recipes.  Start small and find something you like and build from there.  You don’t want to overwhelm yourself, so keep it simple sister.

Prepare – now that you’ve planned what you want to accomplish and what you want to make, and you’ve purchased what you need, it’s time to prep.  Being prepared with food on hand and actually prepping the food in advance keeps me from grabbing foods I want to avoid.  Jar salads are a good example of this, as is having fruit or veggies cut up and stored for easy snacking.

 

In Closing:

I’m not the healthiest person on the planet, but I do pay attention to what I put in my body.  I don’t starve myself and I certainly don’t deprive myself either.  I try to be conscientious of what I’m putting in mouth throughout the day and balance the “good and the bad”, so by the end of the day, I feel positive about my selections.  I want to make good choices for myself as well as the planet.  I am still learning and growing, but I wanted to share some of the things that work for me, in the hopes that they might inspire you to try something new and know that you don't have to change everything in order to see positive changes. 

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I wish you happiness and success on your JOY-ney to health!!