I’m sure that many of us are looking to eat better and exercise for the new year. I personally know many people that struggled with weight gain this year. I think we were all seeking “comfort” food these past many months, having to stay home and quarantine for much of the year. If we truly want to be beautiful on the outside, we have to be careful with what we put in our body and that starts with eating healthy.
My goal for 2021 is to use the 80/20 rule for clean eating. I want to eat clean (or healthy) 80% of the time. I think that if we can do something right 80% of the time, it gives each of us a little grace to be imperfect. For those of you who haven’t heard, clean eating means eating real food that can be found in nature without preservatives, additives, or pesticides and without genetic modifications. Think of food that can be hunted, fished, gathered, picked, or plucked. If you don’t want to go that strict, try buying minimally processed foods. I know that can be hard in this day and age but if you stay on the outside aisles of the grocery store, you will have a good start. Even some canned and frozen foods will meet these requirements. Just be sure to always read the labels.
I’ve been following a couple of bloggers that are helpful in this area. The first one is Natalie at Tastes Lovely. I follow her on Instagram and every week she posts a delicious main dish to make. She lost 70 pounds eating clean and Keto (short for ketogenic, which is a popular low carb way of eating to control insulin). She has a weekly menu and the easiest recipes that are family friendly, plus she recommends special tasty items that are actually good, like low carb pasta made from hearts of palm which you can find at Trader Joe’s. Her recipes are so tasty and also meet the requirements for Whole 30, which is another healthy way of eating clean.
The other person I follow is Bobby at FlavCity . He posts helpful videos on Facebook, like reading the labels in the grocery store and how to sort the good from the bad. For example, he has a grocery store video on cooking oils to buy and avoid. He also posts recipe videos with his little toddler girl, Rose, helping him in her little apron. She’s adorable and the videos are short and sweet.
This coming year, I’m choosing to add healthy eating, daily exercise, and forgiveness to my beauty routine. After all, I plan to be around a long time for my granddaughter and future grandchildren!