Easy Clean Eating Tips for Beginners

If you’re just starting on your journey of clean eating, or if you’ve been on a clean eating diet for a while, and are looking for easy alternate tips and recipes to throw in the mix of your daily eating habit, then this is a great place for you all of you to start!

When looking for clean eating recipes, you have to try to remember what clean eating is really about. Clean eating isn’t just about going on a diet to lose weight. Will you use lose weight following a clean eating dietary plan? You totally will, PLUS you will feel absolutely amazing! However, clean eating is a whole lifestyle change – and it’s not an easy transition if you’re used to eating a ton of sugars and processed foods on a daily basis.

You are going to put your body into a cleanse state, and it’s going to start detoxing itself. When you stop eating processed foods, sugar, and other unnecessary fats and carbs from your life, you will have slight withdraws in your body. It should only last a couple of days, but your body is so used to being filled with empty caloric foods, that your body is getting adjusted to no longer having “bad” foods in your system. In the end, your finding healthy alternatives to incorporate healthy ways to get proper nutrition and enjoy food!

So how do you get started? With our easy clean eating tips for beginners!

Cleaning Eating Tips

To help you on your clean eating path, here are some tips that I hope will encourage you and to help think differently about food your consuming.

1. Start Reading Nutritional Labels. Just because something seems super harmless and you might think it would work on your clean eating diet lifestyle, you might be wrong. There could be lots of added sugar, or a lot of sodium that your body doesn’t need. Some of the processed foods you’re going to want to avoid are things such as: bottled salad dressing, canned soups, candy, chips, cookies, cakes, frozen cereals, etc. Don’t be afraid to get in that kitchen and start making things from scratch. Making food from scratch will ensure that you know of every single ingredient that’s going into the food entering your body. Say good bye to white breads and pastas, and hello to whole grain based breads and pastas! They are so much more nutritional and incorporates more good fibers into your diet.
2. Don’t Be afraid to stock up on Fruits and Vegetables. These are all great sources of fiber that your body needs, and what our bodies don’t get enough of into our daily intake of food. Definitely try to add spinach, kale, and arugula to your daily diet. They contain a ton of amazing antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins.
3. Meal Prep Your Clean Eating Meals. Meal prepping helps to make your life easy. You can make food batches and break them down into meal prep containers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you’re an on-the-go type of person, then this will help you curb your need to want to snack and eat unhealthy foods.
4. Avoid Drinking Your Calories. As much as you might like having that coffee with hint of sugar or creamer in it, make sure you don’t try a lot of it. Those beverages really add up! Even homemade fruit smoothies can be tempting, but try to limit them. Instead, drink water. Lots and lots of water. If you’re one of those people that can’t stand the taste of plain water, try adding a slice of cucumber or lemon to it. It will help make it more palpable.
5. Incorporate More Protein In Your Life. Don’t bulk up on the red meat. Instead, look at all of the other amazing alternate protein sources that you can enjoy, such as: eggs, nuts, legumes, fish, tofu, poultry, etc.
6. Eat More Meals! You’re actually going to want to eat MORE food on a clean eating diet. Traditionally, a clean eating diet requires you to eat 3 small meals a day, with 2 snacks in between. It’s these meals and snacks that will help you stop from over eating and from feeling like you’re going hungry. Yes, you want to count your calories and not pack on too many calories in a day, but it’s more important about the quality of the products that you’re consuming.

Clean Eating Resources

To make your journey little easier and a bit more organized, I’ve created a printable meal planner and shopping list! These two items will help keep you on point to where you can plan your meals that you would like to make for the week (can you tell I love meal planning?), and a shopping list to help keep you focused on the food that you need from the store to keep you on track to your commitment for creating clean eating recipes. Grab your clean eating shopping list printable here to help you plan for to avoid temptations when you had to the store.

Pair it with our easy, free clean eating meal planner printable and you’ll be able to plan out your week in a way that sets you up for success!

Now that you’ve got the printable resources you need, what about recipes that will help you stay on track while feeling satisfied?

Clean Eating Recipe Books You’ll Love

No, I’m not just gonna throw you into the den of clean eating wolves, and expect you to survive on your own. I want to make sure that you’re armed and prepared for what’s coming your way, and to make sure that you stay on the right path! With that being said, I found some fabulous books for you, and a great magazine that can help keep you steadfast on this clean eating recipes journey you’ve embarked on.

1. Clean Eating Magazine – This is one of my favorite magazines that I ACTUALLY read and try the recipes that they provide. There’s so much great information packed in each issue.
2. Clean Eating Slow Cooker – If you love your slow cooker, then get ready to fall in love with this book. SO many fab recipes that you can set and forget for the day. PLUS it helps to make your meal planning so much more easier without having to be stuck at a stove, which leaves you free to do other things.
3. Clean Eating Made Simple – I love when things are done simple, especially with food. This will help make clean eating recipes uncomplicated!
4. Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F*ck – Yes…that’s the actual name of the cookbook! Thug Kitchen has a great and realistic approach to food, and teaches you to fall in love with fruits and vegetables all over again!
5. Clean Eating Bowls – 100 Real Food Recipes for Eating Clean – These recipes are straightforward to make, understand, and packs a lot of flavor and nutrition. The cute part is getting to eat everything out of bowl, but bowls aren’t required. Just an appetite for healthy eating.

There are many other books out there that are great resources, but these are the ones that I recommend every day of the week. They’re fun, educational, encouraging, and have a ton of amazing recipes that are easy to follow along with and make. They are actual recipes that your whole family will enjoy!

Not quite ready to buy the book? Get started the simple way with this list of 20 Easy Clean Eating Recipes for beginners!

Want even more resources to help you stay on track? Every clean kitchen needs a food scale and this calorie counter food scale is my personal favorite.

I hope this helpful to you! Remember, clean eating today starts with one simple change so don’t get overwhelmed and instead, choose one of the areas above to focus on today. Then gradually add in additional changes and in no time at all, you’ll find that you’ve made the transition to clean eating!

If you’re new to clean eating, what are some challenges that you are trying to overcome? If you’re not new to clean eating, what advice would you give to all of our clean eating newbies?

Leave a comment below to share your knowledge with others!