Simple, Clean Eating to Revolutionize Your Fitness- RECIPES INSIDE!

We've all heard it time and time again, especially from those friends who are more in shape than we believe we can ever be: "you have to change your eating habits more than you have to change your workout routine." Sucks to say but... they're right.

I came to learn this over the past seven months, as I've gotten more on Eric's diet plan and stepped away from my own. I never considered myself to be unhealthy (in fact, many of my friends may have said I was quite healthy); I didn't eat fattening foods or fast food regularly, and cooked most of my meals for myself. For someone in their early twenties, I suppose I was doing okay- but I could do better. Eric, on the other hand, cooked virtually everything for himself and has always been a very economical eater: taste doesn't matter, only bio-availability and health. Well, I'm certainly not like that- but that doesn't mean healthy eating is out of reach for us foodies.

This post is meant to give you a few pointers on how you can eat healthier without drastically up-heaving your budget or lifestyle. Yes, you need to cook for yourself and you need to be more particular about what you eat, but you don't have to count calories or weigh foods before eating.

Some quick tips for beginners to diet revolutionaries:

- Learn to read labels: While at the grocery store, don't be afraid to compare labels on different brands of foods. Choose foods with as few preservatives and additives as possible; stay away from the high fructose corn syrup and trans fats; keep portion sizes in mind when they report caloric values. Watch those sodium levels, and shoot for high protein values. When getting meats, look for free range or wild caught if at all possible.

- You're going to need to make changes. My one great

vice was pasta. I didn't think of it as too unhealthy because I'd eat it with vegetables and meats, but all that bread really makes a difference. I cut out that junk cold turkey, but not all people can make change that way. Ween yourself off your vices (pasta, bread, mayonnaise, soda, etc.) until you can cut them out completely. Soon enough, you won't crave it at all.

- It's not only about what you're eating. What are you drinking? Do you drink 8+ glasses of water a day, or do you mainly drink coffee, soda, or alcohol? Be mindful of this because all these drinks add crazy amounts of calories to your day. I recommend requiring yourself to drink 8 glasses of water a day before allowing yourself to drink anything else- that should help you cut out most of your booze and soda, at the least. I know caffeine seems like a must, but sometimes real hydration can give you the boost your coffee gives.

- Forget your preconceived notions of what a meal looks like. When I changed my diet, it felt weird to eat the way Eric did. I felt like each meal was supposed to have some protein, some veggie, and some carb/starch. This meant that my body wasn't really getting enough protein or veggies, but too much carb/starch. So ditch it and get what you need. These days, I eat primarily veggies, a good serving of protein, and occasionally a bit of carbs or starch at the end of the meal if I'm still hungry. Listen to your body; if you're still hungry after eating a big meal, perhaps you didn't get what you needed from your food.

Keeping all this in mind, it's time to get munching on foods that'll help you see results fast in your fitness plan. I recommend sticking to lean meats like chicken, fish, and turkey as well as boosting your vegetable protein (in beans and lentils- warning, you may get a bit tooty). Here are some quick and easy recipes that will fit into your budget and help you get on the right track to healthy living that flaunts your hard work in the gym.

Spaghetti (Squash) and (Turkey) Meatballs

This was a God-send when I was trying to get off pasta. Get a spaghetti squash and cut it in half. Get all those seeds out, drizzle the insides with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper, then pop it in the oven. While that gets going, mix up some ground turkey, vegetable protein (TVP, comes in a bag), eggs, salt, pepper, and the seasoning of your choice (I prefer oregano or thyme) in a bowl. Ball those babies up, pop them on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven. If you make your own sauce, awesome (please visit me and cook for me); if not, find a spaghetti sauce at the store with no weird additives or preservatives- it is possible, and they taste SO much better. It should all be ready soon! Smoosh the spaghetti squash with a fork and it'll come out looking like noodles. Dig in :)

Sweet Potato Tacos

Don't look at me that way, it's delicious. Cut your sweet potatos in half, drizzle them with EVOO, and pop them in the oven, same way you did with the spaghetti squash. Then, get some ground turkey on the stove and cook it up, mixing in whatever you would in a taco- I prefer some onions, diced peppers, cumin, salt, pepper, a dash of cayenne pepper, some garlic, lime, and cilantro. When it's done, pull the sweet potatos out of the oven and hollow out the middle. Fill the new hole with your taco seasoning, drizzle on some of your favorite cheese, and put it all back in the oven. In the 5-10 minutes you've got, russle up some salsa, sour cream, diced tomatos, some beans (I prefer black to refried), and a cut up avocado. And voila! SHOCKINGLY YUMMY, RIGHT?!

Caprese Chicken

Not into salads so much? Okay, try this on a salad and it'll help. Throw a bunch of thinly sliced chicken breasts in the oven. Meanwhile, get some fresh mozzarella cheese and tomatos out and get chopping. Once everything's cut up, pull the chicken breasts out (still not quite done) and put some mozzarella on each breast, then stack some tomato on top, then put a little basil leaf on top of that. Then throw it all back in the oven until the chicken is done. If you've got a fresh pesto or a light balsamic vinaigrette, you can drizzle that over it all. Serve with some salad and you're good to go.

Honeyed Salmon

This is the easiest recipe, though possibly the most expensive depending on where you live. Salmon can be pricey, especially if you spring for the wild-caught good stuff- but it's worth it! Get the good stuff and bring it home with some veggies- I recommend green beans, broccoli, or asparagus for this recipe. Pop the veggies in the oven first (lightly seasoned) because the fish won't take long at all. On the salmon, lightly drizzle some honey (hint: if you go for artisanal honeys, now is the time to bust them out). If you really don't like fish, throw a dash of brown sugar on too- but don't smother the fish. It won't take long to broil. Yank it all out and have an awesome dinner!

Like I said, healthy cooking is actually pretty easy- it's more about keeping your cravings in check. More recipes and tips to come! Let us know if you have any questions or requests on topics!

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