28 Day Motiv8 Clean Eating Challenge!

28 Day Motiv8 Clean Eating Challenge!

Motiv8ers welcome to October's Motiv8 Food Challenge.  Will you take on this challenge with me?

Motiv8ers trying to figure out what to eat and which type of diet to go on can get overwhelming in a hurry. Well, it is about to get a lot simpler because the key to a clean diet that will help you stay strong, lean, and make you feel awesome comes basically down to these simple words: �less is more.�

As a busy person, and as a coach who is around busy people all day, I understand the difficulty in always having fresh food on hand. You can�t always run to the grocery store, and sometimes you want to just reach into the cupboard/freezer/fridge and have something almost make itself. I get it. That�s why Motiv8 is here to hopefully make creating a healthy clean diet much easier and I want us to work together to make this happen.

So the challenge is this.  For 28 days I want you to try for one or two meals each day for 28 days to only eat the foods on the shopping list below.  If you want to try the whole day for 28 days that would be even better but I know how hard a sudden change can be. You can make any recipe you like but the foods have to fit into the list laid out.  This might seem very challenging at first because many of us are so used to buying packaged goods but if you stick with it you will be so surprised on just how great you will start to feel.  Also every meal you make from the list below, take a pic and share it on your SETs facebook page.  Lets start helping each other stay Motiv8ed!

So what exactly is a clean diet? It may vary from person to person, but for Motiv8 it is one that contains unprocessed, whole (mostly plant) foods minus chemicals or other strange ingredients. Here are some tips for �going� clean, as well as the list of foods that Motiv8 recommends for the challenge to have on hand for quick meal prep. Use it as your guide next time you go shopping.

By the way, if something sounds unfamiliar to you, do a little research. I�m constantly learning about new, interesting, good-for-you foods. You, too, will be amazed at the options out there!

Clean Eating Tips

1. Start by saying goodbye to a few main "evils."

This includes all white stuff (including sugar), plus caffeine and alcohol.   Coffee and Tea is fine but any caffeine coming for sodas, sports drinks, or processed foods is a no go.  Processed sugar is a no go as well but fruit sugar is fine.  I know you are freaking out about the alcohol but try it out for 28 days.  You can do it!

2. Know that this will not break the bank!

Switching to 100 percent clean foods can be challenging and even costly at first.   But pay attention to the prices in the produce section.  The foods that are the cheapest are usually the healthiest foods to eat in bulk like potatoes, bananas, greens, beans, rice, etc.  Foods that are more expensive like some vegetables, meats, nuts, and pricy fruits have in moderation and eat in small amounts.  You will learn over time which foods to buy in bulk to make sure you are fitting your calorie needs each day and which foods to limit in order to not spend your whole pay check.  Last October when i did this challenged I saved over 300 dollars.  No joke.  I was amazed by just how much I was spending on packaged goods.

3. Remember: less IS more.

The fewer ingredients an item has, the �wholer� it is, as in less processed. Try to make or purchase items with five or six ingredients at the most.   The less ingredients the easier it is on digestion and the faster your body will process the meal and start allowing your body to enter into the healing process.

4. Plan to create meals with just a few items.

Try mixing and matching from the lists below.  For example, boil quinoa and sweet potatoes then toss in some black beans, cilantro and 1/2 sliced avocado. Then put in some cumin, cayenne pepper, and any other seasoning you find tasty. Fresh, clean, fast and delish! Once we are in the challenge post up the recipes you make and lets start helping each out eat healthy! 

MOTIV8 SHOPPING LIST

General Daily Summary

Starchy Carbs: 2-3 servings per day

Non-Starchy Carbs: 4-5 vegetable servings per day; 2-3 fruit servings per day

Proteins: 2-3 servings per day

Fats: 2-3 healthy fat servings per day; 1-2 oil/nut butter servings per day

-The lower range of these serving suggestions approximate a =1,500-calorie diet.

-The higher range of these servings suggestions approximate a =1,800-calorie diet.

-Add an extra serving each of vegetables, protein, starchy carb, and fat for an approximate 2,000-calorie diet.

STARCHY CARBOHYDRATES (� - � cup; 2-3 servings per day)

Grains

• Rice (brown, jasmine, wild)
• Quinoa (also a complete protein source)
• Millet
• Buckwheat
• Amaranth
• Oats
• Pasta (Soba/buckwheat, quinoa, noodles and other noodles made from the grains listed (also a protein source)
• Squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti, kabocha, pumpkin)

Vegetables

• All types of potatoes
• Squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti, kabocha, pumpkin)
• Corn

Legumes

• Lentils (brown, green, red)

• Beans (black, pinto, mung, kidney, garbanzo)
• Green peas
• Edamame

NON-STARCHY CARBOHYDRATES 

Vegetables (1 cup; 4-5 servings per day)

• Onions
• Tomatoes
• All types of leafy greens
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Bell peppers
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Fennel root
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Beets
• Radishes
• Eggplant
• Green Beans
• Brussels Sprouts
• Okra
• Jicama
• Snow Peas
• Mushrooms
• Cabbage
• Sprouts (broccoli, bean, alfalfa)
• Cucumber
• Zucchini/Yellow Squash

Fruits (1 cup; 2-3 servings per day)

• Lemons or limes
• Papaya

• Apples
• Pears
• Bananas
• Mango
• Oranges/Grapefruit
• Apricots
• Berries (strawberry, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
• Melons
• Grapes
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Plums
• Cherries
• Figs
• Salsa, pico de gallo, spaghetti sauce -- no added sugar
• Dried fruits* (dates, cranberries, cherries, gogi berries, apricots)

*Reduce serving size to small handful. Dried fruits are high-calorie and easy to overeat! Read the ingredients - oil and sugar are added to enhance flavor.

Beverages (12-16 oz; 1 servings per day in place of a fruit serving)

• Coconut water
• Kombucha

PROTEINS (2-3 servings per day)

Complete Proteins (contain all 9 essential amino acids)

• Wild game
• Wild-caught fish
• Free-range chicken/turkey
• Free-range eggs
• Grass-fed beef
• Non-GMO Tempeh/Tofu
• Edamame
• Quinoa
• Note: leafy greens, rice, and legumes are also excellent (but incomplete) protein sources, and meat is not necessary for every meal.

Serving Size:

1-2 palm-sized pieces of meat/tempeh/tofu;

1-2 eggs;

�-� cup edamame/quinoa

All processed meats like sausage, packaged or deli-sliced sandwich meat, bacon, fatty meats, and hot dogs are a no-go.

FATS (2-3 servings per day)

Healthy Fats

• Avocado
• Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts, Macadamia, Pecans)
• Cashews
• Peanuts
• Seeds (Flax, Sunflower, Pumpkin, Chia, Hemp)
• Coconut milk (canned)
• Dried coconut (no added sugar)

Nut Butters & Oils

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Sesame oil
• Walnut oil
• Nut butters (peanut, almond, cashew)
• Seed butters (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame [tahini])

Other

• Cacao powder
• Non-dairy milk (Almond, hemp, cashew, coconut - in the carton)

Serving Size:

� cup avocado, large nuts, dried coconut, canned coconut milk;

1 Tbs seeds (use them to top your salad or smoothie);

1 Tbs cacao powder (add to smoothie)

2-4 tsp of oil/nut butter or 1 Tbs salad dressing (e.g., oil mixed with vinegar & spices)

1-2 cups of non-dairy milk

Condiments/Flavorings (as much as you want!)

• Black pepper
• Grey celtic/pink himalayan salt
• Hot sauce (no added sugar)
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Mustard
• Pure flavor extracts (vanilla, peppermint, almond)
• Spices (Turmeric, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Red pepper flakes, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Paprika, Chili Powder)
• Fresh or Dried Herbs (basil, dill, rosemary, bay leaf, cilantro, parsley)
• Tamari/liquid aminos/coconut aminos (instead of soy sauce)
• Stevia*
• Vinegar (apple cider, rice, red wine)
• Maca powder
• Spirulina
• Lemon/lime juice

*Even though stevia is a natural sweetener, limit consumption of stevia because it still triggers your sugar cravings!

Beverages

• WATER (at least half your weight in ounces every day)
• Coconut water (contains sugar and no fiber); see servings under Non-Starchy Carbohydrates
• Kombucha; see servings under Non-Starchy Carbohydrates
• Herbal teas (unlimited)
• Non-dairy milk (Almond, hemp, cashew, coconut - in the carton); see servings under Healthy Fats

Happy Shopping!

Motiv8ers I want you to challenge yourself.  Can you do this challenge for 28 days?  Doing this challenge for every meal is ideal but if you want to take it slow and use this challenge to create some healthy habits for one or two meals then that is great too.  As you can see that dairy is not apart of this shopping list.  Motiv8 believes that dairy is not necessary for a complete whole natural diet and if eaten should only be used every once in a while.  

Motiv8ers this is going to be Motiv8�s biggest challenge to date and we know that if you adapt this challenge you will start to feel better, have more energy, and see the results you are looking for.  And remember don't take on this challenge alone.  If you make a meal based off the list take a pic of your meal and post it on your Motiv8's SET Facebook page.

Lets support each other and get crazy healthy in the process.

Stay EPIC and Don't Forget to Be AWESOME!

Coach Ty Out!