Clean Eating April 2016

Achieve Lasting Weight Loss with the Clean Eating Academy! Want to slim down for summer? We’re launching our new course, A Whole-Life Guide to Lasting Weight Loss, this April! Join Clean Eating’s Advisory Board dietitians Erin Macdonald and Tiffani Bachus for this holistic 9-week program featuring nutrition, exercise, stress reduction and mindful eating that will help you build healthy new habits for life. Sign up at cleaneating.com/weight-loss. FREE 7-DAY SOUP CLEANSE We’ve got a 7-day detox plan that will cleanse your body, boost your immunity and warm your soul. With delicious smoothies for breakfast and nourishing soups for lunch and dinner, you’ll feel lighter and more energized right away! Download your meal plan and shopping list and get started now at cleaneating.com/soup-cleanse. WHAT’S SO SUPER ABOUT SUPERFOODS? Adzuki beans, chia seeds and kimchi are really…

Unless you have an ironclad will against any form of temptation, and your pristine health habits are as routine and constant as time itself, your weight likely ebbs and flows a little throughout the year. Here we are again, in the few months before summer, and some of you (like all of us here on the CE team) are a little on the “flow” side of weight gain, looking to get back to your healthiest lean – that sweet spot where you’re feeling buoyantly energized, making all the right choices and you can’t resist giving yourself a little wink in the mirror when you walk by. But how do you claw yourself out of hibernation and get back to that? Here at CE, we turn up the volume on our goals in…

The soul of clean eating is consuming food the way nature delivered it, or as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it’s a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to an improved life – one meal at a time. Eat five to six times a day – three meals and two to three small snacks. Include a lean protein, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a complex carbohydrate with each meal. This keeps your body energized and burning calories efficiently all day long. Choose organic whenever possible. If your budget limits you, make meat, eggs, dairy and the Dirty Dozen (ewg.org/foodnews) your organic priorities. Drink at least two liters of water a day, preferably from a reusable canteen, not plastic; we’re friends of the environment here!…

Q: Is it true that chronic stress can make it harder to lose and maintain weight? – KATELYN DUNBAR, SAINT PAUL, MN A: Unfortunately, yes, stress hormones like cortisol tell the body to create and store fat around the belly (“stress fat”). But the good news is that anything you can do to manage stress will only help you in your weight-loss efforts. Meditation is by far the best stress reducer, but if you find it difficult, try this simple four-minute deep-breathing exercise. Sit quietly with your eyes closed and your palms facing upward, resting on your knees. Set a timer for four minutes. On a count of seven, breathe in deeply and slowly, hold for 1 to 2 seconds, and exhale very slowly on a count of four until your lungs…

ERIN MACDONALD & TIFFANI BACHUS REGISTERED DIETITIANNUTRITIONISTS/RECIPE DEVELOPERS TRABUCO CANYON, CA, AND PARADISE VALLEY, AZ Clean Eating’s resident dietitians and wellness coaches Erin Macdonald and Tiffani Bachus of urockgirl.com developed the scrumptiously clean recipes for “5 Secrets to Win at Weight Loss” (p. 36) and “Lose 5 Pounds in 2 Weeks” (p. 75). “All these recipes feature lots of colorful, antioxidant-rich ingredients, have tons of flavor and are so filling and satisfying, they'll keep you energized for hours!” say Macdonald and Bachus. LIZ MOODY RECIPE DEVELOPER/WRITER/BLOGGER BROOKLYN, NY For this issue, sproutedroutes.com blogger and writer Liz Moody developed the heavenly and deliciously nutty Chocolate Caramel Peanut Butter Pie in “Sweet Tooth” (p. 88). “Peanut butter, caramel and chocolate is such a classic combo, and there was an Oreo freezer pie that I used to get…

For centuries, only Chinese royalty had the privilege of enjoying the sweet taste of the apricot-resembling fruit known as the loquat. Brimming with antioxidants called hydroxycinnamic acids, studies have shown loquats may be protective against heart disease and some types of cancer. Along with apples and pears, loquats are members of the rose family, and within the US, they're largely grown in Florida, California and Hawaii. Look for loquats at Asian markets, specialty fruit stores and farmers’ markets. MARKET NAMES: Japanese plum, biwa, nispero, pipa SEASON: Mid-February to June PREP IT: Wash under running tap water or scrub gently with a clean vegetable brush. STORE IT: Store ripe fruit in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The skin of the fruit is delicate and bruises easily, so take care when handling. EAT IT: The…