“Clean Eating.” What do these simple 2 words make you feel? Anxious? Restricted? Failure before you even try? Uncontrolled cravings? Pressured?

I have a hard time with this statement too…and I didn’t even realize it until this year. As humans, we try so hard to do and feel our best every single day. And when we add more “to dos” like doing a clean eating week suddenly the anxiety and pressure weighs you down even more.

I recently did a clean eating week and it truly made me feel like I continually had to justify my food choices because I wasn’t eating “perfectly” clean. This made me feel like a failure…and that’s not what it should be about.

I refocused my attention on why I even did a clean eating week in the first place and it was to feel better, reduce bloating, reduce sugar and cook more at home. When I put it that way, it feels so much better because I’m focusing on the FEELING. I’m focusing on discipling the easy choices I was reaching for and challenging myself to go for what my body was actually feeling it needed. So instead of just reaching for chips laying around, I enjoyed cut veggies, an apple or orange, unsalted nuts…foods I do enjoy eating but they aren’t the easy go-to like the chips I got in the habit of reaching for. Or challenging myself to not have a fun coffee every single day and enjoyed herbal teas that benefit my digestion which is needed. Or going out to eat and just getting a burger and fries and instead I challenged myself to enjoy the burger loaded with veggies with a side salad (and I didn’t get bloated or feel heavy the next day so it was a huge win)!

This may sound easy…but to be honest it was EXTREMELY hard to make this shift and challenge myself to not go for the easy choices.

I want to give you a mindset tip to help you continue or start to eat more nourishing meals without feeling the need to label it. Instead, you get to challenge it. Challenge your mind, your choices, what your body is actually needing. You get to tap into what your body actually wants, not just going for what’s easy in that moment. No more clean eating…just simply intuitive choices your body wants and empowers you to make!

How to intuitively make NOURISHING FOOD CHOICES and FEEL EMPOWERED:

1. Get clear on the changes you feel you need to make. Is it less sugar? Eating out only 2x per week? Making sure you have a vegetable every meal? Reducing the sugary drinks every day? Reducing desserts and reaching for alternatives like a dark chocolate square? I suggest starting with just 1 change you want to make and continue to build on it until you reach your “clean” goals!
2. Keep a balance. When you eat out on those busy nights making dinner just isn’t going to happen balance out and stick to your goals. This is where you challenge yourself and EMPOWER yourself in the choices you make! Going to have pizza? Enjoy your 2 slices, but include a side salad to go with it. The family wants ice cream? Enjoy your alternative dessert that tastes and feels even better for you to eat!
3. When you have someone by your side trying to make healthier changes too, it’s a lot easier to want to do it. Whether it’s a friend, your partner, an accountability group or a coach like me it just makes it easier to want to make the changes. Or to have someone to talk through the guilt or the cravings when they hit.
4. Find a way to enjoy the challenge of finding nourishing alternatives! Challenging yourself and your habits is when the change you desire will happen. If you constantly revert back to what’s “easy” that’s going back to old habits that are no longer serving you. So even when it feels hard, dig into the challenge and prove to yourself that you CAN make the change you desire.

Ready to have the nourishing alternatives handed to you with ZERO EFFORT? Join the Bombshell-ish Body Blueprint! It is a self-guided health course to get your health journey back on track! We chat all things intuitive eating, understanding WTF to eat, manifestation and making those new habits stick like boob tapes! Click HERE to learn more and join!