Doesn’t Spring Cleaning Your Body and Mind sound good? It really is the best approach to eating and living healthy. And I’m talking about more than just the food you eat. It’s also about the mindset that you approach each day with.
 
It’s amazing how much you can heal yourself by changing to a simpler and cleaner way of eating. And the nutrient benefits for your body are tremendous. Of course, an even bigger component than the food is your mental commitment to it long term. If your mental approach to it is one of being frustrated and stressed and weighed down by doing it, it means you have to work even harder because of the type of negative energy you are bringing to it. Now if you just keep your mind as simple and clean as your diet, think of how much more positive energy you will bring to it.
 
What you eat and how you think about eating it, affect each other dramatically. You may already have all the healthy foods around you, but what happens when you let yourself think you need something else to eat because you’re tired or stressed. We all have those moments! And when we want that familiar and comforting thing, it begins to feel like we don’t even have a choice in the matter. We ignore those vegetables we have in the refrigerator or that we brought with us while on the run and instead reach for our kid’s favorite snack, grab something from the nearest vending machine or even make a late night dash to the grocery store just to satisfy our craving.
 
One evening I was in a rush to leave the house for an appointment and realized I didn’t have time to wait for the dinner my family was preparing. So I had two choices, right? I could grab something quick— but it wouldn’t help me feel the way I wanted to feel—or I could get all the greens in that I wanted to.  I thought, “I could really use some more greens today.” At that moment, I chose to take a couple of extra minutes and put together something that was simple and clean. I made a quick salad (which I always keep washed and in the fridge) and added in the roasted vegetables I already had prepped in the refrigerator (which I also always keep on hand), mixed the two together and took that with me. And it also allowed my mind to stay simple and clean because I then didn’t have to worry for the rest of the evening about things like, what am I going to find to eat here or “I shouldn’t have had that.”
 
The best approach to have is to remember to keep your perspective as simple and clean as the foods you are eating. Remember to tell yourself that if you eat more vegetables and green juices, you can feel even better. Also plan it all out, have all the food you need on hand and then simply just do it. When you see that broccoli in the fridge, don’t think, “This won’t satisfy me!” Believe me, broccoli is amazing when you approach it with the right energy. Simply change your mindset! Remind yourself that when you eat that piece of broccoli, you are not going to have to work as hard to be healthy and you won’t regret it afterwards. Each time you do that, there’s a compounding effect.  Now, see how amazing that broccoli feels to eat!
 
A simple and clean approach is the best way to make your food and life easier. And by making your life easier, you’re making your choices easier. As we all know, it’s much “harder” to be sick. There’s missed work, missed school, missed time with family and friends, the to-do list get’s backed up and it’s not fun to be unhealthy! Then you have to work so much harder just to be well again. So just take a look at the healthier food you are buying and say to yourself, “This is going to make my life easier!” This way when you buy the healthier item, you’re already in the mindset to eat it, even when you are struggling with a bad day and overwhelming cravings.
 
Now, what simple and clean choices are you going to make today?