There are so many reasons to eat clean but my favorite reason is this first one:

• 80% of what you look like is due to what you are eating

When I first heard this I was SHOCKED. I mean, I knew it was important to eat right but I had always believed that exercising was a lot more important than what I put in my mouth. So I decided to actually put it into practice and see what happened. I had been working out regularly for about 9 months but I hadn't really cleaned up my diet. I was getting all kinds of frustrated because in 9 months I lost a whopping....2 pounds...

Ever wonder about all the different vitamins and minerals and why you need them? Or maybe you're curious about which foods contain certain essential vitamins and minerals.  Below is a menu of various vitamins and minerals and an explanation of how to eat to get them into your diet.

Vitamins:

Vitamin A - This helps fight infections, aids vision, helps jawbone and tooth formation, keeps skin clear and helps to keep the reproductive organs healthy.

Where to find it - Various fruits, liver, butter, whole milk, cheese, egg yolks, yellow vegetables, spinach, beet greens, carrots and turnips

Vitamin B - Responsible for helping enzymes release energy from food, promotes healthy metabolism, gives cells oxygen, detoxifies organs, prevents defective vision and stabilizes nervous system function.

Where to find it - Fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans.

Vitamin C - Plays a role in controlling infections and healing wounds. Works as an antioxidant and neutralizes free radicals, which are byproducts of oxygen metabolism that may contribute to the development of cancer and heart disease. Helps make collagen for healthy bones, teeth, gums and blood vessels.

Where to find it - Citrus fruits, berries, green and red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach.

Vitamin D - Often called the "sunshine" vitamin because that is the best way to get it. Helps the body use calcium and phosphorus, which helps form strong bones, teeth and healthy skin. Too little Vitamin D increases the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, certain cancers, multiple sclerosis and infectious diseases such as the flu and tuberculosis.

Where to find it - Dairy products and fatty fish such as salmon and tuna.

Vitamin E - Protects red blood cells and may play a role in the body's immune function. Diets rich in Vitamin E may help lower the risk of some cancers and heart disease.

Where to find it - Sunflower seeds and other nuts and oils, turnip greens, spinach, tomato paste and avocados.

Minerals:

Calcium - It is essential for vascular contraction and vasodilation, muscle function, nerve transmission, intracellular signaling and hormonal secretion.

Where to get it - Milk, yogurt, cheese, Chinese cabbage, kale and broccoli.

Iron - Iron deficiency results in limited oxygen delivery to the cells which results in fatigue and decreased immunity.

Where to get it - Dried beans and peas, lentils, whole grain products, baked potatoes with skin, dark leafy vegetables and dried fruit.

Magnesium - Helps to maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system and keeps bones strong. Helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure and aids in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Magnesium is also thought to help with preventing and managing hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Where to get it - Spinach, legumes, nuts and seeds and whole unrefined grains.

Selenium - Helps to prevent cellular damage from free radicals, regulates thyroid function and supports a healthy immune system.

Where to get it - Plant foods, some meats and seafood and some nuts.

Zinc - Lack of zinc leads to poor night vision and decreased wound healing, decreased taste and smell, reduced ability to fight infections and poor development of reproductive organs.

Where to get it - Whole grains, legumes, nuts, wheat germ, mushrooms, peas, dairy foods and eggs.

So it appears that Whole Foods has lost the battle with the USDA and Monsanto in the genetically modified organism (GMO) fight. If you've not heard, Whole Foods Market has come to an agreement with Monsanto to accept GMO alfalfa into the ecosystem. Up until recently, Whole Foods has always been against all GMO's. Monsanto has been trying to get approval from the USDA for a long time to allow them to provide farmers with alfalfa seeds. What was holding things up for Monsanto was the public outcry from various companies such as Whole Foods. However, it appears that Whole Foods wasn't given much of a “choice” in regard to Monsanto. Whole Foods could either allow Monsanto to proceed with no regulations at all or allow Monsanto to do as it pleases but implement some sort of regulations in regard to controlling genetically engineered alfalfa so it can co-exit with non GMO varieties. Not really much of a choice.

The Organic Consumers Association published this article stating that Whole Foods is in full support of GMO's. Whole Foods has issued this  statement on their website.

I'd be curious to hear what you think about this? Do you feel that Whole Foods did the right thing in caving to the USDA and Monsanto? Should Whole Foods have stood their ground and tried to fight this battle another way?

Is one of your New Year's resolutions to eat more healthfully? If so, then one of the first things you should do is to stock your fridge with accessible, nutritious food. This will help you to maintain a healthy diet and limit temptation. Here's how to get started:

1. What you see is what you get. If you don't buy it then you won't eat it. It's much simpler to avoid eating cookies if they're not in your house. ALWAYS make a list before you go grocery shopping and stick to the list. Making a list makes it a lot less likely that you'll go wandering down the cookie aisle. And NEVER EVER go to the grocery store hungry!

    

2. Give your fridge “eye appeal”. Usually people put the fruits and veggies in the bins at the bottom. This is a bad idea because you won't see them when you open the fridge door. It's estimated that the average household wastes more than $10 a week on produce that has spoiled. That's because it's out of sight. Use the bins for meats and keep the fruits and veggies at eye level. You're much more likely to pick a healthy snack if it's the first thing you see. Also, give other healthy items like natural peanut butter and hummus a prominent place in your fridge.

    

3. Wash it and chop it and bag it. As soon as you get home from the store, wash and prepare your fruits and vegetables. Separate food into individual portions in order to prevent overindulging. Fruits and vegetables should be washed and cut up so they're ready to be eaten at a moment's notice.

    

4. Freeze it. Frozen bananas are great as a snack and give smoothies a nice creaminess. Frozen grapes make tasty snacks too! Kids love them as a sweet treat.

    

5. Hide it. If you keep your indulgent items hidden in the drawers below you may just forget they're even there.

The refrigerator really can be your best friend when you're trying to lose weight. Replace high fat foods with fruits and vegetables and keep all produce at eye level. This way when hunger strikes you'll be sure to pick something healthy.

A question that I get all the time is simply how to get started with Clean Eating. In addition to eating breakfast, eating protein with each meal and eating every 2-3 hours, incorporate the following:

1. Start making your own salad dressing. There are way too many yucky ingredients in prepared salad dressings, including high fructose corn syrup. Here's a recipe for a basic vinaigrette dressing that I make all the time.

2. Stop drinking sodas and diet sodas. Instead, drink herbal tea or water.

3. Eat more fat. Use real butter (Kerrygold is grass-fed butter which you can find at most supermarkets) and eat eggs. Eggs are the perfect protein source. Avoid modern vegetable oils like corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil and canola oil. Instead use coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil.

Okay, I must admit that I love Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. Unfortunately, at 310 calories for the small size latte, I can't have them very often. When I discovered that I could make a clean eating version I was thrilled! It's oh so yummy and tastes just like the original! Plus, it's only 100 calories for 16 ounces! I'm so happy to share this with you all and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Clean Eating Pumpkin Spice Latte

(Adapted from a recipe by Tiffany at The Gracious Pantry Note: She uses maple syrup instead of  sugar)