• Infrequent bowel movements
• Straining during a bowel movement
• Hard stools
• Difficulty having bowel movements

Why Eating Clean May Help Prevent Constipation

First let's take a look at the most common causes of constipation. They include:

• A diet low in fiber
• Inadequate water intake
• Lack of regular exercise
• Eating a large amount of dairy products
• Stress

Eating clean involves eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. If you adopt the clean eating lifestyle, then your diet should naturally be high in fiber and you'll more than likely be drinking plenty of water.

Constipation Prevention

Preventing constipation seems to be easy enough. It revolves mostly around diet and physical activity.

Eating a Diet High in Fiber - The daily recommended amount of fiber for women is 25 grams and for men it is 38 grams.

Drink Plenty of Water - It is not uncommon for many individuals to actually be dehydrated on a regular basis. A good way to combat dehydration is to drink water more often and cut back on caffeine intake which can cause dehydration. It helps if you carry a jug or bottle of water with you wherever you go.

Regular Exercise - Exercising on a regular basis helps to stimulate intestinal function. This is really important if you have a desk job. Sitting for 8 or more hours a day is not beneficial to ones health. Healthy eating and exercise go hand-in-hand.

Fiber Supplements - If your battle with constipation is an ongoing one, then over the counter fiber supplements may help you along. However, it's important to drink plenty of water daily if you go this route.

A clean eating lifestyle and regular exercise can have many health benefits. Chances are when you stick to a healthy diet and a good amount of physical activity, dealing with constipation will rarely occur.

References:
Fiber: How Much Do You Need?
Prevention

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How FitDeck Cards Work

These cards were created by former Navy Seal, Phil Black. Each card contains one exercise with instructions on how to perform the exercise as well as how many repetitions. There are three levels of expertise on each card: beginner, intermediate, and advance. The particular set I have are bodyweight cards, meaning no equipment is needed. The deck is broken down into groups of upper body, lower body, middle body, and full body exercises. You can shuffle the deck and do random exercises or you can put the cards in order of what body parts you wish to workout.

Inside each deck are also cards like: skip next exercise, repeat last exercise, and 30 second water break. These cards keep the deck interesting. Each card is equivalent to 1 minute. For example, if you use 10 cards, that is equivalent to a 10 minute workout. I personally like shuffling the deck and having a new routine each time I use them.

What I like most about FitDeck cards:

• Compact and easy to take anywhere
• Bodyweight exercises can be done almost anywhere
• No equipment necessary
• You can have a different workout every time
• Fun to use
• Inexpensive

These cards are great if you're short on time or travel a lot. You don't need a lot of space to use them and they make for a great circuit routine.

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"This is my reward for 150 consecutive days of eating clean.." #WorkHardAndEnjoyYourRewards

As you can see, he started with a stack of pancakes, some thick and doughy pizza, and topped it all off with a mug of milk and peanut butter brownies. I can't imagine he gobbled most of that down but he probably had a good time trying. The very next day, he tweeted about doing a hard cardio workout to burn off everything he ate.

A majority of his posts are fitness related and he works out constantly as you can tell. Although I'm sure he eats healthy a majority of the time, even he likes to get down and indulge in some of his favorite junk meals.

As a clean eater, do you also like to break away and indulge in some of your all time favorite junk meals or do you feel doing so will throw you off balance?

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The Similarities of Stevia and Agave

Both stevia and agave are derived from plants. Both are good alternatives to table sugar and honey which can have an effect on blood sugar. They are both considered beneficial sweeteners for diabetics.

The Differences Between the Two

As far as sweetness is concerned, stevia is 200 to 350 times sweeter than table sugar, whereas agave is 1.4 to 1.5 times sweeter. Stevia is very low-calorie (often zero-calorie) while agave is anywhere from 20 to 60 calories per teaspoon as it contains sugar in the form of fructose.

Unlike agave, stevia is more beneficial for diabetics as it is said that it does not effect blood sugar levels and may even help to lower them. The FDA approves agave nectar as a food product, however, stevia is only approved as a dietary supplement. This is because the FDA does not yet have sufficient proof that whole stevia leaves and unrefined extracts are safe for human consumption.

I have tried both stevia and agave. I don't have a major preference but after what I've read, it seems like stevia may be the better option.

Which do you prefer and why?

References: livestrong.com

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Recently, I read an interesting article by professional fitness trainer, Tony Horton. If you are not familiar with who he is, he is the creator of the popular extreme home fitness programs P90X and P90X2. I am a fan of Tony, in particularly because he has such a great attitude. He is always upbeat and motivated. If you've ever used P90X or his other fitness programs, then you know how cool he is to train with.

His article was about his 11 rules for nutrition. In it, he talked about how some people treat their food like a religion. Meaning, that some people follow a strict eating plan and stick to it, never bending for any reason. Tony says he used to be that way being a vegan for many years until he realized he was lacking the energy he needed for the types of workouts he was doing.

He adapted and changed from veganism to incorporate other types of food into his diet. In turn, he reclaimed more energy and it worked out for himself. Some of the more strict and popular ways of eating include:

• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• Fruitarian
• Paleo

The above diets all restrict certain types of food. Those who follow strict diets such as the ones above can be quite fanatical about it. Chances are they will not bend in what they allow into their diet, especially if they've been eating a certain way for a long period of time.
That can be an issue if in the long run if your body isn't adapting as well as it could if you increase your physical activity.

I feel that clean eaters eat a variety of food and mainly avoid foods that aren't helpful to the human body. These foods are primarily processed food.

Some may consider eating clean a strict form of eating. However, in comparison to other forms of eating, I feel eating clean offers up many more options. I also feel that this form of eating is way more flexible if you decide to splurge or find yourself in a situation where you may have to eat something not considered part of your diet.

As a clean eater, do you feel like you treat your method of eating like a religion? Are you willing to incorporate other food into your diet? Or do you feel that eating clean already allows plenty of variety?

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Hotel Buffets

Most hotels offer a free continental breakfast or some type of basic breakfast menu. I can't imagine that many hotel buffets are super elaborate, especially if they are free. Items on these buffets typically include food items such as:

• Cereal
• Eggs
• Bacon/sausage
• Toast/bagels
• Fruit
• Cream cheese, ketchup, butter, jelly, etc.
• Coffee/tea/juice

A hotel buffet won't allow you many options. For example, you probably won't be able to specify how you want your eggs prepared or substituting this for that. They usually put out what is offered and that's it.

Before tackling any buffet, the first thing you should ask is what items are processed? That would immediately cut out the cereals and bread. Then ask, what items probably contain refined sugar? That would cut out syrups, jelly, and some juices. Your safest options on a typical hotel breakfast buffet menu are eggs, fruit, and maybe wheat toast. If you're ok with bacon and/or sausage, those are options as well. You could ask if plain oatmeal is available. As far as beverages go, keep the coffee and tea plain. Fruit juices are high in sugar.

This method should also work well if you choose to dine at a restaurant near by. At least at a restaurant, you have more options and you can probably get away with requesting specific items as well as how certain food is prepared (grilled vs fried, etc.)

I'm not much of a traveler but a lot of people travel for business and have to deal with hotel/restaurant food on a regular basis. Do you have any experience in this area? What would you recommend?

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Eating Clean and Calorie Counting

In my opinion, it isn't necessary to count calories if you choose to eat clean. This is because you are not consuming the types of food that cause weight gain. Chances are you are not over eating because you are constantly eating 5 - 6 small meals a day. This way of eating keeps you full and satisfied. You are less likely to crave junk or want to snack on anything extra.

This doesn't mean you can't count calories. In fact, it may be helpful to do so when you're first starting out to get an idea of the calorie counts of the clean food choices you make. However, I think not counting calories is one of the many benefits of choosing a clean eating lifestyle.

You're consuming the proper food in the proper amounts. This alleviates the worry of counting every calorie. It is possible to overeat no matter how healthy you keep your diet. Yet, if you are following the small meals (5 - 6 a day) routine, you are less likely to overeat as well.

Counting calories is definitely a preference when eating clean. Is it something you do? have done? or never do because of the way you eat?

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If you have frequented Starbucks before, then you know many of their beverages contain syrups, sugar, and optional whipped cream. In my opinion the only clean eating Starbucks drinks include:

• Black coffee
• Iced black coffee
• Hot or iced tea - plain

When I say black coffee that means no refined sugar, creamer, or whipped cream. I am not an expert on the Starbucks drink menu but I've had my share of cafe mochas to know what is available.

Am I wrong in my evaluation? Have you discovered other clean drinks on the menu?

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Other Quinoa Health Benefits

• Cholesterol free
• Gluten free
• Provides all 9 essential amino acids
• Good for vegans and vegetarians
• Good source of iron, magnesium, zinc, and folate

How to Prepare and Eat Quinoa

Preparing quinoa is very similar to how you would prepare rice. You can boil it in water or vegetable broth for about 15 minutes. It can be cooked in a pot or adjust the liquid for cooking in a rice cooker.

Substitute it for rice in any rice dish such as a pilaf recipe or try any number of salad recipes you can search for online. Clean Eating Magazine almost always features a quinoa recipe. Are you a fan of quinoa? How do you prepare it?

Reference: About.com

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My Desk Jobs Led to Weight Gain

After a few months, I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that I gained back the weight I was losing. I have no one to blame except for myself. I knew I had to change what I was currently doing. Here is what my pattern of eating consisted of when I worked both jobs:

• Breakfast - fast food breakfast burritos
• Lunch - fast food turkey burger or turkey sub
• Dinner - fast food grilled chicken sandwich

Being that busy caused me to be too tired to become motivated enough to prepare my own meals at home. But in turn, my body paid the consequences by putting on excess weight.

Simplifying My Meals

I had to simplify meals and eating clean makes that easy. Now, when I'm short on time in the mornings, I drink my favorite shake. I prepare my lunch the night before from the dinner I made.

I get my meals from Fresh & Easy - my favorite grocery store. I like them the best because they package their meat and produce to feed 1 - 2 people (for the most part.) Since I don't really have the time to cook for an entire week, I can make enough for a dinner and the next day's lunch. No wasting food and I still have variety while eating clean.

Yes, clean eating still requires some discipline as it is all too easy to fall into the fast-food trap. If you have found yourself doing the same thing, step back, and ask yourself how you can make eating simpler. Maybe making meals when you can is a better option than trying to do it all at once.

Are you busy and find it difficult to eat healthy? What do you do to make it easier?

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