14 Day Eat Clean Meal Plan

According to Tosca Reno, fitness model and author of "The Eat-Clean Diet," 80 percent of your physique is determined by what you eat. No amount of exercise can make up for poor eating choices. Clean eating avoids all chemically treated, refined and over-processed foods such as white flour, sugar, alcohol, soda, and foods with excess sodium.

Meals

The Eat-Clean program provides the body with smaller but frequent meals throughout the day. To increase metabolic rate and keep you feeling satisfied, Reno recommends eating six small meals each day, spaced at intervals of two and a half to three hours. Each meal should contain a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrate such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats.

Breakfast

The Eat-Clean program recommends eating breakfast within one hour of rising. A 2005 study published in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association" showed that breakfast eaters were less likely to be overweight and that eating breakfast may improve cognitive function.

Water for Weight Loss

Medical studies have shown that metabolic rate can be increased by as much as 30 percent simply through drinking two glasses of water. The Eat-Clean program recommends beginning the day with a cup of hot water with fresh lemon and drinking 2 to 3 L of water per day.

Calories

The Eat-Clean program focuses on eating lots of high-quality foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean protein, and Reno says there is no need to ever count calories. You may feel you are eating more food than you usually do, but this food is higher in nutrients and naturally lower in calories.

Portion Control

Proper portion control at meals helps your body utilize calories for fuel and reduce the number of calories stored as fat. Reno recommends eating one palm-size portion of protein at each meal, along with a serving of carbohydrate. One serving of a carbohydrate is two handfuls of a non-starchy fruit or vegetable; one handful of a starchy fruit or vegetable such as sweet potatoes or a banana; or a half cup of a whole grain such as oatmeal or brown rice.

Healthy Fats

Healthy fats are found in foods such as walnuts, almonds, flax seeds, olive oil, hummus, almond butter, avocado, and cold water fish such as salmon. These foods promote healthy joint, skin, brain and heart function. The Eat-Clean program recommends including two or three servings of healthy fats per day. A serving is a small handful of nuts, half an avocado, or 2 oz. of olive oil or a nut butter.

Meal Planning

If you are like most people, you may have no idea what you are going to eat on a given day. Purchasing a cooler, plastic food containers and an ice pack to transport your food is a great investment in your health. Reno explains in her book that by planning your meals ahead of time and packing your food for the day in a cooler, you will be setting yourself up for success.

Timing of Last Meal

If you are eating adequate protein and carbohydrate throughout the day on the Eat-Clean program, Reno says you will not be hungry. She recommends having your last meal three hours before bedtime. If you do get a late-night craving, enjoy a serving of a low-glycemic fruit such as an apple.