(NaturalNews) At 5-feet-4-inches tall and weighing 230 pounds, 29 year-old DeAnna Taylor often dismissed her excess weight as being "top heavy."(1) As a result, she spoke with a doctor about having breast reduction surgery, however, the doctor informed her that because she was morbidly obese, she'd have to lose at least 70 pounds before such surgery could be considered.

The words "morbidly obese" shocked Taylor into changing her lifestyle, making her realize that it was a difficult breakup that led her to seek comfort in eating a great deal of unhealthy foods. To make matters worse, she engaged in hardly any physical activity. Before she knew it, she was among the one-third of Americans who are obese, increasing her risk for a host of obesity-related health problems.(2)

But, as the saying goes, "That was then, and this is now."

Clean eating instrumental for weight loss, overall health

These days, Taylor is 87 pounds lighter, her fit body weighing a healthy 143 pounds.(1) She attributes her dramatic weight loss to two factors. First, she increased physical activity, initially starting out with fitness-related WiFi console games, then taking classes at a gym. Second, she ditched unhealthy eating habits and turned to a clean eating lifestyle where she says she enjoys " . . . foods in as close to their natural state as possible."(2)

Additionally, she preps her meals on Sundays, so she has healthy and convenient food options for the days ahead.

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS says that eating clean involves eliminating processed foods, high fructose corn syrups and trans fats.(3) Of trans fats, he says they are " . . . metabolic poison" and that "the only truly safe level for human consumption is zero."(3)

When one moves away from such unhealthy foods and instead eats whole, fresh fruits, vegetables and grains, not only can weight loss be achieved, but a range of health improvements can be realized. For example, clean eating can help regulate blood sugar levels, prevent cancers, reduce cardiovascular risks, boost energy and lift feelings of depression.(4)

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com

(2) http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

(3) http://www.cleaneatingmag.com

(4) http://www.livestrong.com

About the author:
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general. >>> Click here to see more by Michelle