Start Living Clean, with Lexi Davidson

It doesn't have to be all or nothing. You don't have to throw out every single thing in your pantry to make better choices. Meet yourself where you're at and don't beat yourself up.

If you want to live like you matter, ditch the pills, look great, and feel freaking amazing. You're in the right place. I'm Dr. Wendy Trubo.

I'm Dr. Ed Levitan. Welcome to the Five Journeys podcast where.

We empower you to live a vibrant and healthy life by optimizing your structural, chemical, emotional, social, and spiritual lives.

Hang on to your hats. Welcome to the Five Journeys podcast.

Lexi Davidson is our guest today, and she is the voice and personality behind Lexi's clean living. Since her launch in June 2013, Lexi has become an influential voice in the clean eating and clean living space. Her growing audience consistently turns to her as a leader and trusted source for delicious, natural, nutrient dense foods that friends and family love, along with guidance on how to live a clean and healthy lifestyle. Welcome, Lexi. We're so happy to have you here today.

Thank you for that lovely intro. I'm so excited to be here. I love you guys. This is gonna be great.

Million questions. So what's clean living?

Clean living, what? I think the biggest takeaway here, right when you're thinking about clean eating, clean living, toxins, all of this stuff that you guys are well versed in and we all talk about is having it be realistic in a lifestyle. So it's not clean eating, clean living, it's not a diet change per se. It's not removing every single toxin in your life all at once and spending a fortune. It's really just a lifestyle shift and it's really just cleaning up some of the toxins and ingredients and processed foods and all these things that are in our life more than ever, and just being more aware and reading ingredients and making choices that we feel good about and starting in a place that, you know, we are not feeling overwhelmed about. So in a nutshell, it's a lifestyle shift that is approachable and that will help us, you know, live long, healthy lives, hopefully.

Sounds, like, sustainable too, for sure.

That's the hope, right? And what I don't want is people to feel overwhelmed. I don't want people to feel like they have to make an elaborate dinner every night. It's not realistic. We can get dinner on the table in 30 minutes and it tastes good. We can get good quality ingredients, good quality beef and poultry and fish even delivered to our door at a really reasonable price. And we can do this. It doesn't have to be an unachievable, non realistic goal where you have to move to a farm and make all your own food. I mean, maybe that would be awesome, but that's just not the reality.

Sounds fun to me.

I know part of me is here for. Part of me is I go back and forth, you know, it has to be realistic for people and I want it to be. I want to help people. Right? That's why you guys do what you do also. We just want to help people and make it more accessible and sustainable.

So how do you gauge though? Right, because some people want to start going to eat to get their grains from a bulk, some bulk supermarket and use only glass, et cetera. And some people want to maybe start with eating a few organic vegetables, adding a few organic vegetables. Where do you start? How do you gauge?

Yeah, well, there's a few factors, right? We have to start where we are. You know, what's affordable, what's realistic. You know, if you have a whole family that you're feeding, then maybe swapping every ingredient right away is not realistic. And it's okay, you know, and I feel like that's when other things come into the factor like sleep and stress and all of this. It's not, you know, there's all these pillars of health and clean living that aren't just food, which I've gotten more and more into. But to answer your question, the thing that I always say is, and I talk about this mostly in self care products, but it relates to everything I say. Like, okay, what are you running out of? So like let's start there. If you're running out of face wash, let's get you a cleaner one. If you're running out of sugar, let's make a good swap for that, you know, like, or a better swap, let's say you don't have to throw out all your fancy expensive makeup that is made of talc and XYZ in it, or skincare or face wash or you know, and then what do you use every single day? So I give body wash for a better example and I'm like, oh, that's what's in the Dove body wash. Like we use that every day and my whole family uses that every day. Okay, that could be a good transition item. That makes sense. And we use it all the time. So we're going from what we're using every single day to, you know, to making smaller changes maybe for stuff that we're not using every day, but that are important and that do matter. So like, maybe eventually it's like ditching your Teflon nonstick pans. But, you know, that may not be. That may not be reality right away, and that's okay, too, you know, so.

Make a better choice, like, wherever you are, level up for whatever's next on your buy list.

Yeah, but you guys. You guys would appreciate this. I recently had a house guest, and they were like, oh, man, you have the Babyganix hand sanitizer, which, you know, I had my. My daughter in the peak of COVID and I was like, I don't know. I feel like I need to have some sort of hand sanitizer in the. I don't want one with alcohol. I don't want one with this. And so I just got this brand I thought I researched enough. Turns out the ingredients are just meh. But better than Purell, for example. But anyway, so these people come in our home, and they're like, wow, I can't believe you would use that. I'm like, well, one, it's quite judgmental, but two, we're not using this every day. And also, I'm not going to throw it out. It's a better option if people come to my house and they want to use it. I feel better about them using this than me putting out a thing of Purell, for example. And that's where I've come a long way and for good reason. And there's times where I go back to super squeaky clean everything. And then there's, like, right now, or maybe I'm 80, 20, or 90, 10, where I'm like, okay, we can just, like, calm down, because stress matters. And you've always told me that. It's like, are you meditating? It matters. Sleep matters. Like, all of this stuff matters. So if we're going to make ourselves so crazy about everything, it's just not. That's not a sustainable way to live either, you know?

Well, that's worse for your health because you're going to shut down your digestion and your detox if you're all stressed out and not sleeping.

Exactly. So that was just an interesting example of someone being like, I can't believe you, Lexi would use that. I'm like, and actually, I was on a podcast recently, and they were like, you know, my kids ate pickles for dinner. If only I had my crap together like Lexi does to get dinner on the table. And I was like, whoa, okay. I think I need to be more real with people because, you know, my dinners aren't always lavish things that I Not, you know, we. We work through months out on our blog, on our content, on our recipes. We're testing them 6 to 12 to 15 times, depending on the recipe. Like, we're. I'm not cooking every single day, and that's what we're eating. So, yeah, we do try to, like, always have really good options in the house, but there's some nights where I Whip out the Dr. Prager's, like, spinach Littles, and I'm aware that there's canola oil in it, and I'm not happy about it, but once in a while, you do what you got to do. And this goes into, like, talking about social media, which we. We haven't talked about, but I think it's worth talking about. It's like there's an unrealistic picture of everything. Like, no, my. I don't. We don't do everything perfect. I dye my hair. That's like, that's one of my faces. It's not, you know, I'm like, people are like, have you tried a cleaner hair dye? I'm like, haven't found one. It's my thing. I wear a mask. I do the best I can.

I, you know, take your detox supplements.

You do detox. So.

You know, like, that's what I'm saying. So I certainly don't want people to think I am perfect. And with that. And I struggled with this for a long time, and I was talking about it with my therapist for a long time. Like, I don't want people to think if you eat clean or live a cleaner lifestyle or, you know, you're doing your best, and then something horrible happens, like you get cancer or something, you know, and that can happen. Like, you can't eat a perfect way, or. I don't want people to think that if, you know, I eat clean like Lexi does, that nothing will ever happen to me. Because that's crazy. You know, I have my own health issues that have come up over the past number of years that are genetic and completely out of my control. And the reality is, most likely nothing was going to stop that from happening. So I just don't want people to also get that impression. So there's a lot of this talk now, you know.

No, it's about mitigating. It's about mitigating the impact of what's happening in your body by not making it worse with food. Food will take away a layer of the problem, but it may not, especially with genetic issues. It's just going to alleviate or mitigate. It may not be the cure all. It'll be the cure all for your belly. But not necessarily for genetics.

Yeah, well. But what you're speaking about, genetics is not necessarily destiny. And sometimes it is.

Right?

You're my destiny.

Oh, God, that's so cute. I actually appreciate your point, Ed, to that, because you can have, like, call it, you know, Ms. Or something, you know, really, really serious going on, and you can really help yourself by diet choices, by certain types of exercise, movement, by a lot of things, by supplements, by all these choices. And it's important when you. When you do have these things come up in life, which is somewhat inevitable, potentially, that you just figure out what your move is from there, you know, like, how am I going to. How am I gonna migrate? How am I gonna manage this? How am I gonna make some changes that can help my cause, you know?

Yep.

Right. And it's human. Like, you were talking about ms, and there's a pretty famous physician that had Ms. Or has ms, couldn't walk. Terry Walls, wheelchair bound, and she literally cured herself. Well, at least she's walking. I'm not. I. I don't know. She might be in remission, but she talks about having, I think, either six or eight portions of vegetables with each meal and really super clean, or she goes back. So even though she has this disease and she mitigates it with food, which is pretty impressive. So even though she has that predisposition, food can change things, just like you said. Meditation, stress reduction, sleep, all the pillars.

And you guys talk about pillars, you know, like that. You know, with five journeys. And like, that's. I talked about that in my first book. It's like the pillars of health are not just food. Right. There's all these other factors, and it's really important to think about that. And someone else that comes to mind when you were just talking about Terry is Alina from Alina's Pantry, who, if you follow her, she's amazing and she's such a great resource. I don't know how Ms. Specifically came up, but again, she has Ms. And she manages differently, right through keto and a ton of other stuff over the years. But she's amazing, and it really shows that food can change your life. I mean, food changed my life in a different way, obviously, but it really is. It's amazing.

Yeah. Food is medicine.

So you referenced how not every night your dinners look picture perfect. What do you suggest to people who are too busy to cook or who really feel challenged by transitioning from a boxed meal to a made meal?

I Think there's two parts to this part. One is if your family is on board. Right. Because we all know that that's a struggle. If you're making. You're like, oh, okay, we're going to make this. Even if it's in 30 minutes, this instant pot chili. It's good for us. There's tons of veggies. Everyone will feel good. It's delicious. But then everyone'. Well, I'm not eating that.

There's vegetables and it's like, not everybody likes Brussels sprouts.

No, right. Like shocking.

How do you stick to that when your family wants nothing to do with it?

Not you force it.

Not that has ever happened.

Their mouth. And you force it down. Right?

Yeah, exactly. Well, that's one method. Will it work up in the air? Unclear. Unclear.

Let us know.

So I don't have that experience where people are fighting me because I didn't start this journey with teenagers in the house. But I work or I talk to many people that do and I try to help them navigate that. And Mike, actually, my husband, gave me a really good point. He was like, I, this is really funny. This is a really funny story. He's like, I hated broccoli, but I started liking it when I would eat panera broccoli cheddar soup in college. And then it was like that exposure to the little bit of broccoli that's probably in it made him be a little open to trying my, like burnt garlic green broccoli that I make. And like, those little exposures really help. You know, it's like, just, just give it a try. If you don't like it. We're, you know, we're not gonna like, make you crazy and make you eat everything but little exposures. You know, give them a little try. Give em a little try. And then eventually they might. And you know what the other thing is? They're gonna feel better. They will. So they're gonna see that too. So it really depends on where you're at. If it's like, if, you know, if you have a spouse or a partner that's not on board, but they're not feeling good, but then they start feeling better. If they give things a try and they're a little open, then great. Teenagers might be a little tougher, but talking about food and healthy eating and clean eating and clean living and what we put in our bodies without two things happening. My kids going to somebody's house and be like, my mommy says that's bad for you. And like me giving them an Eating disorder. I'm terrified of that. I don't want her to be like, ooh, these foods are bad. I want to make it clear that we try to eat, to nourish our bodies and to feel good, but it's hard, especially with a daughter. It's just something I think about it.

I think lives a lot in language. It's not that these are bad foods, that these foods don't help us optimize our bodies, and they don't help us become who we know we want to be and perform at the level we want to perform, perform at. It's not about good or bad, and you're not a bad person for eating it. And they're not bad foods. It's simply that those foods don't fit into the narrative of how can we be as healthy as possible. That's all it's about.

Yeah. And I think even asking questions, right, like, how did you feel after all that Halloween candy? Or maybe not wording it like that, but kind of being curious how they felt. And they might be like, you know what? I really didn't feel great, depending on their age or whatnot. But it's just an interesting thing that I think about a lot. And I talk about most mom friends or parent friends that I talk to that are in a healthier, cleaner space are concerned about that, like, as their kids grow up, navigating it. And you don't always have the best languages. I'm going to say this, this, and this, and I'm going to say it right. And that's just not always reality, you know? Right, right.

Yeah. Well, one thing you're pointing out that I really love is people really think their tastes are fixed. Like, I like this, I don't like this. And that's how it's going to be the rest of my life. No, the reality is taste is not fixed. And we, as we grow, our tastes change and our taste buds change.

And Right. For the average person, like, an example could just be, I hated mushrooms growing up. You couldn't pay me to eat mushrooms. Now I'm like, bring on the mushrooms. It's just like, maybe you taste it in a dish that's so yummy, and you're like, oh, okay. And then you get the confidence. You're like, I can't make that at home. But then you get the confidence like, oh, but if I, like, throw in a ton of garlic, that could be delicious. So it's just a little exposure, you know, and then realizing, but you're right. Like, taste change. Especially when you. If you cut out sugar, if anyone has done like a full on, like complete cutout of sugar and you're like, wow, like that lemon is sweet. Like, you know what I mean? Or something so random that you're like, it's not, but it is now, you.

Know, I want to highlight something you also just said sort of obliquely, when you like or don't like a substance, any vegetable has probably, what, 50 different ways you could make it. So you might not like the raw broccoli floret, but when you've sauteed or steamed it and put it into a soup, or you've blended it into a patty, or you've mixed it with something else, maybe it tastes a little bit better. And that you can't blanket say you don't like it. You need to try all these forms of it because it tastes different when it's in different forms.

And then we talk about the French. Sorry, the French kids eat everything.

Yes, French kids eat everything. You should read this book, Lexi, because it's all about. You have this window until kids are three where they'll eat anything.

It's about having kids. Keep trying. And what is it, 15 times?

15 times. You gotta try the same thing 15 times.

And that's the same thing with sales and marketing and not to talk about business, but like, you have to expose someone generally 12 to 15 times for them to be like, okay, I trust this. I'm gonna give it a try. So there is that issue that I hear all the time from readers is how do I get my family on board if they're not. But backing up before that, there's a few tools in the kitchen that we use all the time to get dinner. I'm like, oh, man, it's 4:30. I have 30 minutes to figure out what's going on the table. Right? So sheet pan dinners. Having an instant pot. An instant pot is an awesome resource to getting really good dinner on the table quick.

You love our instant pot, don't you?

It makes rice. I make rice with.

Does make rice. But honestly. So like my chicken soup that I used to cook on the stovetop for like, you know, it was almost 24 hours. It was like a process. I make it in the instant pot and call it with pressure coming up. Call it an hour with all said and done and prep. But it's like, it's as if it's been simmering for 24 hours and you get that gelatin bone broth. I make a lot of things and it's the best. So, I mean, tools like that, tools like that that you could take out and be like, okay. Or a sheet pan. Most people have a sheet pan, right? Line it with parchment paper, not aluminum foil. Just saying. And throw on some veggies. You know, if they're heartier. Veggies, like potatoes, you know, maybe throw that in first. Then throw on some chicken breast. Put a little, like, you know, mustard, like, make a little something like sauce or something. And sheet pan dinners can come together so quickly. So there are ways to make dinners really easy. Some people do really well with planning, right? So, like, okay, here's my four dinners that I'm making this week. One night's gon leftovers. One night we're going to do takeout. It's just like, I. I'm. I don't necessarily need that as, like, me personally, but, like, it would. But it helps a lot of people save money. You know, they're like, okay, here are the groceries I'm ordering this week. I have a down pallet. I'm not thinking about anything other than what's on my meal plan tonight. So I feel like there's all these different resources, but I feel like kitchen tools is a biggie. And I'm like, when in doubt, I always have some shrimp frozen in my freezer. And I feel like shrimp defrosts. Really? I know that sounds like a random one, but it defrosts quickly. You can buy good wild shrimp, you know, and I. Sometimes I don't even wait till it's fully defrosted. I throw it in the skillet, put some spices on, throw some sauce in it, make, you know, make some veggies on the side, and we have dinner, and it's really, really quick. So I feel like it's just, just. It just takes a little prep. It takes a little thinking more than prep. And what tools do you have? You know, my mom is, like, loving the air fryer because she's not a cook.

What are the top tools? You said instant pot. You said sheet pans and air fryer. And the air fryer, sheet pan, instant pot.

I would say air fryer. A meal planning template, if that's your thing. That's not necessarily a cooking tool, but it's a really good tool. I mean, the slow cooker, even though that's not quick, but it can be quick if you throw something in the morning and then come back later planning ahead. So utilizing the tools that we have, utilizing these things, because they're great, and it helps me get dinner on the table. Quick. And also one more not realizing that, you know what, if I don't make my Bolognese and my sauce from scratch, then forget it. It's like you can just take some ground turkey, ground beef, throw in this goat with some onion, garlic, good oil, and then throw in some good marinara sauce. You know, read the ingredients, avoid one with sugar and random oils, but throw that in there, you have like a 20 minute, in a hurry meat sauce that's delicious. Throw it over some good pasta that you feel good about. And it doesn't have to be this elaborate meal to be delicious.

Yeah. Beautiful.

That's great.

Is there like, maybe two or three things that you want to leave people with? What's the top three things you recommend to start their clean leaving journey?

Yeah. Focus on sleep, your stress. If you're struggling, talk to someone. Like, go to therapy. Clean up a few things in your diet. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Just be easy on yourself. We're living in really hard times. A lot of people with pandemic fatigue and being in the house and just there's a lot going on. Be easy on yourself. It's hard, but prioritizing those small things that you can, like sleep. Put your phone away three hours before bed, and I promise you'll sleep better. Like little things like that. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. You don't have to throw out every single thing in your pantry to make better choices. You know, start with where you meet yourself, where you're at, and don't beat yourself up. That would be my takeaway.

That's awesome. Where can people find you? Lexi?

Well, Lexi's Clean Kitchen, everywhere. Just a little website, lexisclean, kitchen.com, social media, Instagram, Facebook, Lexi's Clean Kitchen, Pinterest, all the places. And I hope to meet many of you. Yes.

So thank you for joining us.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for having me. And keep in touch.

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