The term clean eating has gained a ton of popularity over the last couple of years. In this article we’re gonna go over what clean eating is and why it is so important. So, you’re probably wondering what clean eating means…
What is clean eating?
Four significant factors will help you identify and understand the concept of clean:
1. Predominantly plant based.
2. Whole Vs Processed.
3. Free of artificial ingredients.
4. Organic and non-GMO where possible.
Now, we’re gonna explain each one of these four factors separately….
1. Predominantly plant based.
Why plant based nutrition? Well, there are a few reasons. One, plant based foods are the most nutrient dense. That means they have the most amount of nutrition and the least amount of calories. Two, they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants. That’s essential for good health. Three, most of them are alkaline forming. That helps reduce inflammation, it’s good for bone health, it’s good for your immune system, and it’s good for your overall health. When you get those three together, that is good nutrition.
2. Whole Vs Processed.
The basic rule of thumb – the more that you do to food, the less that’s actually in it, nutritionally speaking.
3. Free of artificial ingredients.
We’ve all heard of artificial ingredients in food. So, what does artificial actually mean? Well, it’s anything that was concocted in a lab at a molecular level designed to add color, flavor, texture, improve shelf life, anything like that. They’re not going to kill you immediately, but that’s different from health.
4. Organic and non-GMO where possible.
Organic food is important. It’s food grown without herbicides and pesticides.
Another question that you might be asking is …
Why clean eating is important?
To get back to the basics, clean eating is a way to raise your awareness about the types of foods that you’re actually eating and to become more in tune with nutritional value that your food brings to you. That is really what clean eating is all about. It’s not a competition, it’s not a contest, and it’s not a restrictive diet. It’s s a lifestyle shift, so it’s step by step improving the quality of the foods that you’re eating so you can be in charge of your health and your energy and not fall victim to cravings and mood swings that often come with highly processed nutrient void foods that also leave us feeling hungry and out-of-control. And this does not have to look the same for everybody you can eat clean and be a vegan, you can be a vegetarian, you can be a weightlifter, you could be a meat-eater, a yogi, you can eat six meals a day, you can eat two meals a day, there’s really no hard fast rules other than that one stream through the tie in which is you’re eating real whole unprocessed foods as close to their natural state as possible most of the time and that you truly enjoy eating.
Next, let’s take a look at five guidelines to help transition into clan eating…
How to eat clean?
1. Cook as often as you can: cooking is one of the easiest ways to start eating better because you are in charge of all your ingredients and you know exactly what you’re working with and here’s the deal that doesn’t mean you have to every single meal that you make you just want to try to cook more often than you don’t and technically speaking my friends then is only 51% of the time.
2. Learn to read your labels: learning to read the labels on your food is a great way to get a sense of what’s going into your body. Good general rule of thumb- stick to foods that have 5 ingredients or less and that you can read recognize and pronounce each one of those ingredients.
3. Avoid highly processed food: foods that go through lots of processing before they actually make it to your plate these are the foods that are pretty much made in Factories. The more food is processed outside of your body the less nutritious is going to be for your body. A great indicator of highly processed foods are those ingredient lists, if they have long ingredient lists they are highly processed foods. The real problem with highly processed foods other than the fact that they are nutrient void is that they are bombarded with sugars and fats and salt and so that comes in and totally destroys your taste buds, it’s like overload fat sugar salt wipes on your taste buds. And now we no longer appreciate the subtleties and the deliciousness of real natural Whole Foods and this is why healthy eating gets a bad rap because if you’re used to eating highly processed foods and your taste buds are used to being inundated with all of that, they literally cannot taste and appreciate the flavors of real Whole Foods.
4. Avoid artificial flavors and sweeteners: simply artificial flavors and sweeteners are not real food, these are food like products that are made in factories and they are designed to bypass the logical part of your brain and trigger all of the pleasure points, so we find ourselves wanting more and more kind of leaves, you feeling like you’re added out of control, like you’re just wanting and you don’t even know why and because it’s not real foods your body doesn’t even know what to do with it.
5. Your macronutrient balance macronutrients: theyare your protein carbs and fats. It does not mean that you need to start counting and tracking your macronutrients but you need to pay attention to the carbs proteins and fats that you’re eating in the course of a day and making sure you’re getting enough protein, making sure you’re getting enough of those good heart healthy fats, making sure you’re getting quality carbohydrates. These little adjustments can give you more energy and keep you full for a longer period of time.
To recap, of course ‘eating clean’ means different things to different people but ultimately, it’s a step by step approach to improving the quality of the foods that you’re eating so that you can be in charge of your energy and your health.
And finally, It is really important to actually enjoy the process of trying to eat better, to enjoy the foods that you’re eating and how you’re making them or where you’re getting them from because at the end of the day if you want something to be a lifestyle change it has got to be sustainable and in order for anything to be sustainable we have to enjoy the process.
Healthy lifestyle 