Eating clean means selecting nutritious food that comes as close to its natural state as possible, such as whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats and fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating this way often avoids processed and refined products while emphasizing more wholesome options such as these.
Consideration must also be given to how food is grown and harvested, as well as where your food originates from.
Fruits
Fruits are an ideal clean eating choice, providing essential vitamins and minerals like dietary fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin C and iron. Fruit can be eaten straight up or used as ingredients in recipes or desserts.
Clean eaters tend to limit added sugars by selecting foods with short ingredient lists that have low amounts of added sugars, but this doesn’t necessarily entail eliminating them completely.
Some versions of clean eating may be restrictive and exclude foods essential to overall health, such as high-fat dairy, grains, fruits and vegetables – which could potentially lead to nutritional deficiencies over time. Aim for a balanced diet filled with fresh produce, lean proteins, whole grains and healthy fats as part of your plan for good eating habits.
Vegetables
Vegetables provide an abundance of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants essential for good health. Vegetables contain dietary fiber, potassium, folate and can even reduce risk for heart disease by eating them regularly – all benefits of which support healthy living!
Select leafy green vegetables, dark red and orange vegetables, starchy vegetables (potatoes), and legumes such as beans and peas as your meals of choice. Be wary of highly processed versions such as veggie chips or frozen vegetable meals which have not been properly researched.
Weight-loss efforts require both cutting out added sugar entirely and monitoring calorie consumption to achieve success. To create a balanced diet, include lean meats and eggs from lean livestock as well as whole grains, nuts and seeds into your meals.
Meat
Meat can provide essential protein, iron and vitamin B12. However, according to the clean eating trend it’s wiser to opt for lean and sustainably-sourced meats rather than processed versions such as bologna, salami, hot dogs or pepperoni.
Food processing can make food safer, tastier, and easier for us to digest; additionally it makes essential nutrients more readily accessible to our bodies. Unfortunately, some clean eaters take an extreme approach in cutting back on processed foods – which could have serious adverse consequences.
Cooked sausage containing PSE pork meat often suffers from fat and water separation issues due to reduced native proteins essential for activation in emulsification processes, potentially altering firmness and colour of finished products.
Dairy
Dairy products are an integral part of a healthy diet and provide essential nutrients. Consumption regularly can result in stronger bones, reduced risk for heart disease and high-quality protein for muscle health.
Dairies are used in numerous desserts, including ice cream, fro-yo, flan and kulfi. Furthermore, dairy can also be found in many beverages like tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages and milkshakes.
As part of clean eating, it’s essential to opt for dairy products with added sugar or processed fats, such as sour cream and butter. Instead, go for low-fat milk and yogurt as your main dairy choices with higher-fat cheese as an optional garnish or side dish.
Desserts
Certain desserts are too tempting for us to only indulge in small portions, so it may be beneficial to reduce their presence at home and keep them away. If cookies or ice cream cannot be avoided completely, buy single serve containers to control portion sizes.
Reducing dessert consumption makes them more desirable, which in turn can lead to binge eating later. This creates an unhealthy cycle of restriction and overeating. Instead of forcibly devouring post-dinner desserts, enjoy it mindfully and then move on. Doing this will enable intuitive eating which has been linked with healthy weight loss as well as greater self-esteem.
Drinks
Clean drinking will nourish your body with essential vitamins, minerals and healthy fats that will help promote heart health, support weight loss and boost the immune system. Choose unsweetened tea/coffee/water/seltzer beverages instead of those loaded with calories such as juice.
Alcohol can be part of a clean eating diet, but moderation is key. Opt for beverages made with juices or light spirits mixed with club soda or ginger ale; they have significantly fewer calories than traditional beer and wine options. Here are some tasty clean drinking recipes that fit this bill: turmeric-rich golden lattes, cleansing green smoothies and clean copies of coffee shop favorite menu items are just a few examples!
