Eating clean may seem challenging, but it doesn’t need to be. Selecting minimally processed food with short ingredient lists is an effective way of improving health and energy levels; however, an obsession with clean or pure eating could result in orthorexia: an eating disorder with disordered patterns of consumption.
It’s a way of life
A healthy diet includes consuming whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains and lean proteins from a wide variety of sources; while minimizing processed food that are high in sugar, fat or salt. Also key is drinking plenty of water which helps your body remain at an ideal temperature while cushioning joints and managing weight.
Some versions of the clean eating philosophy suggest cutting out all added sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and preservatives from your diet; this extreme approach could leave you vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies.
Clean-eating plans should incorporate all food groups, from fresh fruits and vegetables to minimally processed items with short ingredient lists and healthy fats and lean proteins. Incorporating environmental sustainable seafood sources as an option also makes up a part of clean eating; your local supermarket is the best place to find locally sourced, organic options that may suit this goal.
It’s not a diet
Eating clean is a lifestyle of healthy eating habits, not necessarily restricting certain food items. Most processed food has undergone some form of processing like cooking, canning, drying and fermenting which makes it safer, tastier and easier to digest; cutting out all processed food would be impossible and could even lead to nutrient deficiencies and unhealthy binges.
Clean eating emphasizes whole, minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains – without additional sugars or excess sodium – with an aim of decreasing animal-based food consumption which increases cardiovascular disease risk.
Although clean eating has become an increasingly popular trend, its practice should never become an obsession. An excessive focus on “clean” foods and moralizing attitudes within this movement can lead to disordered eating behaviors such as orthorexia nervosa. Therefore, it’s vital that individuals identify the signs and symptoms associated with orthorexia nervosa and seek medical help from qualified providers in order to improve their condition.
It’s not a fad
Clean eating doesn’t have a universal definition, but in general it involves choosing whole, non-processed foods in their most natural state – vegetables, fruit, whole grains, pulses (beans, lentils and peas), nuts and seeds; plus high-quality animal and plant proteins from animal sources or sources with the potential to produce it naturally. Clean eaters usually avoid processed food altogether while limiting added sugars as much as possible (though desserts don’t have to be entirely banned from their diet!). Most desserts can even be prepared without adding an excessive amount of sugar!
Diet fads may seem harmless at first, but they can actually be damaging to our health in many ways. Restrictive dieting plans that restrict essential nutrients may leave us starved for essential vitamins and minerals; disordered eating behaviors can become even worse among vulnerable adolescents and young adults as a result of restrictive dieting regimes; disordered eating patterns become even more problematic with time due to this trend fueled by photogenic bloggers on Instagram who post images supporting gluten-free, preservative-free or vegan products promoted as healthy products with these advantages marketed as healthy alternatives marketed as healthier products than would normally exist in reality.
It’s not a cult
Clean eating may have positive connotations, yet its popularity can lead to restrictive and unhealthy behaviors like orthorexia – characterized by obsessive thoughts about food and maintaining a healthy weight – leading to restrictive and unhealthy behavior that leads to low energy levels and nutritional deficiencies in the body.
Clean eating has become an increasingly popular trend, prompting an explosion of false wellness messages and pseudoscientific diets, leading to disordered eating patterns. Instagram influencer Alice Liveing recently shared that following a strict clean eating regime caused her to lose her period and experience nutrient deficiencies.
Our findings also revealed that participants interpreted “clean eating” differently, with different vignettes being perceived more “clean.” Of note was meal substitution diet as it was seen by participants to be particularly unhealthy and unlikely to be adopted, suggesting this type of clean eating is at greater risk for disrupted functioning and increased ED symptomatology.
