Clean eating refers to eating whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains and lean protein while eliminating processed ingredients like additives, preservatives and excess sugar or salt. Clean eating also prioritizes choosing locally raised and organic meats along with plant-based proteins from legumes or nuts as sources of proteins.
However, some interpretations of clean eating may go too far and become restrictive and result in nutritional deficiencies.
1. Eat Whole Foods
Eating a variety of whole foods is certainly beneficial to health. But the “clean eating” trend could take this concept too far; excessive avoidance of certain food groups and foods could actually result in malnutrition in young women who tend to follow this fad diet.
Additionally, many of the foods vilified by restrictive diets — such as coconut oil — can actually be beneficial to your health in moderation. Thus, gradual adjustments should be made gradually.
An eating regimen rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains is one way to feel your best. Sugary beverages and snacks should also be limited since these may add additional sugar into your system.
2. Avoid Processed Foods
Clean eating involves eating whole, unprocessed foods that are high in nutrition while limiting consumption of processed products containing harmful amounts of fat and sugar.
Processed foods encompass anything that has been altered from its natural state, including washing, canning, baking and freezing. Processing also refers to adding nutrients like folic acid in bread or vitamin D in milk or iodine in salt as another example of processing.
Avoiding processed food can be challenging when dining out or on-the-go, so one way to limit exposure is learning how to prepare meals and snacks at home using fresh ingredients and less processed foods like packaged chips, deli meats or frozen entrees.
3. Eat Grass-Fed Animals
Demand for products aligning with clean eating has grown rapidly in recent years, as more families look towards clean eating as an approach to living life better. Once satisfied with slathering butter on their potato waffles, families now prefer lower carb “squaffles,” made of butternut slices sliced to resemble waffle shape; and nutribullets (small blenders used to craft purportedly radiance-boosting green juices) have become ubiquitous tools of their daily lives.
Grass fed meat offers more healthful fats such as conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 essential fatty acids than its feedlot-raised counterpart, plus less saturated fat and calories.
Clean-eating trends have seen grass-fed meat and eggs gain in popularity, so always read labels before purchasing this type of food, to support humane farming practices that foster environmental sustainability – ultimately contributing to a brighter food future.
4. Eat a Balanced Diet
Many agree that eating more whole foods, vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins is good for their health. Yet interpretations of “clean eating” vary significantly – from Tosca Reno’s moderate diet outlined in her 2007 book The Eat-Clean Diet to Alejandro Junger’s radical elimination diet promoted on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website by Alejandro Junger; Junger’s system forbids all sugar (including honey and maple syrup); processed flour products; nightshades (tomatoes and aubergines); all processed flour products; nightshades (tomatoes, aubergines etc) as well as red meat consumption.
Clean eating gone too far can result in food restrictions that are harmful, particularly for people with histories of anorexia or bulimia. Restrictive eating patterns may lead to nutritional deficiencies as well as mental distress.
5. Eat in Season
Foods harvested before their peak season can often taste blander and have reduced nutritional value than their seasonal counterparts.
Eating seasonal food helps support local farmers, which is good both financially and environmentally. While it might not always be practical or possible to source everything locally all of the time, try your best whenever you can!
Avoiding processed food, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, restricting meats, and dining seasonally can all contribute to clean eating. But remember that healthy eating shouldn’t be seen as restrictive diet – if it makes you feel deprived, consult with your physician or registered dietitian immediately.
