Clean eating, the latest diet trend that emphasizes health and wellness, may sound appealing at first. Unfortunately, like any fad diet, clean eating has its own set of drawbacks that could prove hazardous if taken too far.
Eating clean means avoiding artificial flavors and sugars, excess salt, unhealthy fats and processed foods – but what exactly does that entail?
Nourishing your body with whole foods
Diet is essential to our cells, bodily processes and immune systems. When our diet contains unhealthy ingredients that wreak havoc on these areas of health, symptoms will likely surface as time progresses. In contrast, eating whole food diets may prevent such conditions while strengthening our body’s resistance against pathogens.
Eating clean means prioritizing fresh vegetables, fruits, unrefined grains and lean proteins while limiting ingredients that don’t provide much in terms of nutritional value – such as processed sugars, artificial flavors/colors/salt/fats (including hydrogenated fats )/additives etc.
This trend has gained immense popularity among Americans, but may lead to restrictive eating behaviors and moralizing eating behaviors that may harm health. Furthermore, eating clean may create dichotomous attitudes towards food that increase vulnerability for disordered eating disorders. Eating clean can help you lose weight, increase energy levels and promote gut health – though remember it shouldn’t be implemented overnight; focus on gradually making small changes over time for optimal success.
No scientific evidence that clean eating prevents diseases
Eating clean is defined as replacing processed meals and snacks with fresh, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains – including fresh produce like fruits and vegetables – while limiting highly-processed items with added sugar or salt. Eating more naturally may help protect against diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Respondents had mixed opinions of “clean” eating, with many either viewing it as healthy or unhealthy. Some individuals highlighted dietary restriction as part of a clean eating approach while others identified increased risk for eating disorders as being harmful.
Understanding how young people perceive wellness-oriented diets can inform prevention efforts that address potential risks associated with these trends for vulnerable youth. Further research needs to examine actual dietary behaviors and identify strategies that may mitigate their negative impacts on at-risk populations, helping reduce stigma associated with disordered eating and promote healthful living among adolescents and emerging adults.
Limiting certain foods can lead to a disordered relationship with food
Now that the New Year has begun, many people are looking to make changes to their diets. One trend making waves among many is “clean eating”, although its benefits should not be overemphasized as excessive strictness could prove harmful to health.
Clean eating involves choosing whole foods instead of processed ones – vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats and unrefined carbohydrates such as vegetables. Sugars, artificial flavors/colors and salt should also be eliminated to achieve true clean eating.
But an obsession with restricting certain foods may lead to disordered eating patterns known as orthorexia nervosa (an obsessive preoccupation with healthy food and weight loss with potentially severe consequences). Such behaviors place individuals at risk of health complications including gastrointestinal upset, electrolyte imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, obesity, emotional distress and dysfunctional social relationships and they should seek professional assistance if they seek to limit certain food groups further.
Clean eating isn’t a diet
“Clear Eating” is a relatively recent fad diet trend that encourages its followers to avoid processed food products in favor of whole food offerings that they claim offer more health benefits than their processed counterparts; however, no evidence suggests otherwise.
Researchers have revealed that adolescents and emerging adults are at greater risk for dieting-related issues, including nutritional deficiencies and disordered eating behaviors. Furthermore, cultural moralization of diet trends may promote harmful dietary restrictions among vulnerable youth as well as preoccupation with healthy eating practices.
We conducted a national study with US adolescents and emerging adults regarding their impressions of “clean eating”. Respondents were asked five primarily open-ended questions related to familiarity with, definition of, perceived healthiness vs harm of clean eating; many respondents reported positive impressions but others also voiced ambivalent or negative sentiments; in addition they identified several behaviors related to unhealthy or problematic dieting such as restricting food or thinking obsessively about it. The results demonstrated many respondents had positive perceptions; yet some reported negative sentiment. Overall impressions varied; many respondents had positive impressions while some also voiced ambivalence or negativity towards it all while behaviors such as restricting food restrictions or thinking obsessively about it all being identified among respondents surveyed versus not knowing about it all being revealed among themselves and emerging adults alike.
