No doubt you have heard the phrase “eating clean” used in conjunction with the principles of fitness and a healthy lifestyle, but what exactly does that mean?
Many fitness experts, including myself, will tell you that being fit is only one half of the overall equation. You must also eat a nutritious and well-balanced diet to reap the full benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle. Doctors and nutrition experts also agree that cleaning up your diet is paramount for improving your health and your physique. Furthermore, they agree that a “super clean” diet, one that takes clean eating to the extreme, is hugely important when it comes to reversing some chronic health conditions.
One of the first tasks in adopting a lifestyle of clean eating is to define why you want to do it and what it means to you. Do you want to lose weight, control your diabetes, lower your cholesterol, or simply reduce your consumption of chemically-processed foods? Lot’s of diverse choices but think of the varying degrees of eating clean like you would the variations in the vegetarian diet. Some people adhere to a plant-based-foods-only philosophy, some include eggs, cheese, and butter, and some vegetarians include fish in their diets occasionally. Simply put, your clean eating program may differ from somebody else’s depending on your personal goals.
However, regardless of what your reason for starting is, here are some general guidelines that will benefit anyone who’s interested in getting started on a “clean eating” way of life:
• Start by cleaning out your pantry. In other words, “if it’s made by man, throw it in the can”! Get rid of the food that you are no longer interested in consuming. Donate it to a food bank, share it with your neighbors, or throw it away. If it’s in your pantry, it has a shelf life and if it has shelf life it has preservatives. If it has preservatives it is not in its purest natural state. If it’s not in its natural state, it does not provide the same optimal nutritional value as its natural state does. For example, an apple is healthiest when it’s consumed in its natural state. When it’s processed to become applesauce it loses some nutritional value. Or worse yet, if it’s processed to become apple pie, it has even less (more like traces of) nutritional value.
• Go shopping. Your first trip to the grocery store as a clean eater will probably be expensive. Invest in good quality organic fruits and vegetables sweet potatoes, brown rice, various beans, lean meats, fish and poultry and a variety of nuts whenever possible. My advice is to shop the healthier choices around the perimeter of the grocery store and stay away from the center as much as possible. Most especially from items that are sold in a box (ie: frozen dinners, cakes mixes, cereals, etc.) Be cautious of purchasing frozen prepared foods such as your classic TV dinners. They are off the chart with sodium content and usually provide more fat and less nutrition. Limit your dairy, bread, and pasta and select only those with the highest nutritional value.
• If you must purchase some processed foods, be sure to read food labels. If you are having a hard time pronouncing the ingredients, consider it over-processed. Take into account the number of ingredients listed, as well. If it has over four or five ingredients, it may not be a good food choice for a clean diet. The first item on the list should be what the food is. So, for instance, if you bought tomato soup, you want tomatoes to be listed as the first or second ingredient.
• Try to stick with whole foods and better yet, include foods that are high in antioxidants to help resist colds, viruses, and infections. In addition to being much healthier for you, eating clean can be very satisfying with the huge number of foods that fall under the category of lean protein, fruits, and vegetables. Again, if you can buy organic, that’s even better. A sample of a highly nutritious meal loaded with antioxidants would be romaine leaves with lemon and olive oil dressing, wild caught salmon, steamed broccoli and a small sweet potato. For dessert, you could have a small dish of Greek yogurt with blueberries and strawberries mixed in. Later for a snack, you could have a green apple and a small handful of hazelnuts or a spoonful of sunflower seed butter. For beverages, you can try green tea or coconut milk. All of these foods are sold organically as well.
In summary, eating clean is the practice of eating mostly whole, natural foods. These foods include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, healthy fats, and lean protein. Clean eating is also defined as staying away from foods that are processed or contain excessive amounts of sugar and fat. So whether your goal is to increase energy levels, lose weight and or address chronic conditions, you will benefit from clean eating.
Remember, cleaning up your diet doesn’t have to be an arduous process. In fact, it can inspire resourcefulness and creativity. Above all, eating clean will result in a happier, healthier you.
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