I’m sure you are aware of the word “Clean Eating” as it’s been doing the rounds for quite a while now. You can find everything from clean eating blogs right through to clean eating magazines. A question I get asked a lot is “what exactly is clean eating?”
Well to me, to eat clean is not just about eating it’s more to do with a lifestyle change, not some fad diet or a quick fix.
Many bloggers and authors of eating fresh may have remarks or different perspectives, however, the founding principles of the clean eating way of life will be the same. Below are four tips which you can use to integrate a fresh diet into your life.
- Processed Foods
Probably the first basic principle is to eliminate pre-packaged and processed food and drinks. When wanting to eat clean your reasons should be to increase your health and wellbeing or for weight loss. Ditching the foods and drinks that are processed with chemicals, additives and preservatives will be essential.
The reason for this is to have a diet with fresher food items; This means that you will be consuming less artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, emulsifiers, enhancers and other additives. So this is not only a great thing for your health but also for your weight loss efforts.
- Local Foods
As previously mentioned; eating clean means to minimize processed foods and eat more fresh foods. What about pesticides? Buying organic is not affordable for everyone, but the non-organic options are usually grown by using chemicals, many of which have been proven to cause havoc with hormones and our bodies immune systems. Below is a list of the most heavily sprayed on fruits and vegetables so if you can buy these organic at least, you are one step closer to a healthier you:
Apples, Celery, Cherries, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Grapes, Hot Peppers, Peaches, Potatoes, Spinach, Strawberries, Bell Peppers and Bananas.
I recommend buying in season, the reason behind this is anything local will be fresher because it does not have to come from the opposite side of the world. Also, we are intended to eat in season. Apples for instance do not grow all year round, who knows how long they are stored before getting to you. I’ve been told that some apples can be up to 12 months old once you buy them. Crazy!
The result is that the value of these items will be significantly less. So why pay for something when you are not going to reap the full benefits? You may as well do it correctly if you’re going to eat clean. Vine ripened produce is so important.
Buying locally grown or growing your own is always your best bet unless you can purchase organic then that is best.
- Portion Size
Eating smaller portioned meals more often throughout the day is a healthier option compared to the standard of the three meals a day.
It has also been shown that you should slow down when eating. Eating slower helps your body and your brain work together in telling you when you are full, especially if you have a bad metabolism, or one that is slow. Chewing your food thoroughly and slowing down also prevents most people to snack on quick, processed foods.
Eating 4 – 6 smaller portioned meals more frequently throughout your day is quite easy. Plan out what your healthy meals will be and prepare them and take them with you. This way you won’t be tempted by bad foods or beverages.
- Simplify
Have you ever noticed how big some ingredients are on packaged foods? Yes isn’t it ridiculous? Most of the time you have no idea what these ingredients are anyway, as they are either massive words that you can’t pronounce or it’s only a code… like you were just meant to understand what that code intended.
If you can read the ingredients on the back of the package and they aren’t difficult to pronounce then it is most likely something that can be added to your clean eating list. Another way to look at it is this; if it grows it goes…into your basket that is! So alway start your shopping in the produce section and fill up on all of those healthy fruits, veggies and nuts.
To eat clean does not have to be a chore, it’s very simple. Just stay away from any processed foods and drinks and it will do great things for your body not to mention to your weight loss efforts if that is what you are aiming for.
