What Does Clean Eating Mean Anyway?
The most basic meaning of ‘clean eating is to eat natural, unprocessed foods. In recent years though, the #cleaneating Insta crowd and fanatic health advocates have used the term to package negative and often extreme diet fads. The kind of eating plans that are too restrictive, hard to stick with and ultimately unhealthy.
Using some basic principles you can eat ‘clean’, healthily and simply without needing to prepare Mason jars of salad every day and cut out entire food groups.
Basically, it’s just about eating the foods we’ve been consuming for centuries and steering clear where you can, of additives and processed options.
Eat whole foods
Whole foods are those that haven’t processed or refined.
For example, a green apple you pick up at the fruit and veg shop is a whole food. A processed muesli bar with ‘apple chunks’ is not.
Whole foods are fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds that haven’t been modified in any way. They’re also grass-fed and pasture- raised meat and pasture-raised dairy products free from hormonal interference and preservatives.
If you’re not sure exactly how ‘whole’ a food item is, ask yourself how many ingredients does it have?
A whole food has 1 ingredient, take that green apple for example. It’s all apple. Whereas a processed apple muesli bar will have a bunch of other ingredients like sugar, gums and other preservatives.
Oranges are another good example, think about the way a whole orange is, with seeds, skin and juice – this is a whole food. When it’s processed into commercial orange juice, the skin, seeds and pulp, along with a lot of nutrients are filtered out and ingredients like sugar and preservatives are added in.
If you can’t pronounce the ingredients on the back of a product, do you really want to put it in your mouth? Additives, preservatives, artificial flavours and colourants provide no nutritional value and can play havoc with the metabolism.
Pay attention to genetically modified food
Genetically modified food (GMO) is meat or plant products with DNA that’s been altered artificially in a lab with the genes of other animals, plants or bacteria.
This means GMO foods contain foreign compounds that aren’t found in the food’s natural state.
While clean eating for some may mean avoiding GMO food altogether, just becoming aware and making a few more selective choices can benefit your health. You don’t have to drive yourself crazy banning every single GMO product from the grocery list. As you begin to include more whole foods in your diet, you’ll begin to reduce the amount of GMO foods naturally.
It’s worth noting though, common GMO foods include soy, rice, corn, tomatoes, potatoes and meats.
Sources of GMO-free protein like pasture-raised poultry, grass-fed beef and wild-caught fish are much higher in essential omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants and minerals.
Look for Certified Organic products that are guaranteed to be free from genetic modification or shop at local farmers markets where you can ask questions directly of the growers.
Go easy on refined sugars (but still treat yourself!)
Refined sugar was nonexistent in the diets of our ancestors but has become a huge part of modern food choices.
Research links sugar consumption to significant health issues including obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Cutting back on the amount of refined sugar in your diet isn’t just about weight loss and protecting your pearly whites, it’s about living healthier, longer.
Always check the labels of so-called ‘green and clean’ smoothies and juices. They often contain as much, in some cases more, sugar than a can of soft drink.
That said, it’s all about balance. Some clean diets like extreme versions Keto and Paleo will have you ban you even looking at sugar but seriously, occasionally treating yourself to that sugary, decadent slice of cake is totally ok! Food is fuel, but it’s also enjoyment…so, enjoy.
The dangers of extreme clean eating
Taking clean eating to the extreme is not only unsustainable in the long term, it can be unhealthy too.
Many clean eating programs demonise entire food groups and advocate cutting out groups like carbohydrates or dairy.
Unless you have a food allergy or sensitivity, banning entire food groups just because #cleaneating isn’t a smart decision for your body.
Sensible healthy eating can be sustained as a lifestyle, not just a fad, when it’s about balance in your diet, not exclusion.
What’s your experience with clean eating? Has it changed your health for the better or did you find it too restrictive?
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