The word clean eating is viral all over and we have been hearing of this type of diet quite a lot recently. People are choosing clean eating diet to stay healthy and lose weight. Stores have more clean products nowadays, and there is a general encouragement to be on a clean eating diet. But what exactly does clean eating mean? I kept wondering for quite some time and after some research and experiments I have gathered quite a bit of knowledge which I would like to share with you all.
What is clean eating?
Clean eating is eating more healthy and unprocessed food and avoiding or eating less of unhealthy food. It’s about choosing the best and the healthiest options in all the food categories. This diet program is based on eating more of whole foods – that is to their closest nature and keeping the food to their healthiest form. For example – according to this diet plan we should eat more of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat instead of prepackaged food that’s processed and contains hidden unhealthy ingredients.
Clean eating is not about counting calories but about making sure to buy and eat good quality healthy produce as far as possible.
The steps to clean your diet are:
1. Increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables over canned processed fruits and vegetables. These canned or processed products have added salt, sugar and fat and lose much of its nutrient value and fiber in the processing.
2. Avoid added sugar and aerated sugar loaded drinks. Instead hydrate yourself with water or fresh lime water or fresh squeezed fruit/vegetable juices. Introduce green tea in your liquid diet. Limit your alcohol intake.
3. Include whole grains in your diet instead of refined grains and flour. Try to opt for oatmeal, sprouted whole wheat, quinoa, brown rice and many more.
4. Eat plenty of protein. For meat eaters try to choose good quality lean meat and consume it grilled, broiled or steamed instead of frying. For vegetarians and vegans incorporate beans, nuts, seeds, lentil in your diet and use minimum or no oil. Try to consume protein in their natural form as much as possible.
5. Take control of your sodium intake. Cook at home as much as possible and avoid store bought frozen food packages because they contain high levels of sodium.
6. Know the difference between bad fat vs good fats. Remove saturated fat from your diet and include healthy fats like olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, avocadoes and so on. These fats are good for your heart and help raise good HDL cholesterol thereby improving your overall health.
7. Portion control plays an important role in clean eating. Avoid over eating and as required keep snacking at proper intervals with nuts, fruits and dairy. Eats 5 small meals and include fiber and roughage as much as possible.
In conclusion: clean eating is one of the great ways to detox yourself and lose weight in a healthy way. No dieting, no starving and no calorie counting stress involved. Make sure to shop clean and read the labels properly, make right choices and stay focused on healthy eating. Clean eating helps improve or prevent life threatening disease and also promotes glowing skin and beautiful hair.
Health tip of the week
“Shop clean, eat clean, drink clean and embrace healthy living”.
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Jake White says
My wife and I have made a New Year’s resolution to start living healthier. I’m glad that I came to this article, as I think our eating habits should definitely be revised a little bit. I liked number 6 about knowing the difference between bad fat and good fat in order to avoid any unhealthy intakes. Thanks for sharing these tips with me!
Gunjan says
Thank you Jake. Good luck to your new start of healthy living 🙂