Your Guide to Understanding Clean Eating
- Written by Chloe Taylor
Clean eating is one of the best approaches to diet right now. It helps preserve and improve your health, it allows weight control and it fuels you with energy. However, the most common issue that people struggle with clean eating is that it doesn’t come with a set of classic diet rules. This makes it hard for many people to follow this eating philosophy and see good results. Luckily, the internet is here to help. Here are a few tips that will help you understand clean eating and allow you to follow it easily:
Focus on whole foods
What does this mean? Well, it’s actually a very simple thing to follow—instead of eating processed foods, opt for whole foods in their natural look. For instance, if you want to eat fruit, opt for raw fruit instead of jellies, preserves, and breakfast bars. If you want to eat veggies, opt for raw pieces instead of choosing veggie-flavored things, vegetable rolls, or dough stuffed with vegetables. When it comes to grains, opt for natural grains in their true form instead of processed stuff.
Read the label
It’s important to be more aware of what you’re eating. Just because you’re focusing on whole foods, it doesn’t mean you can’t ever have anything that comes from a box. Instead, when buying processed foods, keep an eye on the label and study the nutritional facts. As long as you can recognize all the ingredients, you can enjoy your food. For instance, when buying crackers, look for the type that’s made with things like brown rice, chia seeds, pumpkin puree, nuts, dates, cinnamon, and water. However, if the label is full of things like corn syrup and various processed ingredients that have a number instead of a normal name, it’s best to ditch it.
Limit refined carbs
Refined carbs are processed foods that are usually very low in nutritional value. They are linked with an increased possibility of inflammation, insulin resistance, fatty liver, and weight issues. On the other hand, we have whole grains rich in fiber and nutrients that ensure a healthy gut and better resistance to inflammations. According to a research, people who consume more or less just whole grains are less likely to be obese or have belly fat than those who ate mostly refined carbs. When eating any sort of grain product, focus on those that are not processed—think sprouted grain bread, steel-cut oats, etc. instead of box cereals and white bread.
Learn about replacement foods
In many cases, you can boost your clean eating by replacing various foods with vegetables in your cooking. For instance, instead of choosing rice, you can finely chop cauliflower or use it in mashed side dishes instead of potatoes. Next, it’s possible to use spaghetti squash or zucchini instead of pasta noodles. This habit will additionally boost your health and improve your diet. And for an added shot of health, consider introducing vitamins and supplements to your diet. Most of your vitamins and minerals will come through a clean diet, but if you have to pass on certain foods, supplements will be there to balance everything out.
Minimize added sugars
Added sugar is the killer of your healthy diet, yet it’s still found in many foods you buy from the supermarket. Even some things you wouldn’t suspect to have added sugar have it in abundance like condiments, so study the label before buying. Both sugar and corn syrup play a significant role in obesity, diabetes, and even some types of cancer. However, if you suffer from any of these conditions, make sure to consult with your doctor if you want to cut sugar from your diet or replace it with sweeteners.
Stay clear of packaged snacks
Whenever you can, try to avoid store-bought snacks. Things like granola bars, muffins, crackers, and chips are full of sugar, refined grains, oil, and other ingredients that do nothing for your nutrition. So to avoid reaching for unhealthy foods when you get a bit hungry between meals, prepare proper snacks at home and keep them on hand. For instance, it’s very easy to prep little bags of nuts, chopped veggies, and fruit for work walks and other events. These snacks are not only full of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, but they are very successful in keeping you full. Plus, they taste great!
Use healthy cooking methods
Clean eating allows the intake of good oils and fats, but you should still try to minimize the intake of foods prepared in an “unhealthy” way. For instance, people who follow a clean eating plan usually avoid deep-fried foods and anything that might soak up too much oil and fat. If you want a practical cooking method that’s also healthy, choose air frying or oven baking. Grilling is also amazing and natural, and veggies taste especially good when bathed in grill smoke.
There you have it, a little guide for all people who want to clean up their diet. Clean eating requires just a touch of knowledge and discipline and your life will be much better.
