Clean eating diet

HOW TO EAT CLEAN

What is ‘clean eating’?

‘Clean eating’ refers to the practice of consuming unrefined foods, thus avoiding simple or processed sugars, and basing your diet on whole foods. But clean eating is not just about weight loss. Clearing your diet of all things toxic can support proper nutrition, remove bad toxins and fuel your body with the energy it needs to live a healthier lifestyle. It is not about restricting your diet- simply just making healthier choices. We like to look at a ‘clean eating diet plan’ as more of a lifestyle choice- therefore we are not talking about restrictive dieting.

How can a clean eating diet help you stay healthy?

The saying ‘you are what you eat’ really does apply. If you are constantly feeding your body junk food, your body is effectively just full of rubbish. Fuelling your body with healthy whole foods can help regain and maintain optimum health and help lead an all round well-balanced lifestyle. It can improve the functioning of your immune system, gut health and cognitive function.

Top 5 reasons to eat whole foods:

You will reduce risk of diseases such as: cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
You are more likely to be getting the essential nutrients you need to support your bones, joints, immune system and energy metabolism.
You will get more micronutrients, which will help support healthy cholesterol levels.
Eating the right foods that contain the right nutrients provides you with more energy throughout the day and helps to keep your cells strong to enable your body to work efficiently.
You feel great! A well-balanced and healthy diet will help you feel great physically and mentally.

Clean eating principles

Eating clean does not mean only eating fruit and vegetables and never enjoying a bar of chocolate. It is simply tailoring your diet to nourish your body in the best way possible, and finding the right balance for you as an individual. The main factor to focus on is cutting out as much of the junk food and refined sugar foods as possible as these types of foods add no nutritional value to your diet whatsoever. The key points to nourishing your body with healthy foods are as follows:

Eat whole foods: This refers to food products that have no additives, whether it is in the making or the manufacturing of the food. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, free-range eggs, organic meats, and raw nuts and seeds should make up a large portion of your ‘clean eating’ diet.
Avoid refined sugars: Refined sugars provide no nutritional value to your diet and will encourage your body to store sugars as fat. Add natural sweeteners to your diet if you really feel like you need that sweetness in your coffee.
Eat often- Eating little and often will help eliminate any sugar cravings you might have. It will also help boost your metabolism and won’t keep your body guessing in terms of when it might next be fed therefore, you will not feel deprived of food.
Get cooking- Instead of buying ‘on the go’ or ready made meals, get in the kitchen and prep your own meals so you know for sure that all the ingredients you add is adding nutritional value to your diet. Granted, sometimes ‘food on-the-go’ cannot be avoided but try and working on planning what healthy choices you can make.
Do not cut out carbs- For some reason, when people hear the word ‘diet’ the first food group they get rid of is carbohydrates. Instead of getting rid of carbs- switch to complex carbs that your body can easily digest and run off for longer. These include anything whole grain- so cut down on white bread, white pasta etc. as this will encourage dips in your blood sugar levels, which will lead to unhealthy cravings. Your body and your brain relies on glucose for energy so if you are not fuelling your body with an appropriate amount of carbohydrates, you will end up feeling run down and experience lack of energy and concentration.
Eat protein with every meal- Protein is important for optimum function and recovery of muscles, and low protein diets can lead to extreme fatigue. Amino acids are the building blocks for neurotransmitters, which control your mood therefore; lack of protein in your diet can lead to mood swings and anxiety. Tip: Choose lean sources of protein such as, turkey, chicken, fish, eggs and tofu.
Eat healthy fats- Be mindful of what type of fats you are eating: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the good types of fats which are found in raw nuts, eggs, coconut oil and oily fish such as salmon and avocados. These are all great sources of omega 3s and 6s, which are essential for a healthy heart and brain.

Top tip for clean eating:

When you are doing your weekly food shop, check the labels of what you’re buying to confirm that you know exactly what you are going to be cooking later that night. The list of the ingredients in the food product should be short, readable and recognizable with no artificial flavours or additives. For additional flavours and health benefits add spices and herbs to your homemade dinners- rosemary, thyme, turmeric, chilli and paprika are all amazing for your health!