Clean eating is a nutrition “system” that focuses on eating fresh, whole foods. A clean eating lifestyle can be easy, and even enjoyable, as long as you follow a few general clean eating guidelines.
Clean eating is not about always denying yourself “treats”. It’s about finding the balance that works for you to maintain or lose weight and feel great from the inside out.
Here are 5 simple tips to start eating clean.
What is clean eating?
Clean eating doesn’t have anything to do with washing your food.
Clean eating really just means to choose foods that are not overly processed and foods that provide maximum nutritional benefits.
The idea is to eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Think of it like this, you want to be eating food that comes from the farm versus food that comes from a factory.
Skip Added Sugar
It is super important to skip added sugar when you’re trying to eat clean. The problem is that added sugar is EVERYWHERE. It’s can even be found in foods that don’t taste particularly sweet, like sauces and condiments.
Both table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are high in fructose, which causes your blood sugar to spike and cause an insulin reaction. To find balance, occasionally eat small amounts of natural sugar — such as honey or maple syrup — while eating clean.
You will be amazed at the natural sweetness of foods when you reduce your added sugar intake. You will learn to appreciate the sweetness of fruit and the subtle flavors of nuts and other whole foods.
Avoid Packaged Snacks
There are a lot of opportunities to replace refined grains with veggies in recipes. For example, cauliflower can be chopped finely to mimic rice, mashed like potatoes, or used in pizza crust. When you increase your veggie intake, you’re also boosting your nutrient intake!
These processed foods provide little nutritional value. Are they even food?
When you need a snack, skip the package and go for healthy snacks, such as nuts, vegetables, and fruits. Celery or carrots with hummus or a berry mix are tasty and nutrient rich.
Substitute Vegetables
Do your best to totally avoid packaged snack foods. Packaged crackers, granola bars, muffins and other foods in the snack food aisle contain refined grains, added sugar, vegetable oils, and other unhealthy ingredients.
Spaghetti squash is a great replacement for pasta because it separates into long, thin strands after cooking. Zucchini makes great noodles as well. Look for Zoodle recipes!
Drink Your Water
Water is the healthiest and most natural beverage you can drink. It comes from from ground, after all. There are no additives, sugars, artificial sweeteners, or other questionable ingredients in water. Water is the cleanest beverage you can drink.
Water can keep you hydrated and keeps everything inside your body moving. Work on making water your main beverage when following a clean eating lifestyle.
Limit Processed Foods
Besides, packaged snacks, processed foods are not included in the clean eating lifestyle. Processed foods have been modified from their natural state. The clean eating lifestyle involves avoiding processed foods as much as possible.
When foods are processed, they lose some of the fiber and nutrients but end up with added sugar, chemicals, or other ingredients. Even when unhealthy ingredients don’t get added to these foods, they still lack many of the benefits provided by whole foods. Food is fuel, so make the choices that give you the most get up and go!