Clean Eating 101
Don’t get scared, get started.
Clean eating, the latest buzz word that we’re hearing from the health conscious, diet and fitness circles, cookbooks, and now your Instagram feed. The clean eating trend is everywhere, it’s not a diet, but a new lifestyle.
Simply put, clean eating is all about eating whole or real foods, minimally processed or refined, and as natural as possible, i.e. the best and healthiest of all the food groups.
It’s easy to follow and refreshes your habits, improves your health, immune system and lifestyle overall. At the same time helping the planet stay green and reducing your carbon footprint.
But how do you do it? Here’s our tips on how to eat clean:
Cut down on the processed stuff
Look at the ingredients list on packaged foods, if it’s long and has things you don’t know of, then avoid it. A lot of processed foods are full of excess salt, sugars and fats. Try buying cleaner and organic ingredients and making your own meals from scratch.
More fruit & veggies
They’re unprocessed, full of vitamins, and beneficial for vision, immunity and bones. They’re also high in fibre and low in calories. One of the best ways to clean eat is to fill your diet with loads of these.
Choose whole grains
Whole grains have a higher concentration of vitamins, minerals and nutrients than refined grains. For example, when looking for bread or rice, look for ‘whole wheat’ or ‘whole grains’.
Ditch those burgers
That means less saturated fats. Don’t scratch the fats completely, just go easy on them. Swap out butter, cheese and meat for olive oil, sunflower oil, nuts and fish. These are good for your heart and lung functions.
Watch the booze
Stay within the limits (one drink for women and two for men, per day). Too much alcohol is dehydrating and adds calories, no matter how great it might taste or make you feel!
Beware of the sweets
That means fizzy drinks, lollies and many baked foods. Look for sugar in the ingredients list, and if it’s close to the bottom, that means less of it is used. Alternatively, try using natural sweeteners like stevia, raw honey, maple sugar flakes or date sugar.
Put down that salt shaker
The recommended amount is one teaspoon per day, more than that can increase your blood pressure. A better alternative: add flavour with herbs and spices.