What is Clean Eating?
Part of the problem with getting to the bottom of what clean eating is, is that everyone seems to have a different definition of what actually constitutes ‘clean’. You’ve got your bodybuilder definition, your paleo definition, your vegan definition, your celebrity doctor definition and on and on and on. Not only that, but those definitions can vary wildly from individual to individual.What follows is my definition of clean eating, I don’t claim that it’s the ‘right’ definition; these are simply the personal guidelines I use to stay healthy.
What Clean Eating is NOT!
So, with that in mind, let’s go over some things clean eating isn’t: it’s not a diet, it’s not calorie-restriction, it’s not about meal frequency, it’s not about depriving yourself of things you love and it isn’t about perfection.
People often equate clean eating with sacrifice, but it’s actually about finding healthy alternatives to unhealthy food.
Sure it takes more work, but the results are certainly worth it. Also remember that as you clean up your eating habits, your tastes change and you get to the point where you actually crave healthy food. Sounds crazy, but it’s true.
MY CLEAN EATING GUIDELINES
So, I really believe in keeping it short and sweet! I do not think it takes a lot of "knowledge" to eat clean. My motto is: Anything God created to eat, I can eat! With the exception of the things that man has altered. For example: things may say "wheat," but it is soft and squishy....guess what, God did not make it, it has been altered by man! You need to look at the ingredients, if it says bleached or enriched...it is not made by God :) It has to say "whole wheat" etc. The less ingredients it has the better! Also, if you cannot read the ingredients, chances are God did not create it.
So here it is in a nut shell: if it is man made...do not eat it!
So here it is in a nut shell: if it is man made...do not eat it!
This is the bread I buy and you can buy it at sprouts. They have several different kinds and they even have tortillas but they have to be refrigerated because they have no preservatives in them.
What to do:
Eat more- eat six small meals each day.Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising.
Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbs at each meal
Eat sufficient (two to three servings) healthy fats every day.
Carry a cooler packed with clean foods each day.
Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.
Adhere to proper portion sizes.
Avoid these most of the time…
Like we said earlier, clean eating isn’t about perfection – any way of eating which requires perfection is going to be hard to sustain in the long run; eating is also a social affair, so it’s nice to be able to join in with friends and family. That said, to eat clean, you want to avoid the following most (90%) of the time:
Avoid processed food.
Convenient, but you pay for that convenience because processed foods are usually high in chemical additives, trans fats, salts and refined sugars.
Avoid most refined foods.
This means refined flour, sugars (high-fructose, white, brown, and the rest), trans-fats etc. If you’re interested in cutting down body fat, of special importance is to cut out refined sugars, which due to their affect on insulin levels and hormone sensitive lipase, aids in fat loss.
Avoid artificial ingredients and preservatives.
As the saying goes: if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. If it’s made in a lab, don’t eat it. This includes artificial sweeteners!
Avoid alcohol.
The long and short of it is: alcohol is a toxin. It’s also an excellent social lubricant, so if you’re going to drink, make sure you keep it low to moderate.
Avoid soda, high calorie creamers, energy drinks and fruit juice.
Don’t drink your calories: soda is loaded with sugar, diet soda is loaded with artificial sweeteners and fruit juice is also often loaded with refined sugar and of course, natural sugars.
If you just stick to the above guidelines most of the time, you’ll be well on your way to a clean eating lifestyle. As said before, it’s not about perfection, but the more you can cut out the above factors, the healthier you’ll be.
Avoid processed food.
Convenient, but you pay for that convenience because processed foods are usually high in chemical additives, trans fats, salts and refined sugars.
Avoid most refined foods.
This means refined flour, sugars (high-fructose, white, brown, and the rest), trans-fats etc. If you’re interested in cutting down body fat, of special importance is to cut out refined sugars, which due to their affect on insulin levels and hormone sensitive lipase, aids in fat loss.
Avoid artificial ingredients and preservatives.
As the saying goes: if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. If it’s made in a lab, don’t eat it. This includes artificial sweeteners!
Avoid alcohol.
The long and short of it is: alcohol is a toxin. It’s also an excellent social lubricant, so if you’re going to drink, make sure you keep it low to moderate.
Avoid soda, high calorie creamers, energy drinks and fruit juice.
Don’t drink your calories: soda is loaded with sugar, diet soda is loaded with artificial sweeteners and fruit juice is also often loaded with refined sugar and of course, natural sugars.
If you just stick to the above guidelines most of the time, you’ll be well on your way to a clean eating lifestyle. As said before, it’s not about perfection, but the more you can cut out the above factors, the healthier you’ll be.
Do this most of the time…
Account for individuality.
First and foremost, whatever eating habits you choose to make, you need to make it about you. In other words, you need to tailor your diet to:
1) your own food sensitivities and intolerance's (if any)
2) your personal preferences.
For example: if you are gluten and lactose intolerant, then clean eating, for you would mean, that you would have to avoid wheat and dairy products.
Eat according to your goals.
Eating to lose weight, maintain your weight, or gain weight (in the form of lean muscle, hopefully!) have different calorie requirements.
Eat plenty vegetables.
Veggies, veggies, veggies! Get as many veggies as you can. The idea is to make sure you have a variety of veggies on your plate (as many colors of the rainbow as you can get) and to vary the veggies you eat as often as possible.
Eat fruits in moderation.
Fruits are a sweet treat and a nutritious alternative to candies and other refined sugars, but it is possible to eat too many. Fruit can make you gain weight! Also, modern day fruits are generally much larger and higher in sugar than they would have been naturally (hybridization).
Eat high-quality meats.
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan you have plant-based alternatives. For the meat eaters, aim to get lean meat and limit your red meat to 2 times a week.
Eat healthy fats.
Healthy fats don’t make you fat, they’re good for you! Yes, even some healthy (i.e. from a high-quality source) saturated fats. You can get healthy fats from, for example, fish (e.g. anchovies and sardines), nuts and seeds (e.g. walnuts, almonds, chia seeds), avocados, eggs, oils (olive oil, coconut oil).
Use high-quality supplement(s).
I highly recommend Shakeology! It has done wanders for me and I use this rather than the daily vitamins.
Drink mostly water and enough of it.
Your daily water consumption should be half of your body weight in ounces.
For instance: If you weight 100lbs, then you should be dring 50oz.
Now, if you weigh more than 260lbs, then your goal (in my opinion) should be a gallon (128oz) a day, instead of half your weight.
Pure, unadulterated water is the best way to stay hydrated, chuck the soda, chuck the fruit juice and stick to water most of the time, herbal teas and moderate use of coffee (remembering that caffeine has a 6 hour half-life in the body, so it’s best to drink it earlier in the morning).
(Credit:
FitbodyHQ)
First and foremost, whatever eating habits you choose to make, you need to make it about you. In other words, you need to tailor your diet to:
1) your own food sensitivities and intolerance's (if any)
2) your personal preferences.
For example: if you are gluten and lactose intolerant, then clean eating, for you would mean, that you would have to avoid wheat and dairy products.
Eat according to your goals.
Eating to lose weight, maintain your weight, or gain weight (in the form of lean muscle, hopefully!) have different calorie requirements.
Eat plenty vegetables.
Veggies, veggies, veggies! Get as many veggies as you can. The idea is to make sure you have a variety of veggies on your plate (as many colors of the rainbow as you can get) and to vary the veggies you eat as often as possible.
Eat fruits in moderation.
Fruits are a sweet treat and a nutritious alternative to candies and other refined sugars, but it is possible to eat too many. Fruit can make you gain weight! Also, modern day fruits are generally much larger and higher in sugar than they would have been naturally (hybridization).
Eat high-quality meats.
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan you have plant-based alternatives. For the meat eaters, aim to get lean meat and limit your red meat to 2 times a week.
Eat healthy fats.
Healthy fats don’t make you fat, they’re good for you! Yes, even some healthy (i.e. from a high-quality source) saturated fats. You can get healthy fats from, for example, fish (e.g. anchovies and sardines), nuts and seeds (e.g. walnuts, almonds, chia seeds), avocados, eggs, oils (olive oil, coconut oil).
Use high-quality supplement(s).
I highly recommend Shakeology! It has done wanders for me and I use this rather than the daily vitamins.
Drink mostly water and enough of it.
Your daily water consumption should be half of your body weight in ounces.
(Credit:
FitbodyHQ)
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