So You Are Trying To Eat Clean

A healthier diet is a great start to a better lifestyle. This is why regardless of whether you are attempting to achieve a physical fitness or health goal, having good eating habits is necessary for your overall wellness.

The problem is, it can be hard to know where to start when you’re trying to change your eating patterns. Most of the time it can be overwhelming to choose what dietary plan to follow, since there are so many available today. In fact, you’ll find everything from plant-based diets like the Vegan and Vegetarian diets to something that dates back to the earliest humans, such as the Paleo diet. Moreover, each of these plans claim to have different health benefits, making it even harder for you to select one.

Though when you really think about it, every dietary approach is meant to nourish your body with the right types of food. It enables you to develop healthy eating habits by helping you understand which foods you should consume and avoid based on a variety of valid reasons. You can see that eating healthy and eating clean are critical aspects of nearly every diet plan. However, there is a dietary approach that emphasizes the importance of these factors that can make the decision process easier, and it is called the Clean Eating Diet.

clean eating diet plan

What is the Clean Eating Diet?

A clean eating diet is a simple dietary approach that focuses on consuming foods that are essentially good for your body. Fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains are just a few examples. Processed foods, which tend to contain high levels of artificial ingredients, trans fats, sodium, and sugar are mostly avoided in this diet.

Since there aren’t many restrictions nor complicated reasons as to why certain foods must be eaten or cut out, the clean eating diet is quite basic when compared to other dietary plans. There’s really not much else to it than incorporating healthy whole foods in your clean eating diet plan. However, it’s important to keep in mind that not all processed foods are harmful to your health.

Truth be told, it’s practically impossible to avoid processed foods these days, especially if you go grocery shopping. You’ll find frozen produce, canned foods, wheat bread, and even nuts everywhere. These can still be healthy choices, as long as you read the labels and review the ingredients, primarily its sodium and sugar content.

clean eating diet plan

What Can I Eat on a Clean Eating Diet Plan?

One of the best things about a clean eating diet plan is that you can eat a variety of foods, unlike other diets that are so restrictive. Nevertheless, it’s essential to plan every meal beforehand in order to ensure that you still get the right amount of nutrients for your body. To give you an idea of what you can consume within this dietary approach, here is a typical list of foods for clean eating:

Clean Eating List of Foods

- Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for our bodies. It helps fuel our organs as well as aid our digestion. There are many healthy sources of carbohydrates that you can incorporate into your diet, such as fruits, natural sweeteners, vegetables, and whole grains. A few of these are:
  - Fruits
    - Apples
    - Bananas
    - Berries (Strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
    - Dates
    - Melons
    - Papaya
  - Sweeteners (Natural or less-processed)
    - Agave
    - Coconut sugar
    - Honey
    - Maple syrup
  - Vegetables
    - Acorn squash
    - Beans
    - Broccoli
    - Carrots
    - Cauliflower
    - Herbs
    - Leafy greens
    - Legumes
    - Sweet potatoes
  - Whole grains
    - Corn
    - Oatmeal
    - Rice
    - Wheat

- Healthy Fats: Healthy fats are essential for energy, cell growth, and organ health. Here are some excellent sources of healthy fats that you can add to your diet:
  - Avocado
  - Coconut
  - Nuts and nut butters (Cashews, pistachios, walnuts, etc.)
  - Seeds (Chia seeds, sesame seeds, etc.)

- Protein: Protein is a nutrient that is critical for building and repairing cells in our bodies. The best sources of protein for your clean eating diet plan are grass-fed, sustainably caught, and free-range or organic meats and dairy products. The following are a few examples:
  - Grass-fed meat
    - Beef
    - Bison
    - Goat
    - Lamb
  - Sustainably caught seafood
    - Basa
    - Mackerel
    - Lobster
    - Squid
  - Free-range and organic options
    - Chicken
    - Duck
    - Eggs
    - Pork
- Plant-based Protein: For those who choose to cut out meat from their diet, there are plenty of plant-based protein sources. These include the following:
  - Plant-based source of protein
    - Beans
    - Buckwheat
    - Legumes
    - Lentils
    - Nutritional Yeast
    - Quinoa

clean eating diet plan

Foods to Avoid on a Clean Eating Diet

Processed foods, as mentioned earlier, are the most important thing you need to avoid when you are trying to follow a clean eating diet plan. The primary reason for this is that they typically contain high levels of trans fats, sodium, and sugar while offering very little nourishment to your body. Aside from being poor sources of nutrients, processed foods can also have negative health effects, especially when you aren’t mindful of your diet and lifestyle.

Here are some foods to keep an eye out for and avoid when starting your clean eating diet plan:

Alcohol
Artificial sweeteners
Artificial foods (Processed cheese slices)
Candies and chips
Processed meats (Hotdogs and Spam)
Sugar-sweetened beverages (Soda, fruit drinks, sports drinks, etc.)
Foods with chemical additives or preservatives

In summary, this list contains everything that can be boiled down to processed foods – foods that usually have undergone a great deal of treatment before they are available to the public.

clean eating diet plan

What are the Benefits of a Clean Eating Diet?

A clean eating diet has significant benefits to the body. This comes as no surprise since you’ll be consuming huge amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and quality proteins that are filled with tremendous amounts of nutrients. An effective clean eating diet plan assures you of the following benefits:

Weight Loss: A clean eating diet could help you lose weight. This is primarily due to the reduction of processed foods, which greatly contribute to weight gain, and even obesity. In addition, the types of food you consume also contributes to weight loss. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are high in fiber, which helps with digestion.
Improved Energy Levels: You will have an increase in energy levels because of the nutrients your body is getting from the whole foods you eat. Quality and nutritious foods are now better energy sources than sugar and unhealthy sports drinks.
Strong Immune System: Clean eating will improve your immune system. The immune system guards your body whenever you eat processed foods and sugar. It expends energy on this process, leaving little to fight infections and viruses. With a clean eating diet plan, you’ll have a stronger immune system, better able to fight off viruses. This is simply because you have cut out sugar and processed foods.
Reduced Illness Risk: It reduces your risk for certain health problems, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The benefits of eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will surely nourish your body and protect you from illness.

You can clearly see that a clean diet is unquestionably helpful to your body, not to mention its simplicity is one of the reasons most people find it so enticing.

clean eating diet plan

How Do I Start to Eat Clean?

Do not be overwhelmed once you’ve finally decided to follow through with a clean eating diet plan. In fact, it’s actually quite simple since you just need to avoid processed foods and try to eat healthy whole foods. To help you get started, here are a few tricks and tips you should keep in mind:

Small Steps: If you drastically change your diet, you may end up quitting early. Take it slow and start with one meal a day. Remember that you’re altering eating patterns you’ve used for years, which is why the transition should take time and not be rushed.
K.I.S.S Principle: Keep it simple and focus on eating whole, natural foods. A great place to start is with fruits and vegetables. Adding these two to your diet can significantly reduce your chances of developing certain health conditions.
Educate Yourself: Always know what you are eating, and plan your meals ahead as much as possible. By doing this, you can eventually make sure your body gets the necessary nutrients every day, instead of consuming any sort of food you want and risking nutritional deficiencies.
Avoid Processed Foods: Keep an eye on processed foods. Even though it has been stated that you should generally avoid it, there are still some processed foods considered to be acceptable, like whole wheat pasta, baby carrots, and plain yogurt. Just read the labels carefully and beware of sugar, sodium, unrecognizable ingredients, and products with hydrogenated oils.
Start Cooking More: You might want to consider cooking your own food. This would not only help you save money, but you can also control what you put in your meals, ensuring that you are eating clean.

What is the Difference Between Whole Foods and Processed Foods?

In simple terms, whole foods refer to foods that are in their natural state and don’t contain any artificial ingredients. These kinds of foods have also been processed minimally or not at all. A whole food diet generally emphasizes fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts. This is why it is characterized as a plant-based diet. But keep in mind that you can still consume meat in a clean eating diet plan as long as the meat is grass-fed, organic and sustainably sourced.

Processed foods on the other hand, are foods that have undergone some form of processing. High levels of sodium, sugar, unhealthy fats, preservatives and other artificial ingredients are added to these types of food to extend their shelf life. Because of the overall processing, the nutrient content of these foods is reduced or compromised.

In a nutshell, processed foods are completely opposite of whole foods, since they have undergone a variety of processing that the latter do not go through.

clean eating diet plan

How to Eat Clean on the Go

When you’re juggling work and family life, you may have difficulty maintaining a healthy eating routine. As a result, you’ll find that it’s challenging to adhere to a simple clean eating diet plan. To help you eat clean on the go, here are some tips you might find useful:

Meal Prep: Make your meals ahead of time. As mentioned earlier, it’s important to plan your food in advance. In addition to saving you time and ensuring that your body gets the nutrients it needs each day, preparing your food prevents you from buying unhealthy foods when you’re hungry.
Shopping Lists: Make your grocery shopping easier by creating a clean eating food list. This allows you to focus on buying only what you truly need rather than being distracted with the processed foods that fill most supermarkets.
Talk to Wait Staff: If you must eat out despite preparing your meals, always stick to clean eating and choose healthy options. Do not compromise your dietary changes. You can simply ask the waiter whether certain foods are available, what the ingredients of the meal are, or choose water over sugary beverages.
Avoid Snacking: Make sure your meal is packed with protein and healthy fats. These will help keep you full, which will prevent you from snacking on processed foods that are readily available most of the time.

To summarize, all you need to do is plan your meals well in advance and take things slowly at first. So you don’t overwhelm yourself with the process of starting a new eating habit.

References:

Dudash, M. What does ‘Clean Eating’ Mean, Anyway? Food Network’s Healthy Eats.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2017/08/what-does-clean-eating-mean-anyway

Height, A. (2019, July 09). What is Clean Eating: A Guide to Eating Your Best. Plate Joy.

https://www.platejoy.com/blog/what-is-clean-eating-guide

Lee, W. The Eat-Clean Diet Review. Nourish by WebMD.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/eat-clean-diet

Leomo, S. (2019, May 18). Whole Foods vs. Processed Foods. Down to Earth Organic & Natural.

https://www.downtoearth.org/articles/health-tips/11786/whole-foods-vs-processed-foods

Maser, R. (2018, January 25). 20 Health Benefits of Clean Eating. Clean Food Crush.

https://cleanfoodcrush.com/twenty-clean-eating-benefits/

Satrazemis, E. (2019, June 30). Clean eating food list: What to Eat and What to Avoid. Trifecta.