What is Clean Eating

You’ve likely heard of clean eating, but you may not know what it is exactly or how to go about cleaning up your diet.

Eating clean is way to refresh your eating habits: it boils down to eating more of the best and healthiest options in each of the food groups—and eating less of the not-so-healthy ones. That can mean embracing whole foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains, plus healthy proteins and fats. It can also mean cutting back on refined grains, added sugars, salt and unhealthy fats.

Since you don’t have to count calories or give up whole food groups, it’s easy to follow. Here are some helpful tips to get you started.

1. Limit Processed Foods - Many processed foods are full of excess sodium, sugar and fat.

Clean up your diet by looking at the ingredient list on packaged foods. If the list is long or includes lots of ingredients that you can’t pronounce, try to stay away from it. Instead, try making healthy homemade versions of your favorites, like macaroni and cheese, tomato sauce or granola bars. And remember that not everything that comes out of a box, bag or can is bad for you. Whole-wheat pasta, baby spinach and chickpeas are all “clean” packaged foods. They're minimally processed and provide good-for-you nutrients like fiber and vitamins.

2. Increase Your Intake of Veggies - Vegetables are full of vitamins, with many boasting vitamin A, which is essential for healthy vision and immune function, and vitamin K, which can help keep your bones healthy.

Vegetables are also high in heart-healthy fiber, which helps you feel full. Plus, veggies are low in calories, so you can eat lots of them without derailing your fitness goals. Fresh vegetables are as clean as they come since they are unprocessed and come straight from the farm (don’t forget to wash them before you eat them!).

3. Cut Down on Saturated Fat and focus on healthy fats.

Try swapping out saturated fats (like those in butter, cheese and red meat) in favor of healthy fats like olive oil, canola oil and the kind found in nuts and fatty fish. These fats are good for your heart and can help raise your good HDL cholesterol, while saturated fats are associated with increased risk of heart disease and should be limited. Need help identifying fats? Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature. To cut back on saturated fat in your diet, try these simple swaps: top your salad with nuts instead of cheese, use peanut butter instead of cream cheese and replace mayonnaise with avocado on a sandwich.

Need more help identifying nutrition concerns and cleaning up your diet?
Book your nutrition counseling session with Gabriela Tutta Bella today!
https://gtuttabella.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php