“Clean” Eating: What does it really mean?

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “clean eating” but what does that really mean? 

A quick google search would tell you it’s; “a fad diet based on the belief that consuming whole foods and avoiding convenience and other processed foods offers certain health benefits”. Honestly, that quick description doesn’t give this particular eating “lifestyle” the credit it deserves.

Truthfully, clean eating means something different to each individual. It even means something different at different stages of the same persons life. An infants nutritional needs are different from a teenager. A woman’s diet will look different when she is pregnant or breastfeeding. Your diet should change throughout your life, just as your body is constantly changing.

• 

• 

• 

To me, clean eating includes foods that are optimal to my body at this stage in my life. There have been times in my life when my body has not done well with gluten/wheat but, currently, I can eat them with no problem. Dairy is another group that I have had to cut from my diet on occasion to get my gut health back to an optimal level. 

What does clean eating look like for you?

This is something, I believe, each individual needs to find for themselves.

I have found my optimal foods from doing my own research and testing out different “diets” throughout the years. Most of the time, I start with a cleanse, Whole30 is my go-to. Then, I add back foods in a reintroduction phase to determine how it affects my body. When I say diet, I don’t mean choosing a current fad diet and trying it out, those rarely work for the long term. I mean your unique “diet”, the foods that work for you and your body/health. The term diet has lost it’s true meaning throughout the years and it is time we take it back!

Doing my own research using an elimination method has shown me what foods, even if they are “healthy”, negatively effect my overall health. This isn’t just a, “oh, my stomach hurts or I have more gas” kind of reaction. I also search for other body reactions, such as, headaches, cramping, etc while also keeping an eye out for the good reactions; more energy, no stomach pain, quicker recovery, better sleep. All of these things are a way to gauge our current nutrition and how it is effecting us in all aspects of life. 

• 

• 

• 

Eating the Rainbow-

If you are searching for your optimal diet, I would recommend trying an elimination diet, such as the Whole30, and reintroducing foods slowly. If you aren’t up for trying this method, I would suggest starting to “eat the rainbow”, choosing whole/real foods in all color groups. Next time you head to the grocery store, or fill up your online cart if your shopping from home, grab at last one fruit and veggie in each color and try it out.

Green vegetables have different nutrients than orange fruits but all are important for your overall health. Remember your elementary school teachers telling you to eat your carrots so you can see in the dark? There is something to that, carrots have beta-carotene, which helps your body create Vitamin A, and Vitamin A is good for your eye health. So, you may not end up with the super power to see in the dark but you will be able to see much better at night and any other time of the day as well.

Quick Clean Eating Tips To Get You Started-

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables
   • Eat the rainbow, see above
2. Limit processed foods
   • The modified version of “healthy” foods are still far from the natural state they should be in
3. Read labels
   • Start looking at those ingredients! You may be surprised by what is inside your favorite foods.
4. Avoid refined carbs and added sugar
   • Inflammatory with little nutritional value
   • Choose whole grains that are minimally processed and ‘real’ sugars (fruit)
5. Make water your primary beverage
   • There are SO many benefits to drinking water!

Now’s the time to stop the yo-yo diets of the past and start learning what foods work for you, from your own body. Take the power away from the diet industry and put it back in your own hands, do the work and you will be rewarded with a lifetime of healthy choices. You only get one body, take care of it!