What does it mean to eat clean and how is it done?
There’s a lot of talk these days about clean eating. This doesn’t mean washing your hands before eating or washing your food to make it “clean.” Of course, you should do both for good health. But clean eating is about something else. Clean eating involves eating foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. https://fitproondemand.newzenler.com/courses
Why eat clean? Because as convenient as they are, packaged, processed foods are rarely healthy. In fact, they’re often the worst choices for you. They’re often filled with sodium, added sugars, unhealthy fats, chemicals, food dyes, and preservatives made in a lab. Besides good taste, processed foods are largely junk. Eat enough and expect weight gain and health problems. Clean foods, on the other hand, are nutrient dense. They’re useful for strengthening and nourishing your body, while helping to maintain a healthy weight.
The research clearly shows that clean eating is good for you. Not used to eating this way? Here are a few suggestions to get started.
1. Cut Back on Processed Foods
Processed foods have been altered in some way from its original form. This might mean your food has been frozen, cooked, or pasteurized. While it’s best to avoid processed foods, some are okay to eat. Just be sure to stay away from foods with added ingredients or that have been processed to the point of losing nutrients. An easy way to cut back on processed foods is changing where you shop. Stay on the outer edges of your grocery store. This helps you avoid most highly processed foods.
2. Read Ingredient Labels
Not sure if a food is highly processed or isn’t considered “clean”? Get in the habit of reading ingredient labels. If there’s a word you can’t pronounce, it’s likely something your body doesn’t need. The shorter a food’s ingredients, the better. Watch for high amounts of sodium, added sugars, trans fat, saturated fat, preservatives, and artificial ingredients.
3. Cook from Scratch
It’s easy to warm up a microwave dinner or stop by a fast food restaurant, but if you’re going to eat clean, you’ll need to prepare your own meals from scratch. This way, you know exactly what you’re eating. If you aren’t used to spending time in the kitchen, start out slow. Find a few simple meals you can make, and go shopping for the ingredients you need. Start with one or two homemade meals a week. As you gain confidence in the kitchen, gradually make more of your meals. https://fitproondemand.newzenler.com/courses
4. Eat More Produce
One of the simplest ways to eat clean is to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Filled with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, fruits go a long way toward keeping you healthy. A diet high in fruits and veggies is associated with a reduced risk of all sorts of illnesses and diseases. Try to include fruits and vegetables with every meal. Add variety to your salads. Substitute refined grains like rice or noodles for vegetables. Toss some fruit into your yogurt or smoothie. Any chance you get, find a way to sneak in more fresh produce, and your body will thank you.
5. Be Picky about Your Snacks
Snack foods are often highly processed and filled with added sugar, refined grains, and unhealthy fats. Prepackaged snacks make it easy, but they aren’t doing your health or waist line any favors. For clean eating, keep healthy options on hand. Set out fresh fruit for snacks on-the-go. Keep pre-washed veggies in the refrigerator. Other clean snack foods include nuts, seeds, or hard-boiled eggs.
6. Drink More Water
A big part of clean eating is clean drinking. Beverages are an overlooked source of added sugars, artificial sweeteners, additives, and preservatives. Frequent consumption of sugar-filled beverages is linked to weight gain, diabetes, and other health conditions. Avoid this by making water your go-to drink. It’s the cleanest beverage you can find. Besides water, milk and unsweetened tea and coffee are healthy options. https://fitproondemand.newzenler.com/courses
It’s All Got to Go.
Clean eating means cutting back on added sugar in its many forms. That means desserts, drinks, snacks, and more. The good news is that once you go clean for a while, you feel so good that sugar loses its appeal. I’d love for my fitness program to become your new healthy habit! FitProNutritionCoach.com Call or email now to reserve your spot. FitProExec.com https://fitproondemand.newzenler.com/courses