Clean Eating Made Easy

It seems that every day we hear the experts on TV or the radio exalting the benefits of clean eating. So what is clean eating? Clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state (the way natured delivered it) or as close to natural as possible. It’s a lifestyle approach to food, how we prepare it, and learning to eat clean one meal at a time. Here are some basic rules to make eating clean easy.

Eat five to six times a day– three meals and two to three small snacks. Make sure you include lean protein, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a complex carbohydrate (e.g. oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, potatoes, beans, peas and lentils are some examples of complex carbs) with each meal. Your body will stay energized and burn calories more efficiently.

Choose organic whenever possible. Remember the dirty dozen list from my previous articles. If your budget limits you, make meat and dairy products organic priorities.

Drink at least two liters of water per day preferably from a reusable bottle, not plastic. Limit your alcohol intake to one glass of antioxidant rich red wine a day.

Learn to read labels. Remember, clean foods contain short ingredient lists. Products with a long list of ingredients are man-made or modified and not considered clean.

Avoid processed and refined foods such as white flour, sugar, bread and pasta. Go for those complex carbohydrates I mentioned earlier in this article.

Recognize the enemy. Stay away from anything that contains trans-fat, anything fried or high in sugar. Avoid preservatives, color additives and toxic binders, stabilizers, emulsifiers and fat replacers.

Consume healthy fats (e.g. foods high in Omegas 3 and 6, raw nuts and flaxseed oil) every day.

Practice portion size and work toward eating the proper amount of food.

Reduce you carbon footprint. Eat produce that is seasonal and local. It is less taxing on your wallet and the environment.

Shop with a conscience. Consume humanly raised, local meats and ocean friendly seafood (seachoice.org).

Practice mindful eating. Never rush through a meal. Food tastes best when savored. Enjoy each bite.

Take it to go. Pack a small cooler or lunch bag for outings so you always have clean food on the go.