In last week’s article I discussed “the Raw Food Diet” and I mentioned that I would go in to more detail about clean eating. Both Abby and I follow clean eating principals in most of our meals. I do it for more energy, healthier skin and body, and I believe that it helps me keep my energy levels stable whether I am competing or not. For those of you who are not familiar with this practice let me go in to a little more detail.
What Is It?
In a nutshell, eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from many foods that typically make up the standard American diet. These foods include man-made sugar, hydrogenated and trans-fats, preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: “if it is man made, don’t eat it or keep it to a minimum.”
What Do You Eat?
There are a variety of foods you can eat while eating clean. The following are a few principals that encompass the “Clean Eating Diet”:
- Eat whole foods: The foods you eat on this plan are straight from the farm: whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, grass-fed and free-range meats, low fat dairy products, unsalted nuts, and seeds.
- Avoid processed foods: Processed foods are any food that has a label. A label means that more than one ingredient was used to make that food. You do not have to eliminate pasta or whole grains just try to get them in their simplest form.
- Eliminate refined sugar. Refined sugar provides nothing but calories. Other sweeteners can be used, but with all the good foods you add to your diet, refined sugar really has very little place in the eating clean plan.
How Do You Eat Clean?
Volume and timing are key component to the clean eating way of life.
- Eat five or six small meals a day. By eating smaller meals throughout the day you can help rev up your metabolism and reduce the chance of “falling off the wagon”. You never get so hungry on this plan that you feel deprived or feel the need to cheat.
- Combine protein with carbohydrates. When you do snack or eat a meal, make sure that meal is balanced. If you combine a protein with a carbohydrate you will give your body the furl it needs as well as keeping yourself from feeling deprived or hungry.
The reasons to eat clean are endless. Better health, avoiding certain diseases, having more energy and looking better overall are just a few of the main reasons I eat clean. It is really about how healthy foods make me feel and about what they do for me, my health, and the health of my family. Next time I will talk about how clean eating, exercise, and family all roll in to one for me.
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