“Eat clean” is an eating philosophy with the basic principle of choosing foods as close to their natural origin as possible. So, how should we “eat clean”?
Have you heard of “eat clean”, the clean eating and healthy living movement that is creating waves today but don’t know where to start? You worry that “clean eating” is a strict diet like dozens of other diets and you have to give up many delicious foods you love. Once you’re on a diet, how can you make it permanent? So you’re wondering how much starch, protein, fat, and vegetables you need to eat in “eat clean” and how to measure it? If one of the above questions makes you hesitate and hesitate to experiment with “clean eating”, then continue reading the article!
What is “clean eating”?
“Clean eating” is not a diet. “Eat clean” is an eating philosophy with the basic principle of choosing food as close to its natural origin as possible. Specifically, this eating philosophy encourages us to minimize canned and processed foods and return to natural, organic, and minimally processed foods. For example, with tomatoes, with “clean eating”, it can be a tomato salad with vinegar, we just need to wash, chop the tomatoes, and eat, without much processing, while it is also a tomato but in tomato sauce bottles sold at supermarkets, this is an industrial product that has been processed and added flavorings, preservatives, spices, especially sugar, and salt.
So how to “eat clean”?
Choose whole foods
Instead of choosing processed and canned foods, choose fresh, whole, and whole foods. For example, instead of choosing canned guava juice from the supermarket that is loaded with preservatives, flavorings, sugar, and completely stripped of fiber, choose fresh, in-season guavas for a snack or dessert. By limiting processed foods such as cakes, chips, marshmallows, ice cream, soft drinks, hot dogs, etc., we can significantly reduce our calorie intake along with sugar, salt, and other unhealthy spices.
Eat more whole grains or starches
Grains or refined starches are currently quite popular in most of our diets because they are cheap, last a long time, are quick to prepare, and come in many forms such as white bread, pasta, and white rice,…Refined grains are stripped of most of their nutrients and fiber, leaving only starch. The more refined starches we eat, the greater our risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, fatty liver, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. So, instead of “white” starch or refined starch, choose whole grains such as whole grain rice, brown rice, whole grain oats, whole grain bread, quinoa,… to protect health.
Increase green vegetables and fruits
It can be said that vegetables and fruits are the two main ingredients of “clean eating”. We can choose fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables locally or we can also consider frozen fruits and vegetables, as long as they retain maximum nutritional content and do not have added sugar, salt, or preservative management. In addition, with fruit, choose to eat fresh, whole fruit instead of juice because most of the fiber has been removed from the pulp and the remaining sugar content is very high and concentrated. A better option than juice is a smoothie. Regarding eating fruit, we should consider our health status and calorie limit to choose the appropriate amount and type of fruit because many sweet fruits have quite high sugar content that can increase the amount of sugar in the blood and total energy intake.
Pay attention to salt, sugar and preservatives
Whole foods are often low in salt and sugar, and adding too much salt and sugar can be harmful to your health and goes against this natural eating philosophy. Limiting industrial and processed foods is an effective way to reduce salt and sugar consumption. Even in seemingly healthy foods like yogurt, instant cereal, or tomato sauce, sugar and salt “hide” a lot to enhance taste. Therefore, when buying these foods, take some time to read the ingredients to find the content of salt, sugar, preservatives, flavors, industrial colors, or artificial sweeteners and consider. “Eat clean” can still be seasoned with salt and sugar but in small amounts. Instead, it is recommended to use natural spices such as onions, garlic, ginger, or herbs to enhance the flavor of the dish naturally!
Drink water instead of soft drinks
Water and herbal tea should be an alternative to soft drinks and bottled juices, whether the label says no added sugar or is diet soda, as they can be harmful to your health in the long run. long. long. Drinking water before meals can help us reduce appetite and speed up metabolism to burn energy.
Choose local and organic foods
Choose locally grown and seasonal foods because they are cheaper, fresher, have more nutritional content, and contribute to environmental protection regarding storage and transportation. Organic vegetables and fruits according to standards only use natural, organic plant protection substances instead of industrial plant protection chemicals. We can grow our vegetables and fruits if possible or choose a place to sell them that is safe and has clear origins.
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“Eat clean” has many levels from easy to difficult and anyone can start with the basic principles above by gradually limiting industrial and processed foods. For those just starting, we can test “eat clean” at 50/50, meaning 50% of meals are “eat clean” standards and 50% are eating according to taste. This is an easy target for beginners and allows you to get used to the diet before taking it to the next level. The core of this eating philosophy is that we are conscious and make an effort to limit unhealthy foods and replace them with nutritious, healthier foods rather than “eating clean”.
“Eat clean” is not a diet as it encourages balance in all nutritional and food groups, “eating clean” is a healthy and balanced lifestyle. “Eat clean” gives us flexibility in choosing ingredients, foods, and eating methods, and most of all, we can still fully enjoy them because we don’t have to completely give up our favorite dishes. Each person will find a different way to “eat clean”, listen to their body, and discover the formula that best suits them so they can eat clean, live healthily and have a desired weight without losing weight too abstinent!
